President Dr Arif Alvi has called for providing career counselling to persons with disabilities (PWDs) to guide them towards suitable jobs as per the nature and severity of their disability and skill set. He stressed the need for constituting a committee at the highest level, which should include members from the private sector and other experts, for the career guidance of PWDs and recommending jobs for them in accordance with their skills and ability. The President expressed these views during a meeting regarding the classification and severity of disabilities, at Aiwan-e-Sadr, on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by the senior officials of the Ministry of Human Rights, the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, the Council on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (NIRM). Addressing the meeting, the President highlighted the need for a standardized and consistent system of classifying disabilities so as to identify the needs of persons with disabilities, besides ensuring the provision of appropriate support and services to PWDs. He urged the need for enhancing collaboration among the relevant ministries and departments of the Federal and provincial governments to develop the disability classification system that would help in identifying the needs of PWDs and addressing the challenges being faced by them. Director General Social Welfare of the Ministry of Human Rights, Mr Abdul Sattar, gave a presentation on the framework for the classification of disability/severity of disability. He highlighted the steps taken for the welfare of PWDs and stated that the ICT Rights of Persons with Disability Act, 2020 had been promulgated to promote and protect the rights of PWDs. He briefed that the Medical Assessment Board held its meetings twice a month in the CRPD Secretariat and issued certificates on the same day to eligible PWDs. It was further informed that a framework for the assessment of disability to determine the extent of disability based on its severity had been approved by CRPD, which was initially designed by the Ministry of Human Rights in coordination with the Ministry of Health, NIRM and CRPD. He added that the approved framework had also been shared with the provinces for guidance. The President appreciated the work done by the Ministry of Human Rights and the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination for the welfare of PWDs.
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