Disability advocacy group Signs of Hope in partnership with the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) are exhibiting at this year’s National Disability expo with the aim to create awareness about access to information through the Freedom of Information Act.
The event is being hosted at Chipadze Stadium in Bindura under the theme “Accelerating the attainment of Vision 2030 disability empowerment targets for enhanced inclusive sustainable development.”
In an interview with 263chat.com Samantha Sibanda, the director of Signs of Hope Trust, highlighted the timeliness and importance of this year’s theme.
“The theme is timely considering that according to the United Nations Disability and Development Report (2024), there is evidence that persons with disabilities are being left behind in the agenda 2030 targets, especially those to do with financial resources, healthcare, water, ICT, and building resilience during disasters,” Sibanda said.
The UN report highlights that poverty remains a persistent issue among persons with disabilities, and current data does not adequately reflect disability development within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sibanda expressed deep concern over these findings, stressing the necessity for a concerted effort to promote the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities.
“The expo is therefore a great platform for the promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities and empowers all stakeholders to come together to share information and raise awareness to the public on disability mainstreaming and inclusion. For Signs of Hope (SOH) in particular, we will share our guidelines on accessibility of institutions, our research on access to ICTs by persons with disabilities, and other materials,” she said.
This year’s event holds particular significance as it coincides with the “Year of the Freedom of Information Act.” Sibanda underscored the importance of access to information and freedom of expression for persons with disabilities.
“Over and above, our programming recognizes the right to access to information and the freedom of expression by persons with disabilities as fundamental, enabling human rights, and they are critical to the empowerment of persons with disabilities,” she said.
SOH plans to distribute the Database of Community Information Centres (CICs) in Zimbabwe, which resulted from a Freedom of Information Act appeal.
This database provides vital information about the location of CICs and showcases the impact of the Freedom of Information Act.
“We will therefore distribute the Database of Community Information Centres (CICs) in Zimbabwe, a result of a Freedom of Information Act appeal, to give information about the location of CICs, and to showcase the impact of the Freedom of Information Act,” Sibanda said
