PEOPLE living with disabilities (PLWD) in Bulawayo have called on the government to come up with a disability policy, as they have been excluded from the rest of the population and government programmes.
BY ALEXIS SIBANDA
During a national meeting of PLWD representatives at St Patricks Hotel yesterday hosted by the Bulawayo Polytechnic College in conjunction with National Disability Department and Young Voices, disabled people expressed that they also need to be included in all affairs of the country.
One participant Marita Moyo said: “We do not want to be discriminated against, but we also want to be a part and parcel of the government initiatives,” she said.
Speaking during the meeting, Bulawayo Polytechnic principal, Gilbert Mabasa said people should be passionate about others regardless of their abilities and their disabilities.
“We organised this meeting because we believe that young people’s voices should be heard and people with disabilities are a reality to part of our society and they expect to heard as well. All of us are disabled or with limited abilities and we should respect one another and make sure that the disability issue is well addressed,” he said.
“At polytechnic, we have to redesign our infrastructure to ensure that they cater from disabled and also make awareness campaigns to educate people that we are differently,” he said.
Young Voices project officer, Juliet Muzondo said there should be improved human rights and participation of people with disabilities in social, economic and political spheres in.
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“The young people should be empowered with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need, to understand their rights, to demand change, and to advocate effectively, leading to positive changes in the attitudes of duty bearers and eventually to the implementation of the disability policy in the Constitution of Zimbabwe. We need government to help us on that,” she said.
