Inclusion is a Right, not a Privilege!

I grew up in a family of seven girls. My immediate follower Agnes was born with a disability, she was hearing impaired. That was in the 80s where there were even more myths about disability than there is today. Countless times her disability was associated to witch craft. Attending school was difficult for her in the 80s as there were no sign language interpreters and inclusive Education was uncommon, she was labelled and stigmatized by her peers and at some point, she had to drop out of school. She learnt several livelihood skills but sign language was still a problem. Agnes ended up as a successful business lady. She had this passion of helping anyone with a disability she came across especially her deaf peers until her passing on in the year 2007. We were so broken hearted and determined to continue her legacy. In addition to that my first son faith lives with a disability. He is autistic. I enrolled into a teacher’s training college where I trained as a special need education teacher and with focused on sign language. It also broadened my mind about disability rights, empowerment, leadership, gender- based violence and many other issues surrounding disabilities rights.

Today I run an organization called the Association for the Empowerment of the Deaf and Vulnerable Persons (AEDVP) whose goal is to improve the quality of life for deaf and Vulnerable persons and mission is to enhance the effective participation of deaf and vulnerable persons in inclusive development. We carry out awareness creation, sensitization and education on disabilities rights, Gender-based violence and other issues related to the wellbeing of persons with disability. We also focus on changing mind sets and all the perceptions people have about disabilities starting with the individuals themselves, the families and communities through focus group discussions. To ensure inclusion of deaf persons at events, we provide voluntary sign language interpretation most of the time at events. We are passionate about reducing or completely eliminate gender-based violence in our communities especially caused by financial dependency by these women and girls through training them on livelihood skills such as soap production, sewing, beaded shoes and necklaces. We also organize digital training workshops in collaboration with other world pulse sisters so these girls can learn how to stay safe online, create more visibility, connect with others, access opportunities and sell their products on line. Our dream is to create a safe an enabling environment where everyone is educated about the rights of persons with disabilities and they are willing to put these rights in practice.

Living in the North West Region which has been affected by sociological crisis for the past five years and worsen by the covid 19 pandemic many of these girls with hearing impairment and other girls and women with disabilities have lost their source livelihood. The only women empowerment center couldn’t accommodate deaf girls as they do not have the human resources to meet their sign language needs. Inspired by the denial, I acquired livelihood skills and today we run a workshop where not only deaf girls are trained but other women with or without disabilities and any form of vulnerability. In collaboration with other trainers some of whom are world pulse sister these women are acquiring skills in the language they understand. Although we have been able to give startup capital to a few women we have trained mostly from proceeds from sales at the center, and from donations from my sisters and family friends, we are not able to meet up with all the women we have trained. To fulfill our burning desire of every woman being connected online after we train them on technology, they need android phones to connect and access to good and affordable internet as individuals and at the center. Back at their homes and communities we still face this problem of persons with disabilities being stigmatized, marginalized, not listened to, and gender-based violence, which gives them a lot of low self-esteem.

 I Want the World to know that disability is not inability. Women with disabilities have all the abilities and potentials to excel when given the right opportunities and resources adequate for their disability types. Accessibility will ensure they get the empowerment and training they need to excel, a reduction in gender-based violence, full and active participation in their communities. They should also be given the right to fully participate in taking decisions that concerns them.

The government should get more persons with disability included in formation of policies involving them and developing a text of application which is practical and taking the context and specific needs of the different types of disabilities into consideration. There should be proper follow up and supervision of all stakeholders involved in its implementation to ensure it is properly done. Conventions on the rights of persons with disabilities should be ratified and implemented. Government should put in more funding into organizations that work to eliminate any form of violence and disclination against persons with disabilities, barriers to access to education, access to resources and information, health care services and civic and political participation at any level. Tech companies should also produce good but affordable devices taking into consideration the different disability types especially as advocacy messages on disabilities can reach a wider population on line. Individuals should adopt the right based approach to disabilities and give them opportunities to excel like any other members in the family. People with disabilities should be assertive and take steps to empower themselves so they can build their self-esteem, participate fully in advocacy on disability rights and be an example on acceptance of other persons with disabilities.

Being someone who is passionate about promoting the sign language rights of persons with hearing impairment through sign language interpretation, I have been working tirelessly during trainings and workshops as a sign language interpreter so deaf persons can participate actively. I once interpreted at a civil wedding ceremony of a deaf couple in Bamenda 3 council early this year. It was the first time a couple with hearing impairment was wedding at the council. I had to volunteer to interpreted to make sure they were totally included. It was so emotional when they exchanged vows in sign language. It was a mass wedding ceremony where there where about 75 couples, it was so amazing that the preceding mayor had to take a break to have a special photograph with them. I felt totally included. That incident changed perception on disabilities to a great extent as there has always been a sign language interpreter during ceremonies in that council. From this experience I can say there is so much to be done on raising awareness on disability rights. It also means that we can always take conscious steps as individual as our own contribution to bringing about changes that ensure the inclusion of persons with disabilities.

To me a truly accessible and inclusive world is a world where everyone has equal access to available opportunities through putting in place resources that will ensure this accessibility. these resources most take into consideration the diverse forms of disabilities and their specific needs. This can only be attained through adequate policies and proper implementation plans that involves the diverse persons with disability at all stages while taking into consideration the context in which these policies are formulated and implemented. It will also need more massive sensitization and education of the masses on disability issues dwelling more on the right based approach to disability. Above all individuals should embrace disability and make a conscious effort to stop any form of violence against persons with disabilities. If all these is done what a safe an enabling the world would be for persons with disabilities.