A call to end stigma and discrimination of people with disabilities

One

Corinthians 13: 4-5 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs.”

On September 1, 2021, the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) launched its Disability Inclusion Survey Report which assesses the extent of inclusion of persons with disabilities by the church, civil society, private sector, local government, central government and citizens.

A total of 5 189 citizens participated in the survey.

The majority of survey respondents (88%) admitted that anyone could be disabled at any time in their lifetime.

However, despite that admission persons with disabilities have remained largely excluded from key processes and spaces in society.

Essentially, 59% of respondents held the view that stigma and discrimination were the major setback to the self-determination of persons with disabilities.

The survey results showed that there are disparate manifestations of stigma and discrimination against people with disabilities in Zimbabwe, mostly limitations of access to services, products and spaces such as transport, information and assistive devices, amongst others.

These constraints abound for people with disabilities despite the near-sufficient legal provisions on disability inclusion in Zimbabwe.

The findings also seem to suggest that the concentration of stigma and discrimination against persons with disabilities is more pronounced as one moves away from the family towards the public space.

Research findings by the ZCC survey suggests that people with disabilities have been experiencing multiple, mutually reinforcing forms of stigma and discrimination even before the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has only worsened the situation.

The findings of the research point to the fact that people are not disabled by their physical or mental condition, but by the inadequacies of the social and physical environment that fail to support their need for inclusion.

For example, people who are deaf are disabled by those around them who don’t know how to converse with them and by conditions that don’t support their ability to function independently.

The church’s discernment is that a positive change in policies and laws that is not founded on and or supported by a substantial mind-set shift at the deeper personal level may not effectively address the challenge of stigma and discrimination against persons with disabilities in both private and public spaces.

Therefore, the church urges citizens and other key institutions of society to do more with people with disabilities to end all forms of stigma and discrimination by adopting a six-point strategy.

Repent and rebuild: individual citizens are urged to deeply introspect in order to repent and desist from all forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities.

Citizens should consider rebuilding their attitudes and perceptions towards disability and to rediscover the virtue of collective safety and progress built on love and the fear of God.

To love with empathy is better than to sympathise!

Reclaim: the family institution should reclaim the responsibility to be an inclusive safe space in which members, regardless of their differences, have the freedom to explore their personal worth and to gain the courage to fulfil their vision and calling.

It is in the family where people’s thinking is nurtured beyond whatever disabilities they have and where they get support for reaching beyond what society expects of them.

Recommit and Revive: the church, being one of the influential institutions in society, should recommit to and revive the ministry of love, peace, justice and prosperity for all.

In that light, the ZCC undertakes to progressively ensure that all its member churches and institutions have infrastructures and processes that are accessible to persons with disabilities.

Re-offer: all manner of public and private spaces should be re-offered back to persons with disabilities who have been deprived of services and freedom.

Persons with disabilities should reclaim their rights and have their choices expanded to fully enjoy the fullness of life with dignity and peace.

Public space actors should have personal conviction for an inclusive society, beyond legal mandates.

Reorganise and Reactivate: organisations that purport to promote far-reaching societal changes in addressing stigma and discrimination against persons with disabilities should reconsider their approaches in light of the prevailing challenges to disability inclusion.

In that regard, a collaborative approach spearheaded by individual disability inclusion champions at grassroots, organised society and policy and political actors’ level should be embraced.

Re-imagine: the people of Zimbabwe should engage a process of collectively re-imagining a united, just, peaceful and prosperous society in which all persons will enjoy a dignified life.

This process should lead to a shared commitment and responsibility for accompaniment and empowerment of people with disabilities, which should be hinged on personal convictions for an inclusive society.

Zimbabwe Council of Churches