Anambra State Government has approved an establishment of a committee for the implementation of the Disability Rights Law.
Special Adviser to Anambra State Governor on Disability Matters, Mr Chuka Ezewuzie made this known while addressing newsmen at a news conference organised by the Joint National Association of Persons with Disability (JONAPWD), Anambra State Chapter, in commemoration of the 2020 International Day for Persons with Disability, which held on Thursday.
The committee is to see to the implementation of the Anambra Disability Right Law (ASDRL), which was signed into law by Gov. Willie Obiano in Dec. 18, 2018.
The event was held at the Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka.
According to Mr Ezewuzie, the disability community in the state had in 2018 approached the governor and pleaded with him to accent to the Disability Right Bill as passed by the Anambra State House of Assembly on Sept. 13, 2018, adding that on the 18th of December, the governor signed the Disability Right Bill into law.
He further said that Anambra is the only state in the South East to have a law that protects persons with disability, which was before the Federal Government accented to the Federal Act that is now known as the Law Against discrimination of Disable Persons on the 23rd of January, 2019.
still on people living with disabilities…
Chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disability – JONAPWD, Mr Ugochukwu Okeke, who spoke at the conference on the topic:
“Imperatives of the Establishment of The Disability Right Law’’,
Posited that the implementation of the Disability Rights Law would improve the living conditions of persons with disabilities and pleaded with the State Government, having been the first government to create such a law to protect persons with disabilities; to set up without delay, the committee for implementation, to enable persons with disabilities in the state to begin to harvest all provisions of the law.
Also speaking, Chairman, Nigeria Association of Deaf Persons, Mr Amobi Nwangwu in his speech entitled:
“Disability Persons and Access to Justice’’,
said that the disable community lack facilities to seek redress in the courts, adding that there should be interpreters of sign language at Police Stations and Court Rooms, so as to help their members lodge complaints on any form of abuse.
Mr Nwagwu added that they want full employment in the public and private sectors of the country, stating that they can perform optimally, if employed in the Anambra State Traffic Management Authority (ATMA) and at the Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra (OCHA) Brigade.
He finally added that parents should not be shy and embarrassed, if they have children with disabilities.
A member of the disable community and an Information Officer, Miss Chidimma Ajemba also told the gathering to weigh words carefully before addressing or writing about people living with disabilities.
She urged people against asking questions about what led to their deformities and refrain from unsolicited pity, claiming that it makes them embarrassed when unduly accosted.
Miss Ajemba further emphasized on the need to be treated like normal human beings when being interacted with in person or in the media, adding that there is indeed ability in their disability.
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