The National Conference on "Barrier Free Environments for Persons with Disabilities" would be held here on Saturday, February 9. The conference is being organised by Social Welfare and Special Education Ministry to provide an environment that would allow full realisation of the potential of challenged persons, official told APP here Wednesday.
The moot would also help finalise recommendations for designing manual, model projects and building bye-laws for the creation of barrier free environment for challenges persons, he added. Caretaker Minister for Social Welfare and Special Education, Barrister Shahida Jamil would be chief guest on the occasion.
Secretary Social Welfare and Special Education Rasool Bux Baloch, Director General, Directorate General of Social Welfare, Sarfraz Ahmed Syed and the representatives from Ministries of Education, Housing and Work, Women Development, local and foreign NGOs and donors would also attend the event.
Official said that the ministry had already taken a number of initiatives for the welfare and rehabilitation of the disabled persons. He said that a National Plan of Action had already been launched for effective implementation of the initiatives and policies for the welfare of disabled persons.
He said that one of the major thrust areas of this Plan was disabled friendly barrier free physical environment, which include physical access, transportation, communication and employment. As a first step, five major cities including Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar have been declared disabled friendly cities and necessary modifications in the already constructed infrastructure are underway in collaboration with the CDA and Provincial/District governments, he added.