In 2016, 15 parents of Persons with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities who were tired of having their children sidelined and discriminated against met and decided to join forces together to create the Association for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities of Nigeria (AIDDN)  to fight for the rights of their children. 

AIDDN as a community and an advocacy group over the years has grown from having 15 children to over 1,000 children under their care. 

The National President of AIDDN, Mrs Joko Dawodu Omotola, spoke to The Ikeja Record’s Omon Okhuevbie about the stigma attached to being a parent of a child with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities, the various challenges faced by the Association and their newly launched project, Action4Change.