Interview with KalPoint.com


KalPoint.com (KPDC): Please tell briefly about yourself, your organization and its work.

Mr. Topong: I have been working as regional development officer for Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI) Asia/Pacific region. DPI is a global network of national organizations or assemblies of disabled people, established to promote human rights of disabled people through full participation, equalization of opportunity and development. DPI was established in 1981 and consists of 150 countries of the world in Africa, Asia/Pacific, Caribbean, Europe and Latin America. We have 26 members in Asia/Pacific region including Pakistan; we have a DPI Pakistan started in 1983. DPI is a voice of our own; this voice is a combination of blind, deaf, physically disabled and hence persons with all kinds of disabilities. We work for the Promotion of the human rights of such people, to promote economic and social integration of disabled persons and to develop and support organizations of disabled persons.


KPDC: How can the disability groups be promoted to give them maximum exposure?

Mr. Topong: The feeling of being disability should be eliminated by society and government and it is proved that by doing deeds like helping your disabled neighbor are very beneficial.
The participation of the person with a disability in the society is significant in order to make them feel like a normal person and for that rationale, the government must provide job opportunities for disabled persons. But before that we must promote small groups in community so that they become bigger and get to the national level and ultimately get linked with an international organization. This is how a disabled person can keep in touch with the government and get guidelines as to how and what to do to make both ends meet.

The disability movement in Pakistan was very active during 1983 till 1988 but with the passage of time it slowed down to a great extent. Now it has again been reactivated. We believe that on organizing regional training on capacity building of several organizations of persons with disability, the government should create awareness of disability issues amongst the general public.

Disability issue is not a single issue any more because we are becoming an aging society that means increasing number of older persons and up to 75 % old persons have some kind of disability. These aged persons too require help which the DPI is always ready for; DPI works for various segments of the society. Unfortunately the national policy of Pakistan has been made without the consultation of the disability group. So I think the national policy of Pakistan must be improved keeping in view the betterment of persons with disabilities.


KPDC: Who are your donors and how do you meet the financial requirements of the DPI?

Mr. Topong: We have a head quarter in Canada which is mainly sponsored by Sedan, Canadian International Development Agency for many years. In the Asia/Pacific region, the DPI has been sponsored primarily by Japan and Thailand for the past 20 years but now the funding has been stopped. We can’t propose a 5 years or 10 years plan now. At the moment, the funding situation at DPI is not secure but we all work voluntarily for the DPI because disability is our own issue so it doesn’t matter how much fund we have.


KPDC: Which country in the world has more disabled people than the others?

Mr. Topong: Most of the countries in the world are developing and poor countries with lots of limitations. Consequently the disability movement in these countries is very slow as compared to the movements in developed countries of the world. When we talk of the USA we think it is a country where every thing is easily accessible and it is like a heaven for persons with disability but we don’t take things as granted. That means Americans with disabilities have been fighting a lot. In Japan too they have been fighting against it since longer time than us. Because of our determination and commitment towards the betterment of persons with disabilities now we can join hands with UNO New York, UNESCAP Bangkok to advocate and convince the governments to ordain best possible facilities and accessibilities for the disabled persons.

In Pakistan, we are going to organize a regional training in September and leaders from more than 30 countries are coming to the training session so we hope that they consolidate for the benefit of persons with disabilities in Pakistan.


KPDC: What do you say about the role of IT for the persons with disabilities?

Mr. Topong: Information is power but how the information is made accessible in rural areas, is the main question. The educated blinds can access internet and get the required information but need of the hour is to have an additional approach of providing information to the disabled people in rural areas. Small Self-help groups of disabled persons need to be promoted and then the national organizations have to set the strategy to think about small groups and convey their information to international level through TV, Radio, newspapers, seminars and workshops, etc to give them exposure and make their presence felt internationally. Information through websites may have some limitations in developing countries but still nobody can deny the importance of IT in every segment of society.


