THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCESSIBLE TEXTBOOKS TO THE EDUCATION OF THE BLIND

Redemption international for the Blind: MY ADDRESS AT CREST HOTEL FUNDRAISING EVENT, MAY 1...

2ND EASTER RETREAT SPEECH 2021 The chairman, Our Guest speaker, Special dignitaries, Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, Welcome to our 2nd Easter retreat, here in University of Jos, Plateau State for our blind students. We are deeply excited that we are once more able to meet after a very difficult year. First, we must thank all those that made this year’s Easter retreat a reality, especially our trustees without whom this retreat wouldn’t be happening. As we gather here to meditate over the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, let us take some time out to reflect and ponder over our lives. We must not fail to recognize the times we are in; dangerous and perilous times! So, let us make amend where the need arises; and let’s reconcile ourselves back to God, for God never fails! there may be thorns and thistles along the way, but He’s more than capable of seeing us through this rough road! We are here to celebrate this Easter with you, for you are the beauty of our society. We recognize your uncommon place within our human society; and we want to let you know that you are very special to us. Be rest assured that without you, humanity is incomplete. You contribute in a very exceptional way to the human diversity. Indeed, we love you. Your dignity is what we have sworn to protect; and our charity shall, at all times, stand by you, come rain, come shine! Your progress and general well-being is important to us. Hence, this retreat! Please feel free to eat, drink, sing and dance with us here today! Let’s make merry for the grave could not hold Him captive! Your education is equally important to us as a charity, hence, the reason for these 10 typewriters available here with us today, all of which shall be given out to 10 lucky students who could not afford to buy one. Hopefully, as the economy improves for our trustees, we hope to include computers and other special facilities as we use to do before. Believe you me when we say we love you. We are very proud of you, for in-spite-of all the challenges of life, in-spite-of all the rejections, and humiliations you face everyday as you strive to live, you still can walk shoulders high! Great many would have caved in, but for your resilience,. We salute your courage. Though humanity is now terribly broken, so many of us no longer know what it means to show love to the less privileged, we shall continue to stand by you. Please join us at Crest Hotels, Jos, on the 15th day of May, as we fundraise for the establishment of an automated Braille Press and an online digital library for the blind here in Jos, Plateau State. Together, we can make it happen! To our special guests, thank you for coming despite your tight schedule! We appreciate your highly esteemed presence. We will appreciate your kind intervention in whichever way possible. We count on your support please! Once again, on behalf of our founder, and our kind-hearted trustees, thanks to everyone for coming! Enjoy your day!

COURTESY VISIT ADDRESS AT PFN MEETING: Chairman, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, (PFN), Plateau State, Rev. Dr. Steve Dangana, Members of PFN State Executive Council, All other protocols duly observed: It is indeed our pleasure appearing before the highly anointed presence of our Spiritual Lords and Bishops in the State. We are persuaded beyond doubt that Plateau State still stands today, and yet to be overrun, could be largely attributed to your relentless and unceasing intercessions and spiritual interventions. Thank you for this rare opportunity. We do not take it for granted. Your Lordships, With me here today are dedicated members of staff of Redemption International For The Blind. Our office is at Shaka Zone, F51, behind Airforce Base. Our goal is simple, working towards and inclusive and an accessible world, where no one is left behind, digitally, educationally, economically, socially and politically. We are working to raise the living standard of the Blind and the Visually Impaired, not just in this State, but throughout the Nation. We stand for an all-inclusive educational system where the Blind and the Visually Impaired can have access to all his study materials, including textbooks in accessible formats, either in braille, audio or electronic, so he can study on an equal basis with the other members of his class. Our goal is gigantic, having lingered for so long. Achieving this goal therefore would require the support of everyone in the society, including Your Lordships, hence, our courtesy visit this day, the 14th day of June, 2021, to solicit for your support and cooperation, especially with funding and materials. Your Lordships, We are certainly here not to remind you of the position of Jesus Christ concerning helping the less privileged ones among us, as you are undoubtedly well acquainted with it; but the positive role that civil society organizations like ours, play in the shaping and moulding of opinions in our society cannot be overemphasized. We are fighting a good cause; a cause that is not just justifiable, but equally justiceable. Our message here today is very simple: no one person is immuned from disability. Today is my turn, tomorrow, it could be another person. With the rise in banditry and their likes, comes an increase in the number of persons with disabilities in our society. There are those who cannot read without glasses; there are also those who cannot drive without glasses; and as we advance in age, our eyesight dims, and completely fades with time; diabetes is yet another major cause of blindness. Blindness is, and shall remain a part of our society. The best we can do is to accept this fact, own it as a societal problem, and jointly come together to find a soft landing for those, who without a choice of their own, end up becoming blind. Such persons can be counselled, rehabilitated, and equipped with various skills, academically and vocationally, so they remain relevant in the society, not just to themselves, but also to the larger community. Your Lordships, Gone are the days when a Blind child is relegated to the background, hidden away from the society by their parents, or used in the streets by their guardians as ATM machines! There is no gainsaying the fact that each one of Your Lordships here commands different levels of followership within our society. Please kindly help us in this fight, even from your various pulpits. Spread the good news about us, and the urgent need for the public to support our cause. Great achievers exist among us who have excelled in various fields of life endeavour; yet, there still remain so many more who’re still struggling to climb the ladder. Please join us as we strive to build a solid bridge that is strong enough to carry and cross as many as would find this bridge! This remains the high point of our advocacy! May God richly bless you all, as you collaborate and partner with us to make this life a lot easier for the Blind and the Visually Impaired persons in our society. Amen and Amen. Thank you! Sunny Ezurike, International President, Redemption International For The Blind.

