Disabilities are defined for personal, medical, legal, and social service reasons, and these definitions may differ widely. Those who have found themselves suddenly disabled or dealing with a new chronic illness or medical condition are also included under persons with disability category. While there are hidden and visible types of disabilities, both categories are impacted by various human and social factors.
All people, regardless of disability, deserve the opportunity for a full life in their community where they can live, learn, work, and play alongside each other through all stages of life. In Ethiopian community, people with disabilities face negative stereotypes, difficulty communicating, physical, social and other barriers that prevent them from learning, living, working, and playing in their communities.
Tsinat Ministry promotes the health and full participation in Ethiopian community for people with disabilities across their lifespans. Tsinat Ministry also develop tools and resources for improving the quality of life for people living with mobility limitations (such as difficulty walking or climbing stairs) and intellectual disabilities (difficulty making decisions, concentrating, learning, or remembering) in the community. Disability is an aspect of diversity that is integral to our community and we believe that supporting individuals with disability is a shared responsibility of all Ethiopian community.
Every year on last Saturday of February, we propose to celebrate National Ethiopian Disability Awareness (NEDA) day in Ethiopia and outside of Ethiopia where Ethiopian community available. The annual observance of NEDA aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in Ethiopian community, and to increase awareness on the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of social, economic and cultural life.
NEDA is designed to begin in DC/MD/VA area and eventually expand to reach various groups of people in Ethiopia and among Ethiopian community throughout the world. In order to achieve our goal, Tsinat Ministry work together with Ethiopian Community Service, advocacy groups, nonprofit organizations, students, institutions, government office, and individuals to make our community place where all people can thrive. By teaming together, we envisioned to promote health within Ethiopian communities, increase understanding and awareness about types of disabilities and their causes, and enables people with disabilities to fully participate in social, cultural and spiritual benefits.
We recognize that disability reflects diverse characteristics and experiences and community integration is a key component to achieve our goal. Individuals with disabilities should have the opportunity to live like people without disabilities. The service achieves its mission by honoring the uniqueness of each person and promote self-advocacy skills for personal success. We hope different types of Ethiopian communities such as churches and mosques will also join the annual awareness event.
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