THINGS YOU SHOULD NOTE ABOUT DISABILITY ACT 2018 (PART III)

This is to create awareness about the Discrimination against persons with disabilities( Prohibition) Act 2018. We will be publishing it in episodes as it was summarized by Disability Rights Advocacy Centre (DRAC) published by Alabaraonye Kenneth.

DID YOU KNOW THAT PART III: ROAD TRANSPORTATION

1. Any person who provides goods or services whether free of charge for sale, shall not treat a person with disability unfairly by : (a) Refusing to make the goods or services or place available to him/her. (b) Making difficult rules for getting the goods/services or using the place. (c) Giving the goods/services or the place to him/her in a wrong manner.
2. All Government transport services must have ramps, lifts and other things that will allow easy movement for persons with including those on wheelchairs, not only in their busses but also in bus-stops and parks. All public busses and cars must have both audio announcements and a display screen showing where they are going to. This must happen within five years from when this law was passed.
3. People who provide transport services must make sure that they provide ramps, lifts and other things that will allow easy movement for persons  with  disabilities including those on wheelchairs. The ramps, lifts and other things that makes it easy for persons with disabilities to use the busses or the bus-stops, shall be maintained and always kept in good working condition.The maintenance will be done regularly and when the ramps or lifts are bad, they will be quickly repaired or replaced.
4. Before a Person with a disability enters or comes down from any vehicle, the driver must make sure that the vehicle has stopped moving. When a Person with a disability is trying to enter any public vehicle, all other passengers must wait for him/her to enter before them.
5. All public car parks shall have a special space marked and reserved for persons with disabilities. For a person with disability to be able to use the special parking space, his/her car must have the necessary sign.

Any person or organization that is in charge of a public car park and fails to provide the special parking space has committed an offence and will pay a fine of N1,000 for each day of not providing the special parking space. A person without disability that parks his vehicle in the special parking space for persons with disabilities has committed an offence and will pay a fine of N5,000. This does not apply if a person with disability is a passenger in the parked vehicle. Any person that knowingly blocks the special parking space for Persons with disabilities has committed an offence and will pay a fine of N5,000. Responsible Bodies: Federal Ministry of Works, Power and Housing, Federal Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development, Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Organizations of Persons with Disabilities, Civil Society Organizations, The Media and others.