Strengthening Mass Media Access for Persons with Visual Impairment during the Cameroon Anglophone Conflict: Critical Evaluation of Current Measures and Future Directions
Keywords:
Media Accessibility, Persons Living with Visual Impairment, Anglophone Conflict, CameroonAbstract
In the conflict-affected Anglophone Regions of Cameroon, persons with visual impairments (PVIs) face significant challenges accessing crucial safety-related information due to an "information blackout" from social and traditional media. This exacerbates their vulnerability, leading to life-threatening consequences. Despite legal mandates, a gap persists between policy and practice, making media accessibility a humanitarian imperative. This paper, which is part of a broader study, examines the critical need for media organizations to adopt a proactive and intentional approach to increase content access for PVIs. Through a cross-sectional qualitative study involving 20 PVIs and 11 media professionals from the North West and South West Regions, the findings reveal that measures adopted to improve media access for PVIs have been limited and inadequate, marked by training and awareness gaps, and insufficient inclusive reporting and collaboration. While some initiatives like smartphone usage training exist, a systemic lack of policy implementation and collaboration between media houses and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) remains. The study emphasizes the need for widespread training, government policies mandating media accessibility, and increased collaboration to ensure PVIs' right to information and safety during the Anglophone Conflict.
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