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by Ajith C.S. Perera

It is a mistake to believe that one can only contribute in National Development in the active physical sense. However, it is only the user-friendly barrier-free environments that can truly make us, ('the Disabled'), as much as possible 'free of dependency', in our day-to-day living activities.

It will also pave the way for making Society aware of the skills and competence we still possess and accept us as productive citizens. Providence of such barrier-free conducive environments is ceratin to encourage and facilitate our full participation as resourceful personnel in all National Development activities. It is also the critical factor that can either make or break our lives providing or preventing us gaining socio-economic stability, freedom of dependency and improving the quality of our lives, physically, mentally and socially.

According to ILO more than 10% of our population, which is over 1.5 million of people here, are disabled for lifetime. There is a halt to the war. However the authorities have failed to enforce effective measurers for the prevention and control of the other principal causes of disablement.

The frightening facts are that the chances of their occurrences are now alarmingly on the increase in Sri Lanka and as fate is no respecter of persons and position, the risks of becoming a 'Disabled' run high, equally to any one of us, at the least expected time and place.

Disability is a human rights issue. As falsely understood and wrongly interpreted, it is not a medical problem that resides in the individual. Hence "people do not have disabilities". Disability is the sate to which people are dragged into, caused by the 'Structural and Attitudinal Barriers' in outside society, disregarding and ignoring the physical, sensory or mental functional limitations they have.

Hence it is the outcome of Society imposing on people with functional limitations. It is an environmental problem of social exclusion and isolation from mainstream, causing denial of opportunities and prevention of legitimate rights. It has now become an uprising grave social problem becoming worse daily and grievous human rights issue that Sri Lanka faces, as a result of failing to act with a sense of urgency to provide conducive environments.

Friendly living environments whilst they remain in their families and permitting social integration, is an essential human need for the continued well-being of everyone socially, economically, physically and mentally, even for a 'Disabled'. What is tragical and also venomous is the fact that, in their absence still, over a million of us and our immediate family members, in the throes of, are made the "silent suffers of humanity". In fact we are made to look like whirligig by those who make disability issues a lucrative business to their own thrive.

The 'Disabled' have the inherent right to respect for their human dignity. They also have the same fundamental rights as their fellow citizens. However, even after ten years of our vociferous appealing, the most critical needs of us remain unresolved effectively and overwhelmed. Not only at all government buildings that are even coming-up new, but at business establishments such as Banks, Shops and Hotels, infrastructure still remain 'no more customer friendly' to us.

ven our reputed sports stadia boasting of international status, are "no-go zones" to mix equally with others, for the wheelchair users. Authorities are ignorant, enfeeble and frivolous to introduce, apply and implement code of practice on access and mobility. Disability awareness training for staff, is still never a part of their induction. In fact hardly any opportunities are afforded, to try to resolve critical issues through constructive face-to-face discussions with us.

It is the time to take the initiative to highlight matters constructively towards arresting further denial of deserving opportunities and halting this national crime, with the active support of each and every member of our society. Hence this is a call to action to support us for conducive environments.

Absence of any deliberately planned on-going awareness programs periodically through media (electronic in particular) to educate the public on vital issues on 'Disability and the Disabled', is a crucial blow to our zest to become productive citizens. This propels and propagates distorted views and incorrect perceptions, projecting false negative images on us. It also leads to more and more discriminating prejudiced attitudes in society especially amongst those in the driving seat making decisions on this burning human rights issue. These in turn prevent us being seen and accepted as productive citizens.

In reality, it is not our physical and sensory functional limitations but "the external architectural constructions combining with these prejudiced attitudes", that truly prevents our access to physical environments, facilities and services.

They forcibly deny our legitimate rights enjoyed by the others in the same society, to attend even to our day-to-day living affairs and solve our own problems.

They also forcibly deprive or substantially deny our opportunities of securing, retaining and advancing in all avenues of daily living, such as gainful employment, education, recreation, holidays, travel, etc. In being no more gainfully employed, we even cannot afford the escalating telecommunication charges to have a versatile facility as the Internet.

This facility is so readily available at very much affordable cheaper rates in many other countries, but it still denies us. This in turn adversely affects vital areas such as access to current information, modern technology and latest knowledge, (i.e., education).

These happenings virtually destroy the remaining morale and kill productive life periods ahead of this ever increasing 1.5 million population of ours.

Invariably, the quality of life gets very much affected and the doubly dangerous feeling 'we are no more part and parcel of this society' creep into our shattered young minds and also to our immediate family members, entrapping us in a vicious cycle of marginalisation, social exclusion and poverty. "Only the wearer of the shoe knows where it really hurts, but not the others."

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