By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)
(Pakistan News & Features Services)
“We are running
successful businesses, leading civil rights organizations and inspiring
students in schools,” members of the public with disabilities spoke at a
seminar on December 2 at the Aga Khan University (AKU), Karachi,
The strategies to
prevent injuries that cause disabilities, initiatives to broaden access to
rehabilitative services and steps to make educational services more inclusive
were discussed at the event celebrating the International Day of Persons with
Disabilities. In Pakistan, five million people suffer from some form of
disability.
“Yet less than 1 in 5
of the country’s persons with disabilities (PWD) can access the social and
educational support they need to thrive. Only 1 in 7 receive the help they need
to participate fully in the workforce and just 1 in 10 have access to
rehabilitative services that can help them recover.”
“If the true measure
of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members, then
Pakistan has much more to do on this front. We can make a small start by
ensuring that facilities for wheelchair users are present in all public
spaces,” Dr Mohammad Wasay, professor of neurology at AKU, pointed out.
The speakers at the
event noted that the 2002 National Policy for Persons with Disabilities calls
for the creation of an environment that provides full support to PWDs by
2025.
They reckoned that
much work still needs to be done to fulfill the government’s policy goals and
also drew attention to the theme of this year’s world day Achieving 17 Goals
for the Future We Want which refers to international commitments under the 2030
Sustainable Development Goals.
“Pakistan is committed
to the global agenda and there are 11 specific references to persons with
disabilities in the Sustainable Development Goals, under Goals 4, 8, 10, 11 and
17. These goals call for access to quality education, steps to reduce
inequality, strategies to promote inclusive economic growth, initiatives to
make communities and cities accessible to all, and formal efforts to track the
impact of programmes on the most vulnerable populations.”
“Support for these
goals is needed across all sections of society so that Pakistan adopts policies
that support PWDs and creates an environment that enables them to achieve their
full potential,” Dr Wasay added.
Outlining the steps
that can help prevent disabilities and create an inclusive society, experts
called on members of civil society, welfare organizations and the government to
collaborate to introduce three types of measures. The first is to improve the
enforcement of road traffic laws on speed limits, rash driving and mandatory
helmet wearing that the results in one million trauma injuries a year in the
country.
About 10 per cent of
these injuries, which affect the brain and spinal cord, lead to disabilities
which can be prevented by ensuring that traffic laws are obeyed.
A second initiative
that needs to be taken is within hospitals, said speakers. Many types of
disabilities related to childhood development delays, sensory impairments and
motor disabilities can be treated through rehabilitative programmes, therapies,
and the provision of orthopaedic devices.
Unfortunately, these
vital services are not available in most public sector hospitals. Experts said
the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has taken the lead in this area by
ensuring the presence of rehabilitative services at every district level public
sector hospital and urged other provincial governments to follow KP’s
example.
Commenting on the
importance of rehabilitative services, Javed Sheikh, CEO of HR consultancy
e-square, spoke of the severe spinal cord injuries in 1995 that left him
paralysed from the waist down.
“After my injury, I
went through 25 days of rehabilitation and occupational therapy which helped me
to understand how to return to daily tasks at home and work. The therapy
enabled me to return to living my life. Today, I continue to lead the company I
founded in 2006, 11 years after my disability. I may be in a wheelchair but I
can go wherever I please and I am independent.”
Dr Wasay also
mentioned the need for public awareness initiatives to help in the early
detection and treatment of diseases such as stroke and diabetes that can cause
disabilities.
He explained that
stroke could cause paralysis while diabetes can result in vision loss, renal
issues and complications requiring amputation.
Finally, speakers also
stressed how professional bodies, the media and public sector stakeholders can
play an important role in helping the disabled access higher education.
Nasimuddin, an associate professor at the Government College for Women, Sharea
Liaquat, who is legally blind, said: “There are many institutions devoted to
supporting the education of those with special needs but they lack the funds
and workforce to make a difference. Scholarships and reserved seats for the
disabled can empower PWDs to achieve their potential.”
“The government can
also help by conducting a census of PWDs so that they can understand that there
are many PWDs who are capable of excelling in school and in the workplace. In
addition, we also need the electronic media to profile successful people with
disabilities so that people believe that we can play a useful role in society.”
Javed Sheikh also
highlighted how support among one’s immediate family and colleagues plays an
important role in adjusting to the new reality and in encouraging PWDs to take
charge of their lives.
“I was working as the
regional sales manager of a large telecommunications company when my spinal
cord injury meant that I had to use a wheelchair. I remember the CEO of the
company sending me a letter assuring me that I was an integral part of the
organisation. My colleagues and immediate family were also very encouraging in
the early days. When you give people such a harmonious and encouraging
environment it empowers them to take charge of their lives and overcome any
obstacle.”
Other speakers on the
day included deaf businessman Khursheed Akhtar, the President of the Deaf and
Dumb Association, Aamir Nizami, a patient with multiple scelerosis who manages
a retail business, Mohsin Kaimkhani, Director, Revenue, of the Karachi Water
and Sewerage Board, who is paralysed from the waist down, and Nazir-ul-Hasan who
earns a living as a rickshaw driver despite limb disabilities caused by polio.
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