ISLAMABAD, MAR 24 (DNA) — Human Rights activist Ayub Malik on Sunday stressed the need to focus on improving the physical and mental quality of life for people living with disabilities.  Talking to media, he said that people with disabilities (PWDs) face a variety of structural and ideological challenges that have little to do with their actual limitations.

 These societal stigmas were often at the root of poor mental health among individuals with disabilities, rather than their disability itself, he added.  However, he said that this can be lessened by focusing on ways to promote good mental health and people with disabilities.

He said that some encouraging steps have recently been taken in Pakistan, such as the introduction of special identity cards for PWDs to enable them to access a range of concessions.

 It is also no longer legal to use derogatory terms such as ‘disabled’, ‘physically handicapped’ or ‘mentally retarded’ in official documents, he said adding, “We need a change in mindsets of our policymakers, and the citizenry at large”.— DNA