Konrad Adenauer Stiftung wants the next Population and Housing Census to include realistic information on people living with disabilities in Namibia.

This was said by the Resident Representative for Namibia-Angola Office Natalie Russmann at the National Disabilities Conference in Windhoek.

Natalie Russmann believes such data will contribute to giving stakeholders a realistic view and up-to-date statistics on people with disabilities in Namibia. 

"To know the data means we will also know where the impact and the needs are most needed and where we can place our activities to help and support people with disabilities, it is our hope that the next census will provide sufficient information to address exclusion in particular people with disabilities and vulnerable communities, transparency and accountability because we need data in order to operate professionally." 

She added that there is a need for access to election information for people living with disabilities so that they can fully participate in the democratic processes.

I would like to encourage the OPDs to ensure that people with disabilities are registered to vote and to provide important information and documentation so that our people with disability are also aware and available to this information and have access to information when it comes to election to execute and practice their rights to vote."

On her part, the Deputy Minister of Disability Affairs expressed concern about the high number of children with disabilities in Namibia who are not able to attend school due to some schools' inability to accommodate them.

"We hope and trust that the resource schools will open in all the regions which will accommodate these children with disabilities. The policy is that of the ministry of education but our office has taken it upon itself to make sure that the policy is being implemented because at the current state, the policy is at a very slow pace."  

The two-day National Disabilities Conference is being held under the theme ' Awareness, Inclusivity, Public Participation, and Shaping Namibia's Disability Regulatory Framework'.