DISABILITY WITHOUT BORDERS

Nigani is happy to be using his new and lighter crutches. They are enabling him to move faster and easier than he was previously with his old homemade wooden crutches. He is pictured here with Ben Theodore, SPSN's Disability Support Officer.

Papua New Guinea has an estimated population of approximately 7.5 million. Around 85% of people in PNG live in rural areas and isolated villages with inaccessible terrain and poor communication infrastructure, road networks and transport. This makes access to social services such as health and rehabilitation, mobility equipment, employment and education extremely difficult and limited.

It is estimated that more than one million people in PNG live with disabilities; half of them are children.

There are no official statistics for the number of persons with disabilities in PNG, but the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 15% of the world’s populations have some form of disabilities or impairments. This equates to approximately 1,125,000 people in PNG who are living with some form of disability or impairment. Of this group, about 2% (or about 22,500 people) receive services. This means that the bulk of persons with disabilities—the remaining 98%, or 1,102,500 people—are not receiving any support.

There is a distinct lack of knowledge and resources for managing disabilities in some communities, and the cultural and traditional perspectives have a great influence over the lives of persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities are often unable to join community life, go to school or work. They are often not able or are prevented from leaving their homes due to shame, as disability can be associated with violations of cultural norms.

However, the story is gradually changing for persons living with disability in PNG.

Nigani Girigi, of Kirakira village in the National Capital District, is an example of the changing story.

Nigani, 22, was attending Grade 2 at the Bavaroko Primary School in Port Moresby in 2001 when he fell off the stairs of a four metre high classroom and fractured his left tibia bone.

The fracture of the tibia is a break in the shinbone just below the knee and is called a ‘proximal tibia fracture’.

Nigani’s ability to walk, play and run was stalled, because the impact from the fall had crushed the bone and left him bedridden.

The following two years were spent in hospital, as corrective surgeries were performed to fix his leg. After the ninth surgery, Nigani’s family lost hope; his bone had compressed and remained sunken like a piece of styrofoam that has been stepped on.

Nigani was now disabled: he could not walk, run or play. It was a challenging time for Nigani and his supportive parents who would encourage him to learn to do things using one foot.

Generally, the status of persons with disabilities within PNG is extremely low and their voices unheard. The key underlying causes are the attitudes and structures that exist in society that not only negatively affect the health and social wellbeing of people with disabilities, but also limit their opportunities and participation in society. Existing power structures do little to foster their participation, or challenge views that result in the stigmatisation and exclusion of persons with disabilities in PNG.

Despite these challenges, Nigani has never let the system and the negative attitudes of men and women discourage him from living his dream of attending school.

The past 10 years since his last surgery in 2004 have been a decade of revolution for Nigani.

“Instead of sleeping too much and worrying too much about my lost leg, I used the time to improve my literature skills, by reading books and writing,” said Nigani.

Apart from reading and writing, Nigani started fixing old mobile phones and radios. He became good at it, so he decided to try out fixing washing machines and fridges.

On the weekends, he would take part in the village volleyball competition and other times he would help his mother by climbing trees to harvest fruit for her to sell.

“I realised that I was doing everything a person with both legs would do. Perhaps, I was doing better than them. That was the driving force: I told myself that if I was given the chance to return to school, I would ensure I did achieve the best results,” said Nigani.

It was not long before his competence earned him a space at the Badili Vocational Training School.

Nigani was identified and enrolled by a teacher at the Training School, where he has recently completed two years of electronics. He is currently undergoing job training at the Courts Electronics Department in Gordons.

Nigani’s motivation was further boosted with the recent distribution of assistive devices for persons with disability at Kirakira village.

Nigani was among 300 persons who attended the Kirakira assistive devices distribution camp. Villagers gathered at their community hall for their eyes and ears to be tested and hearing aids and eye glasses to be given out to them. Others with knee and leg impairment were given walking sticks and crutches.

St John’s Ambulance, in partnership with the National Orthotics and Prosthetics Service (NOPS), ensured that proper ear and eye screenings were done before the hearing devices and eye glasses were distributed. Similarly, measurements were taken from the people with mobility impairment before walking sticks and crutches were given out.

Nigani also received new crutches. These have now replaced the old homemade wooden crutch he had built and used since 2011.

Nigani’s new crutches were funded by the Australian Government through SPSN. Australia, through SPSN, has provided PGK6.4 million to support disability work in PNG.

Funding under the PNG and Australia Disability Inclusive Development initiative is supporting the disability sector by providing guidance to the design and implementation of projects; training and mentoring for improved financial management, monitoring, reporting and project management; troubleshooting; and facilitating dialogue and creating opportunities for networking and collaboration within the sector.

SPSN also houses a disability support officer engaged by SPSN through the Department for Community Development and Religion disability project grant. His engagement in the project and input to SPSN’s broader support to disability has helped to promote a sectoral approach to disability programming.

This year, all sector agencies have come together to further develop their strategic framework for collaboration, which has contributed to the review of the National Disability Policy. Other achievements include:

·         27,000 assistive devices have been distributed through the disability network at district levels

·         Key sector agencies have been supported with their various advocacy and service delivery programs

·         Information on incidence of disability has been collected in West New Britain to guide improved budgeting and planning

·         National assistive technology guidelines have been drafted through a highly consultative process

·         More than 200 people now have the skills to assess and fit assistive devices appropriately

·         More than 266 adults and 30 children have gained greater independence through receipt of a wheelchair

·         Early intervention has occurred for 121 children (out of 8,000 screened) with hearing or visual needs.

“I am thankful that the funding support from Australia has enabled us to receive free assistive devices right at our doorsteps,” said Nigani.

“I am also thankful that through the work of many dedicated civil society organisations and the Governments of PNG and Australia, people’s negative perceptions about persons with disabilities have changed. I would have been shunned by stigma and discrimination if it wasn’t for the group’s advocacy on the rights of persons with disabilities.”

“I am moreover excited as these new crutches will greatly enable me to walk faster since they are lighter than my wooden crutch,” said Nigani.
Nigani joined the world in observing the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December.