Teen advocates for inclusivity for people with disability in schools

Musawenkosi Moyo

A 19-YEAR-OLD boy from Bulawayo has taken the initiative to advocate for the inclusion of people with disabilities in schools and public spaces such as libraries and community centres.

Victory Mashizha is a poet, author, motivational speaker, writer and a Junior Parliamentarian representing the disability community in Bulawayo Province.

He advocates for people with disabilities through poetry and writing. Additionally, through his position as a junior parliamentarian, he stated that he is able to push for and advocate for more policies that benefit people with disabilities.

He has campaigned in different schools in Bulawayo, raising awareness of various disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, Clubfoot, and many more.

“By teaching people about different disabilities I believe that I am able to make them more empathetic and understanding towards the struggles that other people face,” he said.

Mashizha who is also a student at King George VI said that he was motivated to advocate for inclusivity due to his own experiences as a person with a disability.

“I was motivated by my personal experience as a young person with Cerebral Palsy and also by seeing the difficulties that my fellow classmates have had in terms of being able to freely access public spaces, which has made me want to create a more inclusive environment for them and myself,” said Mushizha.

The issue of developing infrastructure which suits the needs of people with disabilities in schools is one that Mashizha said is close to his heart.

“Each and every school in Zimbabwe should be inclusive, they should build some rails, slabs and passages that can be easy for everyone in this nation with a wheelchair or a walker. They should be able to have free movement in each and every school in Zimbabwe.

“Also, they should be sign language teachers and interpreters to accommodate every child who is deaf and Braille lessons to accommodate everyone who is visually impaired,” he said.

Mashizha said the biggest challenge that he was facing in his advocacy was that people were not taking him and his message seriously enough.

“I do my best to speak out through my writing but there are others who think that l am taking advantage of my disability and trying to make them feel pity for me. Most of the time I have to work hard to convince people to listen to me, “he said.

He further stated that although there are schools in the country that specialise in educating people with different disabilities, he believes that every school country should be able to cater for people with disabilities.

“We are grateful for schools like King George VI, Sibantubanye, and institutions like Jairos Jiri, Mustard Seed, and many more. However, I believe that if every school could accommodate children with disabilities, they would not have to feel different from others, as they would be receiving the same treatment. Education is a basic right for every child, and accessibility is key to achieving that,” said Mashizha.

Looking into the future, Mashizha said he plans to continue working on his advocacy for disability inclusion and rights. He is also working on a book titled: Life as a Teenager, which is about his experiences as a teenager with a disability.