According to the Open Institute Trust's Ability Programme, the government should register persons with disabilities living in interior regions of the country, so that they can access COVID-19 benefits easily.The Government has also been urged to organise regular updates with the disability sector in order to ensure that the wealth of information available is cascaded.
Additionally, persons with disabilities should be given the right to advise the government on the support they require.
The organisation has also urged the Government, through the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), to come up with online programs that can be shared with all learners with disabilities to avoid any sort of discrimination.
At the same time, the government should ensure that persons with disabilities are well catered for and that day to day activities are not disrupted. The organisation recommends that this should be done through the provision of PPE such as free masks, hand sanitizers and gloves etc.
Finally, the organisation has asked for the dissemination of inclusive COVID-19 information in mainstream media, not just targeted to persons with disabilities but to everyone, so as to reach more people for purposes of awareness and reducing stigma and discrimination.
Margaret Njugunah