antiquity
01-31-2003, 09:58 AM
Dealing with disability
Posted on Friday, January 31 @ 13:59:28 EST BST
Â*Â*A recent survey of disabled people - the physically and mentally challenged - in Bhutan came up with a disconcerting revelation and, therefore, another major challenge. The disabled section of the population, about eight percent of the population if we go by the international average, is in need of help.
Having been comforted in the past by the knowledge that a close knit society took care of its own, this appears to be yet another detail crying out for attention as our traditional social cohesion is diluted by change.
In traditional Bhutan most disabled played their roles, vital ones, as did the aged and the children, in the home and in village life. But, with the general population drifting towards the towns, that has changed. A nightmare scenario is that the disabled could end up on the urban streets as they have in all developing countries.
To give our planners their due, there are already policies aimed at absorbing the disabled into society. For example, the health sector has drawn up a community-based rehabilitation plan, a well thought out concept that would not dislocate the disabled within their own communities. The education department aims to integrate the disabled into the mainstream education system.
The health department introduced this policy in the eighth plan, covering awareness and preventive measures as well as health care and services. The education department took over the Khaling school for the visually impaired, started a braille production unit, introduced a whole school project in Changangkha, a deaf education programme in Paro.
But the plans are currently being drawn up by individual sectors and need both refining and coordination. And we do not yet have a clear picture of the disabled population.
Even more important, there is an abysmal gap
between the theoretical plans and practical activities. Take the financial manual of the civil service which sets employment standards for the entire country. It discourages the training of disabled employees because the payment of DSA to an escort draws an audit objection. It may be an oversight but, once passed, rules are rules.
We know that both our health and education services are stretched to their limits and we are a long distance away from the specialized facilities that are needed. In the employment sector we are currently dealing with a potential unemployment problem for the youth population. The concept of creating special employment opportunities for the disabled is not yet in the picture.
Thus our general awareness and acceptance of the needs of the disabled remains largely theoretical.
In a practical sense, it is often seen as a luxury we cannot afford.
A major dilemma for families, communities, and the government, in Bhutan as in other developing countries, is the resources required to incorporate training, employment and day to day living facilities for the disabled. When weighed against the usage, the average decision maker could not justify the cost of equipping an office or a residential building for the disabled. If it is enforced as a rule, we even lack the expertise to build the facilities.
But it is a fact that a growing number of disabled Bhutanese people are seeking education, training, and jobs. It is also a fact that, given the opportunity, some of them would out-do the non disabled in many professional fields. In the changing job market, many disabled people are perfectly suited for a number of valuable professions.
Again, it is not an experience unique to Bhutan. As societies see a breakdown of their existing social values, they are resorting to legislation and rules to protect the basic rights of the disabled. They have learned that, as a system, we tend to overlook and neglect the under-privileged.
In the past it was normal that one talked a little louder to a cretin - often sharing a good-natured laugh - and accepted him for what he was. Today, the condition of the disabled section of the urban population is a direct confrontation of the finesse of development and of the success of development itself.
More than that, it is a reflection of the compassion ingrained in the society. If Bhutanese society is regarded as being naturally sensitive to gender differences and caring about its youth, why not its disabled ?
http://www.kuenselonline.com/article.php?sid=2457&KUENSELONLINE_PHPSESSID=4f0f26f36c825e0e5089fc18f9 3a1c50
Posted on Friday, January 31 @ 13:59:28 EST BST
Â*Â*A recent survey of disabled people - the physically and mentally challenged - in Bhutan came up with a disconcerting revelation and, therefore, another major challenge. The disabled section of the population, about eight percent of the population if we go by the international average, is in need of help.
Having been comforted in the past by the knowledge that a close knit society took care of its own, this appears to be yet another detail crying out for attention as our traditional social cohesion is diluted by change.
In traditional Bhutan most disabled played their roles, vital ones, as did the aged and the children, in the home and in village life. But, with the general population drifting towards the towns, that has changed. A nightmare scenario is that the disabled could end up on the urban streets as they have in all developing countries.
To give our planners their due, there are already policies aimed at absorbing the disabled into society. For example, the health sector has drawn up a community-based rehabilitation plan, a well thought out concept that would not dislocate the disabled within their own communities. The education department aims to integrate the disabled into the mainstream education system.
The health department introduced this policy in the eighth plan, covering awareness and preventive measures as well as health care and services. The education department took over the Khaling school for the visually impaired, started a braille production unit, introduced a whole school project in Changangkha, a deaf education programme in Paro.
But the plans are currently being drawn up by individual sectors and need both refining and coordination. And we do not yet have a clear picture of the disabled population.
Even more important, there is an abysmal gap
between the theoretical plans and practical activities. Take the financial manual of the civil service which sets employment standards for the entire country. It discourages the training of disabled employees because the payment of DSA to an escort draws an audit objection. It may be an oversight but, once passed, rules are rules.
We know that both our health and education services are stretched to their limits and we are a long distance away from the specialized facilities that are needed. In the employment sector we are currently dealing with a potential unemployment problem for the youth population. The concept of creating special employment opportunities for the disabled is not yet in the picture.
Thus our general awareness and acceptance of the needs of the disabled remains largely theoretical.
In a practical sense, it is often seen as a luxury we cannot afford.
A major dilemma for families, communities, and the government, in Bhutan as in other developing countries, is the resources required to incorporate training, employment and day to day living facilities for the disabled. When weighed against the usage, the average decision maker could not justify the cost of equipping an office or a residential building for the disabled. If it is enforced as a rule, we even lack the expertise to build the facilities.
But it is a fact that a growing number of disabled Bhutanese people are seeking education, training, and jobs. It is also a fact that, given the opportunity, some of them would out-do the non disabled in many professional fields. In the changing job market, many disabled people are perfectly suited for a number of valuable professions.
Again, it is not an experience unique to Bhutan. As societies see a breakdown of their existing social values, they are resorting to legislation and rules to protect the basic rights of the disabled. They have learned that, as a system, we tend to overlook and neglect the under-privileged.
In the past it was normal that one talked a little louder to a cretin - often sharing a good-natured laugh - and accepted him for what he was. Today, the condition of the disabled section of the urban population is a direct confrontation of the finesse of development and of the success of development itself.
More than that, it is a reflection of the compassion ingrained in the society. If Bhutanese society is regarded as being naturally sensitive to gender differences and caring about its youth, why not its disabled ?
http://www.kuenselonline.com/article.php?sid=2457&KUENSELONLINE_PHPSESSID=4f0f26f36c825e0e5089fc18f9 3a1c50