Families must accommodate citizens with Intellectual disabilities, Mbeba  

By Ashton Kelly Bunda

FAMILIES and communities should be the ones to take the first to step, embark on this progressive and promising journey to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal participation of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for People with ‘Psychosocial and Intellectual Disabilities (PID). Families must go with them to Church and sports activities,” advised Sani Foundation Teacher and Job Coach Lesa Mbeba.

Mbeba explained that families and communities must supplement Government provision of care and support to persons with disabilities by imparting a sense of identity, responsibility and independence as disability is not inability.

The forward-looking Mbeba lamented that the Zambian education system does not provide a special curriculum for persons with intellectual challenges, thus prodding Government to hasten interventions targeted at training qualified teachers.

Asked as to how Zambian law makers must intervene to ensure that citizens with intellectual challenges have equal enjoyment of all human rights, Mbeba responded that African parliamentarians need to show practical empathy catering for people with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities.

“Continental parliamentarians in Africa must take the lead in progressive law reform frame compelling engineers to build disability friendly infrastructure. Zambian lawmakers, teachers and trade unionists need to spear-head advocacy of changing citizen’s mindset so that people with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities exist in conducive environment.

Mbeba wants Members of Parliament (MP’s) and trade unionists to take note that persons with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities are excluded from the labour market globally.

“Like anyone else, persons with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities deserve a range of social and vocational life experiences yet they face teething societal barriers,” Mbeba cried

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