Pakistan

Seminar On Inclusive Society

Seminar on Inclusive Society was held on May 10, 2010 at 10 am and ended at 1:30 pm Organized by Movement for Independence of Disabled (MID).

Venue: Alhamra Hall no. 2, Lahore, Pakistan

It started with a welcome speech by Samiyah Event Manager MID that

In Todayโ€™s world, words inclusion and exclusion have become fashionable and are often used as shorthand to talk about a series of complex social processes. Like most words they have the power to create meanings of their own and they are often used to suggest a new approach by society to a variety of disadvantaged groups.

In a Preamble to the publication jointly produced by Disabled Peoples International, Inclusion International, World Blind Union, World Federation of the Deaf and World Psychiatric Users Foundation Mary Robinson, United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights states.

"..Disabled persons frequently live in deplorable conditions, owing to the presence of physical and social barriers which prevent their integration and full participation in the community. Millions of children and adults worldwide are segregated and deprived of their rights and are, in effect, living on the margins. This is unacceptable".

So the Seminar was basically focused on campaigning awareness to eliminate disability and exclusion and to create Mainstreaming and Inclusion that would eventually facilitate the physically challenged persons.

Col. Zafar Bajwa from Punjab Welfare Trust for Disabled stressed on introducing the contributions of his organization and appreciated the work of MID and gave positive feedback on inclusive society.

Dr. Khalid Jamil said that the disabled persons should be included in the society and the government should take steps to integrate them with able society. He emphasized on keen listeners in the seminar and mentioned that the number of participants does not matter but what is really important is the number of people who are keen to work and understand this scenario. He also said that these seminars are helpful for the disabled community to integrate and create awareness among general public and appreciated the efforts of MID.

DCO Lahore Sajjad Bhutta appreciated MID and its efforts and also said that he will try to do what ever he can to facilitate the disabled persons and will try to allocate certain budget for them. Moreover he said MID should provide him with recommendations for Punjab and district government for the well being of disabled.

Arif Mughal publication secretary MID, introduced the MID and also highlighted the advantages and benefits of inclusive society.

Shakeel Gondal Secretary Lahore bar appreciated MID and said that Lahore bar will provide free legal help to the disabled persons.

Ms. Sadia Butt Secretary MID concluded the topic and said that a Disabled person reaches his providence after completing quite a lot of steps struggling and thriving throughout his/her life.

She asserted that Disability is a different life style and being Disabled means that society is becoming a hindrance in facilitating the Disabled persons and thatโ€™s what we want to eliminate and support to have an Inclusive Society.

She believed that our Society should become Barrier free especially for Disabled Persons.

Disabled persons encountered many obstacles that prevent them from moving about freely and safely. For wheelchair users, steps and stairways are obstacles. Blind people are endangered by the absence of directional and safety features that they can hear and touch.

Many disabled persons live in poverty and need education and training, but these are often located in places where access is difficult for them. In addition, most community centers, parks and places have not been designed to welcome users with disabilities. Public transport systems, too, are not user-friendly to persons with disabilities.

Fortunately, awareness is growing that society should be penalized when disabled persons are prevented by an unfriendly environment from realizing their full potential. Society should be incurred with hidden costs when their members, including those with disabilities, suffer from stress, fatigue and accidents.

Moreover she said that disabled children are encouraged to study at special schools rather than at normal schools, after they finish school, they are suddenly expected to live in society with non-disabled people without special consideration once they become adults. So why donโ€™t we all come and join in lending a hand in eliminating exclusion from the scratch and encourage inclusion and mainstreaming.

The Seminar ended with a note of thanks coupled with lunch. For Gallery please visit from: http://midpakistan.com/Seminar%20on%20Inclusive%20Society%20By%20MID/ats00000.htm

Source: http://midpakistan.com/Seminar.html

Email from: Ghulam Nabi Nizamani

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When: 7/2/2014

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