Experts and disability-inclusion advocates have reaffirmed the need to build an inclusive world where persons with disabilities (PWDs) are recognised for their creativity.
This, they said, would be supported with technology and empowered through arts, media, sports, and entrepreneurship.
They made the call at the second edition of the InnerAbility Summit, organised by the JAMACE Africa Foundation, held at the University of Lagos.
Speaking at the event, the convener and founder of JAMACE, Chukwuemeka Rucci, said the foundation is dedicated to empowering individuals who are visually, aurally, or physically impaired, as well as those from other spectrums.
The summit with the theme ‘Redefining Disability: Tech, Talent, and Transformation’, aims to shift perspectives “from pity to possibility, from silence to authority, and from limitation to leadership,” said Rucci, an alumnus of Afe Babalola University.
He explained that his journey began as a student researching how persons with disabilities could study music and the arts.
The project, he said, became the seed that grew into the JAMACE Foundation, adding that technology is now an equaliser and that when paired with talent, “transformation becomes inevitable.”
The event attracted clusters of persons with disabilities and students from Lagos State University, the Special Needs Education Department and Disability Support Office of UNILAG, Pacelli School for the Blind, and the Federal Nigeria Society of the Blind (FNSB).
Filmmaker and Chief Executive Officer of Light Work Media House, Ade Adeyipo, shared how he supported a deaf beauty queen to win a fashion pageant and offered voice-over jobs to a visually impaired talent.
He lamented poor remuneration for creatives with disabilities and affirmed his commitment to empowering disabled filmmakers through training and partnerships with JAMACE.
Blind voice-over artist Exord Akinyemi Akinke appreciated the foundation and encouraged others with disabilities to remain confident in their crafts.
Executive Secretary of FNSB, Oluwamayowa Joshua Oke, said the organisation’s vocational centre trains students in tie-dye, bead making, shoemaking, music, and education to promote self-reliance, describing persons with disability as highly focused and goal-driven with fewer distractions
Chief Executive Officer of Exportplug, Stephen Adeyemo, explained how his platform helps persons with disabilities engage in export business using multilingual translation tools, artificial intelligence (AI) features, and global networking to promote financial independence.
