Respect people with Disabilities

 Written by: Samira Haleemzai

According to the information provided by the Ministry of Public Health of Afghanistan, about 1 million people are suffering from permanent disability in this country.  A person with a disability has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity and some people cause them some problems.

AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to some people about this issue.

Sediqa, a resident of Kabul city says, “I am physically disabled. I cannot work with my hands and they are getting smaller day by day. When I was a student, my classmates were mocking me and I quit school and now when I go out of home, the children mocking me. I am very disappointed and sometimes I quarantine myself in a room for a long time.”

 Muhammad Wali Sabori, another resident of Kabul city says, “I am suffering from my eyes and hands disability. When I go out of home, people mocking me. Once when I was sick, I went to a clinic and I was waiting for my turn in a row. One of the patients called me handicapped and I felt very disappointed.”

A psychologist, professor Amerkhail says, “Permanently disabled persons are afraid of the community. They think if they go out of their homes, children and some adults might mock them. They are not different from other human beings but as a part/parts of their body have some physical problems, they are annoyed and feel inferior. They think that they have lost some important parts of their body.”

How do disabled persons find a solution to this issue?

Rahila, a resident of Nangarhar province says, “I have troubles in my feet. When I go to school or to a shop, some people prevent me and says that I am paralyzed and says that it is better to stay at home. I don’t care about their sayings and I continue my struggle. I convince them that I am the same human as you are and I tell them that as other people are respected, disabled people also have the right to be respected.”

A teacher, Farid says, “I always tell to my students in the school to treat well their disabled classmates. One day a student had taken a disabled boy’s walking stick and was imitating disability and other boys were laughing.

I told them the disabled person is also a human being and I wanted them to respect people with disabilities. they accepted and apologized for their mistake.”