Zambian Blind Federation Charges Education System Has Collapsed
Wamundila Waliuya, interim chair of the Zambian Federation of the Blind, charged in April at a press conference in Lusaka that the government's lack of support had brought about the collapse of the education system for blind persons. Among other problems he noted that for the last 10 years the government had not printed educational materials in Braille. Waliuya stated that, "The blind are the worst poverty stricken people because of high levels of illiteracy."
He further charged that by teaching blind children without suitable materials, they are rendered vulnerable to failure during examinations and requested that the government take steps to motivate teachers of the blind by increasing their allowances.
Concerning employment, Waliuya said members of the Federation faced a lot of difficulties in securing employment, while those in employment were incurring huge subsistence costs due to their disabilities. He suggested that the government "consider exempting employed blind persons from paying taxes" to offset the high costs of living with a disability. Details: http://allafrica.com/stories/200104250120.html
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