The Zambia Agency for Persons with disabilities (ZADP) Copperbelt Provincial office has urged Zambia Human Resource practitioners and institutions to take into account the needs of persons with disabilities such as accessibility to the workplace without any barriers.
Speaking during the International Labour Organisation (ILO) supported panel of discussion on accessibility for persons with disabilities in the workplace in Ndola, ZAPD Copperbelt Provincial Coordinator Anthony Mwansa, highlighted that depriving accessibility to persons with disabilities is an act of discrimination according to the Zambian Law.
Mr Mwansa further stated that according to Zambia issues to do with disabilities are provided for such as the employment code act number 3 of 2019 which establishes the relationship between employer and employer.
He disclosed that ZADP as an agency also conducts accessibility audits to ensure physical accessibility for persons with disabilities in the workplace or public infrastructure saying the agency is responsible for ensuring accessible workplace environments such as communication, toilet needs, reasonable accommodation needs among others.
“Making sure that from the time a person enters a public building there must be as far as possible zero barriers regardless of what type of disability the person has,” he said.
And the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) Senior Human Resource Management Officer, Olive Tembo speaking at the same meeting reiterated the commission’s commitment to ensuring that persons with disabilities have equal accessibility to their workplace.
“What we have done is try to change the internal recruitment policies so that they are inclusive to persons with disabilities,” she said.
Meanwhile, Vice President for the Zambia Federation of the Blind (ZANFOB), Lazarus Hakalebula pointed out that as a country, Zambia still has a long way to go in terms of bridging the gap of information accessibility for both persons with or without disabilities.
Mr Hakalebula noted that there is a need to create awareness in the country in terms of information accessibility for all if the gaps are to be phased off.
“This is the matter that everyone needs to take with both hands as information is power regardless of who has it,” he said.
