ISLAMABAD, April 4: One in eight households of the country is inhabited by a person with some kind of disability, said Federal Minister for Social Welfare and Special Education Zobaida Jalal. She was speaking as chief guest at the “National consultation on the draft plan of action to support the national policy for persons with disabilities” here on Monday. According to the 1998 census estimates, 2.4 per cent of the total population is afflicted with some form of disability. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) puts the estimate at 10 per cent, said the minister.

“The sad fact is that most of the people with disabilities and their families remain completely unserved by government and NGOs, and local knowledge about the depth and extent of the disability remains far from optimal,” Ms Jalal said.

Still, only 1.7 per cent of the estimated persons with special needs are served by the network of special education centres and other such institutions. It is a poverty issue. Only 28 per cent of persons with disability are literate and only 14 per cent are actually working with 5 per cent looking for work. Nearly 70 per cent of persons with disabilities are dependent on their families for financial support.

These statistics aside, the stigma of disability remains the greatest impediment to changing the way towards empowerment of persons with disabilities. Stigma remains in society at large and within communities.

On the one hand the strong cultural family network ensures financial security while on the other the stigma often results in their remaining invisible members of society. “I especially look forward to hearing the recommendations of the advocacy and awareness group to see how we can tackle this issue,” the minister said.

“Clearly, we need more accurate data and research on causes, prevention and curative efforts to understand the social and economic realities and possibilities with regards to disability,” she said. Meanwhile, it should be ensured that the policies, laws, programmes and coordination mechanisms are in place.

It is a cross-sectoral issue which affects all areas of society. The causes of disability such as poor health conditions, lack of education, malnutrition, unsafe working conditions and poor road safety must become the responsibility of all ministries - health, education and social welfare, justice, interior, and commerce, etc.

The government has made efforts to support the rights of persons with disabilities. It has ratified several international conventions, promulgated the national policy in 2002, begun revising the ordinance on employment which would raise the employment quota to two per cent to ensure more job opportunities for the special persons and taken initiative to develop ‘inclusive education’ projects to mainstream children with mild to moderate disabilities.