daniel chigunweThe Sunday Mail,
August 16, 1981
THE philosophy of equal opportunity and full participation of handicapped persons in all aspects of society is a matter of justice rather than charity, said the national director of the Council for the Welfare of the Disabled (CWD), Mr Levion Nyathi yesterday.
Addressing a general meeting of the CWD in Salisbury, Mr Nyathi said: “The disabled in this country need to speak for themselves on issues that affect their daily lives.
“We are best qualified because we have the experience of being disabled. We know what we want to be independent as much as possible.’’
The council was particularly concerned with developing self-help efforts, he said.
“The biggest handicap is the public attitude towards the disabled. People often think that if a person is disabled he is bewitched.
“I know of a case where one girl received a love letter from a crippled man, and cried all day because she thought that it would bring her bad luck. She eventually sought the services of a n’anga to purify her.”
Mr Nyathi said that all services in the community such as transportation, housing and employment should be made accessible to handicapped people as a matter of right.
The emphasis in society should be that handicapped persons had an equal responsibility in the community with the same expectations of training and employment as anyone else.
“If a building is constructed in such a way that I cannot manoeuvre to get into it, then I am punished,” he said.
The Minister of Economic Planning and Development, Dr Bernard Chidzero, said: “In this country, we tend to ignore the plight of the disabled we do not seriously consider their needs.
“If a building is constructed in such a way that a disabled person cannot enter, then effectively he is barred from using whatever facilities the building might have.”
LESSONS FOR TODAY
It has taken a number of interventions by both the Government and civil society to ensure that disabled persons are accorded the same rights as everyone else in society.
However, more still needs to be done to eradicate stigma, discrimination and stereotyping of disabled persons.
One of the major interventions is the enactment of the Disabled Persons Act (Chapter 17:01), which “provides for the welfare and rehabilitation of disabled persons, (and) the appointment of a Director for Disabled Persons’ Affairs.”
Dr Christine Peta, the Director for Disabled Persons’ Affairs is doing a good job, since she is someone who has a passion for disabled persons’ issues.
The Act also states that “discrimination against disabled persons in employment and the denial to disabled persons of access to public premises, services and amenities are prohibited.”
During this Heroes month, disabled persons received a major boost. Among the awards presented by President Mnangagwa on Heroes Day, was the Jairos Jiri Humanitarian Award, which was presented to a number of institutions: the University of Zimbabwe, Midlands State University, National University of Science and Technology, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Bindura University of Science Education, Harare Institute of Technology and Arundel Group of Hospitals, for their role in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Online Reporter