The Legal Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria

Persons with Disability have the same rights as other people to take their proper place in society. They should be able to live freely and as independently as possible. This must be the concern of everyone the family, community and all government and non-government organizations. 

According to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the following are analysis of some Rights of Persons with Disabilities:

1. Equality and Non-Discrimination

Everyone is equal before and under the law. Everyone is entitled to the equal protection and benefit of the law without discrimination.

2. Women with Disabilities

Women and girls with disabilities experience multiple discrimination. Countries must take all appropriate measures to ensure that women with disabilities are able to fully enjoy their rights and freedoms.

3. Children with Disabilities

Children with disabilities have the same human rights as all other children. The best interests of the child must be a primary consideration in all actions concerning children with disabilities. Children with disabilities have the right to express their views on all matters affecting them.

4. Accessibility                      

People with disabilities have the right to access all aspects of society on an equal basis with others including the physical environment, transportation, information and communications, and other facilities and services provided to the public.

5. Education

People with disabilities have a right to education without discrimination. Countries must ensure that people with disabilities can access an inclusive, quality and free primary and secondary education in their own community. 

6. Work and Employment

People with disabilities have the right to work, including the right to work in an environment that is open, inclusive and accessible. Countries must take appropriate steps to promote employment opportunities and career advancement for people with disabilities.

Our correspondence have a chat with Mr Busari Lateef, the General Secretary of Ondo State Association of Deaf on the Right of of Person with Disability.

Mr Busari Lateef has this to say, " some of the right of Person with are Disability are : right to life, right to be employment, right of freedom, right to accessibility, right to inclusion in government.

He further emphasize that " It's not every right the Person with Disability was given, sometime Person with Disability are being denied.He speak further on what the Government, NGO and all are doing to make sure the right of person with disability are not being tampered with. 

In his word, "based on Ondo state, the State government are always inclusive.  They provide  employment, appointment of political official of PWD and inclusion in every programme.

In conclusion, Mr Busari Lateef advice the government to make sure the right of Person living with disability is not tampered with.

5 Ways to Put Smiles on the Faces of Persons with Disabilities

 

Have you ever thought to yourself: "I'd rather be dead than disabled?" It's a usually reflection to most of us. Disability, in everyday thought, is associated with unhappiness, failure, with dependency and with not being able to do things. We feel sorry for disabled people, because we imagine it must be miserable to be disabled.

But in fact we're wrong. It's sometimes called the "disability paradox". Surveys reveal people with disabilities consistently report a happy life, or sometimes even better than, that of non-disabled people.

Below are 5 Ways to put Smiles on the faces of Persons with Disabilities

1. Helping to be Independent

Doing things on their own can make them immensely happy. Relying on others may be unavoidable, but becoming too dependent, even letting yourself become a wee bit lazy and let others do things for you that you can, can siphon away your happiness very quick. Most time, we should allow Person with Disability to do everything a from start to end without rushing to help, unless incase of emergencies.

2. Helping to Embrace their Individuality

Being disabled can be stressful, even downright embarrassing to always be the odd one out. “Fitting in,” after all, is a base human need. We must make Person with Disability look at their uniqueness differently, and to love every bit of it , doing that can make Person with Disability blissfully happy.

I'm disabled and I love that I’m not everyone else because it makes me more unique in my own way. Life is too short; to be like everyone else and doing the same old thing. Disability can definitely make life harder, but it can also make you a unique survivor worth noticing.

3. Making friends with Persons with Disability

We all need people in our lives we can relate to, someone who really knows our daily struggles because they understand and care. Being able to vent with someone who really knows your struggles is better than any therapist session by far. According to psychiatrists, visiting a person with a disability might look like the least effort. However, it plays a significant role in their mental and social well-being as it makes them feel appreciated. People living with any form of disability are also human beings and have feelings too. Most of them get stigmatized. So, whenever you are free can spend time with persons with a disability. That is enough reason to make them happier.

4. Affordable health care services for Persons with Disability

Creating a rehabilitation and health center with affordable and inclusive health care services requires a lot of support, not only financially. Rehabilitation centers are very instrumental in helping persons living with disabilities. Many times, they face negation from their own families. Their family members tend to feel ashamed and hide them from society, and that is unacceptable. Our brothers and sisters end up being locked indoors under very harsh conditions, especially persons who come from humble backgrounds. When rehabilitation and health centers started being established, it became like safe heaven. Health care and therapy became accessible. Those who needed wheelchairs got them, and life became better. With that, it will leave many people with disability happier.

 

5. Elect Them to Various Political and Government Seats

This is the most meaningful way to make persons with disabilities happy. It is termed as `being inclusive.` People with disabilities need to be represented by leaders who can truly relate to the challenges they face and articulate their grievances. The leaders can also push for reforms that favor persons with disabilities and amend policies that make them look left out. So next time there is an election held, take that responsibility of voting for a person living with a disability and let us give them a voice and power.

Haven listed some point to make Persons with disability happier, our appraisal of life with impairment may have less to do with reality than with fear and ignorance and prejudice. We wrongly assume that difficulties for people result in misery for people.