Despite progressive policies and legal frameworks aimed at safeguarding the rights of people with disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria, there have been continuous barriers at different levels experienced by PWDs. This ranges from poor healthcare, lower education achievements, and higher poverty rates largely due to a lack of services and everyday obstacles.
Sharing her displeasure about the challenging situation that persons with disabilities experience on a daily basis, Oluwakemi Odusanya, a visually impaired person and the founder of Eagles Voice International for Disability Rights, explained how the non-implementation of legal frameworks on disability has contributed to the multifaceted challenges that PWDs encounter in the society.
Odusanya said “imagine a person with disabilities, having to jump out of a moving commercial bus on motion, just because the bus driver does not care about your condition and will rather speed past your bus stop if you failed to drop while the bus is on motion. Same goes for someone who uses a wheelchair. The traffic lights are not censored, they do not take into consideration the needs of persons with diverse impairment and it is worse when it is someone with multiple impairments.
“Another challenge is how to cross the road to get to the other side of the road. Even the popular vehicle popularly known as the BRT is not accessible for a blind or visually impaired person who wishes to highlight at a bus stop as at the moment, no BRT bus has an audio tracker that speaks the bus stop to the hearing of the visually impaired person which makes navigation easier. Prior to now, there used to be an audio device but now none has the device functional which makes commuting challenging.”
The Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act of 2018 and the National Policy on Persons with Disabilities (2011) were milestones in promoting the rights of persons with disabilities. These policies mandate accessibility in public buildings, transportation, and infrastructure and prohibit discrimination in employment and education. However, implementation has been slow and uneven, particularly in rural areas, where insufficient funding and resource allocation undermine the government’s commitment.
According to Odusanya, the accessibility of infrastructure or public buildings in Lagos State is 2% of out100%. “You need to know or see where I stay, you will laugh about the living condition of a person with a disability. Talking of the under bridges, the traffic lighting, the road, the honking of public buses, the open pavements, the dirt on the road sides, or the noisy bus stops that can nearly confuse an individual. It is really inaccessible,” she said.
Ogheneruemu Alexander, a Deaf person who shares his experience as a PWD in Nigeria said “it’s been a mixed experience. It used to be worse, but gradually, with increasing enlightenment, awareness, advocacy, and the power of association, things are slowly improving.”
Alexander noted the constant threat posed by information and communication gaps, exacerbated by a society that does not fully grasp disability rights and justice.
Despite being unfamiliar with the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, and the National Policy on Persons with Disabilities (2011), Alexander emphasized the gap between policy and practice. “Plenty of talk, dismal walk,” he said. He highlighted the improvement in public structure accessibility but stressed that much more needs to be done.
Alexander recounted the accessibility challenges he faces, particularly the lack of sign language interpreters at social and public functions. During his time at a federal tertiary institution, he endured classes without an interpreter, which he described as traumatic. He also faced discrimination in employment and education due to his disability, noting that compliance with anti-discrimination policies is dismally low.
To improve accessibility for people with disabilities, Alexander suggests better ramps with ready human assistance and compulsory disability studies in educational institutions from the primary level.
He also recommends the establishment of disability committees in workplaces. Reflecting on the government’s conditional cash support for PWDs in 2021, he acknowledged its success to some extent but called for more consistent and effective initiatives.
One of the most glaring issues is the insufficient funding for disability inclusion initiatives. Many programs suffer from chronic underfunding, limiting their reach and effectiveness. Inclusive education initiatives in Lagos State, which have successfully increased enrollment and improved learning outcomes for children with disabilities, stand in stark contrast to rural areas where such programs are scarce or non-existent.
“The national disability law has minimal impact on my daily living. As I earlier stated, I am yet to see the federal government’s actions in a social right-based model. I hear a lot of interventions about giving food packages, and applauding other parastatals who may have done one or two things about inclusion.
“I am yet to read about a federal government specific project that addresses the needs of persons with disabilities and the persons without disabilities together. There should not be an exclusion strategy rather, it should be that of an inclusive one. Or better put, yes, the federal government has enacted the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, which is a good approach, but I know that better and more should be done to ensure that inclusion is practised at all levels,” Odusanya lamented.
Odusanya also urged the policymakers to look out for the well-being and livelihood of persons with disabilities.
In her words, “Having a disability is not the death sentence, but not looking out for or making proper and accessible adjustments to meet the disability is a disaster. Hence, disability can happen to anyone at any time, why not create an enabling environment now that you have the power, and you are in the right position to do so. It will come back and either make or mare you.
Now is the time to make a change, choose to affect lives positively through the drafting of inclusive policies that address the needs and gaps of the marginalized, vulnerable, and less talked about, your works will speak for you now and later.”
This piece is published in fulfillment as Disability and Inclusion reporting fellowship of Africa Foundation For Young Media Professionals