International Wheelchair Day

First March each year the world commemorates international wheelchair day and this years theme is 'My Wheelchair my Right to Inclusion'. 

Wheelchair is a basic assistive device that supports inclusion and independence of persons with disabilities in their communities as it enables them to participate in activities of daily living. However, in most nations people with disabilities face a number of issues in accessing them, These factors include; the devices being unavailable locally, very high cost that leaves most people to crawl (hence lowering their dignity) and the little that are available locally are of poor quality that aren't fit for the terrain or specifically tailored for individual need and environment hence making persons with disabilities to develop secondary disabilities from the poorly manufactured ones.

Secondly, the infrastructural sector does not embrace the universal design (inclusive design) which is supposed to provide means of embracing everyone in our society in accessing environments and building that are inherently accessible.

This blog advocates for a society that respects persons with disabilities through:

1. Development of policies (Government) that promote persons with disabilities accessing wheelchairs and other assistive devices that are available locally, affordable, acceptable and of good quality.
2. Professionals in the architectural field to embrace universal design in order to facilitate inclusion and independence of persons with disabilities.
3. And wheelchair manufacturers to produce quality wheelchairs that are tailored for individual persons with disabilities and their environment.

Cheers!!!

 

Barriers Towards Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities

There are many types of disabilities, some are visible while others are invisible. These disabilities are never an issue as they justify human diversity. The biggest issues are barriers that prevent persons with disabilities from being included in their communities.


Attitudinal barrier: This includes a negative perception of disability like discrimination, stigma and stereotypes. This barriers have misconceptions that tend to focus on inabilities instead of abilities for instance, when meeting a person with disability for the first time and you decide to ask "What happened to you?" that's an instant attitudinal barrier.
The concept of seeing disability as physical is also an attitudinal barrier that may leave out people with learning disabilities among others.




Physical barriers: These barriers come as a result of inaccessible infrastructure that hinder independence and mobility of persons with disabilities. This issue can be resolved by universal design in the architectural systems.

Communication barriers: These are obstacles towards effective communication and may include lack of easy read materials for persons with intellectual disabilities, lack of large print for people with visual impairments, lack of audio or braille material, lack of sign language interpreters for persons with hearing impairments and the use of disability unfriendly language.





Institutional barriers: These are obstacles within institutions these includes; the do's, don'ts, policies, bi-
laws and laws that prevent persons with disabilities from being included in their communities.

A barrier free society starts with you and me. Let's work towards it together.

Cheers!

Fellowship from International Disability Alliance

This year I am so delighted to receive a disability rights fellowship, based on the United Nation's Convention on the Rights of Persons  with Disabilities (UNCRPD) from the International Disability Alliance (IDA). This was as a result of being nominated by International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (IF). Throughout the year I will receive mentoring and logistic support from My Right Tanzania.

The main objective of this fellowship will be to support national and local Disabled People Organizations like: Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus of Tanzania (ASBHT) and Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association of Kenya (SHAK) in awareness raising on the provisions and implementation of the United Nation's Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. My Focus will mainly be towards People with Disabilities and their families, healthcare providers, teachers, legal professional and community leaders with the aim of enabling then to use UNCRPD for inclusion of people with disabilities. 

I am hopeful that this will yield fruits for people living with disabilities in Kenya and Tanzania!