Lagos State Government has empowered over 2,000 Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in the state with assistive devices and business grants for them to be self-reliant, just as it pledged continuous support for them. Sanwo-Olu, who spoke at the Disability Entrepreneurship Empowerment Programme (DEEP) in Lagos, which was organised by the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA), said the gesture was to improve the plight of PWDs, empower them to be self-reliant and enable them cope with the daily challenges aside easing their movement and participation in the society.
The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Youths and Social Development, Mr. Olusegun Dawodu, noted that the empowerment funds would increase the capacity of existing businesses of PWDs as well as those just starting up in line with government’s inclusiveness and job creation. He said that the administration had developed policies and interventions to give the vulnerable members of the society a sense of belonging through its developmental agenda. Sanwo-Olu, who assured the PLWDs of his consistent support, said he had embarked on different initiatives to ensure financial independence for them, which is a critical step in furthering the agenda for inclusion in the state. General Manager of LASODA, Oluwadamilare Ogundairo, who stated that the event was part of the implementation of the disability law in Lagos State, said some non-governmental organisations were also being catered for by the state, in addition to clusters of PWDs. The devices given out include wheelchairs, guide canes, hearing aids, motorised wheelchairs, cerebral palsy chairs, braille embossers, laptop computers, creams and sunscreen lotions used to treat conditions such as growth and simple skin cancers for the albinism group. About 1,000 PWDs with entrepreneurial skills got financial assistance to help build the capacity of their businesses, while 500 vulnerable and 500 elderly PLWDs were also empowered financially among other non-governmental organisations at the occasion. Source: Guardian
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