The Situation of People with Disability in Nigeria

2. CONTENTS
 Introduction
 Fact on disability in Nigeria
 System of payment Pension or Benefits
 Rehabilitation system
 Social work situation in Nigeria
 How social worker work with disabled persons
 Disabled schools & centers in Nigeria
 Organization of persons with Nigeria
 Positive aspect of disability in Nigeria
 Negative aspects of disability in Nigeria
 Statistics of disabled person in Nigeria
 Conclusion

3. INRODUCTION
Persons with Disabilities are amongst the most minimized
segment of the general public in Nigeria. Inalienable to this
minimization is the very nature and structure of financial
connections that consigns them in the general public.
Since independence, Persons with Disabilities have effectively
been clamoring for balance and a full acknowledgment of their
political, financial and human rights, however all endeavors have
not been yielding the required results

4. FACT ON DISABILITY IN NIGERIA
LEGISLATION
In 1993, during the military regime there was a degree passed by
the Nigerian military government in 1993 in favor of persons with
Disabilities
 This legislation directly addresses disability by providing for the
rights and social welfare of persons with disabilities. Together
with the child right act which was enacted in the long run.
 The Lagos State Special People’s Law provides for inclusion
and access for persons with disabilities in virtually all spheres
of life and sectors in the state: physical planning and urban
development, infrastructural development, housing,
transportation, telecommunications, information, education,
health, sports and recreation, employment, etc.

5. SYSTEM OF PAYMENT PENSION OR BENEFITS
 Pension
 Disability pension: The insured must be assessed with a
disability and incapacity for work. The disability may be
reassessed every two years by the medical board or a
qualified doctor at the insured's request.
 Benefits
 Disability Benefits: The benefits is based on the insured's
contributions plus accrued interest. The insured may
purchase an annuity or receive monthly or quarterly
payments calculated based on life expectancy. The disability
pension together with the benefits is not payable abroad.

6. REHABILITATION SYSTEM
 The Rehabilitation system in Nigeria for person with
disabilities is aimed at reducing the impact of disability for an
individual, enabling him or her to achieve independence,
social integration, a better quality of life and self-
actualization.
 The system is under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of
Women Affairs and Social Development.

7. SOCIAL WORK SITUATION IN NIGERIA
The social service system in Nigeria resumed the traditional way
by charities and religious communities consequently portraying
disabled person as charity cases.
The main components of social work in Nigeria.
Family & child welfare
Rehabilitation
Counseling & correction
Care for the elderly.

8. HOW SOCIAL WORKER WORK WITH DISABLED PERSONS
social workers’ interventions are generally initiated to
strengthen human functioning and to enhance the
effectiveness of societal structures that provide resources
and opportunities for people with disabilities.
social workers provide various services to people with
disabilities. These include preventive, curative and
rehabilitative services for disabled persons. Disability care
includes improving capacity for caregivers and parents to
care for their disabled children and facilitating integration
of disabled children into mainstream schools and other
social settings.

9. DISABLED SCHOOLS & CENTERS IN NIGERIA
 Everyone has the right to education,” says Article 26, section one of the
Universal Declaration of Rights. Everyone – blind, deaf or autistic.
Everyone – including the thousands of physically challenged children who
roam the streets of Nigeria in search of alms.
 Schools for the Blind
 Schools for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired
 Schools for Autistic Children
 Schools for the Handicapped - Physically and Mentally Challenged
 Schools for Delinquent Children. Together there are special centers that
carter for person’s with disabilities. One of them is
Centre for Autism and Developmental Disabilities (CADD) is a non-
governmental organization focusing on autism spectrum disorders and
related developmental disabilities providing educational learning and
training.

10. ORGANIZATION OF PERSONS WITH NIGERIA
 The Leprosy Mission
Provides medical and vocational rehabilitation services to individuals
with leprosy; they have also undertaken public campaigns to educate
and inform the public about leprosy
 The Spinal Cord Injury Association of Nigeria
Provides therapeutic care and support for people with spinal cord
injury
 Deaf Women in Nigeria
Takes care of women with hearing and communication impairments
 The Accidents Victim Support Association
Provides services for people with mobility problems and other physical,
vision and hearing impairments

12. POSITIVE ASPECT OF DISABILITY IN NIGERIA
 Special Olympics, which included a
very high level of positive media
coverage
 recent media focus on mental
health
 people with disabilities being more
visible in the community
 DPOs support for the ‘voice’ of
people with disabilities
 groups advocating for services and
equality for people with disabilities
 •disability awareness training
 actions to create awareness of
disabilities by young people
(without a disability), for example,
Transition Year students

13. NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF DISABILITY IN NIGERIA
 lack of required equipment in hospital, for example,
hoists
 lack of panic buttons for people with hearing
difficulties which link directly to emergency services
 lack of application of universal design guidelines,
examples include, lack of
 automatic doors, toilet doors too narrow or opening
in the wrong direction,
 fire doors swinging back
• environment not geared for motorized wheelchairs
• public service application forms not sufficiently
accessible
• lack of information on entitlements

14. STATISTICS OF DISABLED PERSON IN NIGERIA
Based on the World Report on
Disability approximately 25
million Nigerians have a disability,
with 3.5 million of these having
very significant difficulties in
social and physical functioning.
These disabilities include physical
and intellectual developmental
conditions.

15. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the situation of people with disabilities in Nigeria
in various spheres of life is not helping matters, to be able to
have an insight into the challenges that persons with disabilities
are facing at the moment in the country, and without any action
coming from the government to address it, the government
sector have been assessed due to that fact they are still lacking
behind when it comes to the issues of persons with disabilities,
as they have nothing to show as their interventory actions
concerning them.

16. THANK
YOU

17. REFERENCE
Barron, T. and Amerena, P. ed (2006), Disability and Inclusive Development, Leonard Cheshire
Disability, London.
Lang, R. and Upah, L. (2008) Scoping study: Disability issues in Nigeria. Viewed May 3, 2009,
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/lcccr/downloads/dfid_nigeriareport
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/09/ability-in-disability-educating-children-with-special-needs/
Marten, S. (1990). Prejudice or ambivalence? Attitudes towards persons with disabilities.
Disability and Society, 5(3), 227-241.