Plight Of The Physically Challenged

They should be empowered, not discriminated against

In March 2009, the Senate passed a law outlawing discriminations against people with disabilities in the society. The law requires government and public institutions as well as individuals to provide convenient access for physically challenged persons. The law, among other things, states: “… public building shall be constructed with the necessary accessibility aids such as lifts (where necessary), ramps and other facility that shall make them accessible and usable to persons with disability.”

At the time, many considered the law a major milestone on the rights of the physically challenged in our society. “The Senate has taken seriously its responsibility and determination to ensure that we make laws not just for able-bodied but also for the physically challenged in our midst…We have made history”, Senator Ayogu Eze declared. But like everything Nigerian, there are no significant follow up on the implementation of the law which has fallen into disuse. This means in effect that nothing has changed and it is very sad.

A recent news report stated clearly that about 98 per cent of public buildings in the country such as schools, hospitals, banks, even shop stalls, where some can make economic transactions, are still inaccessible to persons with disabilities. The plight of this category of Nigerians becomes more worrisome today at what is now a makeshift arrangement for domestic travellers who now use the international wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja. They practically have to go through hell to travel. Yet the physically challenged persons constitute about 19 per cent of the population.

It must be noted that public buildings in our country have over the years become nothing but a reflection of the attitude of the society towards the physically challenged. They are still discriminated against and face social stigma. From transportation which allows movement and interactions, through health, recreations and even educational services which can make them compete effectively, people with one disability or another are most often discriminated against and deprived of their rights. Everywhere and every day, obstacles are thrown on their paths.

This perhaps accounts for their poor education or even job skills. Cosmos Okoli, an enterprising man who has proved that there is ability in disability once said: “We have had cases where some principals and head teachers refused disabled candidates admission not on the basis of incompetence but for their disabilities.” To worsen the situation, many are regarded by their families as a source of shame and treated as objects of charity. The few vocational training centres set up by government are ill-equipped and ill-maintained. Many end up in the streets as beggars while others turn to drugs and other socially unacceptable behaviour to generate income.

We are averse to the demeaning and disdainful manners that the physically challenged are treated. Besides the law that compels the government to accommodate them in any major enterprise, Nigeria is a signatory to many international conventions that support equal opportunities for all their citizens. The United Nations defines equalisation of opportunities as “the process through which the general system of society, such as the physical and cultural environment, housing and transportation, social and health services, educational and work opportunities, cultural and social life, including sports and recreational facilities are made accessible to all.” This should be the goal.

The government as a matter of policy must create a conducive atmosphere for social, economic and political integration of the physically challenged in our society.

Even if old public institutional buildings cannot be modernised to accommodate them, new ones should be built in such a way that they provide access to the physically challenged. Attempts must also be made to open up educational and employment opportunities so that they can compete and embrace life with more confidence. The physically challenged in our midst must be empowered to help themselves and their families and contribute their bits to the growth and development of the society.