Politics
Teresa Nwachukwu, Executive Director, Steps to the Top Leadership Centre (STLC), an NGO, on Saturday called on the Government to make every public space accessible to people with disabilities.
Nwachukwu, who made the call during the second phase of ”Program Thinkable” in Abuja, stressed that there are universal standards on how public places should accommodate people with disabilities.
”There are universal standards of how high a toilet should be for a person on a wheelchair to move between them. Those standards should start being maintained.
”There is a standard of where the doorknob should be. It is difficult for people with disabilities to get around. Everything should just be made accessible to people with disabilities.
”Policies need to be changed, government should improve accessibility to public transports, healthcare, social services, education and so on for persons with disabilities.”
Nwachukwu said that program thinkable is aimed at shifting the mindset of women with disabilities in Abuja. It means building confidence in these women.
She added that the program will afford people living with disability the capacity to speak up for themselves and be able to carry themselves in spite of living with disabilities.
”We found out that some of the challenges confronting women with disabilities is lack of self-confidence.
”Most of the activities that people do for people with disabilities are always like charity or empowerment, trainings and giving grinding machines for example.
”But we are actually at the level of the mindset of helping a woman to have confidence in herself, to set goals, have a clear vision of what she wants, learn how to communicate with other people.
”We felt that there is a gap, and that is what our project sorts to fill. We did project thinkable 1, which has 3 thematic areas like; Leadership development. Here we teach them how to set goals for yourself.
”We will teach them how to set a vision. What do you understand about who you are as a woman living with disability? How to communicate with people. How to prepare for job interviews, amongst others,” she said.
Nwachukwu also said that engaging women with disabilities in community service was another way of changing the narrative on how people see persons with disabilities as being a liability. Every woman with disability should be a part of community service. Again, remember we are trying to shift the mindset, peoples’ mindset of people living with disabilities.
”Some of them work in orphanages, some in schools for the blind to teach, some to clean the markets, and this shows that they are useful and can contribute to nation-building.”
Nwachukwu stressed that women living with disabilities are so strong inside of them, funny, naughty, courageous and are just like any other normal woman. (NAN)
– Oct. 3, 2020 @ 11:45 GMT |
Tags: NGO urges FG to create enabling environment for people living with disabilities
