People with disabilities: ‘Govt should be considerate towards disabled people’

Civil society unhappy over rejection of proposed draft.

FAISALABAD:

The Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation organised a seminar on Friday to reiterate its demands for one-window operation at offices for registration of people with disabilities and legislation for allocation of reserved seats in assemblies for people with disabilities.

The event, titled Disability Legal Framework for Creating Inclusive and Accessible Environment, was organised in collaboration with the Social Development Network and Community Based Inclusive Development.

AWAM Director Naseem Anthony said that the National Assembly Standing Committee for Law and Justice had rejected the draft proposed by AWAM and several other non government organisations for allocation of reserved seats for disabled persons. Calling it an injustice, he demanded that such a bill be passed immediately. Quoting Article 29 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Anthony said that people with disabilities had the right to join politics. AWAM coordinator Shazia George condemned the National Assembly Standing Committee for Law and Justice for rejecting the draft. She said the lawmakers were restricting disabled people’s right to join mainstream politics. She said rejection of the draft had been a disappointment for people with disabilities.

“No new laws have been introduced since 1981 to benefit the disabled,” she said.



Prof Shah Iqbal, said that people with disabilities faced immense negative attitudes in the society. “There is a need to enable such people to live independently, and not be dependent on charity.” Psychologist Ayesha Siddiqa said the relationship between the government and the people was very weak and people with disabilities were the most affected.

She stressed the need for equal treatment of normal and disabled people.

Baitul Maal Chairman Chaudhry Imran Ghumman said that basic rights should be accessible without discrimination. He said the government was trying to achieve this objective. District Coordination Committee Chairman Shafique Dogar said that civil society organisations should help people with disabilities fill out forms to make the registration process easier. He suggested that the disability registration forms be translated into Urdu for a better understanding. Representatives of Social Development Network, Government Shadaab Training Institute, Star Welfare Organisation, Taang Wasaib Organisation, Pakistan Association of the Blind, Galaxy International Foundation, Labour Department, Social Welfare Department, Special Education, and Punjab and Pakistan Baitul Maal were also present on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2014.