State’s Efforts to Ensure Social Inclusion of PWDs: Theory and Practice

The study under review discusses the multifaceted challenges and underlines the societal attitudes that bars the social inclusion of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Pakistan’s socio-political and socio-cultural context. The domain of disability rights is very complicated to define as in our society most of the time the PWDs are treated as the disabled ones rather instead of a productive human resource with diversity. The prevailing social attitude treats the PWDs with sympathy and considers them for charity as a general belief that charity to these people will benefit them on the day of judgement. Pakistan’s first disability-related legislation ‘The disabled People (Employment and Rehabilitation) Ordinance 1981 concentrates on medical treatment and rehabilitation. However, later on, successive governments have taken several measures such as signing and ratifying the UNCRPD, amending the law, enhancing the quota, establishing councils, introducing training opportunities, and introducing subsidies on local transport, railway and air tickets, and free education. This research study highlights the factors that are preventing the social inclusion of PWDs and increasing their vulnerability to living on the margins of their lives. Simultaneously, the study discusses multiple dimensions that are imperative for PWDs’ dignity in society and steps to ensure social inclusion as accord to the international framework of disability rights.