The lead section of this article may need to be rewritten.(September 2020) |
People with disabilities in Pakistan are seen differently than in most Western countries due to cultural and religious beliefs. The lack of accurate epidemiological evidence on disabilities, insufficient resources, weak health care facilities and worker shortages are major obstacles to meeting the needs of disabled Pakistanis. [1]
The 5th Population and Housing Census conducted in 1998 identified the population of Persons with Disabilities in Pakistan to be 2.38% of the entire population. However, as per the 6th Population and Housing Census of 2017, the percentage has gone down to less than 0.48%. [2] The drastic decline in the population percentage has raised concerns in some circles, Supreme Court of Pakistan being amongst them: "the court expressed its displeasure that Pakistan Bureau of Statistics continued citing various issues for not counting disabled persons after the census had already begun across the country." [3] If it were not for the Supreme Court of Pakistan's intervention, the disability question would not even be made part of the survey at a later stage. The Bureau itself accepted that census might not be thorough, an official stated: "that there was a possibility that the number of transgender and disabled persons had not been shown in complete detail." [4]
Some stakeholders also follow the figure of 15% identified by World Health Organization. As per WHO, "About 15% of the world's population lives with some form of disability." [5] Using this figure, British Council estimated the population of Persons with Disabilities to be around 27 million in their 2017 report. [6] Moreover, in 2011 Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund undertook a comprehensive survey of 23 union councils in seven districts of Pakistan, comprising 78939 households, and found the disability prevalence rate to be around 12 percent, of which 2 percent had severe disabilities. [7]
Acquiring driving Licenses has long been an important issue for the Deaf Community. As per the official community released by the Deaf and Mute Community during a protest: "We have been holding demonstrations for the last 10 years, government is unwilling to accept our demands. Driving licenses should be issued to the deaf." [8]
Promises have been made by the authorities several times to issue driving licenses to the Deaf but it has never materialized. [9] [10]
The government of Sindh recently announced that driving licences will be issued to people with hearing disabilities, as the provincial cabinet has approved the issuance of it. [11]
As per a report published by British Council, 72% of Persons with Disabilities reported inaccessibility as a major barrier to access education, training & employment. [6] Not only this, Persons with Disabilities also faced issues during General Elections and could not exercise their right to vote because of inaccessible polling station. [12]
There are 531 special schools in Pakistan and about 200 non-governmental organizations and disabled people's organizations offering education to people with disabilities. [13]
As per British Council's report Moving from the margins: Mainstreaming persons with disabilities in Pakistan (2014), PWDs tend to have poorer health outcomes, lower education achievements, higher rates of poverty, and less economic participation. These conditions ultimately exclude PWDs as productive members of society; some estimates suggest the cost of exclusion leads to annual loss of US$11.9bn-15.4bn, or 4.9-6.3% of Pakistan's GDP. [14] Employment quotas have been in place for Persons with Disabilities since 1981 when a figure was 2% was set up by the government. [15] Currently, the employment quotas are as follows: Sindh 5%, Punjab 3%, KPK 3% and Balochistan 5%. The government of Sindh's Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities hosted a session with the assistance of a local NGO NOWPDP where the current head of the Department Syed Qassim Naveed Qamar highlighted the steps the government was taking to employ persons with disabilities. The government, he said, "was rigorously working for accessibility and transport and also accommodating persons with intellectual disabilities along with other disabilities." [16]
Pakistan is a party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, having signed the treaty on 25 September 2008 and ratified it on 5 July 2011. [17]
Timeline of national policies and legislations supporting persons with disabilities in Pakistan: [18]
Pakistan have been competing at the Paralympic Games from 1992. So far, Pakistan has received 2 medals in Paralympics history in 2008 Summer Paralympics and in the 2016 Summer Paralympics.
Pakistan national blind cricket team has participated in every editions of the Blind Cricket World Cup as well as in the Blind T20 World Cup tournaments. The Pakistan blind cricket team has won 2 Blind Cricket World Cup titles in 2002 [33] and 2006.Hence became the first visually impaired cricket team to win 2 consecutive Blind Cricket World Cup titles.
The Pakistani blind cricket team also emerged as runners-up to South Africa in the inaugural edition of the Blind Cricket World Cup in 1998.
The Pakistan blind cricket team also emerged as runners-up to India in both Blind T20 World Cup tournaments.
Asia Cup T20 Tournament 2019 for Wheelchair users was played in Bangladesh in 2019. Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nepal participated in the tournament. [34] Pakistan won the tournament after beating Indian Wheelchair Team by 5 wickets. [35]
Special Olympics World Games 2019 were held in Abu Dhabi. Pakistan's contingent won a total of 61 medals including 18 gold medals, 28 silver medals and 15 bronze medals across 10 different sports. [36]
Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" and "indirect access" meaning compatibility with a person's assistive technology.
