From charity to inclusiveness: The differently-abled point out their capabilities

ISLAMABAD:

The problems inherent in the shift from a welfare model to a rights-based one advocated by a UN convention on persons with disabilities (PWDs) came up during a consultative meeting held here on Thursday.

Though the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) was adopted in December 2006 in New York, its implementation is still in its infancy in Pakistan. Legislators and persons with disabilities (PWDs) are struggling with inclusive reforms in an environment that is not conducive for the disabled.

A heated debate was generated during the interactive session of the First National Consultative Meeting on Implementation of UNCRPD as PWDs highlighted their plight.

Saleem Awan gave a speech on preventing genetic disabilities and pinpointed the root cause: cousin marriages. He acknowledged the taboo associated with the correlation but advocated for its elimination because it is scientifically proven.

However, a few PWDs took exception to Awan’s argument as well as other speakers who gave suggestions for minimising the chance of genetic disabilities and called them disrespectful and ignorant.

Shafiqur Rehman, a PWD and welfare worker, said that though cousin marriages have a higher risk of birthing children with disabilities, the disabled are a community that will always exist. “We’re not disabled we are differently abled,” said Rehman.

A communication deficit exists between differently abled and ‘normal’ individuals the world over but is more pronounced in Pakistan. For instance there is the National Special Education Centre for Mentally Retarded Children in H-8, a derogatory term to describe intellectual disabilities that is now avoided. Vice principal Ruk-i-Afzal Sajjad said the process to change the name to “intellectually challenged” is underway.

Experts gave presentations about various areas of implementation, policy and accessibility regarding PWDs at the conference at the end of which a joint declaration was issued.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 15^th, 2012.