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A recent Service Delivery Assessment Survey has recommended that the Government should purposefully target people with disabilities (PwDs) in information dissemination.
Since disability is not inability, PwDs also need information to positively contribute to the economic development of the country. The survey that was conducted in 2008 was commissioned by the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology to determine how effective their services are to the general public.
The survey includes a group discusion on disability, as well as media institutionsโ perception towards the ministryโs functions.
The survey conducted by the MultiDisciplinary Research Centre at Unam said it has been argued that PwDs are usually left out on many national development programmes.
Due to this, the ministry wanted to better understand the information needs of persons with disabilities and how they may be addressed.
It transpired that this section of the society is excluded from accessing information. Despite disability policy and to a lesser extent Vision 2030, other policies are not known to people with disabilities.ย�
It is suggested that MIB sends information directly to PwD centres for easy access. Media institutions are requested to translate news in local languages and different sign languages to cater for all forms of disabilities.ย�
This study collected information on general characteristics of the respondents, current information, needed information, access to media and access to information communication and technology.
MIB has regional offices in 11 of the 13 regions of the country, namely Caprivi, Erongo, Hardap, Karas, Kavango, Khomas, Kunene, Omaheke, Oshana, Oshikoto and Otjozondjupa. The results from the group discussions indicate that PwDs in Kavango and Kunene regions do not know the existence of MIB regional offices in their respective regions and as a result they do not know that they are entitled to access MIBโs offices for acquiring information.
โIt is important for the Ministry to know the sources that PwDs use to access information, as most of the disabled people are challenged by their conditions,โ the report said.
In the group discussions held, radio and television were identified as the main sources of information.ย�
Participants in Kunene and Omusati reported that newspapers are usually two to three days late which means they access information from the paper late especially in Opuwo and Outapi. To make matters worse, they reported that information is presented to them in a language they do not understand.
In the general public survey, this section focused on general public knowledge about various government information disseminated in different forms, such as posters, publications and videos. The same assessment was done with the persons with disabilities with the aim to determine which posters, publications and videos are reaching them and where do they access such information.
It transpired from the results that these materials do not reach persons with disabilities. In Omusati, for instance, participants at the rehabilitation centre showed the consultant a cabinet poster of 1992, which they said was the only latest poster they had. The participants in Kavango reported that they want information on land reform because they own livestock. In addition, they also said that they too need land on which to keep their animals and for crop farming.
The same group also said although a lot of training is being offered on HIV/AIDS, people with disabilities are being excluded. Kavango wants information on any government plans for the region or town, how to treat persons with disability and how to manage own business.ย�
Participants in Kunene want all government decisions and policies while Omusati wants information on how to mange a business, how to register for a disability/pension grant, how to prevent HIV.ย�
The other crucial information the participants want is where to get equipment for a disabled person, where to report emotional, psychological and physical abuse of a disabled person and where to get schools for disabled children, as well as progress reports on the implementation of the disability policy.ย�
