How Tanzanians Perceive The Concept of Disability

The current guiding factors for Tanzanians to perceiving the concept of disabilities

To grasp the concept of disability and its effects for Tanzanians can be divided into several factors, and these differ in their ways to handle people with disabilities, the extend of perception of the term disability and the experience through which people with disabilities are going through. Here are the notable categories:

People with disabilities

These are the individuals who experience the immediate effects of disabilities. They pass through all cross-cutting problems related to disabilities. Most of them are poor people, uneducated, affected much by disease including HIV/AIDS, they are disadvantaged group, they live in bad conditions, and they are vulnerable group. Most of them are not employed. These people are seen as burden to the society. People with disabilities are exposed to risk conditions such as the killings of albinism people in Tanzania. They find unfriendly environments everyday in their communities. Therefore, this category of group contains people who experience the practical unbearable cross paining. They are always on the crucifixion vantage. This group of people should carefully and intensively be served with suitable assistive devices and other related services.

Families with people who have disabilities

This is the second group of people who can face the immediate challenge and come to realize what disability effects look like. If these people in this group are not well given basics on how to handle people with special needs can for a short time give up. Most parents divorce each other, experience suicide and compounded stress, they experience economic crisis and are isolated by other members of society by being regarded as curse and/ or punishment from God/gods for evils they did in the past. This group should be assisted to lessen the effects of disability within the family.

               

                      Elites

This group of elites (educated people) is very small group of people, mainly are teachers with special education training and the physicians who experience the immediate effects of disability when performing their assigned tasks, be it teaching and learning processes or attending the patients. This group is the key to understanding the technical terms and the practical nature about the disability and its effects to individuals and society at large. It is through this group that other members of society can gain knowledge. However, this group can have optional decision not to consider their profession in relation to disability affairs and still not be echoed by the effects of disability. The group should be supported for effective performance of its professions.

                                     Charity people

This is the fourth group of people in Tanzania which is not directly affected by the effects of disabilities. It is a group of people from different affairs in the society such as individual business men and women, religious institutions and disability-oriented NGOs. They feel obligated for helping people with disabilities. Some groups and individuals in this group show charity to people with disabilities due to various triggers as follows;

Religious institutions

The religious institutions like Christianity and Islamic do so because in their holy books of Bible and Quran are instructed to do so to people with disabilities. These people believe that helping other people especially those with disabilities is one way of being blessed by God and the way to eternal life in paradise.

NGOs

Sometimes an NGO can have the mission to help people with disabilities but employ people who are not disability-charity oriented. They perform their duties as an employment and the only way of earning their income. However, these people may gradually be transformed into disability culture, being aware of disability effects.

Presidential office Institution

This is an institution which is headed by the president of the United Republic of Tanzania. The institution is annually gives gifts and offers to vulnerable groups including people with disabilities on special occasions and specified notable days. Christmas day, New Year, and Eid Elfitry for instance are good examples. The offers are given on behalf of presidential office. To this office, it is the day to show how the government is concerned with all people including those at risk positions in life like people with disabilities.

              Families and people who are not directly affected by disabilities

This is the fifth and the last group of people to grasp the meaning and the concept of disability. It is composed of ordinary people, wealthy people, and even people with different positions within the government system. These people feel themselves are free from being affected by disability in a direct way. They see and consider themselves as having chances and privileges to enjoy pure life within the society. The dangerous problem with this group is that, once they experience disability become disappointed, self-isolated, feel as the end of life, finally develop other problems of stress and other related secondary disasters to their lives.

Conclusion

In Tanzania, to have clear understanding of the concept of disability and its effects to the individuals, families and the national wise, there should be a subject dealing with disability affairs. The subject should cover the whole system of national education. It should start from primary school to university level, and it should be compulsory to all levels in which it will be conducted.