Published: August 16, 2024
MONROVIA — Liberia has made progress in disability law and policy but still lacks full compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), and no regulations are in place.
By Oretha Bundoo-Seh, Contributing Writer
The UNCRPD urges member countries to promote inclusivity for Persons with Disabilities (PWD) at all levels, yet many public spaces in Liberia remain inadequately accessible.
“This is a call to the new ministers at the EJS Ministerial Complex, the Ministry of Health, and lawmakers at the Capitol Building, especially on the Senate side, to fix the elevator and open up the restroom to persons with physical challenges,” said Samuel Dean. “It was built for them.”
Dean, the Executive Director of the Disability Commission, shared a distressing image of himself crawling through Senate corridors to access a session last month.
The legislature, where laws and policies are made, lacks accessibility for disabled individuals, particularly wheelchair users. Although the Chinese annex has an elevator, the Senate wing remains inaccessible, preventing many past and current executive directors of the commission from attending hearings.
“We need unhindered access to lawmakers and policymakers, as we represent over five million Liberians,” Dean added. “According to the Swedish Development Agency, approximately 20%, or about a million, are persons with disabilities.”
Robert Haynes, Press Director for the House of Representatives, acknowledges the limited accessibility at the Capitol for PWD but claims that a functional elevator is available via the Chinese annex.
Haynes asserted that the Capitol Building is equipped with various accessibility features to assist individuals with wheelchairs or other mobility challenges.
“Specifically, while the Capitol does have staircases, it is also equipped with accessible ramps and elevators to facilitate the movement of individuals with disabilities throughout the building,” he stated.
He added that the House of Representatives is actively working to eliminate potential barriers to access and to ensure that the facilities and services of the legislative body are welcoming to everyone.
However, the legislature, the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex, the Ministry of Health, and the National Commission on Disability all remain largely inaccessible to persons with disabilities, violating UN Convention standards.
A two-day ECOWAS Regional Inclusive Action Plan Validation in Nigeria recently aimed to align West African nations with the goals of the UNCRPD and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights for Persons with Disabilities. Yet, Liberia’s implementation of this plan remains unclear due to limited action.
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