Ability In Disability

REPORT ON THE PROGRAM HELD 9^th JUNE, 2018

Theme: ABILITY IN DISABILITY (AID) CONFERENCE 1.0

Starting hour: 11:10AM

In attendance: 120

Venue: AMERICAN CORNER, IBADAN

Organizers of the program: ANGEL WINGS GLOBAL FREEDOM FOUNDATION IN COLLABORATION WITH AMERICAN CORNER.

Purpose: The conference was organized to encourage people with disability that they can do more they are meant to do, create awareness to the world that there is ability in disability and the importance of inclusion.

Program Coordinator:Miss Biose Falade (Convener AID Conference and Executive Director Angel Wings Global Freedom Foundation)

REPORT IN DETAILS

Mr. Fidelis Bonaventure (Convener, Youth Aid Development Foundation) welcomed everyone to the Ability in Disability Conference 1.0 and he invited Mr. Joseph (General Secretary, Angel Wings Global Freedom Foundation) to lead the opening prayer. Mr. Fidelis Bonaventure recognized the speakers and special guests to the Conference. He welcomed Miss Toluwalase to lead the audience in the 2nd stanza of the National Anthem and Pledge. He welcomed Miss Biose Falade (Convener AID Conference and Executive Director Angel Wings Global Freedom Foundation) to give the welcome address.

Miss Biose Falade (Convener AID Conference and Executive Director Angel Wings Global Freedom Foundation) started her address by giving a brief information about Angel Wings Global Freedom Foundation. She shared her experience as a child living with disability and how her parents encouraged her by saying “You don’t let that disability be what is your life, define yourself by who you are, what you are and how you are.” She emphasized that nothing can stop you if you put your mind to it.  She explained that the conference was organized to encourage people, make them strong to do what they are meant to do in the world. She stressed that people with disability should bring themselves out and should be brave with their disability and then they would be able to do what they are meant to do with their life. She stated that she has four rules, which are: Trust God, There is a solution to every problem, Always listen to your guardians, parents, caregivers and never give up on your dreams.

Mr. Fidelis Bonaventure welcomed Prof G.B. Ogunmola (Chancellor Lead City University, Chairman of the Science Corner) for the Chairman’s Address. Prof G.B. Ogunmola started his address by saying, “it is a very unique/great occasion for everyone to be assembled to listen and to learn, the hypotheses is that if we listen, we would learn and we want to learn, we must also listen.” He stated that everyone belongs to one single undivided family that is the reason for the conference, which is to celebrate the family, discuss about responsibilities and talk about ability in disability. He said everyone is disabled as a country, it is because we have not discharged our responsibilities and when that is done then our ability would override our disability. He challenged everyone to listen attentively/ carefully and he concluded with a quote “the greatest achievement of a parent is when your child gives you a lecture.”

Mr. Fidelis Bonaventure welcomed the first speaker, Prof. Dr. (Mrs.) Falade (Mother of the Convener) for a lecture on Training and Providing Support for Children with Disabilities.

Prof Dr. (Mrs.) Falade started by sharing her journey as the convener’s mother, her perspective of Biose’s journey and said she is sharing all this to encourage people who are feeling depressed, abandoned and for them to put a stop to it, she advised that they raise themselves up and move on. She emphasized that the handicap/disabled person is a human being with full emotions and needs to be supported. She started her lecture by giving the dictionary definition of Handicap. it is a circumstance that makes progress or success difficult, a condition that markedly restricts a person’s ability to function, she emphasized that it doesn’t inhibit. She stated that in the medical community, Disability describes the mental or physical limitation a person has while Handicap refers to the disadvantage he/she experiences because of it. She mentioned that the principles of raising children are the same whether they are disabled or not. She stressed that child rearing is a great challenge, but also a great privilege and the real secret to raising handicapped children is to raise them just as children by feeding them, watering them, providing shelter for them, loving them, cleaning up their messes and hope that they leave your heart intact at the end of the day.  She stated that, there can be moments of extreme stress but those moments are guaranteed with all children too. She mentioned that Life comes with no safe guards, no assurances and it doesn’t matter how many precautions one takes, bad stuff still happens. She concluded her lecture by giving Roadmap for Parenting Godly Children, they are:

1. Parents must develop a Passionate Relationship with God.
2. Strong marriages add stability to a child’s Life, whether the child is physically or mentally handicap or absolutely normal.
3. Make the Word of God Your Standard
4. Parents Must Be on the Same Page, they must share the same values/vision. Never disagree in front of the children.
5. Protect Your Children: She explained that a major part of protection is to teach children the truth so they will recognize lies that are seeking to take root in their hearts.
6. Bless Your Children: She advised parents to speak messages that attach high value and picture a special future for them with an active commitment as a parent to help them fulfill it. She emphasized that parents should take time regularly to bless their children.
7. Understand Your Child’s Greatest Need: She said a child’s greatest need begins with acknowledging their greatest problem. The chief problem of all children is they are born sinners (Psalm 51:5), like us all.
8. The Father Should Lead in Parenting: She stated that, God specifically gave fathers the primary active role to discipline/instruction of his children. She emphasized that this does not discount or diminish the mother’s participation since she is in a one-flesh relationship with her husband and is to assist him in accomplishing this purpose.
9. Train Your Children: She said, Children do not go bad because of something their parents do but because of what their parents do not do, “Bring them up” and nurture (discipline or chastening) them.
10. Teach Your Children to Reverence God: She mentioned that, teaching children to walk in the “fear” of God. Simply stated, inspire them to have both a fascination and awe for the majesty of God.

