Persons with a Disabilities Barriers, Social Inclusion, and Other Related Issues

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 However, it has now been replaced by the term "special people".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?