Kapi: Policy review a cover-up

 By SHIRLYN BELDEN

THE current review of the National Policy on Disability is a cover-up by the Community Development Department for its slackness in implementing the policy, Hohola Rehabilitation Centre director Brown Kapi says.

“There is nothing to be reviewed because there was barely any implementation of the policy in the country since it was endorsed,” Kapi told The National yesterday. 

He said that priority areas in the policy such as rehabilitation, legislation, accessibility, assistive devices and data were not implemented. 

“From what I know as an advocate of disability, I can say that the policy was never implemented since day one. It was just a window dressing,” Kapi said. 

“For whatever reasons, no attention or very limited attention was given to the implementation of the policy. As a concern from a person with disability and an advocate administering services for PLWDs I am concerned as to why the policy had not been implemented.” 

He also questioned the department and its partners, saying it was their role and responsibility to implement the policy.

 “What they should say now is ‘we have failed the marginalised people with disability in the country; we have never implemented the policy and let us do a reality check and see what was wrong and correct it’. 

“You cannot review what has never implemented. So let us not fool the nation and say otherwise,” Kapi said.