NAN-H-37
Disability
By Martha Agas
Jos, Dec 2, 2016 (NAN) A Disability group based in Plateau – Inclusive Friends Association – has called for an enabling environment for the social interaction of People With Disabilities (PWDs) in the nation’s electoral processes.
Mrs Patricia Pam, the Project Coordinator for Peace Building, Democracy and Good Governance Programme for the organisation, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Jos.
She said the group noted that even though there were 25.5 million PWDs in Nigeria, a huge democratic population; they were excluded from electoral processes, since polling units and electoral materials were not accessible to them.
“ We are an association with five thematic areas which are peace building, democracy and peace governance, income and livelihood, inclusive education, community health.
“We are excluded from electoral processes because polling units are not accessible to us. The electoral materials are not produced in Braille, so the visually-impaired cannot access information to make informed decision to enable them cast them votes,’’ Pam said.
She said the theme for the 2016 International Day of Persons with Disabilities is: “Achieving 17 Goals for the Future We Want’’.
According to her, the theme draws attention to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and hinges on PWDs inclusiveness in every sector of the society including governance.
She said PWDs were excluded from citizen’s engagement; thus their rights not incorporated in policy formulations.
The official said the Nigerian Democratic Institute provided grant for them to conduct a study for the accessibility audit of polling units in Edo elections and the recently-concluded Ondo gubernatorial elections.
She said that this showed PWDs did not have access to polling units and other electoral materials.
Pam also expressed concern that women with disabilities were discriminated against, especially during ante-natal appointments in health facilities because of the stigma surrounding disability.
She said the association has embarked on advocacy visits to health personnel so that the PWDs were treated with human sympathy.
Pam said that arrangements were in top gear to have a medical outreach to women with disabilities in three local governments in Plateau to improve their health conditions.
NAN reports that the International Day for Persons with Disabilities is celebrated annually on Dec. 3.
The day is dedicated to providing a framework to ensure that all barriers militating against the inclusiveness of PWDs in society were removed.
Such barriers include: those relating to the physical environment, information and communications technology (ICT) as well as attitudinal barriers. (NAN)
MAA/DO/AJA
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(Edited by David Onilede/Adeleye Ajayi)