People with Disabilities
Community based rehab must
Discussion told
Rehabilitating people with disabilities only with healthcare reforms is not possible and their rights will not be recognised if not provided opportunities to be rehabilitated within their own communities, stated speakers at a discussion yesterday.
The discussion, “Community based rehabilitation of persons with disabilities: Awareness and Possibilitiesâ€, was organised by the National Forum of Organisations Working with Disabilities (NFOWD) in the capital's Biam Foundation.
Community rehabilitation is not only for medical rehabilitation but also includes social inclusion and equalisation of opportunities, stated HM Noman Khan, executive director of Centre for Disability in Development, in a presentation.
Five components -- health, education, livelihood, social development and empowerment -- which the community-based rehabilitation matrix, proposed by World Health Organization, focuses on need to be addressed, he said.
Proper attention should be given to ensure that people with disabilities get access to their desired facilities within their own communities, stated Social Welfare Secretary Ranjit Kumar Biswas.
This can only be achieved if all, including the government, non-government organisations and individuals, work together to ensure proper implementation of the community-based rehabilitation guidelines, the speakers added.
The guidelines could be a strategy to enhance inclusion of people with disabilities in social, economic and political arenas, ensuring their equal access to resources and services available to other people, asserted Christian Blind Mission Country Coordinator Mohd Shahnawaz Kureishi.
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