By Kufre Etuk
A Non Governmental Organization, Centre for Citizens with Disabilities, CCD has called on Akwa Ibom State government to redesign administrative component of the COVID-19 palliatives Support Scheme to cover more Persons with Disabilities, PwDs before they resort to adopting survival behaviours capable of undermining government’s effort at controlling the spread of the virus in the state.
The call stemmed from the recent survey carried out by CCD to assess the effectiveness of the Information, Education and Communication (IEC)
and the palliative models to control the spread of covid-19 in five States including Akwa Ibom.
Addressing newsmen through zoom on COVID-19 Pandemic and assess to palliatives to Persons with Disabilities in Akwa Ibom State, the Executive Director CCD, Mr. David Anyaele recommended that clauses in National and State disability laws should be leveraged on to enhance the participation of PwDs in the distribution of the Covid-19 palliatives and other socio-economic support schemes.
He disclosed that 623 PwDs in the 31 local government areas of the state were reached.
Findings from the survey research carried out by CCD showed that 467 (75.0) were aware of the palliatives distribution in Akwa Ibom State while 182 (29.9) were actually invited to receive palliatives.
The Executive Director CCD called for improvement in the process of communicating to the beneficiaries of palliatives by involving the local PwD leaders in the process.
“IEC strategies that are sensitive to the blind, deaf and physically challenged
should be adopted to educate PwDs. They should be trained and involved in
delivering the information to them through: a. Braille for the blind, b. Sign language interpreters for the deaf, and c. Bold prints for the sighted.”
The NGO appealed that provisions should be made for the screening of PwDs for Covid-19 so that those infected can benefit from the free treatment by government.
