The Chairman District Assembly Western Area Sierra Leone Association of the Blind, Darlington Thorpe on Thursday said that it was almost an acceptable culture among commercial drivers in the City to deliberately refuse to carry passengers suffering from disabilities.
“This attitude is a spill over effect of lack of concern by government for persons with disabilities in the country” he added.
On October 15th every year, Sierra Leone joins other countries in the world to celebrate the International White Cane Safety Day. Disabled communities in Freetown processed to the new YWCA hall at the National Stadium Swimming Pool where statements were delivered on the relevance of the day.
Darlington Thorpe said they were celebrating the day in commemoration of World Sight Day that was recently observed on Thursday October 2nd this year. He said it was disheartening to learn that most drivers in the city were not disabled friendly.
He expressed disappointment on the scornful way many commercial drivers treat persons with disabilities. Mr. Darlington explained that “when a person is disabled, it is very difficult for himher to board public transport. The drivers race with themselves along the streets, they do not even have patience for abled people; talk less of the disabled.” He said most drivers do not know how to relate with the disabled.
He said one of the key reasons they were celebrating the day was to tell drivers that blind and other sets of disabled people in the country have right to public transportation like any other abled citizen. He said lack of knowledge on the use of the white cane by the public was also a serious problem.
Explaining the significance of public awareness on the use of the white cane, Mr. Thorpe said “most people particularly drivers do not have a proper understanding of the white cane. So the lack of this understanding makes blind people vulnerable to road accidents and harassments.”
Responding to claims of some drivers deliberately refusing to pick up disabled passengers on the roads, Henry Kassim, Safety Officer of the Sierra Leone Professional Drivers Association, agreed that a handful of drivers plying the routes of the city were not willing to carry disabled in their vehicles.
Mr. Kassim noted that “it is because of these concerns from the public that we have decided to team up with the disabled to campaign against drivers refusing to pick them up on the roads. Let us remember that there are other good drivers who are very friendly to people with disabilities.”
He appealed to his fellow drivers to show some level of compassion for the disabled adding that very soon their association would begin to institute some punitive measures against drivers caught discriminating against disabled persons
By Abdul Samba Brima
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