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Lungelo Ndhlovu
VISUALLY-impaired people in Bulawayo and those who work with them, have welcomed the recent introduction of a Braille magazine.
The publication will cater for blind people in terms of their information needs as they will be able to read news too and interact with their counterparts. This is probably the first such mass media outlet to be released in the history of the country.
“It is an honour to have a magazine that caters for our needs and it is evident that the Government of Zimbabwe has at last taken responsibility on its constitutional obligations,” said Thulani Gwala, a visually impaired lawyer based in Bulawayo.
The Constitution of Zimbabwe requires all citizens to treat people living with disabilities with dignity and respect.
Zimbabwe ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on 23 September 2013, showing that the Government is committed to the protection and promotion of the rights of people living with disabilities.
The CRPD is the key international law that addresses disability at international level.
The new Constitution identifies disability as a prohibited ground of discrimination. Before 2005, the non-discrimination clause in the old Constitution of Zimbabwe did not include disability as a ground upon which discrimination was prohibited.
This was corrected through an amendment in 2005, but the old Constitution was criticised for not catering for other forms of disability beyond physical disability.
Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo, who was a key speaker at the launch hailed Padare Magazine.
“Our new Constitution enjoins all of us to first and foremost treat those among us, our compatriots with disabilities, to treat them with respect and dignity. This is now an obligation that we all have which is enshrined in the Constitution in general in particular Section 22 of our new constitution,” said Prof Moyo.
The magazine is also set to create employment for the visually impaired as they will contribute stories towards their magazine.
“Secondly, we all must do what we can, especially the Government, to make resources available to assist those with disabilities in order for them to realise their full potential as fellow citizens and this is important for us as a constitutional obligation.
“Thirdly, that in various ways and today we see and celebrate one such way, we must do everything we can, especially with respect to employment programmes, employment creation which is an important commitment of the Government that when we create jobs, when we design employment programmes, we must do so in such a way as to ensure that these programmes also are consistent with the capabilities with those with disabilities.
“Producing a Braille version of Padare Magazine and a large print of that magazine is a clear example of meeting that obligation,” said Prof Moyo.
In terms of Section 83 of the Constitution, the Government is obliged to take appropriate measures, within the limits of the resources available to it, to ensure that people living with disabilities realise their full mental and physical potential.
This includes strategies to enable them to become self-reliant, to live with their families, protect them from exploitation and abuse, to give them access to medical, psychological and functional treatment, as well as access to State-funded education.
A specialist eye surgeon in Bulawayo, Dr Emmanuel Zhou said Padare is a revolutionary idea because people living with blindness tend to be neglected in most societies.
“People living with blindness have always been shunned in most societies. They have been left in the hands of donor society and missionary institutions. It is pleasing that the government has also taken the initiative to play a role in the plight of these citizens,” said Dr Zhou.
The visually impaired also occupy a significant section in the intellectual class of Zimbabwe. Therefore production of material for the magazine and others that might come in future should be easy.
“It is a noble idea by the Government to try and expand the means of information gathering for the visually impaired.
“Most books that are available in Braille are outdated thus; it becomes hard for the blind to keep up with current affairs and trends. In addition to audio-information, the Braille magazine will go a long way in widening these citizens’ scope of life,” said Dr Zhou.
Eye surgeons basically deal with people who are either half-blind or have low vision that is either correctable by refraction, optical, medical or surgical intervention.
“As a result of the impairment, some people end up giving up on themselves due to self-pity and hence render themselves unproductive. The magazine however, will be a motivation for those who have given up on themselves,” added Dr Zhou.
In today’s world of technology, visually-impaired individuals are able to consult encyclopedias, online services, newspapers and a variety of information sources through note-taking devices.
For example there is an Android based device, known as the B2G device. This device is now popular in the country among the visually impaired.
The device offers accessibility mixed with an open source approach that greatly provides them with many possibilities.
In Zimbabwe, Bulawayo in particular, there are quite a number of children who have been certified blind at birth or early in life by the Eye Clinic. Such individuals are of age, educated and in employment.
“Through this Braille magazine, these people and others stand to benefit because they are going to keep up with the world they live in and among their ‘normal’ counterparts. It also has a huge potential to expand scope of our blind children and neighbours,” said Dr Zhou.
Mr Lameck Ndlovu commended the introduction of the Braille publication adding that it will contribute a lot in demystifying the stigma associated with people living with blindness.
“There is a lot of stigma that is associated with people living with blindness. Visually impaired individuals are normal people just like everybody else and they should be treated with dignity and also as equals,” said Ndlovu.
Dr Zhou also added that this initiative can be a launch pad for job opportunities for the visually-challenged.
“The magazine presents job opportunities for the blind. It will not make sense not to have such a project run by some from the target population,” said Dr Zhou.
Online Reporter