Report (Draft) of meeting of organization for PWDs

Meeting date: 27th Feb 2005 Time: 9am to 5pm
Venue: Conference Room of Pakistan Institute of Quality Control
Participants: See participants' list

The meeting started with recitation of Holy Quran.

Called around 14 organization and only 5 organizations participated;

1. Pakistan Disabled Foundation (PDF)
2. Pakistan Association of Deaf (PAD)
3. Disabled Welfare Association (DWA)
4. Association for the Rehabilitation of Challenged People (ARCP)
5. Pakistan Association of Special People and their Families (PASPAF)

 All organizations introduced themselves in brief. Mr. Akram cleared the purpose of the meeting that all organizations are working individually now it is time of collaboration. If we will sit together and work together we will find more ways to achieve our goal. He invited suggestions for main problems of PWDs in Pakistan. Deaf Participants told that they have many problems but on the priority basis they have main problem of getting proper education and Jobs. Cross problem found out that all PWDs with cross disabilities have main problem of accessibility (transportation). All participants found that there is a need of collaboration on national level and they must have a real national organization of PWDs with cross disabilities.

Some suggestion also came in the meeting:

• Need to build an accurate database of NGOs working for PWDs
• Need to make a ‘charter of demand’, when designing this charter of demand we should understand ground facts. Impossible demands should not be included.
• Every one asking for money and job, for person with disability, but not trying to understand that they need to demonstrate skills and talent. Hiring unskilled and untalented person in any organizations is just putting a burden on these organizations. In past Govt. did this practice (hired untalented and extra employees) and Govt. sector firms showed a big loss that affect the entire nation.
• We need creative thinking to solve the problems, need to make a study of ‘market trend’ and try to equip PWDs with related skills (the skills that are in demand in market). We suggest a ‘PWDs thinkers forum’ having few representative from each type of disability that arrange regular meetings to bring some creative solutions for our problems and to contact with people from business sector / industrialists.
• It found that there is no clear and joint movement, some problems can be solved easily, for example footpaths have no ramps for wheelchair user, and it doesn’t cost any thing to Govt. to make footpaths with ramps at each end. Why don’t we call meeting with city Govt. and the builders to discuss this issue? Pedestrian bridge may cost some extra amount to have ramps with steps but still we can talk with city Govt. to arrange this as they are going to build many more pedestrian bridges it is the time to take their attention.
• For Deaf people in hotel room they need “bell with flash light” and this is not any expensive job. If there is association of hotels then we should arrange a meeting with them.
• Some people complaint that parents not love to their disabled children may be at some level it is true but individually whenever asked this question to any type of PWDs, they always said that their parents always try to help them at their best. Main problem is awareness, usually parents don’t know what to do when they find they have a special child, many parents are totally illiterate. Another problem with poor parents is that they don’t have enough time because some time both mother and father are struggling hard to earn enough money for food and shelter. Some parents afraid to send their deaf girls to school far from their home and kept them at home, unaware that it’ll cause too much problem for their daughter in future. So we don’t think it is that the parents dislike their special children and keep them away but its matter of knowledge, understanding how to deal with special children. Instead blaming parents to gain some ‘pity’ for PWDs we should try to educate parents and introduce concept of Independent Living.

After lunch break second session started. Mr. Ghulam Nabi Nizamani briefed about past and present of DPI Pakistan. Participants showed their full interest. It was decided in the meeting that:

·        Meeting like this one should be held on regular basis.

·        Next meeting may be held in the mid of the month of March 2005.

·        First to organize all SHOs of PWDs in Sindh then include Baluchistan.

·        It was observed that DPI Pakistan is delaying in membership process it was strongly demanded that Mr. Ghulam Nabi Nizamani will collect all applications from Sindh for DPI Pakistan membership without any delay before CBSHOD will held in Pakistan.

·        There is no need of another national level organization it will divide PWDs in Pakistan. If DPI Pakistan may not respond or delaying providing membership then it will be think for separate National level cross disabilities organization with consultation of other provinces.

Meeting ended with these observations and decisions that:

• None reached on time, it seems it is not good to arrange any meeting in first half of Sunday. We should change our habit and try to be punctual. We should prove better ourselves then so called able bodied.
• Called around 14 organization and only 5 organizations appears, we will try to bring more organizations in next meeting, for this we should try to build a accurate database of organizations of PWDs so we can contact all of them.
• It seems there is no Association for MR, but schools / institutes are working in urban area like Karachi, It was suggested those schools / institutes should join hands and form an association to discuss matters related to MR people, so this association can join DPI or any national forum so we will be able to understand the problems of MR people and can try to extend our help wherever possible.
• PWDs should represent their organization themselves, and should not send / bring ‘non-disabled’ people.
• Nothing will happen overnight, but if we make our path clear then it’ll be easy to go fast. It suggest in next meeting, besides thinking about unity we should mark few easy steps to solve problems and put some effort to solve them as soon as possible, once we get success in this way we will gain courage, confidence and we can go for other problems.

• It was recommended that in next meeting all should bring suggestions for above point, these are things through that we can work to solve problems quickly and systematically. First problem lies with Govt. 2^nd with public sector like hotels, transport, Int’l franchises etc. 3^rd with among ourselves to respect each others point of view and nature of disability.

A group photo was taken at the end of meeting.