Mr. Fidelis Bonaventure welcomed Mr. Olorunkosebi Yinka to recite a poem. He then welcomed the second speaker, Mr. Idowu Adeyemi (Public Speaker & a Disability Activist) to give his lecture on Giving Persons with Disability A Chance to Become the Best.

Mr. Idowu Adeyemi started by sharing his journey of been a victim of polio. He started his lecture by saying, getting a chance to becoming the best is a symmetrical relationship not an asymmetrical one, there must be a society, people that are willing to give you the chance, but then as a disabled person what is your resolution. He said, as a disabled person, it is important to take what you want from life. He went further to say the Nigerian Society doesn’t want a disabled person to become the best but it is a reality that people are not conscious of. He emphasized that if people with disability fail to become the best, then the society is losing. He stated that Giving Persons with Disability a Chance to Become the Best, what should be done importantly is to create an inclusive society. He highlighted 5 ways to create an inclusive society, they are:

1. We Must Invest In The Infrastructure Of Inclusion: “For to be physically isolated is to be socio-culturally isolated.” He said there has to be a deliberate investment to the infrastructure of inclusion, things that physically connect individuals like roads, ramps, schools, houses, organizations making it disability friendly.
2. We Must Invest In The Body Language Of Inclusion: He said he would look at it from the angle of attitude and perspective of disabled people by the society. He emphasized that discrimination against disabled people should be stopped and perspective about/attitude towards disabled people should be changed.
3. We Must Invest In The Good Stories Of Inclusion: He said stories are important, the way it was told and the people involved. He went further to say, the media portrays people with disabilities in negative ways, which shouldn’t be.
4. We Must Invest In The Legal Security Of Inclusion: He mentioned that there is no single law in Nigeria that protects people with disability. He urged that people in power should fight for people with disability because they need to be protected.
5. We Must Invest In The Morality Of Inclusion: He urged people who are disabled to stop getting angry with the society because the anger won’t make a difference. He advised that a better strategy should/can be developed to solve the situation and also find a way to help others understand their (people with disability) plights.

Mr. Idowu concluded by saying the reason we have to achieve an inclusive society is because disability is not always a fault of biology. He urged that everyone should join disabled people and organizations fighting for the rights of disabled people to create an inclusive society.

Mr. Fidelis welcomed Abdul Icon for his musical performance. Mr. Fidelis welcomed the third speaker Mr. Emeka Ossai (CEO, Campus Labs) for his lecture on Design Thinking, Hackathons and Technology:  Crisis as a Ladder.

Mr. Emeka Ossai started by showing a video on design thinking and what has been done in Cornell University (A Hackathon) to Solve Challenges for People with Disabilities. He started the lecture by identifying steps to follow in order to solve challenges for people with Disabilities, they are:

1. Empathize: He said it is important to develop a deep understanding of the challenge.
2. Define/Find the problem: he said it is important to clearly articulate the problem you want to solve.
3. Ideate: it is necessary to brainstorm potential solutions, select and develop the solution.
4. Prototype: the next step is to design a prototype to test all or part of the solution you have developed.
5. Test: engage in a continuous short cycle innovation process to continually improve the design.

He continued by saying technology can help create a lot of solutions for people living with disabilities. He said everyone can become hackers by thinking about creative ideas/solutions to deal/help with the challenges faced by people with disability.

Mr. Fidelis Bonaventure welcomed the fourth speaker Dr. Adewale Ayodele (Lead Consultant at Quantum Leap Consulting & Co- founder Save Our World Initiative) to speak on The Power Of Problems, How To Embrace It And Transform It To Opportunities. 

Dr. Adewale Ayodele started his lecture by saying problems are part ways to the palace (Success). He went on to define Problem as anything that threatens our survival or is any obstacle that stands between us and a goal. He went further to say, it is important to understand/analyze the problem to get the goal. He emphasized that if anyone is serious about getting to his/her goal then he has to be serious about solving the problem. He stated that problems are inherited from our parents which they refused to settle. He said there are fundamental questions (Who am I? What is my Purpose in Life? and Do I have a future/how do I explore the responsibilities) to ask in life, a person’s problems is set up for his/her destiny. He emphasized that people have to start transcending their problems and within the problems is the solution.  He concluded by highlighting that the bigger the destiny, the more problems a person face in life.

Mr. Fidelis Bonaventure welcomed the fifth speaker Dr. Raj Serrano (Ruby Initiative for the Girl Child and a Life Coach) to speak on Promoting The Right of People who are Vulnerable, Especially the Girl Child. 

Dr. Raj Serrano started with two quotes, they are: “You never know how strong you are until been strong is the only choice you’ve got.” Let’s us not pray for an easy life but pray for strength to endure a life of adversity if it comes our way for either way, we are prepared to face whatever challenges or limitation that come our way.” She said that there is ability in disability. She further said that she doesn’t see disabilities but sees limitation, there are no limitations but there are challenges because challenges can be overcome. She stated that the people she sees with disabilities are the government because they are supposed to help people with disabilities but haven’t done enough. She emphasized that everyone is special in their own way with unique set of problems.  She urged that everyone should make the best of every circumstance that comes their way. She also said that everyone should look inward for strength, courage, determination because no can give it to them.

Questions were entertained and answered by the speakers. Mr. Joseph gave the vote of thanks.

The program ended 3:15pm.