By 
By Usman Aliyu
The Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) has trained 35 “disability inclusion champions” in Edo to spearhead advocacy for inclusive education, accessible healthcare, and enforcement of disability rights.
The two-day capacity building workshop, which ended in Benin on Friday, was supported by the Ford Foundation.
The event brought together young advocates, civil society organisations, media and representatives of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) from across the state.
Winnie Ishaku, Programme Officer of JONAPWD, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the training was designed to equip participants with the skills to mainstream both disability and gender inclusion in policy engagement.
“When you are designing your programme, you have to look at everything — accessibility, affordability, acceptability, and quality.
“At the end of this programme, we want our participants to engage policymakers in education, health, and other sectors to implement the rights of persons with disabilities,” Ishaku.
She stressed the need for Edo to shift from special schools to a globally accepted model of inclusive education, where children with and without disabilities learn in the same classrooms.
The project, according to her, also aims to model a fully accessible primary healthcare centre, equipped with ramps, sign language interpreters, and assistive devices.
This, she said, was to demonstrate that “universal design is possible” and push the government to replicate it across all local governments.
In her address, Ann Ojugu, Chairperson of JONAPWD in Edo, described the training as “a wonderful programme” that would trigger “a great change” in the state.
“Our governor has set up the Disability Commission. With this training, we will engage the commission, ministries, and local governments to ensure that exclusion becomes a thing of the past.”
A participant, Ibrahim Momoh, said the workshop was also an opportunity to review the implementation of the Edo Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Prohibition Law, 2022.
Momoh noted that advocacy by the association had led to the establishment of the state’s Disability Commission earlier this year.
“We’ve learnt how to advocate effectively, the proper use of language, and the concept of progressive realisation.
“Our duty now is to step down this knowledge in our communities, schools, mosques, and churches so more people are aware of disability rights,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Ford Foundation-supported training is part of a broader initiative taking place in Edo, Osun, and Sokoto States to build a network of advocates pushing for an inclusive society. (NAN)
Comments