PHOTO: Participants pose for picture after the video presentation
By Kelvin Gonlah, gonlahkelvin1995@gmail.com
As part of educating Liberian citizens about their Fundamental rights, according to Chapter lll of the Liberian 1986 Constitution, the Campaigners against Misinformation and Disinformation (CAMDI) in Liberia in partnership with Cruse Media Concepts has launched a video presentation for persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
The video presentation particularly targeted citizens with hearing and speech impairment who participated in the just-ende 2023 Biometric Voter Registration in the western Tubmanburg, Bomi County at the Oscar Romero School.
The Video Presentation was well-attended with over 60 participants around the environment, including persons with disabilities particularly citizens with hearing and speech impairment.
Many citizens lauded Cruse Media Concepts and Campaigners against Misinformation and Disinformation (CAMDI) for taking the stance to educate persons with Disabilities (PWDs) through the video presentation, especially for citizens with hearing and speech impaired for the initiative because they will no longer have to stand in a long queue for an hour long to get their voter’s registration card.
According to the Executive Director of Campaigners against Misinformation and Disinformation (CAMDI) in Liberia, Taweh Johnson, the video presentation is meant to prevent the spread of misinformation and disinformation within the persons with disabilities (PWDs) Community. It will also help to fast-track the voter registration for persons with disabilities particularly the hearing and speech impaired.
Mr. Johnson added that the Campaigners against misinfo and disinfo have visited two centers in Montserrado. Which include: Greater Works Academy Registration Center in Chugbor on Old Road and the Tubman High School Registration Center on 12th Street in Sinkor, Monrovia.
“We are using our resources to carry on this initiative without any support from donor partners or an organization, we are students using our resources to run this organization, we decided as a team to help fast-track the process for a person with speech impairment,” the CAMDI Executive Director stated.
“We observed that most of the temporary NEC staff don’t know that these people with speech impairment should be given preference; they shouldn’t stand in the queue when they are recognized, they should be given their cards, without standing in the queue. Our reliance was the Biometric Voter Registration Manual, we took it to all of the registration centers. And we told the temporary NEC staff that this person with speech impaired shouldn’t stand in line. We opened to page 21 of the Biometric Voter Registration Manual and told them that speech-impaired people should be given the preference,” he explained.
Mr. Johnson also stressed that the video presentation initiative is intended to encourage persons with disabilities to turn out and register and be a part of decision-making in Liberia.
“Campaigners against misinformation and disinformation is a registered non-profit in Liberia. Its mission is to sustain the peace in Liberia by educating citizens on how to verify the information and its vision is to make citizens become responsible promotors of reliable and credible information in Liberia,” added the head of CAMDI.