Oloruntimilehin Ayomide
The Nigeria National Association of the Deaf (NNAD) on Tuesday has said that deafness is a condition not a sickness.
The disability group in its statement claimed its members are competent of doing anything other people can do except hearing.
NNAD made the statement during their 28th annual general meeting and the celebration of International Week of the Deaf Conference at the International Press Centre (IPC) Ogba, Lagos.
The National PRO of the association, Henry Obrutu at the event stated that there should be provision of empowerment for the deaf.
He agitated further that there must be access to information through sign language and pleaded to the government to give access to people living with disabilities for them to have a sense of belonging.
In his speech, he appreciated the kindness of Lagos State Association of the Deaf (LSAD) and also thanked the government and good people of Lagos State for hosting them and putting in place all needed mechanism to make the annual program successful.
Obrutu stated that the deaf are capable and also have the potentials and abilities to perform anything if given the needed opportunity and accessibility to all ingredients for development.
However, he pleaded that the general public should collaborate with the deaf to make life worth living for them.
“We are calling on parents, teachers, friends of the deaf to join us in this advocacy journey in making life worth living for the deaf people in Nigeria.
“Many finished school but there is no work. In other Africa countries they had gone far, we want government to make law that sign language is another language in Nigeria,” he said.
Another speaker at the event and Chairman of LSAD, Alhaji Lukman Agbabiaka also stated that the deaf should not be ill-treated, they must enjoy equal right like other people in the country.
“We cannot vote, Government should make everyone equal, we want Nigeria to be like other countries where the deaf can contest to be Counselors, Governors.
“It is not a problem that we are deaf, it can happen to any person. What we are asking for is, let us have voice. Government is making policy law without us, they have to recognize that the deaf have rights just like other people have,” he said.
Sule Akinremi, Coordinator for South West of the NNAD made a presentation on how the deaf can be valued in the country beseeching the government to make them have access to all information going on in the country.
“We are deaf, we want to be proud of it. We deaf are competent like you people, we can work, and the only setback is that we cannot hear. The general public has to understand our issue.
“We want our national news to be captioned and subtitled in English for us to have access to information going on in the country,” he said.
Some of the cardboard brandished by the deaf had inscriptions such as “Being Deaf Is Not a Curse! STOP Discriminatory
Practice”
“Employ the Deaf Too
They Are Useful”
“We Are Able, More Than Able.”
“Give Us Equal Opportunity to Make Use of Our God’s Given Talent”
“Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities Is a Crime against Humanity.”
