Disability

“Yes, I am transgender! Where is the problem? Why should people look down upon me? Yes, we organise gay pride march every year, why should be media choose to put only downgrading pictures?”

Last week the world and Malawi commemorated International Human Rights Day: a time, among others, to do some soul searching on the rights of people with disabilities.

I am visually impaired. In the early 1990s I enrolled with Montfort Demonstration School for both my pre-school and primary school education. During the pre-school age, I played with toys with my fellow kindergarteners. Getting initiated into braille writing and reading proved to be another joyous moment.

Lilongwe, 14 December: Last week the world and Malawi commemorated International Human Rights Day: a time, among others, to do some soul searching on the rights of people with disabilities.

Port Louis, 10 December: “Yes, I am transgender! Where is the problem? Why should people look down upon me? Yes, we organise gay pride march every year, why should be media choose to put only downgrading pictures?”

Maurice, 3 septembre : Bien des conventions et des lois ont été adoptées Á  travers le monde pour le respect des droits des personnes en situation de handicap. Mais sont-elles vraiment respectées ? Ces personnes ont elles les mêmes chances que les personnes dites ‘normales’ ? Pas tout Á  fait. Car force est de constater que les personnes vivant en situation de handicap sont encore souvent exclues de l’accès aux services de base tel que l’éducation, la santé, l’emploi, les systèmes de soutien social et juridique pour ne citer que ceux-lÁ . Et ce n’est pas Mervyn Anthony, sourd-muet, qui nous dira le contraire, Á  l’occasion de la Journée mondiale du handicap.

Johannesburg, 3 December: This year the International Day of Persons with Disabilities – theme is Inclusion matters: access and empowerment for people of all abilities. Annually International Day of Persons with Disabilities is commemorated today; and it is an important time for reflection on the actions taken to change spaces to become more accessible.

Johannesburg, 3 December: Today marks the 23rd anniversary of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). According to the United Nations website the day works to promote action to raise awareness about disability and draw attention to the benefits of an inclusive and accessible society for all.

Nomcebo Dlamini describes herself as a business woman who dresses plus-sized women for a living and has recently ventured into making household embroidered items. In 2014 Dlamini had the opportunity to present her business plan at the Swaziland Gender Protocol Summit and later at the Regional Summit in April and May 2014. When she joined Gender Links entrepreneurship programme in 2013, Dlamini had started the plus-size clothing tailoring and she has since partnered with other women in working on household embroidered items, table clothes, place mats and the like.

Harare, 25 September: Gleams of inexplicable joy could be seen all over her face as she walked out of the New Start Centre that does HIV testing. Loveness*, a deaf and dumb youth had just been told she is HIV positive.

Maurice, 28 juillet: Chances égales. Droits égaux pour tous. A travers le monde, ces slogans sont des moteurs de la démocratie de nombreux pays. Y compris de Maurice, même si la bataille contre la discrimination n’est pas toute Á  fait gagnée. Et une fois n’est pas coutume, ce sont les personnes en situation de faiblesse qui sont les premières Á  ne pas bénéficier d’un traitement égal, de chances égales et dont les droits constitutionnels sont parfois bafoués.