TheCable, one of the leading online newspapers in Nigeria, has launched the Disability Inclusive News App (DINA) to promote disability inclusion across the news ecosystems in Nigeria.
The app which aligns with the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2019, will also safeguard Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) against misinformation through Cable Check.
Kolapo Olapoju, the Editor-in-Chief of TheCable who was represented by Ebunoluwa Olafusi, explained that “with TheCable DINA, we’re 99 steps closer to the inclusive world that we seek to live in.”
Olusola Owonikoko, Disability Rights Expert and Team Lead of Project Enable Africa, who commended the initiative, shared that there is a need to ensure that everyone is included.
Owonikoko added that disability inclusion is crucial to sustainable development, and it is no longer a choice.
“There is technology and there is assistive technology, if people with disabilities have access to assistive technology, that is the goal,” he added.
Seun Onigbinde, the Executive Director of BudgIT expressed his delight for the “deliberate push to bridge the gap and promote the inclusivity agenda” adding that “there is nothing called development, if it is not inclusive.”
Onigbinde said, “we must be humble to realise we are not doing enough and must continue to learn; speed is crucial but inclusion is critical.”
Onyegbuna Angela, ICT lead at Paradigm Initiative, stressed that it is important to fill the existing gaps in digital inclusion and added that “collaborations, accessibility to inclusive tech, and affordability of this tech is crucial.”