Speaking to reporters in Monrovia on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, a group of persons with disability gathered to voice their concerns, expressing feelings of neglect since Sam Dean, the Head of the National Disability Commission, took over the institution. One disabled man, identified as Joseph, told reporters that “Since Sam Dean took charge of the Commission, we have been abandoned. Our needs are not being addressed, and we feel forgotten.”
A disabled woman identified as Ma Hawa said they are suffering, and little is being done to improve their living conditions. She expressed disappointment in the Commission, stating that all of her children are out of school and that they have to beg in the street before she can get food for herself and her family.
According to them, this new leadership does not represent their interests, noting that they are capable of working with their hands to contribute to the economy of the country, stating that they are tired of begging in the street; their kids are not in school, and they have to come out and beg before they can eat, lamenting that the only institution that is representing them at the national level has neglected them.
But speaking to the crowd of protesting disabled persons, Sam Dean said the points being raised are genuine, and his administration is committed to improving the living conditions of the disabled people and promises to address their concerns. According to him, all the allegations raised were inherited from the previous administration. Several international reports suggest that Liberia’s disability crisis stems from pervasive discrimination, lack of accessibility, and high poverty rates among people with disabilities, which are exacerbated by a lack of government and societal support.
By Joseph Sirleaf, Contributing Writer
