DISABILITY EMPOWERMENT FOUNDATION - Key Persons
Deacon Titus A. Soetan is a foremost professional accountant and a businessman. He has been a Council member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAN), the main body and the regulator for professional accountants in Nigeria, since 2004 and has served on various committees and sub-committees either as a member or Chairman. He was elected as the 52nd President of the ICAN in 2016. He is currently the Chairman/CEO of Pathfinder College, Samonda, Ibadan, Nigeria.
As a clear demonstration that Deacon Soetan is passionate about meeting the needs of families, he has awarded scholarships to students with special needs and those underprivileged in the
community. Deacon Soetan has helped a few struggling families annexe their God-given resources, blessed them with opportunities to experience the love of Jesus and to feel treasured and cared for.
Titus A. Soetan has been involved in both national and international discourse, seminars, conferences that advocate for the marginalized group in Nigerian society. He has served on various boards, which include faith-based communities. He is a versatile paper presenter and resource person at various levels in his accounting profession and in faith-based communities. He is excited to bring his expertise and heart to Disability Empowerment Foundation to help families with developmental disabilities understand who they are in Christ, and practical ways they can be supported to fulfill their dreams. E-mail: tasoetan@yahoo.com
Job Titles:
- Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Architects
Arc. Mobolaji Adeniyi is a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Architects and currently the 1st Vice President of the Institute. She schooled at the prestigious Queens College Yaba Lagos and Queen Elizabeth School Ilorin and obtained her Cambridge A Level Certificate from the Kwara State college of Technology Ilorin. She proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1977 where she obtained a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in 1980 and 1982 respectively. She started her career as an Architect with Allied Architects, Ibadan and later worked with Egboramy Company, a group of Israeli Architects. She later joined the Polytechnic Ibadan as a Lecturer for 8 years, where she rose to the post of Ag H. O. D. She started private practice first in partnership with some colleagues in a Firm called AAA Consortium. She later started her own practice in 1995 and founded Mobolaji Adeniyi & Associates, where she currently serves as CEO and Principal Partner till date. Arc. Mobolaji Adeniyi has been a member of Council of the Nigerian Institute of Architects and Architects Registration Council of Nigeria for many years. She sits on the Board of several organisations. These include the Board, Lifeforte International Schools, the Board, Pathfinder College, Ibadan, and the Board, BodijaAshi Baptist College, Ibadan.
Mobolaji Adeniyi endeavours to create a community of inclusion for persons with disabilities and their families in Ibadan and its environs. She experiences the joy of being part of an inclusive faith community that enable, empower, and engage all persons affected with disabilities. Mobalaji Adeniyi desires to challenge those with special needs to grow in their relationship with Jesus through friendship and fellowship. She lives to generously give back to the world through her special needs ministry. She brings her experiences and generous heart to DISABILITY EMPOWEREMENT FOUNDATION. E-mail: mobolajiadeniyi1@gmail.com
Job Titles:
- Engineer in Plastic Technology
Mr. Toye Osobu is an Engineer in Plastic Technology, working for a blue-chip company in the United Kingdom. Prior to this, he taught at a further education college, Federal College of Agriculture, Moore Plantation, Ibadan for 13 years, where he mentored young adults, supporting them in character and capability development.
Toye has volunteered at Urb Farm, a social enterprise project that is part of Milton Keynes Christian Foundation (MKCF), UK. MKCF works with all faith-based and non-faith-based organizations. Their goal is to realize and promote human value and worth and help to release the potential(s) in both individuals and communities.
Toye supports youths and individuals requiring transitioning and assistance in a new direction through horticulture. In the process, they gained government recognized functional skills and vocational qualifications.
As one passionate about rehabilitating and empowering persons with disabilities, Toye has similarly done volunteering work at Grace Family, London. This involved one-on-one interaction with the clients, relationship building and management with the view to determine interventions required to address the individual challenge and supporting them in their efforts to achieve desired solutions.
Toye Osobu has master's degrees in Engineering and Business Administration respectively, both from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
Mrs Shannon Robertson teaches English literature for two Alberta universities, MacEwan University and Athabasca University. While her own area of specialization is in the 19th Century English novel, she also teaches courses in technical writing, academic writing, and literature analysis. Shannon sits on the Board of the Faculty Association at MacEwan University, and is currently a member of the Faculty Association Negotiations Committee, working to improve working conditions for all academic faculty at MacEwan. Shannon has also represented MacEwan University on the Canadian Association of University Teachers' committee to improve working conditions for contract academic faculty.
