By Patricia Keamo, Cadet Journalsit – Port Moresby
Today marks the National Day for People Living with Disabilities (PLWD). The Cheshire Disability Services celebrated the National Disability Day (NDD) today with various partner organisations with the theme “Empowering People with Disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality.”
One of the points highlighted during NDD celebrations today is that PLWD’s have equal rights as able-bodied persons and they should be included in every aspect of the society.
According to World Health Organisation statistics, 15% of the world’s population are people living with disabilities, and for Papua New Guinea, 1 million of the country’s population are estimated to be people living with disabilities.
For the people living with disabilities who gathered at Cheshire Disability Services, it was a fun filled day for them as they took part in singing, dancing and engaging in information booths set up by organisations like St John Ambulance, Marie Stopes and Digicel Foundation.
During the NDD celebrations, Cheshire’s General Manager, Benard Aiyeko, mentioned that when it comes to service delivery to people with disabilities, everyone in society has a part to play. A lot of issues regarding the welfare and rights of people with disabilities have been raised over the years. And this does not only include discrimination, but also how society perceives and treats PLWD’s when they are accessing public services or interacting with the community.
With this year’s theme focused on empowering people with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality, Benard says everyone in society should give opportunities to PLWD’s in employment and access to services.
