Disability
By Sandra Umeh
Lagos, Sept. 25, 2018 (NAN) The Association of Lawyers with Disability in Nigeria (ALDIN) on Tuesday, called on the new leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to promote an “all inclusive” participation in activities of the Bar.
It also urged the new leadership to ensure that “every lawyer is afforded equal opportunities.“
ALDIN made the call in a letter signed by the President and Secretary of the Association, Messrs Daniel Onwe and Gaius Ogah, in Lagos and addressed to the President of the NBA, Dr Paul Usoro.
The Association highlighted key areas of concerns to its members such as: Inaccessible courtrooms and other public buildings.
ALDIN also identified establishment of an NBA desk for disability issues both at National and Branch chapters and employment of Lawyers with disabilities as some of the challenges affecting its members.
Other grey areas, it added, include: amendment of NBA constitution to include lawyers with disabilities in its activities and the inclusion of lawyers with disabilities in NBA annual Conference Planning Committees.
According to the association, the concerns had in no small measure, stultified the capacity of its members, as well as narrowed their opportunities in the legal profession and in life generally.
ALDIN noted that its members had been systematically shut out from the practice of their chosen profession.
According to the association, accessing the temple of justice,by its members, where they were ministers, was being denied by way of architectural barriers of diverse forms.
“Those on wheelchairs will either crawl on all fours to courtrooms upstairs, or be hauled and those on crutches will have to wobble upstairs in excruciating pains.
“The blind are left in the woods without accessible working materials, and the lot of the deaf is in no way any better; their livelihood is thus precarious,” it said
The association underscored the need for the NBA to lend its voice in ensuring that courts and other public buildings were accessible to all.
The association also called on the NBA to assist lawyers with disabilities in securing sedentary jobs in the public and private sectors and in NBA by recommending, them where such vacancies arose.
ALDIN noted that its members were not usually considered in the allocation of opportunities existing in the NBA and the legal profession at large.
According to it, issues affecting ALDIN members are sometimes relegated to the background, either because of negligence or lack of adequate understanding of disability issues.
It, therefore, recommended that NBA establishes a “desk” to be occupied by a lawyer with disability who will be produced by ALDIN, act as a liaison officer to bring to the fore issues affecting lawyers with disabilities.
“If this is replicated at the various branches of the NBA, It will help in no small way to address our concerns and enhance inclusiveness at the Bar.” (NAN)
UNS/BOLA/DUA
Edited by Bola Akingbehin/Dada Ahmed