The BEACON of Transformative and Inclusive Development Center, a Kaduna-based non-governmental organisation, has called for greater inclusion of persons living with cerebral palsy in education, healthcare, employment and other areas of society.
The organisation’s Executive Director, Mrs Abigail Olatunde, made the call in a statement on Tuesday, October 6, to mark World Cerebral Palsy Day 2026, themed “Unique and United: Beyond Awareness to a World That Makes Room for Everyone.” Olatunde said the campaign highlights the diversity of people living with cerebral palsy, noting that their abilities, needs, experiences and aspirations differ.
She said while some people with cerebral palsy may walk independently, others use wheelchairs or other mobility aids, while some communicate through speech and others rely on augmentative or alternative communication systems. Olatunde stressed that inclusion should therefore go beyond awareness to removing barriers that prevent people with cerebral palsy from accessing classrooms, healthcare, employment, transportation, public spaces and opportunities to participate fully in society.
Olatunde also called for persons living with cerebral palsy to be actively involved in decisions affecting their lives, urging schools, workplaces, healthcare systems and communities to listen to their voices and adapt services to their needs.
She said meaningful inclusion should shift society from sympathy to rights and from assumptions to listening, while creating genuine opportunities for people with cerebral palsy to learn, work, lead and participate with dignity.
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