Assessment of the Role of Cooperatives in Empowering Persons with Disabilities in Ogun State

Persons with disabilities in Nigeria face significant barriers to economic participation, and cooperative societies have been proposed as inclusion mechanisms that can provide livelihood support and social integration. This study assessed the role of cooperative societies in empowering persons with disabilities in Ogun State, South West Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted, with 140 cooperative members who self-identified as living with one or more disabilities drawn from eight cooperatives in Abeokuta, Sagamu, and Ijebu-Ode. Structured questionnaires measured economic outcomes, social integration indicators, cooperative participation levels, and disability-specific barriers to full cooperative engagement. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and correlation analysis were employed. Results showed that 68.6 percent of disabled cooperative members reported increased income following membership, and 74.3 percent credited the cooperative with providing a meaningful social support network. Physical accessibility of cooperative meeting venues was rated as inadequate by 53.6 percent of physically disabled respondents. Only 22.9 percent of cooperatives had made any specific provision for members with disabilities in their governance structures or service design. The study concludes that cooperatives provide meaningful empowerment benefits for persons with disabilities in Ogun State but require targeted disability inclusion policies. Recommendations include accessibility audits of cooperative facilities, disability-sensitive byelaw provisions, and dedicated cooperative start-up grants for disability-led cooperatives through the Ogun State Disability Affairs Agency.

Keywords: persons with disabilities, cooperative empowerment, inclusion, Ogun State, South West Nigeria