By Ishaya Ibrahim
Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) have decried discrimination by those without their kind of challenge.
They made the appeal on Tuesday during a media training event for journalists on awareness creation for children with special needs in Lagos. The event was organized by Journalist for Democratic Rights (JODER).
Bukola George, a strategic communications expert said people with disabilities are not less humans, hence, must be accorded the rights and tools to live to their full potential.
“They are intelligent, capable of attaining any height with the right education, support and environment. They don’t need to be pitied. What they need is your love, care and support,” she said.
She said poverty worsens the plight of people with disabilities, adding that the lack of unemployment benefits for them makes life more difficult.
Children from Pacceli School of the Blind and Dreamland Foundation for the Disabled attended the event.
During the interactive session, one of the children, Tijani Isa, recounted his experience of being discriminated against because of his blindness. He said when he was enrolled in a regular school, the other kids would not play with him, and that made him feel bad.
Another child, Rejoice, also blind, said at the time she was in a regular school, the other children in her class would say her eyes looked like that of a cat. She said that hurts.
All the children with disabilities at the workshop said they felt happy that the participants at the event interacted with them freely. They urged other members of the society to stop discriminating against them.
The kids also urged parents that have children with disabilities to stop hiding them away, saying there is nothing to be ashamed of.
Adewale Adeoye, Executive Director of JODER, urged the media to regularly highlights issues about people with disabilities.
He also appealed to the government to implement its own laws on the rights of people with disabilities.
