There are 25 million Nigerians living with some form of disability, and they have the right to live freely like every other person in the society, but the one thing that stops them from doing that is the stigmatisation and discrimination caused by the people in that same society. 

People tend to act differently towards things they don’t understand; this is why awareness on disabilities should be raised – to make people understand that persons with disabilities are not so much different from them and that they are as significant and valuable to society as every person is.

Why the awareness?

• Eliminates stereotypes and misconceptions

Stereotypes generally stem from a place of ignorance. There are many degrading stereotypes that are attributed to persons with disabilities, including ones pertaining to witchcraft and curses. 

These misconceptions stir up fear in people when, in reality, there is nothing to fear. This fear leads to avoidance, and avoidance ultimately leads to marginalization and consequently, stigmatization. However, raising awareness is a sure way to eliminate these misconceptions because awareness educates people, pointing them in the right direction and eliminating false information. 

Once people begin to see that what culture has taught them to fear is nothing to fear at all, the level of discrimination against persons with disabilities will drastically decrease.

• Causes a surge in unity

There is nothing more damning than a divided society (like ours). There will always be division if people don’t learn to accept persons with disabilities as humans and every person as one and the same. 

Creating awareness of disabilities will bridge the gap that has been created by various factors and foster unity in the society. 

Disability awareness will make us do better as humans and act kinder to other people. Faith in humanity will be restored as humanity will be redeemed, persons with disabilities will finally be included in the society as they ought to be; and ultimately, the society will begin to flourish as it was always meant to.

• Creates opportunities for persons with disabilities

It is not news that people living with disabilities in Nigeria are provided limited resources to take care of themselves and their families. They have little to no opportunities for work or even education. They are not even given access to disability funds for their upkeep, but raising disability awareness can mend that flaw.

Imagine a society where every breathing human is working and generating income for themselves while also paying taxes to better the society. Creating awareness will give people with disabilities more opportunities in every aspect; employment will not be foreign to them, getting an education will not be a hassle and they would actively participate in politics or vie for political positions without people questioning their competence.

• An accessible community

Accessibility is a major problem people living with disabilities face in Nigeria. From public transportation to public buildings or recreation centres, there is no deliberate effort to make the use of those facilities convenient for persons with disabilities. Yes, there are seats for people using wheelchairs in Lagos’ BRT buses, but how will they get there? Danfo buses or bikes (okada) are not accessible for them. And what about other states that don’t have BRT-accessible buses? Sometimes, the people making those amenities don’t put persons with disabilities into consideration when designing them, either with hostile intent or just plain ignorance. Either way, raising awareness that the accessibility of people with disabilities should always be considered while planning for public amenities will make accessibility possible in the country.