Triader Chipunza
MASVINGO – People
With Disabilities (PWDs) have said the Manpower Planning and Development Amendment
Bill which is currently being debated should have special provisions dealing
with their unique requirements.
Among many other
things, the bill seeks to enable funding for innovative students that want to
venture into manufacturing and to establish government-funded professional
bodies to ensure quality education and certification of
internationally-recognisable professions.
Speaking at a
consultative meeting for the bill which was held at the Civic Centre recently,
representatives of disability lobby groups said the law should not be blind to special
needs.
Vimbai Chese, an
ambassador for PWDS in Masvingo, said many pieces of legislation tend to omit special
needs in their clauses.
“It is our wish that
our special needs are included in the provisions of the amendment bill. Parliamentary
representation for people with disabilities is low so our issues do not receive
as much attention as they should.
“If we had more of us parliament,
there are better chances that laws would be more resposive to our needs and we
will be able to learn more and become innovative,” said Chese.
She said public building
needed to be friendlier to people with disabilities in order to improve
accessibility.
“We need more ramps at institutions
so that the physically and visually handicapped can have better access. Right
now, it’s difficult especially for people on wheelchairs to use the regular
toilets that are used by everybody else.
“We will however continue
with our pushing for the rights of people with disabilities until we get full
recognition as equal human beings capable of doing something with their lives,”
said Chese.
