Role of Politics in Promoting Involvement of Persons with Disabilities in Education and Sports in Ife East Local Government, Osun State, Nigeria

The study investigated the role of politics in promoting involvement of persons with disabilities in education and sports in Ife Central Local Government Area, Osun State, Nigeria. It examined the existing policies and political initiatives related to the involvement of persons with disabilities in education and sports; effectiveness of implemented policies and political initiatives; and the challenges faced by persons with disabilities while involving in education and sports in the study area. A random sampling technique was employed in selecting one hundred respondents from four (4) schools in Ife East Local Government Area of Osun State and the statistical tools used were percentages, means and chi-square analysis. The results revealed that the existing policies and political initiatives related to the involvement of persons with disabilities in education and sports in Ife East Local Government is active and fully supported by the government with a grand mean of 3.12; there is an effective implementation of policies and political initiatives to the involvement of persons with disabilities in education and sports in Ife East Local Government Area with a grand mean of 2.62; and that persons with disabilities were faced with challenges ranging from insufficient personnel, inaccessible sports facilities, insufficient mobility devices and equipment with a grand mean of 3.20. The postulated hypothesis “there is no significant difference in the role of politics and involvement of persons with disabilities in education and sports in Ife East Local Government Area, Osun State.” was rejected as x2 28.2 > 5.99 at level of .05 significance. This implies that the persons with disabilities were not adequately represented in politics as affirmed by 80% respondents. It was recommended that government and private agencies should rise to the challenges of persons with disabilities not limited to education and sports alone but other areas that can bring development to the socio-economic growth within and outside the locality.