Empowerment of women with disability: Key to maintaining all inclusive society- Osun Gov's wife

Bolarinwa Adereti

Empowerment of women with  disabilities has been described as an essential key for achieving an all inclusive society.

Wife of Osun State Governor , Chief (Mrs,) Titiola Adeleke affirmed this at the 2nd edition of the Osun State Deaf Women  Association Summit held at the Deaf Development Centre Testing Ground, Osogbo.

Mrs Titiola  explained that all women, irrespective of their challenges,  play vital role in the social-economic development of the society, hence they should should be treated equally.

According to her,“ women with disabilities  need to be recognized as individuals who enjoy the same rights as others, that is why it is important   to identify with these women so that they can know that we feel their pains and to assure them of the present administration's support"

Explaining the motive behind her kind gesture, Chief (Mrs) Titilola Adeleke said she was touched  when she received their invitation where they explained that they are tired of begging for assistance,hence she decided to empower them with grinding and sewing machines as a token of love.

She advised parents and guardians, whom God has given such children to make it a priority to enroll them into a special needs school where they can be prepared for a better future, adding that  disability should not be a barrier to education.

Mrs Adeleke therefore called on stakeholders and philanthropists to join hands with  government to better the lots of women with disabilities.

In her welcome address,the  Chairperson  Osun State Deaf Women, Mrs Rasidat Lawal pointed out that the theme for the summit, which aligns with the International Women Day theme was" Innovation and Technology for Gender Ouality : Embrace Equality “, stressing,"there is no gainsaying that women, especially deaf women, need to be fully carried along in collective efforts to ensure technological innovation for all."

She therefore counseled, “ hands must be on deck to run  all inclusive programmes cum policy thrust by ensuring that the peculiar needs of deaf women are taken into consideration and integrated into all technological innovation interventions programmes at Federal, State and Local Government levels 

She then commended the Governor of Osun for starting well with the ongoing review of Osun State Disability Bill which,she observed, when passed will be of great benefits to them.

Earlier in their goodwill messages, the Chairperson, Osun State Deaf Centre, Mrs Ugwu Olaniyi Agatha emphasized on closing the digital gender gap and empowering deaf women to tackle inequalities.

While explaining that digital gender gap is a real issue that needs to be addressed urgently,Mrs.Agatha pointed out that women are underrepresented in the technology industry which, according to her, is reflected in the lower number of female students studying computer science .

Agatha stressed that Deaf women also face a unique set of challenges in accessing digital technology, while maintaining that closing the digital gap for deaf women is not just an aspiration but a crucial step towards building an inclusive and equitable future. 

 Highlight of the programme was the distribution of items such as grinding and sewing machine to the beneficiaries.