Daud Olatunji
Parents raising children with disabilities in Nigeria need respite-care facilities, subsidised therapy and stronger support systems to ease the financial and emotional burden of caregiving, disability inclusion strategist, Tamara Ajasa, has said.
Ajasa, founder of The Wholesome Parent, made the call during a PWDSpotlight X Space titled “Raising Children with Disabilities: The Role of Parents, Communities and Society in Building an Inclusive Future.”
She identified respite care, incentives for businesses promoting disability inclusion, and free or highly subsidised therapy and special-needs education as three immediate interventions she would want government to prioritise.
According to her, many families caring for children and adults with severe disabilities struggle for years without adequate assistance, with mothers often carrying much of the caregiving burden.
Ajasa said government should establish properly staffed facilities where persons with significant disabilities could receive care, vocational training and other support while their caregivers get time to rest.
She said some parents continued caring for their children into old age, making respite care necessary as part of a long-term disability-support system.
“If the government can be intentional about respite care and create facilities—not just even one—where, as the disabled child is ageing and gets to that point where it’s difficult for the parents to take care of them, they can be in a place where they are well catered for, so that their families can have a breather,” she said.
Ajasa also called for therapy and special-needs education to be made free or heavily subsidised, noting that some families face lifelong expenses.
She cited the rising cost of medication as an example of the financial pressure on families, saying a drug that previously cost about N9,000 could rise to N50,000 monthly.
The advocate said discovering that a child has a disability could be devastating for parents, urging families to first process the development before seeking appropriate professional help.
She warned that denial could delay assessment and intervention.
Ajasa advised parents to research their children’s conditions, consult healthcare professionals and join communities where they could interact with other families facing similar challenges.
She also lamented the limited availability of specialised services and the high cost of private intervention.
According to her, families unable to afford private facilities often have to combine government services, private providers, online research and community support.
Ajasa further challenged corporate organisations to move beyond one-off donations and charity towards sustainable disability-inclusive systems.
“It’s not about charities. It’s not about going to give a bag of rice in a home of the disabled. No. Beyond that, how can you create structure? How can you design systems that actually help?” she asked.
She suggested that banks and other companies could develop products and services specifically designed to meet the needs of persons with disabilities.
She also proposed government incentives for companies that make disability inclusion a priority.
Ajasa called for disability education to become part of basic teacher training, saying every teacher should have some knowledge of disabilities before entering the classroom.
She said schools should also ensure that children with disabilities participate in school activities, productions and other programmes rather than being excluded.
She argued that inclusion should not mean forcing children with disabilities to adapt completely to systems designed for people without disabilities.
“Why don’t I teach other children sign language so that they can relate with the child who is disabled, with the child who cannot speak?” she asked.
The PWDSpotlight moderator similarly stressed that persons with disabilities should not be treated as one homogeneous group, noting that people with albinism, visual impairment and other disabilities often face different challenges requiring different interventions.
The moderator also raised concerns about accessibility during elections and recalled an earlier PWDSpotlight discussion in which a person with albinism reportedly described difficulties encountered while trying to participate in the electoral process.
Speaking about parents who feel overwhelmed, Ajasa urged caregivers to take the journey one moment at a time and build support networks around themselves.
“This is not the kind of journey you do isolated. It’s not possible,” she said.
She encouraged parents to connect with other families, seek available support and protect their emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
Ajasa said community support could itself serve as a form of self-care for parents who might otherwise become isolated.
She also disclosed that The Wholesome Parent works with corporate organisations on disability-inclusive initiatives and mentors mothers of children with disabilities, particularly on managing the emotional burden of caregiving.
The PWDSpotlight conversation also highlighted concerns about inadequate staffing and welfare for workers in special-needs facilities, with the moderator recounting observations from a visit to a facility in Yaba.
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