Zimbabwean psychologist, social entrepreneur and disability rights advocate Tapiwa Tsikai has said that disability rights should be guaranteed to empower people living with disabilities.
Tsikai told NewsDay Life & Style that the process of improving the lives of differently abled persons needs a communal approach which involves the whole of a government.
“We need to create opportunities for people with disabilities to thrive. I believe that people with disabilities have potential to excel and contribute positively towards mainstream society,” Tsikai said.
“This, however, can be made possible when society makes a paradigm shift in how it regards people with disabilities. Most members of our Zimbabwean society still regard people with disabilities as objects of charity. This has relegated us to the periphery of society where most of us rely on handouts to get by. Studies throughout the world have shown that investing in the empowerment of people with disabilities is actually more cost effective for society than making them rely on charity,” Tsikai said.
He urged people with disabilities to unite across different disability categories such as age group, gender and regions and speak with one voice while they invest in empowering themselves.
“Government must create opportunities for people with disabilities to have their voices heard in decisionmaking platforms. Disability Rights advocates must be impartial. They must not have any biases and must also build their own self-confidence.”
With over 10 years of experience in disability activism, Tsikai, who was born with a physical disability, has several success stories of promoting inclusion and empowerment of individuals with disabilities. Tsikai co-founded the ThisAbility Hub, an organisation focused on bridging gaps between people with disabilities and their non-disabled counterparts in Zimbabwe through information dissemination of disability-related services and resources through the online platform: www.thisabilityhub.org.zw.
Tsikai was instrumental in advocating for the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities through the Young Voices Project where he served as project co-ordinator. Under the auspices of the Young Voices project, Tsikai managed to mentor young people with disabilities including the late Terry G and musician Talent ‘Chipo’ Muchegwa, among others. In 2013, he was appointed deputy secretary general of the African Youth with Disabilities Network, a regional disability youth organisation based in Nairobi, Kenya. From 2016-2018 he worked with the of Tourism and Environment ministry where he served as technical expert in a project that sought to increase the universal accessibility of the country’s tourist destinations and resorts. In the period 2022 to 2024, Tsikai hosted and produced The Ability Show,” a television programme that discussed disability issues from a positive perspective, furthering his mission to raise positive awareness.
He believes that government and disability advocates should come together to ensure access to quality, inclusive education for children and provision of vocational training and skills development including digital literacy to enhance access to online learning and job opportunities.
“On economic empowerment, the government should offer microfinance loans or grants to support entrepreneurship. It should also encourage employers to adopt inclusive hiring practices and grant tax incentives to companies that hire people with disabilities. Accessibility and conducive infrastructure design should allow access to public spaces, efficient transport and housing.”
Tsikai called for facilitation of affordable access to health and welfare facilities which are tailor made to meet specific needs including provision of rehabilitation services and assistive devices to families living with persons with disabilities.
