Sign language interpreters will henceforth become a permanent feature on the Nigerian national news, a development that will ensure that people with hearing impairments can access COVID-19 information and other bulletins.
The interpreters first appeared in late June 2020 and going forward will be on all primetime news programmes.
The inclusion of interpreters comes just as global charity; Sightsavers has been campaigning for more accessible ways of sharing information to ensure people with disabilities are not left behind during the global response to COVID-19.
The Nigerian government, it was learnt, has promised to carry forward the interpreters with permanent contracts following a pilot in July.
The interpreters will be employed initially through Inclusive Futures, a new UK aid funded global partnership of 16 development bodies led by Sightsavers.
The organisations are collaborating to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities across healthcare, employment and education.
Nigerian-based Sightsavers’ Programme Officer, Rasak Adekoya, said: “I’m really excited to see this development and the commitment the Nigerian government has made. It shows the power of collective action and our ability at Sightsavers to advocate and make a real impact for people with disabilities.
“We’re always focusing on how to make our impact as sustainable as possible, and with the support of the government hopefully this will be a long-lasting change.
“It’s sending lots of positive signals about the importance of inclusion – one action leads to more. We hope that this will inspire more progress in the country toward including people with disabilities.”
Adekoya noted that at the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, the lives of people with disabilities are being put at greater risk due to the fact that many of them miss out on vital information that is not provided in accessible formats. Few materials are produced in signed languages, braille, pictorials or plain language, making it difficult for people with disabilities to receive the potentially life-saving health information they need. This is on top of the existing inequality and barriers to participation that many people with disabilities experience on a daily basis.
He added that the Inclusive Futures consortium is advocating for an inclusive response to COVID-19, one that does not leave people with disabilities behind.
The initiative, he said, is working in partnership with people with disabilities and the organisations that represent them, as well as the public and private sectors, in seven countries (Nigeria, Bangladesh, Nepal, Kenya, Jordan, Tanzania and Uganda).
“In Nigeria, the programme is focusing on better long-term prospects for jobseekers with disabilities and employers, improving inclusive primary education, developing an inclusive health approach to improve equity in access to eye care services, and tackling stigma and discrimination against people with disabilities using the media and radio,” Adekoya said.
2 comments
Bridging the gap between the deaf and the hearing world is our duty
Yes yes as an interpreter! God bless those who interpret for the Deaf on daily basis all over the world