UNIJOS Students with Disabilities Struggle for Access Years After Reform

Five years after Nigeria’s Disability Act, students and lecturers with disabilities at the University of Jos face inaccessible buildings, a lack of assistive technology, and weak institutional support.

Samson Friday begins his day earlier than most students.

“I was not born blind,” he says.

While growing up, I had no challenges. It was when I got to the university that I started facing difficulties because of my impairment.

Each morning, before lectures begin, Samson must map out his movement across campus. He considers which routes are safest, which paths to avoid, and how to navigate spaces that were never designed with him in mind.

From Village Hostel, one of the on-campus student residences, it takes him about 15 minutes to reach his classroom, without any structured support or accessible alternatives.

The pedestrian bridge linking the village hostel and the permanent site

“I have fallen into gutters several times,” he says quietly. “It is risky.”

For Samson, getting to class is not routine. It is a daily negotiation with risk.

There are no tactile walkways,” he explains, referring to textured ground surfaces that guide people who are blind or have low vision. “We depend on people to move around. Sometimes those with low vision help us.

The barriers do not end there. Once on campus, access to information becomes another obstacle. “We cannot read notice boards. We rely on others to tell us what is written,” he told Joey Off Air. 

Digital tools like WhatsApp occasionally help bridge the gap, but essential academic resources remain out of reach. “There are no braille textbooks in the library,” he adds. “In the ICT centre, there are no computers with screen readers.”

“We are left out”

“We are left out”

Samson’s experience reflects a broader reality at the University of Jos, where students and lecturers living with disabilities continue to face significant barriers. In 2018, the Nigerian government signed the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act. It mandated public institutions to provide Accessible features usable by persons with disability in public buildings such as Ramps, lifts, elevators, and pathways.

However, Joey Off-Air observed that several buildings in the University of Jos campuses — Naraguta, Bauchi Road, Gangare Campus, JUTH, including lecture halls, administrative buildings, and hostels, do not have ramps or other accessibility designs. 

“Moving around the school is difficult,” says Gift Ije, a diploma student in the university, who uses a wheelchair. “The roads are also not good for wheelchairs.” 

Getting to class often requires improvisation. Gift is a student of the Faculty of Education, arguably the faculty in the university with the highest number of persons with disabilities. Most of the faculty’s buildings are between one and two storeys. 

“We climb stairs using crutches, or my friends carry me so we don’t get late,” she says.

In the hostel, the challenges continue.

“My wheelchair cannot enter the toilet,” she explains. “I depend on my friends.”

This constant reliance on others, Gift and Samson say, strips away a sense of independence. 

Lecturers with disabilities are also not exempted. Mike Abednego, a professor who has lectured in the university, has a hearing impairment, he said inconveniences – especially architectural barriers — reflect systemic neglect. 

For instance, Sky Bank Hall, one of the most used lecture halls by education students at the University’s Naraguta Campus doesn’t have a disability-friendly entrance or seating routes. Oftentimes, students cramp into the hall, squeezing students like Gift at the front, and making it difficult for lecturers like himself to access the halls. 

Mike’s colleague, who uses crutches, has an office located on the top floor in the faculty. “It is very difficult for her to access it. Even attending Senate meetings is a challenge because there is an elevator in the Senate building but it is not functional.”

Beyond physical infrastructure, teaching support systems are also limited.

“There are no assistive teaching devices and services for lecturers with disabilities,” he adds, “and there are very few interpreters.” As a result, both staff and students often rely on informal support networks for routine tasks, exposing the absence of formal systems.

“We are working on it”

“We are working on it”

University authorities acknowledge the shortcomings.

In March 2025 during a welcome and orientation programme for students with disabilities, Tanko Ishaya, the university’s Vice Chancellor, said the institution is working toward more inclusive policies.

We acknowledge that many of our buildings have not adequately considered the needs of individuals with disabilities

he said. “However, moving forward, the university will ensure that all architectural designs cater to the unique requirements of special students.”

He added that future developments would incorporate accessibility features and emphasized inclusivity in academic opportunities.

Pam John, an architect, who manages the university’s Directorate of Physical Facilities, said “Over 75 percent of buildings in the University of Jos do not meet accessibility standards.”

However, he said that inclusive designs have been considered in newer building projects, pointing to the proposed

Faculty of Computing, which he claims has been deliberately designed with ramps and other inclusive features to improve accessibility.

When Joey Off-Air presented some of the students’ concerns to Pam, he noted that much of the university’s infrastructure predates the Disability Act, making compliance more complex.

“Most were built before the Act. Retrofitting them requires significant funding,” he explains.

We observed that even when such facilities exist, they are not always functional. At the university’s Senate building, for instance, an installed elevator is still not in use due to unresolved contractual issues.

“Accessibility as an afterthought” 

“Accessibility as an afterthought” 

For disability rights advocates, the situation at UNIJOS reflects a wider national issue.

Henry Ojeyna, a programme officer with Jos-based Charis Healthcare and Community Support Initiative, noted that accessibility is often treated as an afterthought.“Accessibility as an afterthought.” 

“Inaccessible environments send a message, you were not considered; You do not belong here,” he said, adding that, “Students may be admitted, but they cannot fully participate.”

Despite the existence of the Disability Act, enforcement remains weak, allowing the gap between policy and reality to persist.

At its core, Henry noted that accessibility is not just about buildings or policies. “It is about dignity. It is about independence. It is about the right to fully participate in education.”

For students like Samson and Gift, the challenge remains deeply personal.

“I feel excluded sometimes,” he says.

This story was funded by the HumAngle Foundation under the Strengthening Community Journalism and Human Rights Advocacy in Northern Nigeria project, with support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nigeria.