Joy Anyim
The Co-ordinator of the Lagos State Chapter of Nigeria Association of the Blind (NAB), Babatunde Mohammed, has tasked governments on the construction of more specialised schools for persons with visual impairment. He also called for the creation of job opportunities to better the lots of the blind in the state.
Charging the Lagos State government on the need to review the inclusive education system adopted by the state, Mohammed, saying the system had not benefited persons with visual impairment.
Maintaining that the education of a visually impaired person is paramount, as such persons are limited in making career choices when not educated, Mohammed, however, stated that factors, such as proximity to school and availability of specialised stationaries like braille books, are also factors to consider.
“What a blind person can do is limited, hence education is very important for the blind. The inclusion of the blind in government schools in Lagos has not been successful. There is no single specialised school in Lagos for the blind. The only primary school that used to be a specialised school for the blind, that was government-owned, has been transferred back to the Irish missionaries. Because of this, the education of the blind in Lagos has suffered a great setback due to the inclusive education system adopted by the government. Inclusive schools are also not close to a lot of blind people. The stress of getting to the inclusive schools is also a factor to consider. So we still need special schools for the blind, he said.”
On ways to reduce the cases of visual impairment in the country, the Lagos NAB Co-ordinator, advised that all hands must be on deck. He advised parents to pay attention to their children’s health and also maintain good hygiene for overall healthy living.
According to him, a large number of blindness was caused by the lack of information, poverty and negligence, hence the need for government to put machinery in place to correct the unpleasant trend.