MY ADDRESS AT CREST HOTEL FUNDRAISING EVENT, MAY 15, 2021MY ADDRESS: May 15, 2021 First-ever Fundraising Ceremony For The Establishment of an Automated Braille Press in Jos, Plateau State of Nigeria, by Redemption International For The Blind, holding at Crest Hotel, Jos, Plateau State. The Chairman of the occasion, Executive Secretary, National Commission For Persons with Disabilities, Your Excellencies here physically present, Men of The Media, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, All other protocols duly observed: We are indeed excited to welcome you all to this epoch-making event, being our first-ever fundraising Charity Event by Redemption International For The Blind, specifically designed to create awareness of our existence within this State in particular, and Nigeria as a whole. The rationale behind this event is to raise funds on behalf of our association to enable us embark on our project targeted at improving ‘Blind Literacy’, to reduce published textbooks into accessible formats for the Blind, either in braille, electronic or audio. Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Redemption International For The Blind (RIFTB) was founded by me in 2009 while I was in The University of Aberdeen, Scotland for my LLM in Human Rights, and was registered same year as a Scottish charity, with charity number SC040825, with the primary object to advance the education of the Blind and their general well-being. And upon my return back to Nigeria after my LLM Degree program, we continued on an annual basis to provide completely for free, such facilities as are relevant to the Blind academically and for their independent living, including laptop and desktop computers fully equipped with screen reader like JAWS, typewriters, guide canes, braille writing frames, braille papers, tape recorders, braille and talking wrist watches, signature guide, blind indoor games, talking Bibles, and many more. Upon my second “missionary journey” to Europe in 2016 for my PhD Research, I thought it wise to register this charity in Portugal which we successfully did December, 2018, with NIF number 515204056. We are at present equally registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria (CAC as a non-governmental organization. While we shall continue to provide for free to the Blind relevant facilities needed to help with their education and independent living, as hereinbefore mentioned, we have now thought it wise to include making published textbooks in accessible formats to the Blind in ‘real time’. As it is often said: “It is he who wears the shoes that knows where it pinches most.” Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, May I inform you that I have worn these shoes right from age 3; and I have since then continued to wear these same shoes all through my primary to tertiary education, including this level where I am now. So I perfectly understand our limitations to our daily life tasks. I therefore consider myself as an unbiased authority here having personally witnessed, and still experiencing these pains myself. One of the greatest challenges confronting the Blind child anywhere in the world is education. Education is described as “The basic building block of every society; the single best investment that countries can make to build prosperous, healthy and equitable societies”, of which we are a part. If education indeed remains “The bedrock of every nation”, and if the international community is realistic about its message on “Education For All”, Especially, with regards to the United Nations 2030 Agenda, its full realization can only be possible if there is a total and all-inclusive package that can help the Blind easily access knowledge and information from books without having to rely on parents, friends, teachers and classmates, who can only assist when it is most convenient to them. This situation is no longer acceptable to the Blind. I have come to discover that much more practical action really needs to be taken in the area of making knowledge and information in published textbooks accessible to the Blind in real time. There can be nothing as enslaving as blindness where you will have to rely on someone else for almost everything. But for technology, the situation would have been worse. Thanks to the 2013 Marrakesh Treaty, which is an International binding agreement that grants copyright exceptions on published textbooks to the Blind, The Visually Impaired and The Print Disabled. Please see: https://wipolex.wipo.int/en/treaties/textdetails/13169 And so, in my opinion, Nigeria, and the international community no longer have excuses for failing the Blind community in this direction. With all the industrialization and development of the Western World, only 5% of all published books is accessible to the Blind living in the developed world, and this is according to a 2013 available statistics. To the Blind in the developing world, the situation is even more critical, where less than 1% of all published books is accessible. See: https://www.euractiv.com › section › digital › news › books-without-borders... Yet in all cases, we all sit and write same examinations at all levels of study. According to article 1 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities, “Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.” https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities.html#menu-header-menu