TAF Africa Facilitates Deaf Participation In Anambra Guber
TAF Africa, a disability inclusion advocacy group, says it is determined to ensure that People With Disabilities (PWDs) who are eligible to vote in the Nov. 8 governorship election in Anambra were not denied the opportunity.
Amb. Jake Epele, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of TAF Africa gave the assurance while speaking on the recent training of 25 Sign Language Interpreters (SLIs) in Awka.
Epele said 25 SLIs were trained in Anambra by the group with support from the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN II) Programme ahead of the exercise.
He said PWDs made up a significant chunk of the population and were capable of influencing election outcomes if they were adequately provided for and included in the process.
He said people with hearing impairment were among the most marginalised class of PWDs as they were not able to access and process information during electioneering.
Epele said the decision to train sign language interpreters with emphasis on election was to assist deaf persons with breaking the barriers in communication and enable them participate effectively..
“In Nigeria, Persons with Disability form about 16 percent of the nation’s population being an estimation of about 30 Million people while the World Bank says 65 percent of PWDs across the nation are of voting age.
“This set of people face several barriers in the society especially during elections where they are expected to vote and stand being voted for.
“The initiative is an innovative step towards ensuring that every deaf voter can participate fully and confidently in the democratic process,” he said
Epele said the training would help amplify the importance of accessible and inclusive elections which gave visibility to the deaf community in participating actively in Nigeria’s democracy.
He commended the collaboration with the Association of Sign Language Interpreters of Nigeria (ASLIN), Anambra Chapter fo
r their cooperation
