Minutes of the Meeting of National Forum of Women with Disabilities

Disabled Peoples’ Organization (PDPO/DPI – Pakistan)
Coordination Meeting of Women with Disabilities held in Ramadah Inn, Karachi on 15 January 2011

Agenda of the Meeting:

What are the concrete steps to empower women with disabilities in their organizations?

How this forum could play a positive role in highlighting the concerns of women with disabilities and provide practical support and opportunities for individuals with disabilities and their families to live in community?

Points Discussed:

Meeting was started with the short introduction of participants and National Forum of Women with Disabilities followed by the agenda:

While discussing the point related to what are the concrete steps to empower women with disabilities in their organizations concerned raised by participants that Women with disabilities are disadvantaged in several key areas when compared with other women, men with disabilities, and the society as a whole. These women face a triple handicap and discrimination due to their disability, gender and developing world status.

Women with hearing and visual impairment mentioned the challenge faced by them is communication, this need to be address practically on organizational and family level as well. At the same time women with physical disabilities faced mobility problem as compare to others.

Keeping in the view that the range of abilities of persons within any disabilities group is enormous, we have a large number of women with disabilities in Pakistan who are taking part in the activities of daily life with courage. There is the need to highlight the contribution of those role models in organization and facilitate and accept them as a person with different lifestyle.

Action Point:

• This group will develop strong coordination among each other and will share information, Ms. Reema will share the contact details of participants by 18 January 2011.
• This group will further try to link with other disabled persons organizations based in Karachi, DPI/ AP and Danishkadah will support them to develop further.

How this forum could play a positive role in highlighting the concerns of women with disabilities and provide practical support and opportunities for individuals with disabilities and their families to live in community

It was discussed and agreed in the meeting that all women with disabilities have to take initiatives and will raise the concerns within their respective organizations first about the right of their representations and visibility in planning, implementation and on monitoring and evaluation phases.

Action Points:

• NFWWDs will try to arrange capacity building workshops and trainings of women with disabilities on national and province level. First training is going to held on Peer-Counseling in Islamabad in first week of February, 2011 details will be shared by Ms. Abia in last week of January
• This group will meet every month, next meeting will be held on 15 February 2011, Ms. Reema, Ms. Kauser Salmani, Ms. Farah Naz and Ainee will be responsible to organize and share brief minutes of the meeting with NFWWDs
• In first meeting they will design activity plan for the group with clear objective and outcome.
• These women with disabilities will try to visit and had discussions with those women with disabilities who are confined in their homes.

In the end of the meeting, Mr. Khalid Naeem, Mr. Ghulam Nabi Nizamani, Mr. Bilal, Mr. Muhammad Atif and Mr. Muhammad Akram endorsed that there is a growing concern of women with disabilities within the region and further actions should be taken by all stakeholders and women with disabilities have to take lead and a huge responsibility to sensitize people that the women with disability are entitled to enjoy the same rights, privileges and opportunities as other citizens.

Acknowledgment:

On behalf of PDPO/DPI – Pakistan and NFWWDs, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Ghulam Nabi Nizamani for encouraging NFWWDs activities and all those participants who have participated in this meeting. I am also thankful to Danishkadah, especially Mr. Aqeel ur Rehman Hameed for his interpreting volunteer service, and Mr. Akram for facilitating this meeting and STEP for financial support in very short notice.

Note: Above report is by Ms. Abia Akram, Women Coordinator - DPI, nfwwd.pk@gmail.com, you can download the report in MS.Word format , and same may available with NFWWDs.

Photos from the meeting