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{
    "id": 497385,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/497385/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 273,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Hargura",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 827,
        "legal_name": "Godana Hargura",
        "slug": "godana-hargura"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to contribute and support this amendment to the Persons with Disabilities (Amendment) Act. The initial Act looks detailed and these kinds of amendments assist in making some parts of the Act to be actionable in the sense that the first part is on the Council reporting to the various institutions which do monitoring and oversight. Also, there are proposed amendments to Sections 11 and 13 which talk about the rights and privileges which also specifically set out what should be due to the persons with disabilities. This goes a long way in making sure that it is actually implemented. If a responsibility is not assigned to somebody and when to deliver, then that responsibility will actually not be realized. This amendment, short as it might be, gives responsibility to where it is due and ensures that these reports are supplied to the relevant oversight bodies like the Council. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as the Vice Chairperson of the Joint Committee on National Cohesion and Equal Opportunities, we take the issue of equal opportunities in terms of persons with disability. We also, as part of our activities, intend to review the Act with a view of amending it so that we make it more actionable, specifically after our visit to the US where we checked how in that country the persons with disabilities are actually mainstreamed into the general public to make sure that they have access to all the facilities and have the necessary rights and privileges. For example, in a state where we visited, at the State Governors office, there is actually an officer who has a budget and who each year makes sure that the public facilities in terms of buildings are accessible to persons with disability. If it is the public facilities, then it is for the Government to provide funding to make sure that all of them are made compliant with access by persons with disability right from the road. You could see if you are entering a public office or building, right at the road itself, the road is at a level such that a person with disability using whatever means of movement, if it is a wheel chair, can easily get into that building right from the road and within the building itself. That is enforceable. For you to enforce that kind of facilitation, you must have funds. That is why in that particular state, they had a compliance officer who is given funds not just to go around and check what people are doing but actually could implement that in public buildings and facilities. The same law applies to private institutions. The same office does oversight so that whenever there is a plan of any facility such as a building, it has to be approved along that line. That way, you will make The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}