From the foregoing, you will discover that the Blind and the Visually Impaired fall under the category of sensory impairment which poses serious barriers to us to participate on an equal basis with others in the society. See also article 24 (1 A to C) of the same convention which state thus: 1. States Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to education. With a view to realizing this right without discrimination and on the basis of equal opportunity, States Parties shall ensure an inclusive education system at all levels and lifelong learning directed to: (a) The full development of human potential and sense of dignity and self-worth, and the strengthening of respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and human diversity; (b) The development by persons with disabilities of their personality, talents and creativity, as well as their mental and physical abilities, to their fullest potential; (c) Enabling persons with disabilities to participate effectively in a free society. Article 24 (5), “States Parties shall ensure that persons with disabilities are able to access general tertiary education, vocational training, adult education and lifelong learning without discrimination and on an equal basis with others. To this end, States Parties shall ensure that reasonable accommodation is provided to persons with disabilities.” Your Excellencies, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, It is discrimination when a sighted child can study with his textbooks in his leisure time, while that blind child cannot. Educational inequity and inequality is only bound to expand in Africa unless we take the necessary steps to make these textbooks equally accessible to the blind in accessible formats. It is in pursuit of this ultimate desire to eliminate this major barrier which has inhibited the Blind and the Visually Impaired from participating on an equal basis with the society that we are today here gathered; to explore ways of improving this essential Right, so that on an equal basis, we can, in ‘real time’, equally access knowledge, information and culture as expressed in written textbooks, along with our sighted colleagues; so we can be rightly and correctly judged based on equal access to published books. This in brief is the crux of today’s charity event, designed to sensitize our people, philanthropists, the Nigerian government, our society, and the international community at large, on this major educational need for the Blind. This matter touches fundamentally on our Right to Education, and should command urgent attention by governments and other donor bodies and multi-national corporations across the world. Six years now gone since the Marrakesh Treaty became an international binding treaty, yet not much success has been recorded in this direction. Your Excellencies, There is no accurate data on how many blind persons in Nigeria are in school, may be, perhaps, the newly established Commission for Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria, may help us out with accurate statistics soonest, but the truth of the matter is that most of us begin and end our education without a single textbook in accessible format. I am a living example! Section 17 (1) of the Nigeria Disability Act states as follows: “A person with disability shall have an unfettered right to education without discrimination or segregation in any form.” It is pure discrimination that the Blind and the Visually Impaired in Nigeria cannot enjoy equal access to educational materials with other members of the society, in-spite of our enormous resources. Again, please see Section 20 of the same Act: “Government shall ensure that the education of persons with disabilities, particularly children who are blind, deaf or with multiple disabilities is delivered in the most appropriate language, mode and means of communication for the individual, and in environments which maximize academic and social development.” For the Blind, the most appropriate mode and means of communication is braille, and of course, audio! Unfortunately, this is 2021, yet the blind and the visually impaired students in Nigeria are still struggling to find relevant textbooks and other study materials that they can read, either in braille, electronic or audio. We have the technology to achieve this, we equally have the international binding treaty since 2013 which has taken care of issues bothering on copyright questions, the Will is there on our part, but what we do not have is the capital, the funds to expedite action on making published textbooks accessible to the Blind anywhere in the country. Whoever knows his tomorrow from today? What makes you think you will remain physically fit until death? This necessarily might not for now directly affect you, but it could just be anyone tomorrow who matters most to you. At the time George W. Bush passed into law, The Americans With Disabilities Bill, he never anticipated to be bedridden unto death, but that ended up being his lot, and he automatically became a direct beneficiary of the same law he had carefully crafted for the benefit of humanity. Imagine the burden he would have been to his family without such a law? Your Excellencies, We may not be able to end this ‘Global Book Famine’ currently inhibiting Blind Literacy world wide, but we can certainly put in our very best to fight this barrier, and