The Disability Advancement Initiative (DAI) in a visit to the Armed Forces Radio to monitor the level of compliance to the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act has charged the organization to ensure that its activities correlate with the provisions of the Act.
The DAI team led by the team lead, Mr. Obinna Ekujereonye, explained that there is a need for social inclusion at all levels, and as a public institution, the Armed Forces radio needs to address the challenges that PWDs encounter such as inaccessibility to public infrastructures, barriers in communications for the Deaf and Blind.
Ekujereonye explained that the visit was necessitated as a result of the need to avoid suing public institutions that go against the provisions of the Act.
He said “we are supported by the Leprosy Mission, to sensitize public institutions about the need to comply with the Disability Act, because from January next year, the 5 year moratorium would have ended and PWDs can begin to sue institutions that do not comply with the provisions of the Act.”
Also speaking about employment opportunities for PWDs as provided in the Act, the DAI team lead explained that there is a need for Armed Forces Radio to recruit PWDs into its team.
In his response, Commander ED Yeibo who explained that his team has been raising awareness about the Act, will also continue to ensure that they comply.
Yeibo assured that the organization will comply with the provisions of the Act, being a government establishment itself.
He thereafter noted that the Armed Forces Radio does not recruit directly, but through the Ministry of Defence, and added that conscious efforts would be made to ensure that PWDs are employed.
The DAI team will also embark on sensitization visits to different public institutions, as part of its activities to ensure that relevant institutions comply with the provisions of the Disability Act.
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