People living with disabilities deserve recognition

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Grâce à l?intervention à domicile du bureau d?accompagnement social, Elugino, 7 ans, bénéficie d?un fauteuil roulant qui lui permet désormais de participer à la vie familiale et communautaire.

By Nyasha Nhau

I am one of the people with disabilities and am into disability sports, writting and filming. Media plays a pivotal role in linking the policy makers, the corporate world and the citizens. I urge media practitioners to engage people with disabilities through the workshop seminars so that they know how to report issues concerning disability area as it is one of the sensitive area.

People with disabilities are being left out in the decision makings and l think the media should help feel that gape. We have so many people with disabilities who are talented in arts, culture and sporting activities but their talents are not well recognized such as talents for those who are physical fit.

It is because issues for people with disabilities only appears in the media when there is a negative impact to the story. We have athletes like Moleen Majoni sportswoman of the year, we have Kuda Matepure Miss Deaf Africa 2nd princess and Nigel Gweshe a visual musical producer only to mention the few.

If people with disabilities had equal opportunity with the abled bodied in the media even the nation including combi operators would treat them fairly even the community at large. Even the corporate world would be supporting activities for people with disabilities.

People had no knowledge and in countries like our neighbors South Africa, Namibia and Botswana they educate their citizens that we are all able, people should be seeing a person not wheelchair that one would be sitting in.

If all programs on Ztv had subtitles to allow the deaf community to understand the programs it means that person is nolonger impaired. If we had newspapers in braeel the visual impared would be able. The impairment is the barrier that makes access disable not that the person is disabled. Buildings without ramps can make wheelchair users disabled but if there is a lift as an option to the stairs one cannot be a disabled because he or she can arrive where the interview is taking place.

In conclusion l strongly urge the media houses to engage people with disabilities so that we help them expose their talents to the corporate world as well as to educate people that disability does not mean inability.

NYASHA NHAU
(Chitungwiza)⁠⁠⁠⁠

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