by
Fred Nwaozor
There is obviously a pertinent need to pay greater attention to the needs of the physically-challenged individuals living in our midst.
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 involved in life situations; whilst an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action.
This indicates disability is indeed a complex phenomenon, reflecting an interaction between features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he/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 it’s 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 condition, it could be measured objectively or subjectively.
Considering the causes of disability, the condition could be inherited or genetically transmitted; congenital, meaning literally caused by a mother’s infection or other diseases gotten prior to or during pregnancy as well as soon after birth, or via embryonic/fetal developmental irregularities.
It could also be acquired, such as conditions caused by illness, injury, or accident; or even of unknown origin, as the case may be.
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 involved, is worth noting 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, based on our individual/corporate social responsibilities, we are expected to always endeavour to do everything within our reach and humanly possible to ensure persons living with 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 the said set of people, they are meant to be given special attentions by the teachers and management of the schools.
For instance, those suffering from vision impairment, such as the albinos, are supposed to be provided with special sunglasses and also meant to sit at the front of their classrooms or closer to the board; such a treatment ought to be replicated during their various examinations, either internal or external.
Similarly, during electioneering eras, the electoral umpire is expected to make a different arrangement towards the sensitization of the electorate with disabilities in line with the nature of their challenges. In addition, on the election days, the persons in question deserve a preferential treatment throughout the polls to enable them cast their votes properly and with ease as demanded.
More so, it’s 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. In view of this, 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 United Nations (UN). Establishing a separate ministry coupled with an agency for persons with disabilities would go a long to resolving the anomaly.
Worse still, it’s obvious that recently, several prospective students with disabilities, such as HIV/AIDS or physical challenges, of most learning citadels across the country, especially the privately owned tertiary institutions, are invariably 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 in the nearest future.
Above all, acknowledging that persons with disabilities easily fall victim of any disaster or crisis owing to vulnerability, there’s no need reiterating they are meant to be attended to, or treated, as priority during any disaster management. To this end, any personnel/expert involved in the management of any form of crisis ought to ensure individuals with disabilities that are resident in the affected area are first attended to as well as duly catered for before any other resident.
It would equally be nice and humane to henceforth start addressing this set of individuals as physically-challenged persons, rather than the ongoing norm whereby they are regarded as “persons living with disabilities”; or worse still, “disabled persons”. We must truly comprehend they are just physically challenged, not disabled.
The UN's ‘Decade of Disabled Persons’ was held from 1983 to 1992 to enable governments and organizations at all levels implement measures to improve the life of physically-challenged persons across the world.
On October 14, 1992, as the decade drew to a close, the UN General Assembly proclaimed December 3 of every year as the International Day of Disabled Persons. This day was first observed in 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.
This signifies that today, the global community is commemorating the 2025 anniversary of this remarkable celebration.
Hence, at such a critical time like this, I enjoin every citizen and civil society organization to in their respective capacities endeavour to protect the rights of physically-challenged persons at all times irrespective of the circumstances.
We can actualize this by confronting any norm, cultural belief or perception that condones any kind of discrimination against them. Additionally, thorough education cum reorientation among the citizenry as regards ending the menace remains inevitable. Think about it!
