Advocacy For Women With Disability Initiative (AWWDI) has urged the print, online and television media to wake up and push harder for the cause of Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria.
Patience Ogolo, Executive Director of AWWDI made the call at a capacity building workshop held on 24 February for Health workers and Media practitioners.
According to Ogolo such call becomes necessary in light of the National policy on SRHR and Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Prohibition Act 2018 in line with international best practices (UNCRPD and SDGs). The event was organised in collaboration with Disability Rights Fund.
Miss. Ogolo, in her address, implored the media to advance the cause of persons with disabilities. She pointed out the crucial role the media plays in changing aged-long narratives and perception of the public towards people with disabilities (PWDs).
Mr. Matthew Ogune – a reporter for The Guardian newspapers also spoke at the workshop. He outlined roles and importance of the media in advancing disability advocacy.
Ogune said that according to WHO reports, 60-80 million PWDs live in Africa. He decried misrepresentation of facts by the media, especially the movie industry.
‘Positive stories’ he said, should be told to the public about Persons with Disabilities. The media practitioner advised that providing the disabled with trusted and encouraging information in an accessible format and content about how they too are humans and can achieve their dreams will go a long way in building morale.
He concluded by encouraging media houses to organize trainings and workshops that focus on rights of persons with disabilities for their staff. That way, the biased myths and ill perceptions of media practitioners towards PWDs would be eradicated.
Various public agencies, popular media stations, medical experts and non-profit organizations like The National Orientation Agency (NOA), Disability Rights Fund, The Federal ministry of Health and FRCN were present at the workshop.