When will we become friends with disabilities?
Sustainable development refers to development in which
all people on the planet can move forward together, improve their thinking and
keep the environment healthy. That is, the resources that are available to us
today, whether natural, human or non-human, should be fully utilized and every
effort should be made to improve them for future generations. Such a
development can never be sustainable in which all the important resources are
used today and nothing is left for the future generations.
Terminology of Disability
The term disability is used in a broader sense around
the world. However, it has now been replaced by the term “special
people”. According to a United Nations survey, about one billion people
worldwide have some form of disability. The biggest problem for people with
disabilities is incompatibility with their environment and their society.
People are reluctant to associate with them and have negative thoughts about
their physical condition.
The consequence of this distinction is that they
cannot influence many decisions made about themselves. This situation is found
in all societies but in developing countries, it is seen to a worrying extent.
Imaginatively, we believe that all human beings in the world are equal and have
equal rights. On this basis, persons with disabilities should also have an
equal right to participate in all spheres of life. To achieve this goal, all
technical and practical resources should be used to facilitate people with
disabilities, but we see that people with disabilities in our society, although
they are called “special people“.
No special status is respected, no special
opportunities are available to them. A better society ensures equal access to
all human rights and facilities for persons with disabilities, but talking
about the rights of persons with disabilities in Pakistani society is a dream
come true. Pakistan needs an ideal society where people with physical, mental,
and accidental disabilities, hearing impaired, and deaf people have all the
facilities. All educational institutions ensure the admission of persons with
disabilities.
All public and private institutions, places of
entertainment, means of transportation should be accessible. It is gratifying
that an important bill on the rights of persons with disabilities was passed in
the previous government and the present government has included it in its
five-year agenda, but it is unfortunate to say that government officials have
no say in this regard. Hearts are not particularly interested, which is why
people with disabilities are frustrated. We request the present government to
ensure full implementation of all laws relating to persons with disabilities
and also request all political parties to raise their voice in the issues and
rights of persons with disabilities.
As far as social attitudes are concerned, people with
physical and mental disabilities can have no complaints about it, no demands
from society, they are guests of God among us. To treat them with kindness is
to give thanks to Allah Almighty that we are not like that. Philanthropists
have set up the best institutions in the country for the mentally retarded. The
main subject of this article is people with physical disabilities because such
disabilities only affect physical abilities. Mentally, such a person is
completely healthy and endowed with all the faculties of thinking and
understanding.
Barries facing Person with Disabilities
Physically, however, they face some obstacles in
performing their daily routine. But unfortunately, our society is itself the
biggest obstacle in the quest for self-reliance of the physically challenged.
First, we do not give physically challenged people the status of useful members
of society. If a disabled child is born in a family, then the family considers
it a calamity for them, but in the remaining families, it is considered as the
punishment of Allah and the result of someone’s curse.
Such children become a burden to parents and these
children are despised in comparison to their healthy and fit siblings. The wisdom
is to give priority to healthy offspring. Their needs should be taken care of
first. Their mental abilities should be diverted to positive paths and physical
disability should be prevented from turning into mental disability.
The country’s highest court has viewed the treatment
of persons with disabilities with dislike. Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed had
clearly stated in 2118 that the federation and the provinces are deliberately
resorting to delaying tactics on the rights of persons with disabilities, even
though we are far behind the world in the laws enacted concerning persons with
disabilities. The existing laws are not being implemented.
The population of Person with Disabilities
According to a general estimate, five to ten percent
of the population of Pakistan consists of persons with disabilities. In 1981,
for the first time, legislation was enacted on special persons and a 2% quota
was reserved for them in jobs. Another national policy for special persons was
formulated in 2002. In 2006, the National Plan of Action for Special Persons
was introduced. Under which there was talk of making the whole society a friend
of the disabled. The plan was to provide special facilities for persons with
disabilities in buildings, mosques, public places, but this plan was partially
implemented. In 2009, a special transport policy for persons with disabilities
was announced. The good news is that people with disabilities will be able to
import duty-free vehicles, but none of these policies will be fully
implemented.
Absence of Disabilities in Legislations
The biggest reason for the impediment to legislation
on persons with disabilities is the absence of persons with disabilities in the
legislature. Due to the lack of representation of Persons of Disabilities in
the National and Provincial Assemblies, no voice is raised for them. Political
representatives who reach out to the National Assembly are not themselves aware
of the problems of the disabled, so there is no legislation for them.
The main purpose of all laws is to provide balance,
equality, and justice in society. All citizens have equal rights under the
Constitution of Pakistan. No one is superior to anyone in health, employment,
education, and all other fields. A person with a disability also has the same
rights as an ordinary citizen based on his or her mental and physical
abilities. This is his fundamental right, which he enjoys under the
Constitution of Pakistan.
People with disabilities need caregivers, not
sympathizers
In the developed world, such as the United States, the
United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan, independent and private organizations
provide services for people with severe disabilities to perform domestic and
personal tasks, while these services are paid for by the government of the day.
Because of this service, people with disabilities can
live their lives without being a burden on their families. Thanks to the best
government policies in these countries and awareness of disability in society,
people with severe disabilities strive for education and employment and are
playing a positive and important role in the national economy instead of
becoming a burden on society.
