Stakeholders advocate inclusion of PWDs in private sectors

As a way of creating a safe space that embrace diversity and inclusion, stakeholders in the public and private sectors have charged the corporate organisations to engage people living with disabilities by integrating them into roles befitting their qualifications.

Rising from the second edition of the Nigeria Diversity and Inclusion conference organised by the Nigeria Business Disability Network (NBDN) held in Lagos, the key stakeholders emphasised the need for private sectors to actively tap into the opportunities in the disability community, who are their potential and existing customers and active drivers of value chain.

The conference, themed: ‘Disability Inclusion in Corporate Sustainability’, was organised to shift the employers’ mindsets away from the stereotypes and towards practical solutions that is crucial to building a truly inclusive private sector in the country.

Speaking at the event, Head, Sustainability Access Corporation and Chairman, NBDN, Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan, called for change in the narrative over the agelong stigmatisation and discrimination against people with disabilities, noting that there is need for PWDs to have equal access to opportunities across all sectors.

While pointing out that there has been visible progress in the engagement of PWDs by private sectors, she reminded corporate organisations of the remarkable individuals who have, despite their physical challenge, made good out of their conditions.

According to her, “As we unite to drive inclusion, we are inspired by remarkable individuals like Stephen Hawking, who made groundbreaking contributions to cosmology despite his motor neuron disease, and Cobhams Asuquo, a renowned singer and music producer who has achieved international acclaim despite his visual impairment. Figures like Jake Epelle, who advocates for rights of persons with albinism, and Yinka Ayefele, a successful musician and radio presenter who uses a wheelchair, remind us that disabilities do not define one’s potential.”

She announced the launching of mobile app to help the network of persons with disabilities by giving them recognition and alerting them to opportunities.

In his address, Executive Secretary, National Commission for Persons with Disability, James Lalu, stated that achieving the integration of PWDs into the corporate sectors cannot be achieved without the strong backing of the law.

He appealed to the private sectors to consider people with disabilities, whom he described as important individuals to the development of any nation, stressing that, they possess the right skills and innovative minds to transform the country.

Equally, Senior Global Advisor, Save the Children International, Toyin Aderemi, lamented over the rate of unemployment among persons with disabilities, which she said, doubled that of persons without disabilities.

She observed that the barriers facing persons with disabilities have further worsened by the stereotypes and misconceptions employers often have that they are unproductive, expensive and lack required knowledge.

In her goodwill address, the Senior Programme Officer, International Labour Organisation, Nigeria Country Office, Chinyere Emeka-Anuna, remarked that private organisations that employ persons with disabilities outperform those who don’t.

While highlighting the gains that companies stand to benefits from engaging people with disabilities, she mentioned that, “Companies can gain access to a huge pool of untapped talent and maximise the potential of their workforce. These employees have diverse experiences, including different disabilities, that equip them with different approaches to problem-solving and can increase the company’s capacity for innovation.”

She noted that for organisations to key into the disability inclusion, it must be intentional about its policies and procedures that create enabling environment for both disabled and enabled.