Aron Mushaukwa
KATIMA MULILO – The Deputy Minister of Disability Affairs, Alexia Manombe-Ncube, has called on public and private institutions to take accessibility as “a precondition for the full realisation of the rights and full inclusion of people with disabilities in their respective communities”.
She made these remarks during the celebration of National Disability Day in Zambezi on Friday.
She feels that in order for people with disabilities to fully enjoy and fully participate in the social, economic, cultural and political life on an equal basis, accessibility should be at the centre stage.
“It is vital that in planning for accessibility we must take into account the type of disability and thus accessibility is not just about opening doors but rather about keeping them open. It’s about allowing people to do things they would not otherwise be able to do,” said Manombe -Ncube.
She noted that people living with disabilities in Namibia face many barriers that hinder their full and equal access to the enjoyment of human rights and full social inclusion, adding that these barriers are often “worsened by conditions of rural and informal urban settings”.
She said these barriers include, among others, “physical barriers which prevents access of people with disabilities to physical environments such as buildings, roads, transportation and various indoor and outdoor facilities such as schools, housing, medical facilities, sporting venues and workplaces”,
This year the National Disability Day was celebrated under the theme: “Make the physical environment and information accessible to people with disabilities.”
Speaking at the same event the Zambezi regional governor, Lawrence Sampofu, said people with disabilities should not be left behind in the development of the country.
“I call upon individuals, public, private and government institutions that are still disregarding persons with disabilities to refrain from such conducts, but rather take them as any other normal being.”