Staff Reporter
The National Council of the Disabled Kwekwe branch has called for greater government support for children with disabilities, including subsidies for specialised education and assistive devices.
Branch secretary Evelyn Zimba said the high cost of schools catering for children with disabilities was putting education beyond the reach of many families.
Zimba made the call in an interview with journalists on the sidelines of a Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace Zimbabwe (CCJP-Z) Stakeholders Engagement and Programme Ownership Meeting at St Edwards Catholic Church in Kwekwe.
She said government should intervene by subsidising specialised schools to ensure children with disabilities are not excluded from education because of their parents’ financial circumstances.
“Schools for people with disabilities are very much expensive and we can’t afford those schools,” Zimba said.
She said the lack of financial support was particularly painful for children who were still growing and needed access to education and specialised services.
“Subsidies are needed for education for children with disabilities. Subsidies are needed for appliances,” Zimba said.
Zimba also called for the restoration of support programmes that previously assisted families to obtain assistive devices through the Department of Social Welfare.
She said people with disabilities could previously access assistance by applying through Social Welfare and being assessed at orthopaedic centres for the appropriate appliances.
“When we grew, we didn’t know fees. We just went to Jairos Jiri and applied to Social Welfare. You go to an orthopaedic centre, you are measured and you apply to Social Welfare and Social Welfare would pay,” she said.
Zimba said the changes to the system had made it difficult for some families to secure the assistance they needed.
She urged authorities to review existing support mechanisms and ensure that children with disabilities have affordable access to education and essential assistive devices.
The call comes amid ongoing concerns over the inclusion of people with disabilities in education and other public services.
