NGO demands inclusive education, enforcement of disability law in Osun

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

A Non-Governmental Organisation, Community Advancement Initiative for Self Reliance (CAI4SR), has urged the government and stakeholders in Osun State to embrace inclusive education and remove barriers that prevent persons with disabilities from fully participating in society.

The call was made during a media engagement and training for journalists on disability rights, organized by CAI4SR with support from Christoffel Blinden Mission (CBM) in Osogbo, where speakers stressed the need for accessible public buildings, inclusive education, and free healthcare that persons with disabilities can truly access.

Speaking at the event, the Executive Director of CAI4SR, Mrs. Eni Ayeni, noted that the global trend is inclusion, not segregation. She explained that instead of building separate schools for children with disabilities, existing mainstream schools should be adjusted to accommodate them.

Ayeni said: “The drive is not to seclude them; we are preaching inclusion. So instead of establishing schools for special needs, why not make them inclusive? We already have schools in place; let’s make what we call reasonable adjustments so that children with disabilities can learn alongside children without disabilities. By doing that, you are giving them a sense of belonging.

“When you establish a special school, segregation is already created. It is society that poses the barrier, not the persons with disabilities themselves. If those barriers are removed, persons with disabilities can function the same way as persons without disabilities. For me, and looking at the global trend, inclusion is the way forward.”

Also speaking, Barrister Veronica Ene Onoja of the Justice Development and Peace Maker Centre (JDPMC), Osogbo, identified lack of awareness of the Osun State Disability Law as the first barrier to its implementation, saying that many residents do not even know the law exists, making it difficult for them to demand enforcement.

Highlighting poor funding as another major obstacle, Onoja noted that although a bureau has been created to oversee disability matters in Osun, it is yet to receive adequate financial backing, limiting its effectiveness.

She urged journalists to close the awareness gap by giving disability rights consistent visibility in their reports, adding that if the media discusses the law and issues affecting persons with disabilities regularly, stereotypes will fade and they will be empowered to demand the enforcement of their rights.