THE new Disabled Bill and development strategy must permit the material and cultural condition of all the disabled people to improve simultaneously. Both ethical and practical considerations require that this should be so. Since all disabled people contribute to the development process, simple justice requires that as the benefits of their work accrue to the nation, they should see their own situation improving along with others. If they perceive that, despite their own efforts, only some categories of people or some parts of the country are reaping the benefits, it is unlikely that they will continue to work with any enthusiasm or any organisation.
Cooperation is likely to be more rapid and more stable if the conditions of all disabled improve at the same time and all Regions benefit from the results of increased resources. For this to happen there must be, among other things, a programme for the systematic imparting of skills to the unskilled and upgrading of skills possessed by the semi-skilled. The continuous multiplication of skills in the society will act as a catalyst for the continuous and dynamic improvement of disabled people and their environment. It must be a matter of conscious policy to discriminate selectively in favour of the disadvantage to endow them with these skills that are vital to their self-development and the development of the country.
To facilitate the attainment of this goal, the government has to institute certain mechanisms such as national economic planning. A planned budget for the disabled is fundamental to the organisation of a democratic society. But while plans cannot be rigid and inflexible they are intended to be adhered to.
We as disabled have each of us a personal duty to ensure that the plans or bill once made and accepted are not departed from except for sound reason and in accordance with the established rules and procedures.