In our previous conversation with Akram Muhammad, a deaf founder chairman of the "Danishkada" organisation for people with disabilities, we discussed education, job and technical support opportunities for deaf and hard of hearing people in Pakistan. Now we'll venture into the development of the disability movement in Pakistan - what makes deaf people struggle for their rights despite the overall lack of disability awareness - and into Islam's influence in the country.
Karina What, in your view, must be done in Pakistan to change society's attitude toward people with disabilities? How do deaf, HoH and disabled people themselves try to change it?
Akram: Visibility is of utmost importance. No one has time to look for us and identify our problems; we have to explain them to the public ourselves, and we have to raise these issues wherever possible.
On other hand, governmental policies and legislation also play a major role, so people with disabilities must try to lobby government officials. We invite them to visit our programs as guests of honor, tell them about the existing challenges, and put forward our solutions. So, recently, government drafted a national action policy and plan on disability, which, we hope, will bring some change in the near future.
The Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD), a project of Japan's and Thailand's governments, has played a major role in boosting the disability movement here in the past five years. On the one hand, they help disability organisations by providing training on various topics such as capacity-building. On the other hand, they push governments to support the disability movement and to consider policies and law for the benefit of persons with disabilities. And, they are able to bring disability organizations and government officials into contact with each other by putting them at one table in seminars and conferences.
Now deaf, hard of hearing, and other people with disabilities are more encouraged and strong. They can say, "nothing about us without us." Because of this, they are more visible in society; but of course it'll take a long time (maybe a generation) to bring a major change in the societal attitude toward Deaf/ HoH and other people with disabilities.
Karina: What about Deaf women in Pakistan? They probably face severe double discrimination.
Akram: Yes, to some degree deaf women face double discrimination and have fewer opportunities compared to deaf men. But it's not that they are totally forgotten; in big cities, the situation is much better. Deaf girls go to study at schools; there are very talented deaf female artists and some of them exhibit their work in art galleries. Some deaf women work too, but due to our culture most of them live life as housewives and are happy. The situation in rural areas is worse, mostly because of a lack of education: parents do not like to send their girls to schools. They discriminate against their daughters and give more care to boys than girls. Now, many non-profit organisations are working on this issue and are raising awareness, but it'll takes a long time. And, I personally believe that the first step is to promote education in rural areas. Otherwise, it'd be really hard to change the mindset of people living there. For them girls are burden and boys are assets; most parents are illiterate and don't know how to deal with their deaf children.
Karina: Pakistan is a Muslim country. How does Islam and its followers relate to deafness or disability?
Akram: In general there is no difference because of the religion, but there are a few points that are interesting:
In Islam there is 2.5% "Zakaat" charity on income that someone saves for a year, and this amount must go to the poor. This is not imposed by the government. Many NGOs get a share of this and distribute it among their poor members who have disabilities, in accord with specific rules for Zakaat dedication and distribution.
Islam also strongly encourages followers to voluntarily look after the less privileged groups in the society, and disabled people fall into this category. So some people share with people with disabilities from this religious charity and visit disability organizations and disabled people.
On the other hand, there is a problem connected with Islam that is not posed by Islam itself, but people link it to Islam's religious instructions. For instance, in some rural areas families may marry their daughter with..."Quran" (holy book of Islam). This sounds odd, right? They do it on the name of Islam, but it is totally against the Islamic laws. However, because of illiteracy in some areas it has become a tradition, especially for landlords who don't want to share their daughters and prefer to keep them unmarried. It was so bad that the media raised their voice and the courts took notice, and are now trying to change this situation.
In the name of Islam, too, they mistreat their daughters or sisters, and do not give them freedom of choice in marriages and other things. However, in Islam it is import that one get permission from the girl on what she wants: girls have freedom of choice, freedom to say NO. As I said, in rural area literacy level is so low that common people do not have awareness about their rights. In this situation when non-disabled people are being treated like this, you can imagine how a deaf girl might be treated.
In the name of Islam, again, many families in rural areas do not let their daughters go to school, as I mentioned before. But it is not Islam that prohibits education for females - it may be the old tradition that people merge with Islam. Otherwise the first teaching of Islam is "read".
In the past, situation was probably worse, but now with progress of media technologies many misdoings become visible which makes it possible to prevent them.
Karina: What are the organizations for deaf and HoH in Pakistan?
Akram: Pakistan Association of the Deaf (PAD) is a member of the World Federation of the Deaf. There are also other organizations for the deaf in different cities, and many of them are affiliated with PAD. There are also deaf sports organizations. But, I don't think there are any for hard of hearing people. Many HoH people join Deaf organizations because in childhood, they were sent by parents to deaf school where they grew accustomed to sign language, and did not learn speech or lip reading. Of course, some parents individually work hard with their HoH children and send them to mainstream schools, but there is no organizational support for that.
Karina: You are the founder of "Danishkadah". Can you tell us more about your organisation and its history?
Akram: I have been supporting Deaf and HoH people as well as other persons with disabilities for more than seven years. In 2005, I had an opportunity to study "web accessibility & web base networking" at Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability. As my professional background is in Information Technology, I realized that IT can bring great benefit for people with disabilities. Next steps were to plan a project "Knowledge Park" and to establish "Danishkadah" in 2006. I believe there should be think-tanks that study disability issues deeply and propose realistic solutions. They should work for barrier-free and rights based society, working inclusively with all the segments of society, - because most disability organizations are secluded in their spheres of work. "Danishkadah" is an organisation for people with various disabilities and is different from many others.
Karina: What are your plans for the future?
Akram: After losing my hearing as a teenager, I studied myself at home and graduated in Commerce, but I hate commerce now. Yeah, many people think I am odd or crazy (smiles), but I fell in love with information technology and I love human beings with hearing loss and other disabilities. So, I want to merge these two together for the future, and I dream to build a "knowledge park project of Danishkadah" where I'll combine my both passions: technology and work for people with disabilities.
Without having access to information we can't do much. I believe that knowledge is power, and I want to give this power to my fellows with any type of disability. At "knowledge park" I'll utilize the technology to empower them by making information accessible (deaf people need info in sign language, visually impaired people need screen readers, and so on). And, I want to provide these information and communication technology courses free of cost.
But before starting this big project, I have a big wish. If I had US$30,000 (the cost of Cochlear Implant), I would not get a Cochlear Implant, nor would I get to marry a pretty lady like you. Instead, I attend college in the USA or in the UK. But as they say here, "if wishes could be a horse, a beggar could fly". So, I have to wait until my wish becomes a horse. I want to graduate in Computer Science; I looked at some colleges in the UK (Kingston) and USA (RIT), but so far, they are out of my reach. I simply cannot afford them."
Karina: What is the reason for your success? How do you define success?
Akram:Well in few words, it is feeling the responsibility, being always honest with myself and others, and doing things sincerely and wholeheartedly. And, of course, working hard and continuing to learn all the time. This gives me more knowledge and keeps me ahead of my fellows. I think I am crazy and very enthusiastic for the things that I like, be it supporting the disability movement or studying an IT course.
And, if you ask me about success from a religious point of view, Allah has blessed me, not because I am very good, but because my mother has always prayed for my success.
How do I define success ? You get what you aspire to get. Success means standing where you want to stand, and no "interest" or loss can make you leave your position.
And finally keep going until you get successful; never give up!
© Copyrighted material, used by permission. This article can not be copied, reproduced, or redistributed without the express written consent of the author. Author's views not necessarily those of i711.com.