then leave the rest for history to judge. Believe you me, the Blind and the Visually Impaired in no small measure contribute to the beauty of our society; We occupy an uncommon place within our human society; and we are without doubt, very special. Indeed, I can boldly beat my chest and say that without us, humanity is incomplete. We contribute in a very exceptional way to the human diversity. Without exaggeration, it is the duty of the government to protect the dignity of the Blind and the Visually Impaired. The progress and general well-being of these people should therefore not be compromised. Believe you me when I say I love my people, and I can go to any length to demonstrate this. We, @Redemption International For The Blind, are very proud of you, for in-spite-of all the challenges of life, in-spite-of all the rejections, and humiliations you face everyday as you strive to live, you still can walk shoulders high! Great many would have caved in, but for your resilience,. How I wish I had it all. Unfortunately, the reverse is the case, hence, my humble appeal to everyone gathered here today, to please help in any way possible. I urge you to please be a part of our success story. Our desire is to establish an automated Braille Press, Computer Training and Skills Acquisition Centre for the Blind here in Jos. To achieve this, we are appealing for your kind intervention with funds to enable us purchase Braillo 650 SF2; the cost for this machine alone is about 120 thousand Euro, equivalence of around 65 million naira. Besides this, we also have the need for computers, scanners, recording devices, vehicle, and a generator. The need to pay our staff salaries and maintain our office here in Jos cannot be overemphasized. Our decision to locate this project in Jos, Plateau State, is born out of the realization that it is within this community that the University of Jos which arguably admits the highest number of blind students in Nigeria sits. From here, if God wills it, we may then launch out to other regions in Africa, and we truly crave your support in this direction. We shall reduce published textbooks in accessible formats to the Blind, The Visually Impaired and the Print Disabled, upload such books on our website for the Blind anywhere in the country to either download for free and read or listen when most convenient to him, or listen online while on the site. While we celebrate the Marrakesh Treaty as a major positive development towards ending this “Global Book Thirst” affecting our full social integration and general academic performance, may I humbly appeal to everyone herein seated today, our larger society, and the international community to please join us in this our fight towards the actual practical realization of the core aims of this treaty. I appeal directly to the government of Nigeria, the Commission on Persons with Disabilities, National Human Rights Commission, Nigeria Copyrights Commission, United Nations (UN), donor bodies, multi-national corporations, financial institutions, the academia, every lover of humanity, and all lovers of education to please support our cause. We will not disappoint you. And seizing this rare golden opportunity, may I, at this juncture, also appeal to the members of the National Assembly, and the Federal Government of Nigeria, to, as a matter of urgency, consider the immediate implementation or domestication of the United Nations Convention on The Rights of Persons With Disabilities, (UNCRPD), and the Marrakesh Treaty of 2013. This is long overdue. Doing this would indeed go a long way in complimenting the existing Nigeria Disability Act, and improve the lots and the general well-being of persons with disabilities in Nigeria. In conclusion, to all of our special Guests, thank you for coming despite your tight schedule! We appreciate your highly esteemed presence. We will appreciate your kind intervention in whichever way possible. We count on your support please! Redemption International For The Blind cares! Thank you! Sunny Ezurike )President / Founder, Redemption International For The Blind.) Tel: +351934799647 Email: riftb.riftb@gmail.com Website: https://riftb.com https://riftb.org https://www.facebook.com/RedemptionInternationalfortheBlind/ https://instagram.com/redemptionintlfor/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/redemption-int-blind-04b440100/ https://youtu.be/zXI_Vwp-MQI

Redemption international for the Blind: Redemption international for the Blind: Redemption...

Redemption international for the Blind: Redemption international for the Blind: Redemption...: Redemption international for the Blind: Redemption international for the Blind: A SHORT ST... : Redemption international for the Blind: A SH...

Redemption international for the Blind: Redemption international for the Blind: A SHORT ST...

Redemption international for the Blind: Redemption international for the Blind: A SHORT ST...: Redemption international for the Blind: A SHORT STORY OF A KING AND HIS BLIND SONA paper p... : A SHORT STORY OF A KING AND HIS BLIND SON A ...

Redemption international for the Blind: Redemption international for the Blind: A SHORT ST...

Redemption international for the Blind: Redemption international for the Blind: A SHORT ST...: Redemption international for the Blind: A SHORT STORY OF A KING AND HIS BLIND SONA paper p... : A SHORT STORY OF A KING AND HIS BLIND SON A ...