Shannon is also involved in Edmonton's choral music community. She works in the area of music ministry at her local church, she sings with a local Edmonton choir, The Greenwood Singers, and also serves as that choir's assistant conductor.
Shannon and her husband, Duncan, have four children, and their youngest was born with a brain tumour. This child's medical journey has required a great deal of support from Shannon and the rest of the family. Four brain surgeries and 35 radiation sessions have resulted in the need for physical and cognitive rehabilitation, and in the course of supporting this child's healing and recovery, Shannon has also become involved with the Edmonton Stollery Children's Hospital in the area of Patient and Family Centered Care. She has been a patient and family representative in a number of capacities, including making sure that policy and procedure documents are appropriately accessible and inclusive, as well as ensuring that patient and family needs were considered in the redesign of operating theatre and intensive care spaces.
Mrs. Abiola Shodipo is an information and data professional with over 15 years of work experience overseeing data entry, validation, analysis, and reporting. In her role as Data/Information Officer at one of the foremost high educational institutions in Oyo State, Oritamefa Model School, she has been responsible for the college's database, ensuring data is accurate, attending to day-to-day contact for help, queries and getting the school management, students and parents, the information they need including offering daytime services to young adults with learning disabilities.
For over 20 years, Mrs. Abiola Shodipo has endeavoured to create an inclusive, welcoming, and nurturing environment for children and families with disabilities in a faith-based community. Abiola has a proven record of offering quality pioneering and volunteering services in the church, faith-based ministries, and a wider community. Mrs. Shodipo is the Head of Department, Children Ministry @ Bodija Ashi Baptist Church, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Abiola Shodipo is aware of the multi-sensory and complex needs of families struggling with necessities of life. She has the right values and behaviours that enable her to make a difference in people's lives. She also possesses a supportive and helpful approach when working with individuals and families with special needs. Abiola brings her skills and experience to the Disability Empowerment Foundation Team to help everyone living with disabilities communicate and experience the world. She believes that no one, no matter how complex their disabilities, should be marginalized or unable to fulfil their potential.
Professor Olugbenga Olumekun is a Plant Physiologist and an Environmental Scientist. He holds a BSc in Botany, MSc in Crop Physiology, MSc in Ecology & Environmental Management and a PhD in Plant Physiology from the University of Essex, Colchester, UK.
Prof. Olumekun is a Commonwealth scholar and a recipient of several fellowships and awards, an indication of his scholarship. He has authored several journal and technical publications in Plant Physiology, Environmental Science, Sustainable Development and Natural products. He is fully employed as a Professor of Plant Science at the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Nigeria and has served the University in various capacities, up to the Deanship of the Faculty of Science and membership of the University's Governing Council. Currently, he is the Managing Consultant of the University Consult, 3A Consult.
Reverend Olutayo Stephen Shodipo is an ordained Baptist Minister with years of experience in pastoral care and counseling, and educational ministry. He has worked with churches, communities, hospitals, and schools in Nigeria and abroad for more than two decades. Among his publications are published articles, "Possible Models of Disability and their approach in the Pastoral Care Ministry practices of the Church," in The Journal of Disability and Religion, 2021; "Culture, African Traditional Religion, and Disability: Implications for Pastoral Ministry in Nigeria," in Academia.edu , 2020; "Enhancing Fundamental Human Rights through Christian Religious Education, 2014", and "Religious Activities in Nigerian Pluralistic Religious Society, 2013," both in The Journal of the Nigerian Association for the Study of Religions.
