OUTAPI – The Deputy Prime Minister, Marco Hausiku, at the commemoration of the white cane day at Outapi on Wednesday urged ministries to balance their financial distribution to accommodate the needs of the country’s visually impaired people.
“I know that some of us consider the needs of the visually impaired people to be very expensive. However, caring and providing for the weak in our community, in this case, the visually impaired is an obligation for each community,” said Hausiku.
According to Hausiku self-representation of the visually impaired is the key strategy to mainstream the visually impaired in all the sectors.
“Each sector should create a room to accommodate visually impaired persons by having them employed or serve on the board of directors,” he noted.
He also said engaging the visually impaired will empower and enable them to articulate their needs stressing that disability issues need to be put on the forefront in terms of priorities just as it has been done with the marginalised groups.
He also called on designers and manufacturers of infrastructures to consult with the Namibian Federation of the Visually Impaired to discuss possible implications of proposed design to ensure that infrastructures are visually impaired-friendly.
He made this remark following complaints from the virsually impaired that some roads and pavements are usually designed to their disadvantage.
“In this way, our environment can enable safe and independent travel for everyone including those who are visually impaired,” said Hausiku.
Hausiku challenged whether the current innovations system and ideas include the needs and aspirations of the visually impaired people “if not, when do we plan to do so?” questioned Hausiku.
In that spirit he urged Namibians to create towns with streetcapes that can be used by everyone in society and which reflect the principle of inclusiveness according to the United Nations Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities.
He encouraged Namibians to make society understand and know the rights of the visually impaired people and similarly, family members should allow them to live freely, independently and enjoy their fundamental freedom and human rights.
White cane day is celebrated worldwide on October 15 as a symbol representing blindness and mobility used by visually impaired people. In Namibia, it has been celebrated since 1992.