Disability rights advocate, scholar, and founder of Project Restoration International Initiative (PRIINTV), Olusola Ogundola, has reaffirmed his commitment to advancing national efforts toward inclusion, equity, and respect for persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria.
Currently a Ph.D. candidate in Special Education at Rowan University, USA, Ogundola’s ongoing research focuses on inclusive education in under-resourced Nigerian schools. He champions a strength-based learning approach, emphasizing that every child possesses unique intelligences that deserve to be recognized and nurtured.
“Educators must discover and nurture the strengths of all learners to ensure their democratic participation in the social and economic landscape of Nigeria,” Ogundola stated.
Born in Nigeria and acquiring a physical disability before his first birthday, Ogundola was raised by parents who defied societal expectations. His father, a military education instructor, enrolled him in a mainstream school—an uncommon decision at the time. Both parents took turns assisting in the classroom, pioneering a model of inclusive education that would shape Ogundola’s path.
His advocacy began as an undergraduate at the University of Ibadan, where he joined the university’s Special Club to promote rights and inclusion for students with disabilities. By 2006, he had become the chair of the Oyo State chapter of the Association for Comprehensive Empowerment of Nigerians with Disabilities (ASCEND).
In 2008, Ogundola led a coalition of disability organizations to Abuja, lobbying for the domestication of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). A decade later, this work contributed to the enactment of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act in 2018—a landmark law safeguarding access to education, healthcare, and employment for over 30 million Nigerians with disabilities.
To further amplify voices of PWDs, Ogundola founded PRIINTV in 2009, which later gained nonprofit status in 2020. The media-focused initiative has played a key role in changing public perceptions through educational seminars and strategic advocacy. One of its most influential events, held in 2010, urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to adopt disability-friendly voting policies. As a result, INEC introduced Braille ballot guides, priority voting, and other inclusive measures.
Recognizing the impact of media in shaping narratives, Ogundola pursued a Master’s degree in Media Studies at Syracuse University’s prestigious S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 2011. Funded by the Ford
The Foundation International Fellowship propelled his academic journey onto the global stage. He later joined the Advisory Committee of the Global Alliance for Disability in Media and Entertainment (GADIM), where he continues to push for ethical and accurate disability representation worldwide.
Now, through a combination of research, advocacy, and media engagement, Olusola Ogundola remains a leading figure in Nigeria’s movement for disability inclusion. His work stands as a testament to what is possible when passion, education, and persistence intersect.
From community classrooms to international conferences, Ogundola’s voice continues to resonate, challenging stigma and inspiring a new generation to embrace inclusion not as charity, but as a fundamental human right.
