By Okechukwu Onuegbu
Awka
The Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) in collaboration with the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAc), Thursday, launched Igbo and Pidgin-English languages versions of the Anambra State 2018 Disability Rights Law (ASDRL).
The Disability Rights Law, passed into law in 2018 by Anambra State House of Assembly, and assented into same year by Governor Willie Obiano, ruled out all forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities (PWDs) while providing for their full integration into the society
Speaking at a validation meeting of stakeholders on abridged versions of the law held at Awka, the State capital, the Anambra State Chairman of JONAPWD, Comrade Ugochukwu Okeke, disclosed that the exercise would help to break the language barrier for the less educated population.
According to him, "it will capture the interest of all persons while increasing the awareness spread of the law and its provisions by breaking the language barrier for the less educated population. It will also increase public and stakeholders knowledge on the provisions of the law through handy and simplified volumes of the law, and explore the cognitive advantage of using the language of target people culture in enhancing its better understanding."
Okeke, while commending RoLAC for sponsoring the programme with funding from the European Union, implemented by British Council, revealed that Anambra State government, religious institutions and individuals had started implementing the law at various levels.
In their seperate contributions, the State Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Bar. Charles Nwoji, represented by a deputy director in the agency, Sir Joseph Uchendu; and State Coordinator, Women Foundation For Improved Living Standard (WOFILS), Prof. Mercy Anigbogu pledged to assist in disseminating the law and its provisions across the nooks and crannies of the state.
Earlier, State Coordinator, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC), Josephine Onah, maintained that her organisation was not only assisting in translating the abridged version of the Disability Rights Law into pidgin and Igbo languages, but training sign language interpreters on legal terminologies.
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