For wheelchair-bound Benson, life must go on

By LULU MAGINDE
USING a wheelchair to move around for the past 27 years has taught former health officer Benson Tegia that advocacy is part and parcel of disability inclusion.
He wants to see more services provided for people living with disabilities.
“The thing I want to stress is our capacity to involve (ourselves) and participate in raising some of these (disability) issues.”
Benson, 63, a father of six from Mendi in Southern Highlands, was working as a health extension officer for the Central Province Health Office (now Central Provincial Health Authority) in 1995 when he was badly injured in a road accident.
He had completed his education at the Mendi High School in 1968 before arriving in Port Moresby for further studies.
“In 1978, I came to Port Moresby for the Aligned Health Sciences, now called the Faculty of Aligned Health at the University of PNG. I was there for three years and finished with a Diploma in Health Extension certificate.”
He then worked for the Central Health Office (now the Provincial Health Authority).

“ I am no longer with my wife. After I had the accident, I told her that I respect her decision to live her life, and that she can come and go to see the children if she wants.”

He was based in Kwikila when he went on an official trip to Abau in his capacity as the provincial coordinator for district services.
It was on his return journey from Moreguina when he had the accident. He was driving along the Kupiano Highway back to Kwikila when the car overturned and went off the road.
A piece of the door frame injured his spine. Since then, he had been using a wheelchair to move around.
Benson remained with the Central PHA after the accident but had to leave after some changes were made internally two years later.
He started his rehabilitation around 2000 and started doing advocacy work for people living with disabilities.
He joined the national paralympics committee in 2010, arranging disability sporting events at the provincial and national level. Most of the events took place in Port Moresby and Goroka.
Towards the end of 2020, with the support of the Equal Playing Field and UN Women, the organisation received the disability rights advocacy fund.
Now Benson spends his time between the National Disabled Office and the National Capital District Diff-Abilities Advocacy Agency (NCD DAA) advocating for the rights of people living with disabilities.
He wants to raise issues on disability as “there is no coordination between the Department for Community Development and Religion and the NCD DAA”.
He wants to continue as an advocate for people living with disabilities because he feels more work should be done to promote their rights.
Some of his advocacy colleagues have passed on. Benson vows to continue their work.
He continues to organise meetings, conferences and events, reminding everyone that just because someone is living with a disability does not mean one should be belittled or disregarded.
Benson regards his lot in life as a blessing and rather than be downcast about it, he believes life must go on.
He still drives around in his car.
“I am no longer with my wife. After I had the accident, I told her that I respect her decision to live her life, and that she can come and go to see the children if she wants.”
Being wheelchair-bound is not going to slow Benson down.