Facilitating the differently-abled

Declaring 2007 as the Year of Accessibility, is one of the finest gestures of this Government towards the differently-abled of Sri Lanka.

It reflects a profound sensitivity on the part of the State towards those persons who have hitherto been considered disabled by mainstream society and, generally speaking, allowed to remain on the social margins.

However, this would amount to condemning these persons, who are brimming with numerous capabilities and abilities, to a living death.

Such treatment of the differently-abled is a scathing condemnation of society, for, such treatment is no less than cold cruelty and inhumanity.

We roundly and vehemently condemn such callous treatment and call for the robust integration of these persons into mainstream life.

Providing facilities in all public buildings, to facilitate access and movement by the differently-abled, is one of the surest means of integrating the differently-abled into normal life.

The State, by declaring 2007, the Year of Accessibility, is recognizing the need to do just this and we hope all public sector institutions would take the cue from the Government and provide the relevant access facilities and other requirements, which would make life easy for the differently-abled.

Fortunately, a public sector steering committee, headed by the Secretary, Ministry of Social Services and Social Welfare is already at work on this question and we hope they would sooner rather than later ensure that the differently-abled of Sri Lanka feel at home in our public institutions, such as line Ministries and the departments functioning under them.

We hope these institutions would be encouraged to endeavour in this project on realising that empowering the differently-abled, is provided for in the Mahinda Chinthana. In other words, a project close to President Mahinda Rajapaksa's heart.

It is little realised that the differently-abled are endowed with rare capabilities. Some of the finest musicians of the world, for instance, have been differently-abled.

In a past British Cabinet, the Minister of Education was differently-abled, thus testifying to the formidable capabilities of this category of citizens.

The differently-abled, could not, therefore, be relegated to the ranks of the unwanted.

They must be given all the relevant facilities, such as specially designed buildings, to rise and shine and we hope Sri Lanka would prove exemplary in this noble endeavour.

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