By Fred Nwaozor
On December 3, the world will commemorate the 2016 International Day of Persons living with Disabilities. The United Nations (UN) decade of disabled persons was held from 1983 to 1992 to enable governments and organizations at all levels to implement measures to improve the life of disabled persons.
On October 14, 1992, as the decade drew to a close, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed December 3 every year as the International Day of Disabled Persons. The day was first observed on December 3, 1992. Subsequently, on December 18, 2007, the Assembly changed the observance’s name from the International Day of Disabled Persons to the ‘International Day of Persons with Disabilities’. The new name was first used in 2008. The theme of this year’s anniversary is: “Achieving 17 goals for the future we want”.
Disability is the consequence of an impairment that may be physical, sensory, mental, cognitive, emotional, developmental, or a combination of these. A certain disability may be present from birth, or occur during a person’s lifetime. Disability is an umbrella term covering impairments, participation restriction, and activity limitations. Impairment is a plight in one’s body function or structure. Participation restriction is a problem experienced by a person in involvement in life situations; whilst an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action.
This implies that disability is a complex problem, reflecting an interaction between features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives or belongs. For instance, various forms of chronic disease may also qualify as disabilities. Some advocates object to describing certain conditions such as deafness, vision impairment, or autism as disabilities, arguing that it is more appropriate to consider them as developmental differences that have been unfairly stigmatized by the society. In the same vein, others argue that disability is a result of exclusion from mainstream society and not because of impairment.
The term ‘disability’ broadly describes impairment in a person’s ability to function as an individual, caused by changes in several subsystems of the body or in mental health. The degree of disability may range from mild to moderate, severe, or profound. A person might also be suffering from multiple disabilities. Irrespective of the degree or nature of the disability.
Considering the causes of disability, the condition could be inherited or genetically transmitted. It could also be acquired. Such conditions could be caused by illness, injury, or accident; or even of unknown origin.
There are currently several classes of disability including physical disability, sensory disability, vision impairment, hearing impairment, olfactory and gustatory impairment, balance disorder, somatosensory disorder, intellectual disability, mental disorder, pervasive developmental disorders, and developmental disability, among others. Whichever type that is involved, it is worth noting that an individual with any form of disability can function as effective as, even more effective or efficient than, able-bodied individuals if given the needed support or encouragement.
Against this backdrop, we are expected to endeavour to do everything within our reach to ensure that persons living disabilities at our respective jurisdictions are duly given a sense of belonging starting from the classrooms to working places with a view to strengthening nation building.
At the various institutions of learning, from primary to tertiary level, rather than discriminating against this set of people, they should be given special attentions by the teachers and management of the schools. For instance, those suffering from vision impairment are supposed to be provided with special sunglasses. Such treatment ought to be replicated during their various examinations, either internal or external.
Similarly, during electioneering campaigns, the electoral umpire is expected to make a different arrangement towards the sensitization of persons with disabilities in line with the nature of their challenges. And, on the election day, the persons in question deserve a preferential treatment throughout the polls to enable them cast their votes properly and at ease as demanded.
It is no longer news that in the labour market as well as political settings, the degree of discrimination faced by persons living with disabilities is presently on the rampage. As a result, there’s a compelling need for the legislators to enact a strict law that would stipulates a basic statutory percentage of persons with disabilities expected to be found in any public sector, or a certain minimum number of persons with disabilities that must be employed or appointed in the civil service or political arena, respectively, in accordance with the directive of the UN. Establishing a separate ministry in addition to an agency for persons with disabilities would go a long way in resolving the anomaly.
It is obvious that several prospective students with disabilities such as HIV/AIDS or physical challenges are deprived of their chances of securing admission thereby making most of them lose interest of furthering their education. Undoubtedly, the level of post-traumatic stress disorder attributed to the aforementioned stigmatization cannot be overemphasized that if adequate and drastic approach is not taken by the appropriate authorities towards ending the anomaly, it is liable to degenerate into an untold societal menace. Since many persons with disabilities easily fall victims of any disaster or crisis owing to vulnerability. They should treated specially during any disaster. To this end, any expert involved in the management of any form of crisis ought to ensure that individuals with disabilities that are resident in the affected area are first attended to as well as duly catered for before any other resident.
As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to commemorate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Nigerians and civil society organisations should endeavour to protect the rights of persons living with disabilities.
Nwaozor writes from Owerri