THEY say that justice is blind — that is, impartial and objective — and that all citizens stand equal before the law. But people with disabilities, like other marginalised groups, know all too well the distance between this ideal and their reality. Yousaf Saleem, who was sworn in as the country’s first visually impaired civil judge on Tuesday, is an exception by virtue of being exceptional. Blind since birth, this young man not only successfully overcame the social and environmental barriers that hinder PWDs from living a full and productive life, but also won a gold medal in his LLB Honours programme, and met all the requirements and aced the written exam to become a civil judge. All that stood in his way were the ableist prejudices of the interview panel, who disqualified him for no other reason than his disability. It was only when the media spotlighted his case, prompting the chief justice of Pakistan’s notice, that this final hurdle was overcome.

It is certain that Mr Saleem will be an effective and sagacious officer of the court, proficient as he is in going above and beyond the bar set by and for mainstream (read: non-disabled) society, which places too high a burden on PWDs to prove their worth. But PWDs shouldn’t have to serve as inspirations for the public to get equal treatment. In a country that has mandatory PWD employment quotas for both public and private sectors, disability discrimination is not only morally indefensible but also in breach of the law. Ignorance is no excuse; employers must educate themselves on how to provide reasonable accommodations to PWDs instead of dismissing their capabilities. That we are neither committed to taking preventative measures to reduce the disability incidence rate, nor dedicated to enabling PWDs to live and work among us, is a peculiar contradiction. As a society, it is we who lack a certain kind of vision — the ability to imagine a more inclusive, and ergo humane, Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2018