Stakeholders have raised concerns over the growing impact of climate change on Persons With Disabilities (PWDs). To address the challenge, Disability Not A Barrier Initiative (DINABI) Nigeria, on Wednesday, organised a two-day workshop aimed at equipping PWDs with the knowledge and skills to cope with climate change.

The programme, held between September 17 and 18 in Ado-Ekiti, was funded by the European Union (EU), co-funded by Irish Aid, and supported by Christian Blind Mission (CBM) Ireland. It was themed “Promoting Disability-Inclusive Climate Action Through Advocacy and Policy Engagement.”

DINABI Executive Director, Olajide Funso Benjamin, explained that the training covered the causes and effects of climate change, key terminologies, intersectionality with disability, and strategies for advocacy. He said the programme would produce an action plan to make climate change policies in Ekiti State more disability-inclusive.

“We are training participants on the causes and effects of climate change, the legal framework, and strategies to overcome it. At the end of the day, we will develop an action plan for disability-inclusive climate action,” he said.

The participants included members of the blind, deaf, and physically challenged communities.

Resource person, Yemi Folarin, emphasised the significance of the programme in assessing inclusiveness, identifying challenges, and proposing recommendations, while DINABI Head of Programme, Mike Duyile, introduced participants to climate change terminologies such as afforestation, deforestation, oil spillage, biosphere, and adaptation.

Programme Officer, Faith Adeleye, said the workshop aimed at developing a collective action plan to mitigate the effects of climate change, especially as it relates to gender equality, ethnicity, and insecurity.

Speaking on behalf of participants, Ruth Fasoranti commended DINABI for the initiative, describing it as a “signal of hope” to the disability community.