By BELINDA CHABALA –
WHILE some people take advantage of differently abled persons, few people know that one can become different in a fraction of a second due to factors such as illness or being involved in an accident.
There is a common saying that, “We all have our own strengths and weakness”.
But if this is so, why is it that many times when people look at persons with disabilities, what they become aware of before anything else, is what those people can fail to do as a result of their disability.
From time to time, society is urged to accept and help people living with different types of disabilities at individual, family and community level.
Taking care of persons with disabilities requires sacrifice, tolerance, love, patience, open hearts and above all, the grace of God.
The Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities (ZAPD) is an organisation that is supported by Government.
Its mandate and responsibility is to serve and promote the interests of differently abled persons in the country.
In Southern Province, the agency has about 1,000 registered persons with disabilities across the 13 districts.
Provincial coordinator Ruth Munkombwe said the agency has many activities.
However, for one to access the benefits, he has to register with the agency.
Anyone who has a permanent impairment and cannot do certain things or activities is free to register.
Ms Munkombwe said education support is one area where the agency offers assistance.
Disabled pupils and children whose parents are abled, are assisted with school fees, procurement of school uniforms, school bags and stationery.
She said about 100 children benefited from the education support programme last year in the province.
Beneficiaries were drawn from Choma, Livingstone, Pemba, Monze, Mazabuka, Chikankata, Namwala, Sinazongwe, Gwembe and Kazungula districts.
“We have so many differently abled people. However, our capacity depends on how much funding is available. As an agency, we come in to help where families fail.
“Last year, we received K61, 000 for the education sector and managed to assist about 101 children with various school requirements,” Ms Munkombwe said.
She said procurement of aids to assist differently abled is another area where the agency ensures that those who need specialised devices access them.
The devices include wheel chairs, crutches, artificial limbs and white canes, among others.
She said cooperating partners such as World Vision, Health Help Zambia, Holy Family Rehabilitation Centre and many others, have continued to support the agency through donations of various assistive devices.
The agency also has a medical support programme where medical assistance is rendered to those less likely to meet medical and transport expenses.
It also runs programmes aimed at empowering its members at individual level or as groups by building capacity in business management as well as helping to provide capital.
Ms Munkombwe highlighted some of the challenges faced by the agency in the province which include, lack of transport to enable agency staff reach out to the remote areas.
She said discrimination and negative attitudes by society has continued to be a challenge to some mothers who are forced to hide their disabled babies from society because they fear being condemned.
Such condemnation arises from a traditional belief that disability is a sign of being cursed.
Ms Munkombwe said lack of accessible buildings was another challenge faced by the disabled in the community.
She urged Government to ensure public and private infrastructure development does not disadvantage accessibility for people with disabilities in the province and throughout the country.
“We are seeing a lot of infrastructure development and we recommend the use of universal designs which come with special designs for persons with different abilities to access the structures and services without any limitation,” Ms Munkombwe said.
She said it is essential for important structures such as banks, hospitals, schools, courts, workplaces, hotels and convenience rooms to have universal designs which will create a conducive environment for all people in society regardless of their needs.
Ms Munkombwe further said the agency in the province is advocating for universal designing and adjustments to buildings that provide accessibility challenges for the disabled.
“We are inspecting some of the buildings, like here in Choma. We commend Stanbic and Standard Chartered banks for adjusting their structures as per our request and also in Monze, the council lavatories have been adjusted to accommodate persons with disabilities,” Ms Munkombwe said.
She called for an increased number of sign language interpreters at important meetings and national gatherings to cater for the hearing impaired.
Ms Munkombwe said the country must promote an inclusive and accessible society that gives equal opportunities for all people with disabilities to access various services and achieve their full potential.
Being differently abled should not hinder one’s opportunity and success.
Saint Mulumba Special School in Choma is among notable schools helping to create an enabling environment for children with different abilities and giving them a chance in life.
The mission school opened in 1985 and is run by the Catholic Dioceses of Monze.
It has over 200 school pupils drawn from all over Zambia.
It has a staff establishment of 36 teachers, majority of whom are trained in special education.
It also has 25 support staff.
The school has an in house operational clinic with a medical practitioner readily available to attend to any pupil who gets ill.
From inception, the school ran from Grade One to Grade 7.
In 2014, it opened doors to secondary school pupils.
About 99 per cent of all pupils are boarders.
The school caters for children with different disabilities such as intellectual, hearing and visual impairments.
Children with intellectual impairment only manage to go up to Grade Six due to their type of the disability.
However, the children are equipped with basics and living skills to help them deal with daily living in society such as cleanness, interaction and behaviour, among others.
Children with hearing and speech limitations include the deaf, and dumb.
The children are able to learn and take the same curriculum as any able bodied child in an ordinary school.
The visually impaired comprise children who are blind.
Surprisingly, the pass rate for the visually impaired at the school is excellent.
Despite facing different forms of disabilities, the children at Saint Mulumba are not left out in social activities such as arts, sports, music and dancing.
Last year the school won first prize in the Milumbe Art Competition that was organised by the Choma Museum.
Maintenance of the school infrastructure is expensive because some children unknowingly cause damage to windows, doors and the school furniture.
Acting School Head Teacher Sister Coltrida Mooya said materials used by some of the pupils at school were imported and expensive.
“The materials that we use especially for the blind are expensive as they are not locally
manufactured. We import them and in addition, a lot of tangible teaching items are required by the intellectually impaired children who get easily bored with class lesson routine,” Sr Mooya said.
She said the visually impaired receive text book materials in the normal way.
The material is transcribed in braille by the teachers at the school.
A Grade 10 pupil at the school appealed for more sign language skills training in society.
He thanked the school for according him an opportunity to get an education.
Speaking through a sign language interpreter, the pupil said he wants to be a teacher in future so that he can contribute to the development of the country.
“I have friends here at school but when I go home I have no friends because of communication  barriers. Most of the people around me do not know sign language,” he said.
A visually impaired pupil doing Grade Nine said education plays a key role in every person’s life.
She thanked the school management for contributing towards her education.
The schoolgirl sings in the school choir and wants to be a teacher when she grows up.