Don seeks inclusive opportunity for visually impaired in Nigeria

Forum 1 year ago

Don seeks inclusive opportunity for visually impaired in Nigeria

A Don, Professor Adeniran Adetoro, has called on government and corporate bodies to intensify efforts to ensure that virtually impaired people in society have access to information in order for them to be able to contribute meaningfully to national development.

He also called for inclusive opportunities for the visually impaired and people with special needs.

Speaking during the 14th inaugural lecture of Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Ijagun, Ogun State, Adeniran who spoke on “Information Use Phenomenon: Unlocking Its Techno-Psychological Nexuses And Dilemma Of The Excluded”, opined that virtually impaired personalities should be allowed to access information without hindrance.

The Professor of Library and Information Science, said in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), policy actions, access, and use of information by all, should be seen by government as not only a target but also as a veritable means of achieving other UN targets.

He regretted that government has continued to pay lip service to matters that concern virtually impaired personalities, stressing that “this has contributed to their lack of skills required to make use of technology and poverty that limits affordability of technology.

He advised that in the use of information, focus should be on developing strategies to measure progress made and showing the benefits it can bring to communities.

“Connectivity in Nigeria has not been an area of strong performance, with many countries making major strides towards affordable internet access, there is an urgent need for more meaningful investment in IT infrastructures and services in Nigeria such that we can live in a country where every citizen has the ability to get online at a price they can afford.

“As a people, we should consider the potential of libraries as a key means of delivering access to information for citizens.

“As a preexisting, familiar infrastructure, with expertise in facilitating the use of information in all format and sources, libraries should be considered as logical partners through the actions of government or private actors, playing a positive role as development accelerators, digital inclusion hubs, promoting equality, employment and skills from the local to the global level.

Adetoro suggested that “services to PVIs should be premised empirically on their reading interest and information needs.

He also recommended that steps should be “put in place to remove those practices, policies, and procedures which are capable of rendering the visually impaired not able to use information services.