Spare a thought for disabled people

"Disability" is lack of ability and disabled people are those who have difficulties doing things able-bodied people take for granted. For example, disabled people find it difficult to ride bicycles, travel on buses and trains, or even talk unaided. Some of the disabled people use wheel- chairs, crutches, or walking sticks. Then there are others who use artificial legs and arms to move about and to do various tasks. Although there are mentally disabled people who are physically fit, we are more concerned with physically disabled people here.

In the early 1980s, it was estimated that about 9 to 10 percent of the US population was disabled. Millions more suffer from other disabilities, including deafness, orthopaedic handicaps, and mental retardation. Some 350,000 veterans of World War I, the Korean War, and the Vietnamese War are among the disabled.

Sri Lanka too has around 100,000 to 150,000 disabled people, mostly young men who fought during the 30-year-old separatist war in the North and the East. In addition, we have a large number of disabled people whose main income is derived from begging. Meanwhile, there are many disabled people who are employed in various capacities without being a burden on the Government or their immediate families.

Many young disabled children face social and psychological problems. The main problem they face is the violence of exclusion. In schools, disabled children cannot take part in various sports activities. So, they become mere spectators at sports events. Most disabled children are neglected by their parents. Sometimes poor parents sell their disabled children to those who use them for begging.

When disabled children do not get an opportunity to participate in normal activities enjoyed by others, they become unhappy and frustrated. There were instances when some of them even wished to commit suicide. When they feel that they are being excluded, it is quite natural for them to give up hopes in living. The greatest handicap the disabled children have had to face is the image society has created of them as a "breed apart" who are often pitied, or even placed in institutions that offer mere custodial care.

When disabled children step into adolescence they find that they are discriminated in certain important areas. For instance, they find it difficult to attract the attention of any member of the opposite sex. A young male or female will always look for an able-bodied partner for marriage.

Disabled adolescents carry the same problems into their adulthood. Even though they may get through public and competitive examinations some employers are relucant to hire or promote them. Some landlords refuse to rent houses to them. What is more, courts sometimes deprive them of basic human rights, including custody of their children.

As responsible citizens some measures can be taken to minimize the problems faced by disabled children, adolescents and adults. The first step is to empathize with disabled people in order to understand their real plight. Just giving a few coins to a disabled person is not going to help him. By giving individual donations we only perpetuate begging which is not a healthy sign in a prosperous society. Today there are many government and non-government organisations set up with the sole aim of rehabilitating disabled children, adolescents, and adults.

We can extend our cooperation to any one of the organisations that deal with the rehabilitation of the disabled. Some of these organisations have adopted the Swedish concept that the disabled people belong to one group of people called "able and disabled" - a huge spectrum of differently-able people.

In Sri Lanka, we treat the disabled as a separate group of people and many of them with justification feel that they are marginalized. Psychologists, in association with organised groups, should take all possible measures to integrate disabled people into society so that they feel one with the rest.

Although the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act No. 28 of 1996 enables persons with disabilities to seek legal redress against discrimination, it does not provide specific penalties for non-compliance with the provisions of the Act. We are also aware of the accessibility regulations gazetted in October 2006 under Act. Although detailed regulations with diagrams on how public buildings and service buildings should be constructed, we rarely see the implementation of such regulations.

Many non-government organisations provide services such as mobility training, training in daily activities, development stimulation, communication training, providing rehabilitation equipment, referral for education, home based education, behaviour training, vocational training, and income generation activities. In addition, there are three rehabilitation hospitals in Sri Lanka set up by the government. The Ragama Rehabilitation Hospital located close to Colombo is the oldest institute that provides services free to any disabled person. The Ranaviru Sevana is set up mainly for disabled soldiers. Then there is the Digana Rehabilitation Hospital that caters to all types of disabled people. It is noteworthy that the services provided by these institutes are free. The government spends a colossal sum of money to maintain them. The Sri Lanka Medical Association also welcomes suggestions from the public and also from psychologists to improve the lot of disabled people.

Dr. Ajith C. S. Perera says there are around 25 percent of disabled people in Sri Lanka. According to him they have little chance to be consumers because the local infrastructure often does not accommodate their disabilities. We have to take all these factors into consideration to minimize the problems faced by disabled people.

Some are born disabled. Others become disabled due to diseases and accidents. We have a large number of people who are paralysed. Numerous road accidents not only kill people but also increase the number of the disabled. Therefore, nobody can turn a blind eye towards disabled people because it may be your turn tomorrow to join them.