Rethinking Disability in the Third World

Disability is a complex issue in the subcontinent. The disabled like tobe judged by what they can contribute to the society, without being evaluated by a prevailing mindset, which usually belittles the achievements of the disabled. However, there are some undercurrents of social thought which do help the disabled in many ways. The pros and cons of these attitudes need to be debated upon.
tariqz

Disability is a complex issue in the subcontinent. The disabled like tobe judged by what they can contribute to the society, without being evaluated by a prevailing mindset, which usually belittles the achievements of the disabled. However, there are some undercurrents of social thought which does help the disabled in many ways. The pros and cons of these attitudes need to be debated upon.
tariqz

Isn`t life a test for everyone? It could be physical, mental, emotional...or anything...
I know resources in Pakistan are limited..well actually they are not..i should rephrase that to ``resources are limited for the people`` because the government officials seem to be enjoying life and all its luxuries....having said that...we the people need to bring about change....and the first step towards that is changing the attitude of people towards disabilities...may they be physical or psychological....i work with a well known orphange in Lahore...and those children who had any kind of physical or psychological disabilities..were in a way simply discarded as being defective...that is not true....we all have something quality or feature that is special...we, collectively, as a society need to make a change....I don`t know much about Islam`s position on this issue....but if Allah has put us through a test does HE not expect us to survive it to pull threw at least?

Oh and by the way look beyond the cultural blinkers placed in the way of our thinking. The only way i will look at this test as a punishment is if and when I am told so by God!

`Pata nahi kiss gunna ki saza mill rahi hai` is a sentence i often here. Karma as mentioned in the above article is based on hinduism and has no place in Islam.
I have outgrown the cultural thinking of the subcontinent and I think it`s high time other`s start to aswell.
Even though my daughter is severely disabled, she is my blessing in disguise, for anyone to belittle that by suggesting I am looking after my so-called punishment is in my eyes-BOLLOCKS. See my conviction is intact!!!

``is actually a test from Allah`` -- for the disabled baby for her sin -- NOT -- ``for some abhorent sin we as parents may have done``.

now that would be a fair statement -- except for the probability -- may be it is no one`s but Allah`s fault for giving wrong tests to wrong people.

Re: #14 by sr56 on February 16, 2007 2:25pm PT

>>>``Tahirqazi, obviously you`re knowledge is limited, if you had bothered to research to the matter, disability or any other such subject that causes anguish is actually a test from Allah``.

Your comments about my limited knowledge are correct. I am not up on research on this subject for past 3 years or so because I am no longer involved in teaching disability and handicp. I used to teach ``Hollistic Approach`` for treating patients. I hope my old residents and fellows must be carrying the torch.

Do you think, my knowledge is limited about you assertion that anguish is a test from Allah? By the way, this assertion is 180 degree opposite to your previous interact #8? I would be grateful if you could elaborate it a little more and please point out where else I need updates?

I would readily admit that I am really unaware of current situation in Pakistan or India and of course, my perespective is limited to US and Canada only.

Regards

Tahir

#14sr56
what hapened to your conviction

``Well publicly i`d like to say-BOLLOCKS TO U!!!``in #8

Tahirqazi, obviously you`re knowledge is limited, if you had bothered to research into the matter, disability or any other such subject that causes anguish is actually a test from Allah.As ever we live in a deluded society

#12 Tahir in the USA thee is a large sum of money in the social security disability administration.....obviously taxtion in here is much larger and widespread than in Asian countries....U mentioned about funds and economic challenges
and attitudinal problem....attitude towards disabled was not accetable not very long ago ..remember the Hunch back of Notere Dame ..in the west disabled persons evil persons were depicted as mean evil and not moral...

We have long way to overcome those hurdeles...in countries where non handicapped are unemployed its the handicapped who get fired first.....when employment system would be facing shortage of hands there would be vocational rehabilitation funds also ..

meanwhile its the ngo and understanding citizens should handle the handicapped population with respect and sensitiviy it defenitely deserves

I wish I could add a few more words to the discussion on disability-handicap. Religious and societal attitudes are certainly important holdups to integration of persons with disability into mainstream but the real story is more complex that that. Allow me to touch on it very briefly. There are several theoretical models that can be broadly categorized as:

Mentalistic Theories emphasize cognitive aspect of internalization of disability. Internalization of disability serves as a mental block to learning as to how to overcome limitations imposed by disability. Social and/or Behavioral Theories bring into focus events external to the individuals with disabilities.

People tend to assume “Sick Role” or an “Illness Behavior”, which could be an additional reason for maladjustment.

Salubrious outcome of disability is a long and protracted struggle punctuated by countless snags. Neither medical model nor social-political model alone has the capacity to change the outcome, which is integration of individual into the society in a productive fashion and helping that individual enjoy life in a meaningful way, perceptually.

Coping with a disability is a multi-prong approach with lots of road block. Nonetheless, religions have no role in creating a meaningful environment. As a matter of fact, religions have been providing simplistic condescending reason only to accept disability and assume more of a sick role as predicted by behavioral model.

Even though disability has not been described in Koran (According to my limited knowledge) as a punishment but it is also a reality that God has only wrath and punishment principle to make up for the wrong deeds of individual. Therefore, the religionists who creatively surmise that any disability is a punishment from God for presumed sins are not far off the mark.

Keeping in mind that there are lots of obstacles in the way of disabled people, I think it is important that general public be primed to accept meaningfulness of life of disabled person, at least. The perceptive attitude of general public is hard to legislate. This is the job of education where everybody has a responsibility to share ideas and ideals.

I want to make this discussion on disability neither political nor purely religious but its not a bad idea to compare monetary resources ear-marked for war-machinery in almost all 3rd world countries with the money for education and welfare. Is there any alternative way of thinking a better utility of the same resources?

(I am wondering if our friends who have been talking about political economies in previous discussions would come up with good ideas how to find resources for managing disabilities).

Regards,

Tahir

#10
Then all we easterner have to do is to tap into the compassion of west for disabled impaired handicapped and declared our self as such..

but i dont hink the exploitation will be stopped

The East is cruel to the people with disabilities -- many many times more cruel than the compassionate Christian West -- a Christian West that is definitely many many times more cruel than the East -- for the not disabled.

#8 Sr56 the writer states that in his own experience already
``At my impressionable age, upon inquiry he informed me that my disability was a manifestation of the sins of my parents``

I am the mother of a severely disabled child-and it has often been said to me, sometimes directly or in passing, that her disability is Allah`s way of giving us punishment for some abhorent sin we as parents may have done. Well publicly i`d like to say-BOLLOCKS TO U!!!

#6 those are misrepresented thaughts of Chowk due to error ......I only think bothnIndia And Pakistan face the same problem....