Hi everybody,

I've decided to post this in the family section because this issue is a family issue in some sense. We all have known and probably still know someone in our family or friend living with a handicap/disability. Have we ever stopped to wonder how they manage or what they really feel on the inside knowing that they can't be like other people they consider "normal" and "able".
My younger sister is a person living with a disability. She suffered from polio at a very young age after a vaccination she got in Kano where we were born. I've always been protective of my sister and I strive to make sure that her life is as comfortable as she wants it since she has refused to come stay with me in the States. So, I was pretty upset when she recently told me how difficult it is getting around in Abuja. There is hardly any handicap accessible building, bathroom etc. No ramps for people in wheelchairs, no wheelchair accessible means of transportation etc. I told her that we could do something about it and it's time people living with disabilities in Nigeria spoke out and made their voices heard all the way to Aso Rock.

She is a columnist for one of the daily newspapers in Nigeria and she has also started a blog where she writes in details her experiences as a person living with a disability. Most importantly, she has started a petition asking that the Federal Government and the President sign the Disabilities Act into law to make life a little bearable for the disabled. Right now we need 50+ signatures to complete before it can go up to the presidency. I was shocked to find out that there are over 22 million Nigerian living with some kind of disability or the other

i'm asking, pleading, if you really care about those that some people casually and heartlessly call, "kuturu" and other derogatory names because they have a disability, if this bothers you and you want to help, sign the petition.

Here is the link: http://duchessdiscussesdisability..com/

The petition can also be signed from the blog

Thank you for taking time to read this.

Many thanks to those that signed the petition. Hopefully this act of unity will propel the movers and shakers of our great country Nigeria to do something to better the plight of the disabled.

God bless