Blind cricket is a version of the sport of cricket adapted for blind and partially sighted players. It has been governed by the World Blind Cricket Council (WBCC) since 1996. So far, five Blind World Cups have been held: New Delhi, India (1998); Chennai, India (2002); Islamabad, Pakistan (2006), and India (2018). In 2012, the first Blind World Cup T20 was held in Bangalore, India. Blind cricket relies on common use of the 'sweep shot', in order to provide maximum chance of the bat hitting the ball.
The Paralympic sports comprise all the sports contested in the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. As of 2020, the Summer Paralympics included 22 sports and 539 medal events, and the Winter Paralympics include 5 sports and disciplines and about 80 events. The number and kinds of events may change from one Paralympic Games to another.
Para-athletics is the sport of athletics practised by people with a disability as a parasport. The athletics events within the parasport are mostly the same as those available to able-bodied people, with two major exceptions in wheelchair racing and the club throw, which are specific to the division. The sport is known by various names, including disability athletics, disabled track and field and Paralympic athletics. Top-level competitors may be called elite athletes with disability.
The Summer Paralympics, also known as the Games of the Paralympiad, are an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. The Paralympic Games are held every four years, organized by the International Paralympic Committee. Medals are awarded in every event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that the Olympic Games started in 1904.
The Winter Paralympic Games is an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete in snow and ice sports. The event includes athletes with mobility impairments, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. The Winter Paralympic Games are held every four years directly following the Winter Olympic Games and hosted in the same city. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) oversees the Games. Medals are awarded in each event: with gold for first place, silver for second, and bronze for third, following the tradition that the Olympic Games began in 1904.
Hsiao Huang-chi is a Taiwanese singer, songwriter and former judoka. He represented Taiwan in FESPIC Games in Beijing in 1994, where he won the bronze title and placed seventh at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics. Hsiao gained attention in the Taiwanese Hokkien pop scene after winning the Best Male Vocalist – Taiwanese award at the 19th Golden Melody Awards in 2008.
Disability sports classification is a system that allows for fair competition between people with different types of disabilities.
Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled, founded in 1997, is a non-profit organization providing education, accommodation, food, vocational training and placement based rehabilitation. It is based in Bangalore, India with centers across India and abroad. The organization is affiliated to the World Blind Union and received Special UN Consultative Status in 2015.
Disability racquetball classification is the medical based classification system developed to allow fair competition between racquetball players with different disability types and against able-bodied competitors. Internationally and in Canada, this classification system only allows only wheelchair users to be eligible to compete. In contrast, the United States classification system covers wheelchair users and people with vision impairments, with different classes inside these disability types.
Syed Sardar Ahmed Pirzada is a Pakistani journalist, radio anchor, and socio-political analyst most prominently known as the First Blind Journalist of Pakistan. He is currently Chief Editor of Monthly Akhbar-e-Urdu and also writes columns for Urdu newspapers including Daily Nawaiwaqt. He has been recognized and awarded by many NGOs and prominent personalities of Pakistan including but not limited to the Former President of Pakistan, Mr. Asif Ali Zardari.
Disabled sports in Spain started in the 1910s with the emergence of deaf sport. Blind sport began in the 1930s. Sport for people with physical disabilities began in the 1950s, and was primarily rehabilitative. The first major organization for disabled sports was created in 1968 at the direction of then president of the Spanish Olympic Committee Juan Antonio Samaranch. Spain competed at its first Paralympic Games that same year. ONCE became the official organization for organizing Spanish representation in international blind sport competitions in 1986. Spanish sport was restructured because of changes in law during the early 1990s, resulting in the creation of four new disability sport organizations and the Spanish Paralympic Committee. During the 1990s and 2000s, funding opportunities for disabled sports improved.
Special Education Department is a department of Government of Punjab, Pakistan. The department meets the Special education requirements of the disabled children especially, hearing impaired, visually impaired, mentally retarded and physically disabled.
South Africans with disabilities constitute a sizeable proportion of the population, and their status in society is extremely varied in a developing nation with socio-economic inequality and a history of apartheid. Wealthy city dwellers have access to a wide range of assistance, whereas the poor struggle for even the basic necessities of life.
Disability affects many people in Zimbabwe in both rural and urban areas. In spite of services provided by the government, philanthropists and welfare agencies, people with disabilities and their families often face several barriers. Philanthropist, Jairos Jiri, started services for people with disability in Zimbabwe in the 1940s. He is regarded as the father or founder of disability work in Zimbabwe.
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Around 35,000 people in Belize have a disability. There are efforts to raise awareness about people with disabilities in Belize and counter social stigma. Several non-governmental organizations, including Special Olympics, help increase awareness and the government sponsors an annual Disability Week. Services for people with disabilities is limited and most areas of the country have limited accessibility.
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