TQM report,
The media organizations, civil society groups were asked to lead the campaign for the rights and wellbeing of persons with cognitive disabilities.
Their attention were drawn to some germane issues about persons with cognitive disabilities during press conference organized on Monday in Abuja by Engraced Ones Prayers Support Initiative and IKE foundation for Autism to mark 2021 World Cerebral Palsy Day with the theme: “Millions of Reasons”.
The CEO and Convener of Engraced Ones Prayer Support Initiative, Mrs. Bibora Yinkere while addressing the press said that it is estimated that about a million people live with Cerebral Palsy in Nigeria and greater part of this number have no access to education, good healthcare services and no means of livelihood and it is because of the sorry state of condition of persons with Cerebral Palsy(CP) in Nigeria that their organization and many other organizations interested in CP are using this global opportunity to draw the attention of government and the public towards the highly neglected persons with CP and their families.
He said that apart from the press briefing, the organization would be organizing an awareness rally on Saturday 2nd October, 2021 in Abuja and other States to commemorate the day.
She informed that this year’s theme: “Millions of Reasons”- it is a World Cerebral Palsy Day campaign supported by CP360 – Cerebral Palsy’s Global Network to create a universal agenda that strives to bring cerebral palsy the attention and funding it deserves—in every corner of the globe.
She lamented that despite the enactment of Discrimination against persons with disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 which section 17, 20 encourage right to education for every child with disability and the formulation of National Policy for Inclusive Education by Federal Ministry of Education which encourages education for all irrespective of the societal status, no provision has been made for children with CP in most government schools. The schools are still not accessible, there is also lack of physiotherapists, Occupational and Speech therapist in the schools.
Speaking further, she said that lack of government support for the education of persons with CP has made the education of persons with CP very expensive. She revealed that it cost about three hundred to four hundred thousand naira per term to enroll a child with CP in school considering payment for physiotherapists, Occupational and Speech therapists and other materials needed to take care of the child in school.
She also expressed worry about lack of diagnostic centres which has made it difficult for health practitioners to detect the condition earlier and put measures in place to manage the condition earlier.
She was concerned about the discrimination against persons with CP which has persists despite laws criminalizing discrimination on the basis of disability.
“Most parents of children with CP are losing their jobs and other means of livelihood, the condition of their children is having negative impact on them and the siblings. The complications in some cases come with the child having seizures and many other sever conditions that requires constant attention. These have led to loss of job and closure of businesses on the part of the parents and most times, the situation do have ripple effect on the entire family. We are worried because this situation is entrenching Poverty among their families and help is not coming from anywhere and most regrettably, empowerment of parents of these Children with CP is not part of the programmes of the newly created National Commission for Persons with disabilities” she added.
While revealing how expensive it is to manage a person with CP going by a study carried out in 2012, which estimated that it would cost nearly $1, 000,000 feeding per person with CP, she demanded on behalf of her group that government should ensure the following to improve the lives of persons with CP and their families;
Government should reintroduce bursary or scholarships for students with cognitive disabilities while employment of physiotherapists, occupational and Speech therapists in all government schools should be of utmost importance.
Training and retraining of Special Educators to have a broader knowledge of Children with CP
Computer based Educational programmes (Virtual Learning) should be adopted to accommodate those who can barely use their hands and those who have sever mobility challenges.
Ensuring that all schools, recreational centres etc have all the Accessibility facilities because the major challenge faced by Persons with CP is mobility.
Federal Government should intensify effort in the implementation of National Disability Act to reduce the incidences of discrimination and stigmatization of Persons with CP.
Government at all levels should channel resources towards building of diagnostic centres across the states because there is saying that health is wealth. It would be a good move that serves as a preventive measure.
Government should specially target parents of persons with cognitive disabilities in all the social intervention programmes in order reduce poverty among them and enhance their caregiving services as well as curbing the incidences of killing and abandoning their children with cognitive disabilities.
National Commission for Persons with Disabilities should make conscious effort to involve Parents of children with CP so that they partake on behalf of their children in all activities of the commission alongside other clusters of disability.
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. CP is the most common motor disability in childhood. Cerebral means having to do with the brain. Palsy means weakness or problems with using the muscles. CP is caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the developing brain that affects a person’s ability to control his or her muscles. There are several different types of cerebral palsy — spastic, ataxic, athetoid, hypotonic, and mixed cerebral palsy. These conditions are classified based on mobility limitations and affected body parts.
October 6 is set aside as the World Cerebral Palsy Day and it is regarded as a movement of people with cerebral palsy and their families, and the organizations that support them, in more than 75 countries to carry out massive and aggressive awareness campaign on the rights of Persons with CP and management of CP. The vision is to ensure that children and adults with Cerebral Palsy have the same rights, access and opportunities as anyone else in our society.