KPDC: Please define Self-help approach and how do Self-help groups work?

Mr. Topong: Self-help is both nature and dignity of all human-beings; Different from animals when we were born. Most animals take shorter time than human-being under custody of their parents until obtain ability to help themselves. We, as human-beings, need longer time to be trained by our parents, by nature, by surroundings, etc. while growing up to be persons. It is common to everyone who wants to do things by himself, start from eating, walking, reading, listening, talking, thinking, working, planning and so on, including decision making. Yes, when we are certain years old, we don’t want someone to feed us every time we eat, to carry us every time we walk. We want to do it by ourselves. It is because of both nature and dignity. Self-help starts from individual, regardless with or without disability. This is the meaning of self-help.

For us, persons with disabilities, are here today. We have already overcome our disability and survived. We have already helped ourselves in many different ways, person by person. We have our own experiences and skills to help ourselves. I had used a universal handcuff to hold a spoon, a toothbrush, a comb in order to eat, to clean my teeth and to dress my hair by myself. When I was in the hospital, I hated to have, even a beautiful nurse, to put food into my mouth, to clean my teeth. I wanted self-help. When I met Shoji in 1998, many years ago and became peer or friend. I saw that he didn’t use a handcuff for eating but put the spoon between fingers instead. I learned and tried. I saw Shoji drive a car in Japan. I thought that I must drive a car in Thailand, I learned and tried. Shoji is my role-model. Shoji’s way of self-help can be extended and influence my way of self-help when we join together. So, self-help means more than individual. This is the reason why persons with disabilities need to have self-help group.

In a self-help group, we learn from each other, we help each other. Among several self-help groups, we can extend our help to other group, to wider range to wider scope. Different self-help groups may have different goals or objectives. It can be sport-oriented, job-oriented, recreation-oriented, including rights-oriented. Self-help is so meaningful to individuals, groups, communities, societies, nations, regions and the world. So we need self-help organizations of persons with disabilities (PWDs) at all level. Disabled peoples’ international (DPI) is the global network of self-help organizations of PWDs and has more than 150 member countries.


KPDC: What difference do you see between India and Pakistan regarding the facilities provided to persons with disabilities?

Mr. Topong: India is a very vast county with variety of languages and culture so it’s not appropriate to compare it with Pakistan. The disability movement can’t create solidarity in India due to the same. USA has no DPI because they have so many national entities for persons with disability. Pakistan is a small country where a one representative national organization for persons with disability can easily be run unlike India where disability movements are run at regional levels with no central support of the government. Pakistan must not follow such kind of limitations.

Since I am the regional development officer, I sincerely anticipate that Pakistan is the leader of the disability movement in South Asia; it is impossible to anticipate India as the leader because of the aforementioned constraints in that country.


KPDC: Would you like to say a few words about your visit to Kalia Group?

Mr. Topong: It is my privilege to visit this unique and outstanding project KalSoft which has strong commitment to the society. I would like to be the part of your work.

A very commendable chunk of work in the form of this website KalPoint.com is being done by a professional team of Kalia Group. The services and the information available at this website are highly admirable.


KPDC: What message would you like to give to the people of Pakistan?

Mr. Topong: Disability can happen at any moment in our life. I used to be in the Army but an accident in 1986 handicapped me. In the meantime, the increasing number of aged people is also an alarming factor so an easily accessible environment must be created for such persons.

I would like to convince all the Pakistanis to start considering this issue now and all the constructions of buildings that are taking place in the country must also be made especially accessible to the persons with disabilities. Considering this in the beginning will bear no extra cost. In this regard society should own 50 % responsibility and leave 50 % on the government. If my message can make any small change, I’ll be very happy.


KPDC: It was a great honor having you at our office. Thank you so much for giving us this informative and educative interview. C U On Net

Mr. Topong: I am so glad to be here and I enjoyed this visit a lot. C U On Net 2.

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