Anyaele Assures South East Deaf Women of Support for Inclusion, Empowerment

The Chairman of the Abia State Disability Commission, Dr. David Anyaele, has assured Deaf women in the state of continued government support through empowerment, employment, education and other programmes aimed at improving their welfare and livelihoods.

Dr. Anyaele gave the assurance when he received the South East Deaf Women Association (SEOWA) and representatives of the Abia State Deaf Elders on a courtesy visit to his office at the Government House, Umuahia, on Friday.

He said Deaf persons remained an important part of the disability community and assured the delegation that the Commission would continue to work with them to identify opportunities that could improve their livelihoods and enable them to contribute to the socio-economic development of the state.

The Chairman disclosed that His Excellency, Dr. Alex C. Otti OFR the Executive Governor of Abia State is deliberate in his commitment to improving the quality of lives of persons with disabilities. This is evident in several Deaf women that had been recruited into the state government workforce, stressing that qualified persons with disabilities would continue to be considered for available employment opportunities.

He also said Deaf persons had benefited from government interventions for persons with disabilities, including support provided by the wife of our Governor, Her Excellency, Lady Priscilla C. Otti, adding that the Commission would continue to ensure that Deaf persons were included in relevant government programmes.

Dr. Anyaele further disclosed that Abia has a secondary school for Deaf students, which he said would be progressively improved, including the provision of hostel facilities for male and female students. He also said the Commission was interested in promoting greater awareness of issues affecting Deaf persons.
On sign-language interpretation, the Chairman said the Commission was seeking to recruit qualified sign-language interpreters to strengthen its services, urging qualified persons in the state to make themselves available.

Earlier in her address, the South East Zonal Women Leader of SEOWA, Mrs. Maria Chidimma Alufo-Ekpo, said the delegation came to discuss challenges affecting Deaf persons in Abia, particularly women and children, and to explore areas of collaboration with the Commission.

Alufo-Ekpo appealed for greater inclusion of Deaf women in government-supported livelihood programmes, particularly agriculture, small businesses and other areas of economic empowerment, saying such opportunities would help improve their independence and wellbeing.

She also sought the Chairman’s intervention in efforts to restore peace and unity within the Deaf community in Abia, saying divisions arising from internal disagreements could undermine the progress and public image of Deaf persons in the state.

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