24/06/2025
On the occasion of the International Deafblind Awareness Week 2025, we the Board and members of Deafblind Inclusion and Advocacy Network- Nigeria wish all our members as well as every person with Deafblindness worldwide happy International Deafblind Awareness Week.
It is far from easy living life and going through everyday activities without vision or hearing- the primary organs of the body, but the zeal and dogged determination with which the Deafblind persist through each and everyday is amazing, admirable and astonishing for members of the public who cannot even comprehend life without sight or hearing, let alone without the two organs. It is not easy trying to understand how the Deafblind manage not only to live through everyday, but also to succeed and excel in what they do. It goes to show that indeed, no matter the disability, every individual has something to offer the world. The only true disability, really, is in the mind.
It is essential for the Nigerian government at all levels and for every government agency to understand that Deafblindness is a unique disability distinct from Blindness and Deafness, that individuals with the rare, dual disability exist in the Nigerian society and that they are equally citizens of the society, with rights and privileges that should be accorded them on the same equal and unbiased basis as their peers with single or no disability.
It is disheartening to note that persons with Deafblindness are still being overlooked, excluded and left out of the activities of the National Commission for Persons With Disabilities as well as out of disability-related policies and programs being implemented at Federal and State levels. It is equally discouraging to note that Deafblindness is not even mentioned in the Discrimination Against Persons With Disabilities (Prohibition) Act of 2018 or in any of its domesticated versions in all the States that have taken the commendable step to ensure the passage of the law in their respective States. Majority of Nigerian States are not even aware of the existence of Deafblindness as a unique disability, as there are still so few individuals with the rare disability discovered in other States aside Lagos State where we have been able to conduct a pilot survey of the incidence of the condition.
This relative invisibility makes it difficult to voice the issues affecting these marginalized members of the disability community or to ensure their inclusion in all disability issues. It also aggravates the exclusion and resultant isolation experienced by these individuals, as even most family members and others in their world are ignorant of how to ensure provision for the needs of these individuals. As a result, sad to say, we have lost 3 of our members to su***de before we could reach them, and Heavens only know how many similar cases we are yet to hear of, as we know there are still many parents and family members out there still hiding their Deafblind at home, thinking it is not possible to achieve anything in life without sight or hearing.
For this reason, we hope and are working towards commencing a national survey of the incidence of Deafblindness in Nigeria, to be able to reach these unique members of the society who are being estranged and locked away within the walls of their homes because of dual sensory loss, to empower them and their families with the required technological equipment, knowledge and skills that will enhance self-actualization, independence and productive living despite the dual disability. This will enable us to create a database for Nigerians with Deafblindness that will ensure their inclusion in government policies and programs, enhance provision for their needs and their all-round inclusion in the disability community and the Nigerian society.
We wish to use this medium to request the support and assistance of all and sundry to make this national survey possible- to reach these marginalized Nigerians in every community and State, and hopefully be able to prevent any further loss of lives due to ignorance. To achieve this goal, we would appreciate any information as to the location of any individual with BOTH vision and hearing loss, as well as donations towards the conduct of the survey.
We also invite all and sundry to learn from our virtual activities for the International Deafblind Awareness Week 2025, and follow our social media channels to learn about life with the rare, dual disability, how individuals cope and excel with the condition, and the activities of the latest disability cluster in Nigeria, officially launched on the 8th of October 2024.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who has stood with us since the commencement of the Deafblind Advocacy Work in Nigeria, especially to the Disability Rights Fund for pioneering the work in partnership with Lionheart Ability Leaders International Foundation. To the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs for their support and for being the first to recognize our cluster as a distinct disability and the first African State to recognize and proclaim support for and solidarity with the Global Usher Syndrome Awareness Day, we are grateful.
Once again, happy International Deafblind Awareness Week 2025 to every person with Deafblindness and their family in Nigeria and worldwide. Indeed, DeafBlind, DeterminedBold: It's About Creating An Inclusive World That Works For Everyone, so we all can thrive!We love you all, and we salute the unwavering strength, determination and zeal with which we jointly push through each and everyday- empowering the world with The Powers of Hearts, minds and hands!
Yours always in the quest for equality and inclusion,
Solomon Okelola,
National President,
Deafblind Inclusion and Advocacy Network- Nigeria (DBIAN
7, Rasaq Balogun Street, Off Adebola Street, Off Adeniran Ogunsanya, Surulere. Lagos State.
+2348083412823
[email protected]
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Kindly make donations payable to:
Bank Name: United Bank for Africa (UBA)
Account Number: 1023022127
Account Name: Lionheart Ability Leaders International Foundation.
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