Breaking barriers, empowering youths with disabilities for leadership

The Association for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities of Nigeria has intensified efforts to promote leadership and inclusion among youths with disabilities through a three-day intensive empowerment programme aimed at changing societal perceptions about persons with special needs.

The programme sought to equip participants with leadership, advocacy and self-development skills, encouraging them to become active contributors in their communities rather than depend on others. Organisers said the initiative was designed to inspire youths with intellectual and developmental disabilities to take up leadership positions and advocate for their rights.

Speaking during the training, educational psychologist and Special Needs Consultant, Johnson Adegoke, said the participants had been empowered with the knowledge and confidence needed to take charge of their future. According to him, the training would help them become self-reliant and better positioned to contribute meaningfully to society.

“They are no longer just participants; they are equipped leaders taking responsibility for their own futures,” Adegoke said. He also urged parents of children with special needs to embrace early intervention, stressing that no child should be hidden because of disability. “Whenever you start is your early time. Whether your child is young or older, the time to act is now,” he added.

President of the association, Abimbola Victoria, called for the use of respectful and inclusive language when referring to persons with disabilities. She condemned derogatory terms often used to describe people with special needs, noting that individuals should instead be identified based on their condition, such as hearing impairment or visual impairment.

Also speaking, the project director and convener of the training, Joko Omotola, said the association would embark on advocacy visits to government agencies, state assemblies and political leaders to push for improved welfare, inclusion and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities. She commended Disability Rights Fund for supporting the initiative and disclosed that policy proposals aimed at improving the lives of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities had already been submitted to the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs for possible implementation through relevant government ministries.