Monrovia, Liberia – In an effort to address numerous issues impacting the nation’s disabled population, the National Union of Organizations of the Disabled has released a nine-point declaration.
In order to improve the lives of people with disabilities and social welfare organizations, the union’s president, Peter Flomo, said that the National Legislature and President Joseph Boakai should be urged to consider the rationale behind the timely augmentation of the National Commission on Disabilities’ budgetary allotment.
Speaking at a press conference in Monrovia, Mr. Flomo emphasized the importance of hiring and appointing individuals with disabilities to key commissions, bureaus, ministries, and agencies in close collaboration with the National Union of Organizations of the Disabled.
Additionally, NOUD urged President Boakai to take into account the nomination of a disabled advisor to the President and the appointment of the two deputies to the Executive Director of the National Commission on Disabilities.
For the benefit of the deaf and speech-impaired communities in Liberia and overseas, the disability community is also requesting that the Office of the President of Liberia appoint a qualified sign language interpreter.
He claimed that in order to improve the education of pupils with disabilities, all specialized schools that were previously listed by the previous government as eligible for subsidies should be reinstated.
According to Mr. Flomo, “we are also calling on the Ministry of Education to make sure that all qualified classroom teachers with disabilities are identified for potential employment in specialized schools.” He also stated that “every time NOUD executives travel to the United States or other countries to attend an international conference on behalf of the disabled community in Liberia, the Liberian government should issue official passports to them.”
In order to improve the education of disabled people, Mr. Flomo reminded the President of Article Six of the Act creating the National Commission on Disabilities, which addresses the appointment of an assistant minister at the Ministry of Education with three directors each for the deaf, the blind, and the cripple.
Reported by: Augustine Octavius
Contact: +231777463963
Email: augustineoctavius@gmail.com
