Govt condemns discrimination against the physically challenged

The General Manager,
Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs,
LASODA, Dr Babatunde Awelenje

The Lagos State Government says it does not condone discrimination against People Living with Disabilities (PLDs) in work places and the society.

The General Manager, Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs, LASODA, Dr Babatunde Awelenje, said this on Monday during the opening of training on sign language for civil servants in Ikeja.

Awelenje, who decried discrimination against PLDs, said the office had in the past intervened in such cases and ensured that culprits were brought to book.

He urged PLDs to report cases of discrimination to LASODA, adding that prompt action would be taken immediately to remedy the situation, as the state government was determined to protect the rights of the physically challenged.

“The office will also be exploring advocacy to enlighten the public not to discriminate against PLDs,” the LASODA boss added.

He said 150 civil servants were being trained on sign language so they would be able to interact with people who had hearing impairment whenever they came for services in government establishments.

He said, “The essence of this training is to integrate people with hearing challenges into government activities through sign language training. We have different forms of disabilities such as blindness, deafness and intellectual disability.

“People with hearing disability have only one challenge, which is verbal communication. That is why LASODA is teaching workers sign language so that they will be able to communicate with people with hearing impairment.”

Awelenje said the office would take the sign language training to the corporate world by involving non-governmental organisations to also train as many people as they could for the benefit of people with hearing impairment.

Punch