INCLUSIVE MOBILITY AND SAFETY OF SCHOOL CHILDREN WITH DISABILITY IN BENIN CITY, NIGERIA
By Stanley Ojekere, Daniella Mkpandiok & Damilola Akinpelu
Executive Summary
Children with disabilities (CWDs) can be found in all human civilizations. Between 93 million and 150 million children live with a disability worldwide. The term ‘‘children with disabilities’’ (CWDs), as it’s used in this study, refers to people age 18 and below who have long-term physical, visual, hearing, or intellectual impairments, which interact with other various barriers to hinder their full participation in a society. In cities of low and middle-income countries (LMICs), most CWDs are less likely to attend primary school, let alone secondary education.
For instance, in Benin City, Nigeria, less than 10% of all CWDs are in primary school while about 90% do not attend school at all. Various attributable barriers to the low school completion rate among CWDs abound. From a mobility perspective, school children with disabilities experience tremendous travel difficulties commuting to and from school. This is largely due to the fact that existing public transport policies, infrastructure and operations did not take into account the mobility needs and capabilities of these group of students. As a result, school children with disabilities continue to face significant mobility barriers and remain the most vulnerable to road crashes, injuries, and death in cities of LMICs, with no end in sight. In light of this, this study sought to examine the mobility challenges and needs of school children in Benin City, Nigeria.
The mix method research (MMR) was adopted to achieve the aim of this study. The study had a sample size of 114 respondents, which cut across all categories of disability such as physical impairment, visual impairment, hearing impairment, learning impairment, among others. The main instruments for data collection were a well-structured questionnaire, a key informant interview (KII) guide, and a focused group discussion (FGD) guide. A total of eight (8) students, which cut across all categories of disabilities, took part in the FGD, while four (4) KII from relevant ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) at the city level were interviewed. The study was theoretically anchored on a safe system (SS) approach and a capability approach (CA) respectively. The SS approach provides guidance for building a safe public transport system where the safety of school children with disabilities is prioritized, whereas CA provides insight into the abilities and capabilities of school children with disabilities in the utilization of public transport systems as a travel mode.
Findings revealed that 50% of the respondents were male and 50% were female. Seventy-four percent (74%) were aged 13-18 years old whereas 26.3% were aged 6-12. Likewise, 41.4% were enrolled in primary school, while 58.6% were in secondary school. 48.2% were hearing impaired, 29.8% were visually impaired, whereas 8.8% were physically impaired, while 13.2% were speech impaired. Moreover, 56.8% of disability was caused by birth defects, 29.5% by eye disease, 5.7% by polio virus, and 1.2% accounted for other diseases. Sixty percent (59.6%) were dependent on someone (care giver) for mobility to and from school, whereas 40.4% were self-dependent. Importantly, 59.6% were not aware of inclusive mobility-related policies that make it illegal for public transport drivers to discriminate against them while, 61.4% agreed public transport drivers should be punished for discriminatory behavior. Similarly, because of lack of knowledge, 64.9% have not benefitted from government mobility support while 87.8% travel at least 15 minutes to an hour before getting to and from school. Furthermore, a revealing 98.2% had no access to school buses and relied on other travel modes such as minibuses, comrade buses, taxis, tricycles, and Non-Motorized Transport (NMT) to and from school, while 64.9% made a minimum of two stops on their way to and from school. In terms of the services provided, public transport was not available to 67.6% to and from school, while 50% considered timeliness of public transport service as low. More so, 79.4% spend between 11 and 40 minutes waiting before getting a public transport service to and from school. Of the interviewers using public transport service, while high (66.7%) spent at least 500 Naira (1.29 USD) per day as cost of transport to and from school. Also, 41.2% were not given enough time to board and disembark from a public transport vehicle to and from school. More so, physical barriers, mobility barriers on school premises and road transit safety (p = 0.035, p = 0.042, p = 0.021) respectively were significant factors which contributed to the mobility exclusion of school children with disabilities in Benin City, Nigeria.
In order to boost inclusive mobility and the safety of school children with disabilities, the study recommends a shift to a need-based approach to public transport policy, while school bus service, safe pedestrian facilities, free/subsidized public transport service, and assistive mobility facilities should be prioritized. More so, advocacy to raise awareness against discrimination and exclusion of school children with disabilities in public transport should be strengthened in Benin City, Nigeria.