Change in social behaviour towards special children urged

LAHORE: Speakers at a seminar on Thursday stressed the need to extend special attention to special children without compromising their self-respect.

They were addressing a ceremony organised in connection with International Day with the theme of “Not All Disabilities are Visible”. The event was jointly organised by Child Welfare Centre, PU Institute of Special Education, Ghazali Education Trust and Punjab Welfare Trust for Disabled. Akhuwat Foundation Chairman Dr Amjad Saqib, PU Vice-Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmad, Dean Faculty of Education Prof Dr Abid Hussain Chaudhry, Secretary Special Education Saima Saeed, Secretary Social Welfare Hassan Iqbal, ISE Director Dr Humaira Bano, CWC Principal Dr Ayesha Wajihullah and a number of special students and their parents participated in the ceremony. Addressing the ceremony, Prof Niaz Ahmad said that although it was a difficult task to look after special children but it was ‘our responsibility and it had a great reward too.’

He said that special children needed special attention and ‘we must encourage them and polish their hidden skills.’ He said that with the help of government departments and NGOs ‘we must achieve the goals to make them a useful segment of our society and ensure a better life for them on our part.’ Dr Amjad Saqib said that ‘we need to bring change in our social behavior towards the special children.’ He said ‘we needed to adopt the sentiments of empathy and think that if we were living in the condition the special children were suffering, what should have been our feelings? On the occasion, children gave special performances and showed their skills in co-curricular activities, which attracted a huge applause.