People with disabilities call for social inclusion

People with disabilities are urging the general public to respect their rights and include them in social and economic developmental activities.The President of National Union of Disabilities Organisations of Rwanda (NUDOR), Dominique Bizimana, made the remarks yesterday during a news conference at the organisation’s premises.NUDOR brings together associations of people with disabilities to share experiences, learn and support one another.“We want to be respected. We are people with disabilities. but occasionally people call us disabled people. Our disability won’t stop us from participating in any social-economic activity,” asserted Bizimana,.He said his organisation is based on the principles of inclusion, equal rights and opportunities for all.NUDOR was established in 2010 by eight organisations of people with disabilities.Its Executive Secretary, Jean Damascene Nsengiyumva, insisted they should not be left behind during the second phase of the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS II).“We want to be part of the development process and are committed to ensure that our colleagues get the equal treatment from the public,” he emphasised.Nsengiyumva noted that despite the government’s political will in passing laws and orders that favour people with disabilities, many of their colleagues remained socially excluded.He said that some of its members with visual, hearing and physical impairments cannot get any form of support due to limited financial resources.“We call upon the government and development partners to support us in our campaign to enable people with disabilities to lift themselves from poverty,” he said.Social protection plays an important role in transferring resources to poor and vulnerable people according to officials.Rwanda signed a law that provides protection to people with disabilities, which will soon come into force.In a bid to enable people with disabilities access job opportunities, the labour law stipulates that when an able-bodied person receives the same result as a person living with disabilities in a job interview, the disabled must be given priority. For private institutions, the government is considering coming up with incentives that will encourage employers to give jobs to people living with disabilities.