The Concept of Services
The concept of service delivery dates back to the late
20th century in developed countries. But the religion that elevated humanity
1400 years ago, the religion of Islam, first introduced the practical concept
of providing services to the disabled.
This was the golden age of the second
Caliphate of Hazrat Umar Farooq when the caliph of the time and his
subjects were together at the table. Hazrat Omar Farooq saw a man-eating with
his left hand. Upon which he asked the man why he was eating with his left
hand. The man told Hazrat Omar Farooq that since his right arm had been cut off
in a battle, he was forced to eat with his left hand. Hazrat Omar Farooq
immediately provided a servant for the man and He fixed the duty of that
servant from the treasury.
Unfortunately, disability in
Pakistan is considered only sympathetic. The government and society have failed
to make a concerted effort to address the basic needs of persons with
disabilities. People with disabilities also
want their rights to be respected like the honorable citizens of Pakistan. They
need education, health, accessible transport, accessible buildings, and
employment to become useful and active members of society.
Like the developed countries, the
provision of services in Pakistan should be part of the national system. Obstacles within the system in Pakistan hinder the desire
of persons with disabilities to lead a better and normal life.
People with disabilities want
facilities, not charities
Children with special needs and
disabilities are among the most marginalized sections of Pakistani society.
They are not visible to anyone, they have no identity, and no one remembers
them.
Compounding the issue is a lack of
facilities for disabled children, particularly in education. In Pakistan, an
estimated 1.4 million kids are deprived of any form of schooling simply because
they have no access to it, increasing their disenfranchisement. People’s attitudes are often inattentive and based on
baseless fabrications. Many families find it so difficult to cope with other
people’s reactions that they are afraid to bring their special children into
the world.
The journey from a dynamic life
to a paralyzed life is extremely painful, but if the intentions are full of hope
and enthusiasm, and man has a determination within himself, it is not at all
difficult to cross the desert of possibilities from the impossible.
Western societies change their
attitudes by treating people with disabilities as God’s creation in their way.
A great example of this is Stephen Hawking. Despite his severe disability, he
went through amazing milestones in his life.
Accessibility of Transportation
If all public and private
buildings and public transport in Pakistan are made accessible to persons with
disabilities, people with physical disabilities can easily make their
contribution to society possible with the help of manual or electronic
wheelchairs.
In developed countries such as
the United States, Canada, and Japan, car companies also design vehicles for
people with disabilities. If these vehicles are imported to Pakistan from
abroad, heavy taxes are levied which prevents persons with disabilities from
purchasing them.
A person with a disability has
the right to equal opportunities, a process through which the environment,
home, means of transportation, education, employment opportunities, and health
care is provided. He should have the opportunity to enjoy sports and all stages
of cultural life. In this regard, all the things or factors that stand in the
way of full participation in these fields should be removed. The basic thing
for a physically handicapped child is education, only based on better education
can a handicapped child/individual easily decide all future stages of life,
however, in our country, there is a lack of special arrangements for physically
handicapped children in all schools.
Social inclusion of Persons with Disabilities
A person with a disability has
the right to be part of the political and economic system after going through
the educational process. Like a normal person, he should also work or do
business, if his physical and mental abilities are suitable for that job,
however, he should be given special privileges in this regard. Any employer in
the UK who has more than twenty employees in their office, factory, or
business.
People with disabilities are
legally required to provide 3% of jobs. Some of the jobs here are for
registered persons with disabilities, such as telephone operators, car parking
attendants or elevator operators, etc. There are officers in the employment
department offices whose duties include resettlement of persons with
disabilities. These officers provide training and employment opportunities to
persons with disabilities and also assist them in obtaining various jobs. These
officers arrange various courses for the sick and long-term unemployed people
affected by accidents so that these people can make themselves functional.
Travel expenses are also paid during the training, especially for those who are
unable to travel by public transport due to disability.
Government must take concrete
steps
Similar arrangements should be
made in Pakistan for people with disabilities at the private and public levels.
Although the quota for persons with disabilities in government jobs is fixed at
three percent, it should be increased to five percent as the number of persons
with disabilities in society has multiplied in the last twenty years.
Steps should be taken to make
society “friends with disabilities” to end the feeling of alienation
and alienation from persons with disabilities. Ramp roads should be constructed
keeping in view the needs of persons with disabilities, especially in the
construction sector. Especially in mosques, because 99% of mosques do not have
proper arrangements for the entry of persons with disabilities.
Public libraries, gardens,
shopping centers, and other such places should be made accessible to persons
with disabilities. Traffic has increased exponentially in all cities of the
country, but there is no arrangement for people with disabilities to cross the
road in any city. This deficiency can be overcome through underground routes.
Especially in major cities, special underground lanes for road crossings should
be constructed on a priority basis, so that not only the disabled but also the
healthy citizens will be able to benefit from it.
Conclusion
The purpose of this article is to
raise awareness about the special needs of these special children, to point out
another aspect of disability, and to eliminate the misconceptions and
fabrications that exist in this regard. The government of Pakistan must take concrete
and practical steps for the betterment of Persons with Disabilities.
Serving human beings is the best way to attain nearness
to God. But if the service of the deprived people of the society especially persons with disabilities is made the
motto. So what could be better than that?
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