Disabled persons’ plan launched

PAPUA New Guinea’s 600,000 people with disabilities now have a strategic plan that will ensure that all their special needs and basic rights are met.
The PNG assembly for disabled persons’ strategic plan 2010-14 was launched last Thursday in Port Moresby by the assembly chairman Ipul Powaseu.
The event was witnessed by deputy Australian high commissioner John Feakes and selected disabled athletes from various provinces.
These athletes were also the provincial members of the disability board that looked after their needs at the provincial and local levels.
The launching coincided with the International Day for Persons with Disabilities.
The theme was “Making the MDGs inclusive: Empowerment of persons with disabilities and their communities around the world”.
The emphasis was on the inclusiveness of disabled persons to have accessibility into all life aspects such as sports, employment, education, health care services, and mobility into vehicles, buildings and many more.
Ms Powaseu told the gathering that the plan was written by fellow disabled persons from each of the provincial boards to cater to their special needs, especially towards education and health care.
She said this plan hoped to bring to the attention of relevant authorities that disabled persons had to be included into plans that hope to achieve the MDGs.
Ms Powaseu said this was because disability was a health issue and the MDGs stressed on the importance of health care, and also because 10% of the population were afflicted with impaired vision and hearing, alongsiderestricted mobility.