Parasoccer

1. Purpose of National Disability Agency

2. Definition of Disability

3. Proposed Departments of NADISA

4. Education Department

5. Vocational Training Department

6. Employment Seeking Department

7. Welfare & Public Mobility Department

8. Sports Department

9. Donors Liaison Department

10. Conclusions

The National Disability Agency, or NADISA for short, is aimed at looking after the interest of The Disabled in the society. This is with a view to making life more meaningful to them by alleviating their sufferings brought about by their impaired physical or mental conditions.

According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, a Disabled Person is one who is unable to use one’s body properly because of disease, injury, etc. Disability can be either physical or mental. It may exist from birth, or be caused by an accident or illness. The Oxford Talking Dictionary described the disabled as “physically challenged”.

Examples of disability are:

The National Disability Agency, or NADISA, shall be structured into the following operational departments:

In addition to the operational departments listed above, the following service department shall also be necessary:
Finance and Administration Department.

The Office of the Director-General shall be responsible for overall coordination, and shall house the following units:
Information & Communications Unit
Press & Public Affairs Unit
Legal Unit

This department shall be responsible for the education of the disabled, right from the point of disability. In the cases of those born with disability, the Department of Education shall see to their education right from nursery level to the highest level that the disabled pupil can attain. It shall be the responsibility of the department to liaise with existing public and private schools for the disabled and see to their needs. It shall also promote the establishment of new schools to cater for special disability needs, especially where such schools do not currently exist. These shall include, but not limited to, the following:

In view of the importance of Information & Communications Technology [ICT], every educational centre for the disabled shall be encouraged to have a unit for training in the field of ICT.

At the tertiary level, every effort shall be made to integrate the disabled into the main stream of students. They shall, as much as possible, be given priority in the allocation of on-campus accommodation. The mobility-impaired [such as the paraplegic] shall be provided with motorized wheelchairs.

In order to cater for those who are not academically gifted, there shall be ample opportunity for vocational training. NADISA shall see to the establishment of at least one vocational training centre in each state capital and Abuja, especially where one is not currently existing. These may include, but not limited to, training in the following fields:
• Arts and crafts
• Welding & construction
• Tailoring & sewing
• Weaving
• Shoe repairs
Some existing disability vocational centres are known to engage in the construction of mobility appliances such as tri-cycles. These should be encouraged and the program introduced in centres where such is non-existing. NADISA should also patronize such centres and thus keep the industry going and expanding.

At the end of vocational training, all graduating trainees should be equipped to be self-employed [where paid employment is not readily available], and given necessary basic assistance to settle down, lest they go to the streets for begging.

Most of those who undergo formal education look forward to one form of employment or the other. While it is a known fact that employment is currently hard to come by in the country, the case is more difficult, if not hopeless, for the disabled. I once trained a deaf and dumb girl on the use of computer, but nobody is willing to employ her. This is all the more reason why NADISA should champion the cause of the disabled in seeking employment for these physically-challenged members of the society. This may take the following forms:

There is no gainsaying the fact that the disabled needs a lot of welfare and extra care to be able to fit into the society. Even where these facilities are provided, the able-bodied often hijack its usage without giving the disabled the opportunity to enjoy the provision.

The wheelchair is meant to facilitate the movement of the paraplegic. However, one thing is to have the wheelchair, another thing is to have the path along which the wheelchair can be used. It is not uncommon to see paved paths meant for wheelchairs taken over by roadside traders. Worse still, heaps of construction materials are poured on these paved paths, thus making passage of wheelchair impossible. Wheelchair users are then forced to go into the motorway at the risk of being run over by speeding vehicles.
Most of our public transport vehicles are not designed with the disabled wheelchair user in mind. However, it is better late than never. Now that the mobile phone is readily available, there is the need to provide special mobility vehicles for the disabled, which the latter can then phone for.

When the wheelchair-bound disabled finally manages to get to his or her destination, getting into the building is another herculean task. All that are provided are staircases. Even where lifts are within the building, getting to the lift entrance is virtually impossible. These are areas that will be addressed by NADISA, as the latter will need to lobby the National Assembly to pass a legislation making it compulsory for all public buildings to have easy access for the wheelchair-bound disabled visitor. Staircase lifts can be installed in existing buildings to achieve this.

Disability is not limited to mobility. Those with hearing disability cannot comprehend what the television is saying. Hence, as much as possible, television producers should add footnotes to their programs, so that the deaf can read this and thus follow the program. Adding a sign language interpreter to the television news also goes a long way in carrying the deaf along.

In the area of religion, the disabled are often not welcome in some religious gatherings. It is therefore not out of place if the disabled are encouraged to establish their own religious centres where they shall feel at home, rather than being treated as persona non grata.

End-of-year parties should be encouraged. Sponsors should be sought for this at least three months in advance. I stage end-of-year party for the disabled annually in my house in Lagos, with OGTV in attendance.

As the saying goes, there is ability in disability. Virtually all the sports undertaken by the able bodied have their equivalent for the disabled. The western world placed a strong emphasis on this, hence the establishment of the Paralympic Games. Disabled Nigerians have been known to participate in the Paralympic Games winning medals. To crown it all, there is in fact a ball game invented by the disabled in Nigeria, which should be sold to the entire world. It is called Parasoccer. This game is currently played in most states of the federation, and has been admitted as one of the medal events in the National Sports Festival. The writer is the Patron of Abuja Parasoccer Club that has won cups and several medals for Abuja.

The Sports Department of NADISA should promote all disability games with a view to improving the social life of the disabled, and in so doing, produce materials for the Paralympic games, and thus bring in medals for the nation.

Donations are known to be readily available for the disabled. Some come in form of alms for the disabled street beggar. This should not only be discouraged, but should, in fact, be banned. The Donors Liaison Department of NADISA should create donor centres where donations in cash and kind can be dropped for proper channelling to the disabled communities.

Large donations may come from corporate bodies and some wealthy individuals, and NADISA should receive these for proper channelling as needed, or as directed by the donors. It is also not out of place if NADISA, through its Donors Liaison Department, advertises for donations for specific projects. Responses are sure to come, especially if previous donations are judiciously and transparently utilized.

In addition to local donors, international donors are known to be willing to contribute to the welfare of the disabled. NADISA will serve as a conduit pipe for such international donations. The writer, for instance, is aware of a body in the USA willing to donate 240 wheelchairs to the disabled in Nigeria. Lack of a body like NADISA frustrated this.

Donors that sponsor major projects should have such projects named after them. These may be in form of halls, buildings, or centres.

The Information & Communications Unit of the Office of the Director-General shall have a website through which donations can be solicited both locally and internationally, in addition to educating the public regarding the functions of NADISA.

The disabled is part and parcel of the society. It is high time the able-bodied members of the society stopped looking down upon them, and regarding them as a nuisance that should be avoided, and preferably locked up and kept away from the rest of the society. There is need to establish the National Disability Agency that will look after their interest, champion their cause, and make life more meaningful to them.

As much as possible, staff of NADISA should be people with disability, or at least those with the genuine love of the disabled at heart. Most of those currently charged with the responsibility are square pegs in round holes.
The idea of hiding our disabled citizens from our august visitors is barbaric, and totally uncivilized. It is, in fact an indictment on the rest of us, because those we hide them from actually treat them as kings, giving them every special treatment that will alleviate their sufferings and make life worth living.

We should also note that what the disabled people cherish most from the able-bodied members of the society is not really monetary gift, but acceptance, understanding, love, and sense of care.

Those of us who are able-bodied are just lucky, as disability can happen to anyone at any time.

The earlier the National Disability Agency [NADISA] is established, the better.