By Oni Femi (INN), Ekiti
Disability Not A Barrier Initiative (DINABI), with support from Disability Right Fund (DRF) has called attention of Ekiti State Government to areas where the State’s People with Disabilities (PWDs) are being denied access to facilities and services.
The call was made by Olajide Funso, Executive Director of DINABI while delivering a goodwill message at a one-day validation meeting on the Accessibility Audit Report of public facilities and services in Ekiti State.
Mr Funso noted that some 15 percent of Ekiti State residents with disabilities face challenges in accessing public facilities and services.
He mentioned public institutions like schools, banks, hospitals, etc, constructed without putting PWDs into consideration.
Mr Owolabi Kayode, JONAPWD chairman of the State, also lamented how PWDs lack standard accessibility to public facilities and services.
He said: “it is obvious that the accessibility conditions of our environment in hotels, banks and shopping malls are bad”.
He pleaded with the Ekiti State Government to put PWDs into consideration.
At the event, series of goodwill messages were delivered by Dr Tope Ajisafe of State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr Ibrahim Abayomi of Ministry of Health and Human Affairs and be other representatives of MDAs. Following these was presentation of draft report on Accessibility Audit on Public facilities and services in Ekiti State by Engr. Kola Ogunbiyi.
Key findings from the report included lack of awareness and public sensitization on rights based approaches toward needs of PWDs, poor implementation of basic provisions in the Ekiti State Disability Law, etc.
At the end of the meeting, the Organization called on the Ekiti State Government to make its 2023 budget more Disability Inclusive by making provisions for better accessibility to public facilities and services in Ekiti State in favour of PWDs.