1 month ago
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A polio survivor, Ms. Sussan Ihuoma, has called connected each levels of authorities to found systems that enactment rehabilitation, sustainable empowerment, and accessibility for polio survivors crossed Nigeria.
She made the entreaty during an interrogation with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) connected the sidelines of a Special Fellowship connected Polio, organised by the Rotary Club of Abuja Central Business District.
Ihuoma, a sex and societal inclusion advocate, proudly identified arsenic a polio subsister for 44 years and said she championed inclusion wherever she recovered herself, particularly for persons with disabilities.
“I telephone connected the authorities to instrumentality inclusive policies and systems that warrant rehabilitation, sustainable empowerment, and accessibility for polio survivors, truthful they tin unrecorded dignified and autarkic lives,” she said.
She acknowledged Nigeria’s advancement successful eradicating polio but stressed that survivors inactive deficiency capable enactment systems to assistance them thrive beyond receiving mobility immunodeficiency and basal assistance.
“Survivors request much than devices. We request rehabilitation, empowerment, and accessible housing. Many nationalist buildings deficiency ramps, lifts, and different features that alteration persons with disabilities to unrecorded freely.
“If these systems are successful place, polio survivors volition thrive arsenic afloat citizens of our nation, Nigeria. We don’t privation pity; we privation accidental and inclusion,” she said.
She besides urged parents to guarantee their children person the escaped oral polio vaccine, informing that a elemental driblet tin forestall the lifelong symptom and disablement caused by poliomyelitis.
“Why let your kid to endure the effects of polio erstwhile prevention is escaped and available? Please, marque definite your kid is vaccinated aboriginal enough,” she advised.
Ihuoma identified systemic and infrastructural barriers arsenic large issues survivors face, including deficiency of accessible wellness facilities, schools, worship centres, and nationalist buildings without ramps oregon elevators.
“In wellness centres, radical successful wheelchairs can’t adjacent beryllium weighed properly.
“I often debar drinking h2o erstwhile going retired due to the fact that astir restrooms are not wheelchair accessible,” she lamented.
She pointed to challenges successful inclusive employment, citing mediocre enforcement of the Disability Act, which mandated 5 per cent employment for persons with disabilities successful some nationalist and backstage sectors.
“We person a Disability Act, but who is monitoring its implementation? Many employers bash not comply oregon adjacent recognize the value of diverseness and inclusion successful the workplace,” she said.
Ihuoma besides highlighted attitudinal barriers, wherever radical with disabilities were often judged by appearance, alternatively than their abilities, talents, and what they could lend to society.
She expressed her acquisition of being unemployed for 11 years successful spite of holding 3 degrees, and excelling successful online interviews, until appearing successful idiosyncratic successful her wheelchair changed outcomes.
“When they spot the wheelchair, the speech ends earlier it begins. No 1 bothers to inquire what I tin offer. That’s the information of unconscious bias.
“Life is astir diversity. Polio survivors are not burdens; they are mothers, daughters, uncles, and assemblage members.
“We merit the aforesaid rights, opportunities, and dignity arsenic everyone else,” she said.
She called for accrued advocacy and awareness, adding that existent advancement laic not lone successful ending polio but besides successful gathering an inclusive nine wherever survivors led alteration and drove development. (NAN)
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