ISLAMABAD, JUL 07 (DNA) — President Dr Arif Alvi has stressed for job placement of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the public and private sectors to empower them financially.

Chairing a meeting regarding the framework for the classification and severity of disability in Islamabad today, he said the suitability of PWDs for different jobs in the market should be determined as per international standards and they should be facilitated in finding jobs for their financial empowerment.

Senior officials of the Ministry of Human Rights, Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination, NAVTTC, and NADRA, as well as Representative of the World Health Organization Dr Maryam Malik, attended the meeting.

President Arif Alvi said prospective employers for the job placement of skilled Differently-Abled People (DAPs) should be identified and in the first phase, big employers in the private sector should be approached to accommodate DAPs as per their skill set.

He said the representation of PWDs in the business and industrial sectors should be increased to make them productive citizens of the country.

The President emphasized the need for adopting the framework for the classification of disabilities, developed in line with international standards and best practices, at the national and provincial levels. He said the framework would help determine the severity of disability as well as the suitability of PWDs for jobs in the market.

The president also called for making the disability certificates accessible and readable to the general public by translating them into Urdu. He urged the relevant stakeholders to improve their coordination with the provinces for the adoption of a uniform classification framework and disability certificate throughout the country that would greatly facilitate PWDs.

President Alvi underscored the need for highlighting the success stories of DAPs in the media so as to encourage and motivate PWDs to make similar achievements. He urged the Ministry of Human Rights to further intensify its efforts for finding jobs for differently-abled people in the public and private sectors. — DNA