Disability Must Be Respected - Motingwa

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
Correspondent | Monday August 23, 2010 00:00

Motingwa is the head of the coordinating office of people with disabilities that falls under the Office of the President.  He was appointed in January to set up the new division. 

Motingwa did not have to be hired in order to deal with issues relating to people with disabilities. He has always been an activist for the rights of people with disabilities.  At one time he was even appointed a nominated councillor to the Gaborone City Council. 

Motingwa's office is charged with implementing national policies and programmes aimed at improving the lives of people living with disabilities.

The division will also advocate that people with disabilities should have access to employment and be given equal opportunity to participate in income generating projects.

The division is also charged with creating awareness about disabilities as well as advocating for destigmatisation.

Motingwa says there is negative attitude towards people with disabilities.  'We are trying to ensure that the rights of people with disabilities are respected,' he says.

 He notes that the needs of people with disabilities are diverse and they require special attention.

He gave the example of visually impaired people who are not able to access the Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) loan application forms. 

Motingwa says that people with disabilities should also be covered by government education schemes.

He says the education system does not cover all of them, depending on their disabilities.

Motingwa's division have already made some interventions in terms of job creation.  'We are developing a strategy to ensure that people with disabilities are employed. 

We have submitted 42 names to the Choppies retail group and they have already employed more than 30 people,' he says. However, since their division is new, they doing a situational analysis. 

'We are setting up structures that will assist in coordinating of policies.  But you need to understand what others have been doing before you set up structures. 

We are also working towards reviewing the policy of people with disabilities,' he says. 

Motingwa says the world is no longer looking at disability as a health issue only; it is also a socio-economic issue.  'Even our policies must meet international expectations.  We should look at removing all the barriers. The barriers also include lack of access to infrastructure'.

He says in other countries, a person who is visually impaired can go anywhere unaccompanied.  This is because the infrastructure is designed in a manner that it is friendly to people with disabilities. 

In those countries, they also have dogs to guide people who are visually impaired. 

Motingwa expressed concern that the design of local structures is not suitable for people with disabilities. 'When you go to a public toilet, you will find that they are not designed in a way that somebody with a wheel chair can gain access'.

'Most facilities are not user friendly to people with disabilities.  Even when it comes to voting, many people with disabilities do not go to the polls because there are no special arrangements for them'.  He says in other countries, people with disabilities vote in advance with officials who will be conducting the elections.

Motingwa says people with disabilities do not have enough access to information about HIV/AIDS which is usually communicated in written form. 

To him this puts people with disabilities at risk. 

'How do people who are visually impaired gain access to such information?  If you talk about a condom, somebody who is visually impaired cannot tell whether it has expired.  Someone who is visually impaired cannot read the instructions on a medication even if it has expired,' he says.

In Motingwa's view, education is important.He traces the negativity from primary school education. 'Our education is not inclusive to learners with disabilities. These are some of the issues that we are working on,' he says. 'We need to come up with some means to protect them'.

He says the justice system does not cover them fully. This is due to the fact that both judicial and police officers cannot communicate in sign language.  'We are still lacking in those aspects,' he says.

Motingwa says public transport vehicles like buses do not have special seats reserved for people with disabilities. In other countries, he says, buses have ramps that are reserved for people with disabilities.

Even just to acquire a driving licence is a big deal for a person with a disability, observes Motingwa.

There is also discrimination when it comes to employment. Security organisations like the Botswana Police Service and Botswana Defence Force (BDF) stipulate that potential recruits should be 'physically fit'.  There have also been cases in those organisations when officers have been discharged after sustaining injuries on duty. 

Motingwa does not see the reason why a person with disability cannot work for the police or the army. 

'You don't need to be physically fit to be a police officer.  You can become a detective and you can do a good job.  Even at BDF, some officers have been discharged because they were considered not to be physically fit. But they could still be deployed into other army divisions,' he says. 

The coordinator raised concerns about the lack of a centre for children with autism, a mental condition.  There is also no centre for children with cerebral palsy. 

'These are some of the challenges that we are faced with.  We want to come up with a strategy to map the way forward,' he says.