By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
Adenike Oyetunde-Lawal, General Manager of the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA), has urged disability service providers to properly equip and manage their residential homes to ensure the safety, dignity, and well-being of Persons with Disabilities, particularly children in their care.
She made the call on Wednesday at the Y2026 Stakeholders’ Forum organised by LASODA and held at the Lagos NUT Pavilion, NERDC Road, Alausa, Ikeja.
The forum, themed “Harnessing Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships to Advance Disability Inclusion in Lagos State,” brought together service providers and other key stakeholders to discuss issues affecting the provision of services to Persons with Disabilities.
The General Manager said service providers must recognise that disability inclusion goes beyond providing services, stressing the importance of creating safe, accessible and dignified environments where Persons with Disabilities can live, receive care and participate meaningfully in society.
In her words, “As service providers, we must recognise that inclusion goes beyond providing services. It also means creating safe, accessible and dignified environments where Persons with Disabilities can live, learn, receive care and participate meaningfully in society.”
The General Manager particularly emphasised the need for proper safeguarding in residential homes, noting that the safety, privacy, dignity and best interests of children with disabilities must remain paramount.
She urged service providers to be mindful of how they document and share photographs, videos, and personal information about children with disabilities, particularly on social media and other public platforms.
“We must also be mindful of how we document and publicise the lives of children with disabilities. Their privacy, dignity and best interests must remain paramount; these are important issues that require our collective attention,” she added.
She stressed that service providers must ensure that their activities, publicity and fundraising practices comply with the provisions of the Lagos State Child Rights Law and other applicable child-protection and data-protection requirements.
Speaking on accessibility, Dr Funmi Adekola, Director, Monitoring, Evaluation and Orientation, facilitated a session on Creating Safe, Accessible and inclusive homes and centres for PWD, highlighting the need for residential facilities and service centres to be accessible, safe and responsive to the diverse needs of Persons with Disabilities.
The forum also featured a session on Safeguarding and Protection of Persons with Disabilities, facilitated by the Director, Medical, Rehabilitation, Appliance and Mobility Aids, Mr Viavonu Folorunsho, who spoke on the importance of adhering strictly to the provisions of the Lagos State Child Rights Law.
The highly interactive sessions generated extensive contributions from participants, with stakeholders openly sharing experiences, raising concerns and seeking clarification on issues affecting the provision of services to Persons with Disabilities.
Also present at the event were representatives of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice; Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment; Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board; and the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), among other stakeholders in the disability community.
The stakeholders’ forum reaffirmed the importance of multi-sectoral collaboration in advancing disability inclusion and improving the quality, accessibility and safety of services provided to Persons with Disabilities across Lagos State.
