12 May 2013

The technical committee on disability has developed a mainstreaming guide to infuse disability issues into development agenda as well as daily operations of different ministries and sectors.

Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Dr Gloria Somolekae said this at the launch of National Coordinating Committee on Disabilities (NCCD) in Gaborone on Wednesday.

She said the guide would provide direction on what would be done on the issue of employing people with disabilities in different sectors on an affirmative basis.

It would also guide on participation of people with disabilities in all decision making structures in the society and accessibility to information, infrastructure and other services to people with disabilities.

She said the tool would be used by the committee that comprised deputy permanent secretaries of different ministries and senior government officers to ensure that disability services were fully provided for under their ministries.

Dr Somolekae said in order to effectively inculcate disability issues into daily plans, it was also imperative that interdepartmental disability committees were established to facilitate policy implementation.

She said the 1996 National Policy on Care for People with Disabilities was being reviewed so that it could comprehensively cater for the interest and rights of people with disabilities in line with international standards.

She noted that sectors would be accorded the opportunity to make inputs as per their sectors, so that the policy would be representative, effective, efficient and user friendly.

The NCCD committee would be expected to play an advocacy role on disability issues, advice government ministries, non-governmental organisations, parastatals and the private sector in the provision of services to people with disabilities.

Ministry for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration deputy permanent secretary, Mr Mogomotsi Kaboeamodimo said it was imperative to provide structures that would facilitate service delivery to people with disabilities.

“I wish to say that in the last budget submissions, some of us made proposals that were not inclusive of disabilities’ concerns and as such, not enough that could have been achieved has been achieved or that could be allocated to programmes targeting people with disabilities was achieved,” he said.

Mr Kaboeamodimo said this was an issue of great concern to government especially in an attempt to provide appliances such as wheelchairs and artificial limbs, amongst others.

He said these and many other challenges had necessitated a review of the policy on care for people with disabilities. He noted that the review sought to align achievements and interventions with global best practices in caring for people with disabilities and in improving their quality of life.

Mr Kaboeamodimo also stressed that the launch was the beginning of the effective implementation of the policy on care for people with disabilities.

“Having established a coordinating role at a senior level, I have no doubt that sectors’ strategic plans will be implemented with increasing pace and efficiency,” he said.

He implored the committee to make their contribution in improving the welfare and quality of life of people with disabilities. ENDS