The Association for the Deaf has appealed to the Oyo State government to provide employment opportunities to deaf persons in the state.
This call was made on Thursday during the annual public lecture/award presentation of the Oyo State Association for the Deaf held at Women Development Center Samonda, Ibadan.
The Chairman of the group, Isaac Akinfenwa, explained that there is a need for the state government to give support to people living with disabilities through job opportunities and empowerment programmes.
Akinfenwa pleaded that towards enhancing better life for the deaf in the state, the state government should create an interpreting service centre to provide free service for the deaf at the expense of the state government.
He noted that the use of interpreters is going to be of great help to foster the ability of the deaf individuals to have a proper orientation of their day-to-day living as their hearing counterparts do in all communities.
He said: “It is no gain saying that almost 75 percent of television broadcasts now make provision for interpreters for their news broadcast so as to carry the deaf individuals along with the occurrences in the society. And that is not enough, these individuals are jointly pleading to the government, philanthropists and the general public to help in creating an office and appoint a body of interpreters to help interpret for the deaf individuals in various areas like school where interpretation are practised so as to carry the deaf individuals along.”
Akinfenwa who appreciated the Oyo State government for having compassion for the people living with disabilities especially the deaf in particular, however, implored the government to create more employment opportunities for the people with impaired hearing across the 33 local government areas of the state.
Also speaking at the event, the Executive Assistant to the Oyo State government of People With Disabilities (PWD), Barrister Ayodele Adekanmbi, reiterated the state government’s commitment to the development of people living with disabilities.
Adekanmbi added that in a bid to give aid to the education of the people with special needs, the state government has approved the distribution of special equipment to the school of the deaf across the state.
He also charged the PWD to get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) in preparation for the 2023 general election.
The guest speaker at the event and Counselling Psychologist, Dr Akanni Oladayo, charged people with special needs to imbibe the resilient spirit of competing with non-special needs in all facets of life.
Oladayo urged the PWDs to seek help from support systems to overcome challenges and work through problems.