As Nigeria continues to grapple with gaps in disability inclusion, support for families raising children with disabilities will come under discussion today as PWDSpotlight hosts a live X Space on the role of parents, communities and society in building a more inclusive future.
The conversation, scheduled for 5:00 p.m. today, Saturday, September 19, 2026, will feature Tamara Ajasa, Disability-Inclusion Strategist and Founder of The Wholesome Parent, as the guest speaker. The session will be hosted and moderated by PWDSpotlight.
The X Space, titled “Raising Children with Disabilities: The Role of Parents, Communities and Society in Building an Inclusive Future,” is designed as a practical and solutions-focused conversation about the realities faced by families raising children with disabilities and what different parts of society can do to improve inclusion.
According to the conversation brief, the discussion will examine the support parents need, the challenges that families often face away from public view, and the responsibilities of schools, healthcare providers, communities, government and society in creating more supportive environments for children with disabilities.
From parenting to disability inclusion
Ajasa brings both professional and personal experience to the conversation. She began her career working with children and teenagers as a dance instructor before moving into parenting practice, prenatal and postnatal fitness, nutrition and women’s wellness. She later became a writer and ghostwriter working in the women’s wellness, parenting and relationships space.
Her work took a more specific direction after one of her children was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. That experience led her into disability inclusion, and she subsequently founded The Wholesome Parent, through which she works at the intersection of disability inclusion, workforce sustainability and family support while mentoring mothers of children with special needs.
Ajasa is now described in her profile as a disability inclusion strategist who writes, speaks and consults on inclusion in Nigeria.
What will the conversation examine?
Among the questions PWDSpotlight plans to explore is what parents should know and do when they first discover that their child has a disability.
The discussion will also look at challenges that parents may face but which are often invisible to wider society, as well as the importance of information, counselling and peer or community support.
Another central question will be how families can navigate stigma, misconceptions and negative attitudes, including those that may emerge within extended families. The conversation will also consider how parents can support children with disabilities to develop confidence, independence and the ability to advocate for themselves.
Beyond the family, the conversation will ask what schools, healthcare providers, communities and government should be doing differently to support children with disabilities and their families.
The organisers will also invite Ajasa to identify three changes she would make to Nigeria’s support systems for children with disabilities and their families, while sharing a message for parents who may feel overwhelmed, isolated or uncertain about their children’s futures.
A conversation beyond coping
For PWDSpotlight, the conversation is intended to move beyond the idea that families should simply learn to cope with disability.
It will instead examine the broader environment in which children with disabilities are raised and ask what families, communities and institutions can change to make inclusion a shared responsibility.
The organisers say the questions will serve as a guide rather than a rigid script, allowing the conversation to remain natural, personal and practical. Audience participation will also be introduced toward the close of the session.
The X Space is part of PWDSpotlight’s broader focus on inclusive, human-centred and solutions-focused conversations about the experiences of persons with disabilities and their families. The conversation begins at 5:00 p.m. today on the PWDSpotlight X account.
