First Lady Begum Samina Arif Alvi on Monday called for enhancing the socio-economic inclusion of persons with disabilities (PWDs) by equipping them with marketable skills and providing them job opportunities as per their skills and abilities in the government and private sectors.
She expressed these views while addressing a certificate and diploma distribution ceremony to students with different abilities (SDAs) here at the National Training Center for Special Persons (NTCSP).
Director General Special Education Azhar Sajjad, representatives of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Christopher Blind Mission, differently-abled people, parents and teachers of the NTCSP participated in the event. Addressing the ceremony, the First Lady urged the private sector to come forward and employ PWDs in greater numbers as these people were skilled, hard-working and the feedback from their employers had been satisfactory. She termed the fulfillment of job quota for PWDs in the public and private sectors as essential for the enhanced economic integration of PWDs.
The First Lady appreciated NTCSP and Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry for collaborating to provide jobs to 104 PWDs in different sectors of the economy. She also lauded Christopher Blind Mission for providing sewing and mobile repairing kits to 25 PWDs and enabling them to become self-employed. She called upon other organizations, especially the chambers of commerce and industry of the country and welfare organizations, to expand their efforts for the welfare and financial empowerment of PWDs.
