Efforts to improve the situation of people with disabilities have resulted in the establishment of institutions and homes specifically for them, most of which are run by the government or by civil society organizations. Many of the government establishments are dilapidated and poorly run. The institutions operated by civil society organizations are generally better maintained and organized, but neither the government nor the civil society organizations have been able to ensure even a reasonable rehabilitation of the disabled. The principal focus in both cases is vocational training. While this approach can help provide disabled people with the skills necessary to seek employment, this singular emphasis does not address the discrimination that severely limits their employment chances, nor does it assist them in setting up their own businesses. Furthermore, these establishments are frequently built in isolated locations, minimizing physical contact with the rest of society and thus hindering the possibility that the disabled can gain acceptance and integration into the community. In such a climate, harmful and powerful local superstitions–for example, that trading with the disabled brings bad luck– tend to persist.

The Strategy
Christy is creating a society conducive to the rehabilitation and integration of people with disabilities through a learning center model that integrates people with and without disabilities, through public enlightenment projects, and through government lobbying initiatives. Christy's target group is primarily disabled people who live on the streets, many of whom know there is little chance of employment and therefore see no point to education or skills training. Christy goes from street to street counseling disabled people–as well as their parents, guardians, and sometimes their religious instructors–and recruiting them for classes. Her first breakthrough came in 1992 with her successful recruitment of twenty-five disabled students. From that small beginning in a car park in central Lagos, she now has three classes of students learning on a part-time basis. Classes range from primary school level to junior secondary schools.