A glimpse in the life of a disabled person
Disabled people call for speedy accessibility in infrastructure.
Disabled people face many challenges on a daily basis and this article serves to give a brief glimpse of some of the challenges they face with particular reference to the Independent Living Centre in Mofolo.
Disability in most cases results in the individual being immobile, which makes it harder and difficult for the individual to perform activities in the same way as a person who is not disabled.
Recently the centre hosted an international seminar on the challenges faced by disabled individuals and Olebogeng Maphopha explains some of the solutions and recommendations they will be implementing and give an explanation on some of the challenges he faces on a daily basis.
“Our biggest problem that poses a challenge to independent living is accessibility, and this is a problem expressed by representatives from other countries such as Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia.
“I remember this one time I had to go to Baragwanath Hospital from Mofolo for a check up and I had to pay R250 just to get there and back.
“Disability also affects my social life because you won’t find many public toilets that accommodate wheelchairs,” said Maphopha, a peer councillor at the Independent Living Centre in Mofolo.
“One of our biggest challenges in improving accessibility is the implementation of accessibility laws in most countries.
“There are professionals who design wheelchair friendly infrastructures but the rate of this kind of development is still slow and devices that help disabled people with mobility are mostly imported and cost a lot of money, which still makes it hard for disabled people to get around.
“Our centre offers support group services and counselling services to offer assistance for the disabled in the community, but that is only one piece of the puzzle, more help is still needed at a local and national level,” said Doreen Lettman, the director of the Independent Living Centre.
If anyone would like to get in contact with the Independent Living Centre, please call them on 011Â 982 7194 or Maphopha on 073Â 579 7369.
