ISLAMABAD: On Friday, President Dr. Arif Alvi emphasized the importance of embracing people with disabilities in all facets of life, particularly in the educational setting, in order to enable them to become contributing members of society.
President said, the system should allow kids with different abilities to attend regular schools and offer them jobs that are specifically tailored to their skill set, with the exception of a few mental disorders. Speaking at the 5th Cerebral Palsy Conference held at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), he stated that society should show compassion for and be willing to accept children who are physically and mentally challenged as any other child. A group of conditions known as cerebral palsy have an impact on a person’s mobility, balance, and posture.
According to President Alvi, those who have physical, visual, or hearing impairments have the same level of intelligence as everyone else and therefore require support from society in order to function more effectively. The president emphasized the need for society to become more sympathetic toward people who have mental and physical disabilities. He lamented the frequent stereotyping of children with cerebral palsy and urged people to avoid taboos connected to them. He said that First Lady Samina Alvi made a point of emphasizing the cause of people with special needs and emphasizing the availability of facilities for them in public places through awareness campaigns.
President Alvi said training of doctors was very important for taking curative measures, adding that good professional training with the help of technology could help the health experts play their due role in mainstreaming the persons with disabilities. The president recalled that the country’s visually-challenged diplomat Saima Saleem effectively represented Pakistan at the United Nations and delivered a speech using braille. He also laid focus on preventive treatment to reduce rate of malnutrition, stunting and maternal mortality. In this regard, he said, educating the masses and the role of midwives was important.
He expressed confidence that the conference would help raise consciousness about cerebral palsy. President Pakistan Academy of Cerebral Palsy Professor Javaid Iqbal said cerebral palsy affects two out of 1,000 children and causes multiple physical, mental and other problems. He said the academy aimed at creating interdisciplinary forum to improve communication and teamwork in providing services and care for children with cerebral palsy. Executive Director PIMS Muhammad Naeem Malik said PIMS since its inception was providing treatment to the people and approximately one million people annually get treatment in the hospital. The children with cerebral palsy performed a tableau on a song sung by a child with the same disorder. The president gave away appreciation shields among the foreign delegates who participated in the conference. The representatives from Russia, Brazil, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Egypt and UAE attended the event.
