Monrovia – Samuel S. Dean, Sr., Executive Director of the National Commission on Disabilities (NCD) has made a repeated called on the Liberian Legislature to install an elevator at the Capitol Building – the original building hosting the rotunda and the joint chamber of the Legislature.
Last week, Dean was informed of a meeting at the Senate to discuss TVET board members in Liberia. He rushed to the meeting, only to find out there was no meeting. As he tried to leave, he struggled to exit due to an unrepaired elevator at the Senate and the absence of assistance.
“I had to painfully crawl down the stairs because no one was around to carry me down. I need justice. I need them to repair that elevator. As the chief Disability Advocate, who’s tasked with the mandate to speak on behalf of one million persons with disabilities in Liberia, if I cannot advocate for my own dignity and human rights, how effective can I be in defending the rights of my people?”
Dean, also the founder of the Florence A. Tolbert & the Disabled Advocates Incorporated (FATDA), has been advocating for accessibility in the House of Representatives and Senate for persons with disabilities (PWDs) even before his appointment by President Joseph Boakai. According to him, since 2022, the Senate’s elevator has been non-functional due to a repair cost of USD 10,000 – an amount allocated for the President Pro Tempore’s entertainment alone.
“This miscarriage of justice, if not addressed, has the potential to set a bad precedent, not only within ECOWAS Member States, whose aim is to create an inclusive West Africa, but to the world at large,” Dean stated.
Dean termed his experience as a human rights violation by those responsible for protecting people’s rights. “The House of Elders could learn a thing or two from their colleagues in the Lower House; they have their elevator up and running, despite owing the repairers $500.”
Article 11 of the Liberian Constitution guarantees fundamental rights and freedoms to all persons regardless of sex, ethnicity, race, political opinion, or national origin. Article 2 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) explicitly recognizes that reasonable accommodation is vital in enabling persons with disabilities to enjoy and exercise their rights on an equal basis with others.
Liberia, a signatory to the Convention and a State Party of the CRPD, has seen elusive implementation of Article 11 of the Liberian Constitution, much like its CRPD counterpart. This is unacceptable and should be condemned by everyone. Unfortunately, in Liberia, human rights abuses have become the norm. Article 9 of the CRPD, which addresses accessibility, remains unimplemented.
The Senate building is simply inaccessible, and that needs to change. No one knows when they might become disabled – it could happen through an accident, illness, or old age. Therefore, making Liberia inclusive is crucial so that everyone is prepared when that time comes. The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) emphasizes that duty bearers should “leave no one behind.”
In 1990, George Bush Sr., when signing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law, proclaimed: “Let this shameful wall of discrimination come tumbling down.” In Liberia today, the shameful wall of socially sanctioned stigma against persons with disabilities has grown significantly. It will take great leaders who refuse to sit idly by to correct this socioeconomic disparity.
“To that end, it is a human rights abuse for anyone to have to crawl up the stairs of the Senate building. I believe it’s high time that the Senate gets sued.”
