Coronavirus Pandemic
PROJECT Enable Africa, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), says Persons Living With Disabilities (PLWDs) lack access to timely information on COVID-19.
Mr Lanre Olagunju, Head of Communication of the group, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Friday, that information was power and lack of it aggravated fear and anxiety.
Olagunju said that at the onset of the pandemic, the information provided by governments and relevant institutions to prevent infection and how to act in case of illness were not provided in accessible formats for PLWDs.
“Therefore, PLWDs lacked access to timely information as many of the messages were inaccessible.
“It was after increased agitations from the community of PLWDs, that both States and Federal Governments engaged the use of sign language, video captioning, the use of alternative text in images and digital graphics, and easy-to-read versions of communication.
“Many of the structures in place by local, state, and federal governments for sharing palliatives were not mindful of the over 25 million Nigerian PLWDs.
“And in cases where there was a plan of such, they weren’t coordinated by PLWDs, neglecting the motto of the United Nations’ Convention on the Right of PLWDs which says “Nothing about us, without us”.
“It is important to note that PLWDs, through their representative organisations, are the ones who can better advise the political authorities and relevant agencies on how to design and implement the disability dimension in the prevention, mitigation and monitoring plans related to this disease and also providing necessary support in terms of palliatives,” he said.
Olagunju said that exclusion had always been one of the greatest challenges faced by PLWDs, and the COVID-19 pandemic had revealed that it would be impossible to fight the Coronavirus if we left them behind.
He said that during the nationwide lockdown induced by the pandemic, it was more difficult for PLWDs to access critical medical supplies, as resources generally became scarce and many were afraid of visiting medical centres.
“Emerging research has also shown that some PLWDs reported higher levels of social isolation than non-disabled counterparts, as a result, behaviours such as physical distancing, as well as their social and economic impacts, resulted in mental health challenges for a sizeable number of PLWDs.
“Economically, the challenge has been more pronounced, many PLWDs have lost their source of livelihoods, jobs, and petty trades.
“On the other hand, many who rely on their caregivers are also going through economic hardship either due to loss of a job or pay cut.
“Finally, there was an increase in the record of domestic violence amidst the COVID-19 lockdown.
“The spike in incident mostly affected women, children, and PLWDs, this is because the restrictions on movement forced vulnerable persons to stay more closely with their abusers,” he said. (NAN)
– Aug. 21, 2020 @ 14:05 GMT |
Tags: PLWDs lack access to timely information on COVID-19 – NGO
