04 Nov 2013

The public has been urged to include people living with disabilities in all social activities.

Standing in for the deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of State President, Mr Mogomotsi Kaboyamodimo, an official from the Office of the President, Ms Moshia Moalosi said all were encouraged to mainstream issues of disability in all spheres of life.

Speaking during the media training on disability, Ms Moalosi said this would create an environment in which people with disability could use their God-given talents and abilities to live a fulfilling life and take their rightful place in society. Ms Moalosi said the use of images, pictures and any form of representation of issues pertaining to people living with disability should not portray them with indignity.

She stated that the way the media houses presented issues concerning people with disability could help or hinder efforts and initiatives intended at creating a supportive environment for people living with disability.

 She said that this would mean that people living with disability may end up leading unhappy lives. Knowing how to address people with different forms of disability is key to helping such members of the community to live a life of dignity, she said.

This, she said, was in recognition of the role of media as an agent of change, influence, opinion formation as well as how people may respond to issues. Ms Sekgabo Ramsay from Botswana Council for the Disabled said the media continues to enforce disability stereotypes, stigmatisation, and portray people with disabilities in a negative and un-empowering way.

Ms Ramsay said the public should not pity people with disabilities and should not look at them in a pathetic way. “People should learn to be much gentler and kinder in the language used on people with disabilities,” she said.

She also said society must change from its current attitude and stop delineating people with disabilities and discouraging their participation in the activities of the society.
She stressed that government buildings and schools must be accessible to people living with disabilities.

Ms Ramsay also said society is encouraged to remove barriers that contribute to the discrimination of people living with disabilities. People living with disabilities, she said, are under-represented both in terms of employment and positions.

Ms Patience Kgetse, a visually impaired student from Limkokwing University said the media only cover the disabled when there are commemorative events on disability, also saying that newspapers are not accessible. Ends