Between 2017 and 2021, Olutayo has been involved in the ongoing discourse on Theology and Disability, and Inclusion of People with Disability in Community life, with the submission and presentation of papers for peer review on four different platforms: "Summer Institute on Theology and Disability Conference, June 2017", "Society for Disability Studies Conference, April 2018", and "International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference, October 2018", all in the United States of America, and Center for Culture, Education, and Disability International Conference, July 2019, at Liverpool Hope University, United Kingdom. Olutayo was one of the few International award winners as participants in the 2021 Spirituality and Health Workshop organised by the Centre of Spirituality,Theology, and Health, Duke University Medical Centre, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Olutayo Shodipo has master's degrees from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria (MBA), Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool (MA Theology & Religious Studies), and The Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomosho (MDiv. Theology) respectively. He is currently on his doctoral program, researching on spirituality and health in people with developmental disabilities in the practice of pastoral care ministry, exploring how the understanding of the way Adults with Developmental Disabilities (ADDs) express their spirituality may impact the pastoral care ministry practices of the church," at St Stephen's College, University of Alberta, Canada. He is a member of the Institute on Theology and Disability, USA, Society for Disability Studies, California, USA, and a member of Project Management Institute, Canada.
Rev. Dr. Rachel Adepate Lateju is an ordained minister of the Gospel committed to the ministry of reconciliation, missions and evangelism. She has a great passion and love for children, young people and women. She has worked as a teacher both in the secular and religious fields. She is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Religious Education, The Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso. She is also a member of the Project for Christian-Muslim Relations in Africa and some other ecumenical bodies. She presently serves as the Executive Director of Baptist Women's Missionary Union of Nigeria. She has contributed to several Christian journals and has published many books. Some of her paper presentations include: ‘Challenges of Christian Sex Education: A Permissive Society', ‘Planning Effective Children's Worship', ‘The Impact of Poverty on Children and Church Response etc. Some of her books include Children Ministry and Nation Building, The Price and Prize of Leadership, Look at Luke and some others.
As one who is firm and factual, passionate and principled, Rachel speaks the truth anywhere and anytime without mincing words. Her interest lies in bringing smile to faces, comfort to souls and healing to the body. She is passionate about the welfare of indigent people, including those with disabilities. She gives her maximum support to them through her prayers, gifts and words of encouragement. By this, she has been able to bring comfort, hope and strength to these special people.
Rachel A. Lateju had her Advanced Diploma in Christian Education at the West Hill College, University of Birmingham. She later proceeded at different times for her Bachelor of Religious Education, Master of Theology in Religious Education and Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Education, all at The Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso. She is a recipient of several awards which include Scholarship Achievement Award, May Perry Religious Education Award, Children's Ministry Award among others. E-mail: adeteju2005@yahoo.com
Job Titles:
- Founder of the Summer Institute
Reverend Bill Gaventa is the founder of the Summer Institute on Theology and Disability (now Director emeritus) and the Coordinator of the Collaborative on Faith and Disability, linking a number of University Centers of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities who are addressing spirituality through initiatives in training, technical assistance, research, and/or dissemination. He was formerly Director of Community and Congregational Supports at the Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities in New Jersey. Bill's primary areas of experience and expertise are spiritual and faith-based supports with people with disabilities, training for clergy, seminarians and community services staff, aging and end of life/grief issues in intellectual and developmental disabilities, cultural competence, and community building. He served as the President of American Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities for 2016-2017.
As a writer and editor, he has edited newsletters and several books, written articles and chapters, and served as the Editor of the Journal of Religion, Disability and Health for 14 years, now as an Associate Editor. His book, Spirituality and Disability: Recovering Wholeness, was published by Baylor University Press in the spring of 2018. Bill and his wife, Beverly Roberts Gaventa, moved in 2013 to Waco, Texas where she served as Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Baylor University until 2021, They moved on to Austin in 2018, where their son, Matthew, daughter-in-law Sarah, and grandson Charlie are living. E-mail: bill.gaventa@gmail.com
Victor Olumekun has also served in various capacities outside the University system. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Woodlands Christian Revival Centre, Liverpool, UK. He has garnered considerable experience working with young people, the physically challenged and people with Learning Disabilities, and constantly promote inclusiveness for them. He is the Supervisory Elder of Reconciliation House Youth Church, Akure with pastoral responsibilities.
Victor Olumekun is passionate about the environment, and he is currently a Senior Consultant to the Centre for Ecological and Community Development (CECD), an NGO instituting several conservation programmes in the Niger Delta of Nigeria as well as the Accent Business, Akure, where he is a regular faculty. He is a member of several International and local professional bodies, including the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) where he is a Practitioner member. E-mail: vitoson@hotmail.co.uk