As people with different kinds of disabilities make 10 percent of the country’s total population, it is imperative to recognise their right to employment, education and healthcare in Pakistan.
Almost all disabled people in Pakistan are completely dependent on their families as the majority is illiterate; hence unable to live like normal people.
This was the crux of a seminar held at the TradeKey on Saturday. People with physical disabilities attended the seminar to learn about how they can lead their lives effectively.
“We must enable people with disabilities to realise their rights and encourage them to become active members of the society,” the speakers said on the occasion.
“We must realise that these people need our special attention and the objective of this seminar is to develop future leaders among the disabled people,” they added.
“We will be pleased if we can convert even a single disabled resource into an active member of the society.”
The speakers urged people with disabilities to believe in themselves as it is the first step towards success.
“Realising our responsibility, we have initiated the project to enable people with disabilities to be self-reliant,” TradeKey CEO Junaid Mansoor told the audience. “TradeKey feels it is its responsibility and want to play its part in building the community,” he added.
Brookes Pharmaceuticals CEO and a board member of the Indus Hospital Senator Abdul Haseeb Khan said on the occasion the biggest problem in Pakistan is that there is no concept of social accountability which deals with the problems of disabled people. “We must work on providing disabled people with easy locomotion that enables them to participate in life,” he added.
“It is our social and religious responsibility to help disabled people move forward in the society. I am hopeful that this workshop will play an important role for their betterment and I offer my full support to the project.”
Feather Engineering CEO Abdullah Mansoor said the project of Feather Wheel Chairs 3 was started years ago and the objective of the workshop is to develop leadership among the disabled people. “Leaders are those people who bring a positive change and a successful person is the one who attains his or her goals,” he added.
Asim Zaffar, a person with disability and a social worker who hosts a radio programme, said disabled people would have to love themselves first.
“Disabled people are not to be considered as patients but rather as different people with different lifestyles,” he added. “The wheelchair is a basic right of a disabled people. Disability is an experience and a person who is suffering from it can better guide on the design and features of a wheelchair.”
Trade Key organised a seminar for the people with disabilities to educate them on how to live a progressive life. The picture shows Senator Abdul Haseeb Khan, CEO Tradekey Junaid Mansoor and other participants of the seminar.
