THE Cebu Provincial government, through the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), has lined up a series of activities in observance of the Persons with Disability (PWD) Month this July.
The activities are aimed at offering everyone an opportunity to remove barriers and to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities through concrete action.
Last Wednesday, the PSWDO launched a medical mission that included services like free fasting blood sugar, consultations, dental services and distribution of food supplements and vitamins.
Most of the services were provided by their partners from the private sector such as the Starkey Hearing Foundation, which provided aftercare services to those who previously received hearing aids from their organization, and the Resources for the Blind Incorporated, which provided eye-care services.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also brought 32 wheelchair assessors to ensure that those who applied for wheelchairs were qualified and receive one suited to their size and level of comfort.
According to PWD Province Focal Person Myra Tansingco, news of these services were circulated through a communication letter that was channeled and disseminated to the mayors and social workers of every municipality and city.
The PSWDO also held a summit yesterday in Ayala where different community leaders gave their reactions with regards to PWD issues and tackled various topics like right of accessibility and the accessibility code and sports linkages of PWDs.
They also held a pageant to search for the first PWD Ambassador and Ambassadress.
According to Tansingco, this is the province’s first attempt and that they’ve encountered a few problems.
Initially, Tansingco said they had envisioned the pageant process to start in the barangays. The barangays would hold their own pageants and the winner will compete in a district competition before competing in the finals in Ayala.
“The problem is not all the LGUs are celebrating it (PWD Month). We tried to have every barangay, municipality and district participate but it didn’t push through because of time constraints. They are having their own celebrations for National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week so they are busy,” Tansingco said.
However, she said that even though not all municipalities provided candidates, they were still pursuing the activities. She hoped that next time, all municipalities would be able to join.
Tansingco hoped that their programs would be able to create a more inclusive environment for PWDs.
“Our thrust for this year is rights based so we’re really focusing on their right to be included. We are promoting for inclusivity because we want disabled persons to have the same opportunities as abled persons. A lot of PWDs don’t like being defined by their disabilities. They want people to see them for abilities rather than disabilities,” she said in Cebuano.
“Their belief is that the only real disability is a bad attitude. As long as they’re determined, they can do whatever they want to achieve. Even something as simple as making a specific place PWD-friendly can go a long way,” she added. /Ateneo de Manila University Intern Maria Lelaina R. Cardeño
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