The Youth Section of NNAD and their team, on 17th May, paid a courtesy visit to the FRSC at their office in Abuja to advocate for the cause of Nigeria deaf community. The visit focused on drawing the attention of the Corps to the specific transportation challenges faced by the deaf community and recommending potential solutions to address these challenges.
Speaking during the visit, the group represented by the chairman, Amb. Ebuka Okeke spoke on the need for the Corps to be aware of the existence of deaf people and their communication needs particularly during roadside checks and interaction. Misunderstandings between FRSC officers and deaf drivers often arise due to communication barriers. It is important to address this issue by facilitating written communication when officers interact with deaf drivers.
“We recommended that the Corps create a disability identification card to be provided to deaf drivers and individuals during vehicle registration and related matters. The card would serve as a means of easy identification of persons with disabilities driving, once it becomes available to all concerned persons.”
In accordance with the Nigerian Disability Act, the group urged the Corps to comply with its specific section that mandates the allocation of 5% employment slots for persons with disabilities. To adopt these strategies successfully, the group sought the collaboration of the Corps to ensure effective implementation.
After eagerly listening to the messages, the Corps made a commitment to cooperate with the deaf youths in building a disability-friendly Corps across Nigeria. The Crops made a pledge to produce and provide Disability Stickers, and Special Licence (J Licence) for persons with disabilities for easy identification during roadside checks.
They promised to communicate the outcome of the meeting to their supervisor and expressed willingness to learn the Nigerian Sign Language (NSL) as a way of bridging the communication gap and welcome training sessions on NSL from NNADYS. The visit yielded great results. This certainly is a positive development.
At the end of the event, Amb. Ebuka Okeke, the National Youth Leader of NNADYS was conferred with an award of merit for the job well done.