The Ability Impact Centre (AIC) has convened a transformative media and advocacy workshop for over 10 Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) under the Voices Amplified Network (VAN) in Lagos.
The one-day workshop, tagged “Voices Amplified,” was designed to equip OPDs with practical communication strategies, media engagement skills, and advocacy visibility tools. The session brought together disability rights advocates, media professionals, and development partners for a day of expert-led training, interactive discussions, and hands-on group work.
Co-founder of Ability Impact Centre, Olusola Adeyefa, said the workshop is more than training, as it is a movement.
“We are reclaiming our stories and taking our place in Africa’s development agenda,” Adeyefa stated.
One of the key highlights of the workshop was the unveiling of AIC’s Media Kit for OPDs, a pioneering resource aimed at helping disability-focused organisations craft compelling, advocacy-driven communication that challenges stigma and drives social change.
According to Adeyefa, the Media Kit is the first of its kind in the country and a critical step in empowering OPDs to speak with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
Leading the day’s conversations were respected media figures such as Ayo Makinde of Channels Television and Folashade Salimonu of Lagos Television (LTV).
Makinde, during his interactive session, urged participants to shift their advocacy approach “from narratives of pity to narratives of power.” Salimonu, a broadcast journalist and disability ally, highlighted the role of inclusive storytelling in building public empathy and policy support.
The workshop also featured insights from Tobiloba Ajayi, disability rights advocate and founder of the Let Cerebral Palsy Kids Learn Foundation. Her session emphasized the need for strategic alliances and consistent public messaging in pushing for education and inclusion of children with disabilities.
Participants expressed strong appreciation for the initiative. Tolani Ojuri, President of the Albinism Association of Nigeria (Lagos Chapter), described the VAN platform as “a very significant resource hub for OPDs,” while Kingsley Njoku of the Lagos State Association of the Deaf said the session provided “practical ways to amplify our voices, regardless of disability type.”
With support from partners such as Kthalm Logistics, Sam Ijiyokunola (SI) Photography, and Techly Marketing, the Voices Amplified Workshop is part of a broader campaign by AIC to shift the paradigm from exclusion to expression. Organisers estimate the media and digital reach of the initiative will exceed 10 million Nigerians, with several social campaigns already in the pipeline.
AIC, a youth-led, disability-focused non-profit, continues to lead innovative approaches to advocacy and empowerment. Through media, storytelling, and strategic communication, the organisation is working to ensure that persons with disabilities are not just seen, but heard and respected.
