Disability is one of the core agendas of social policy. The approach towards disability defines social rights and benefits structure for PWDs. Unfortunately, the subject of disability is ignored at all levels in Pakistan, including administrative, financial, welfare and legal aspects of governance. Consequently, the rights and welfare of PWDs are not protected as per the multidimensional and diverse set of needs of the PWDs. This means developing such policies and interventions that aim the following four things primarily:

• Provision of holistic in-kind services,
• Reducing barriers (Physical/Spatial, Institutional, Administrative, Attitudinal, Policy, Legal, Mobility)
• Adequate Social Protection to reduce direct and indirect costs
• Social Transformation that creates equitable opportunities for the PWDs

With this in mind, the SPRC has developed an original approach to support the advancement of the above set of end-goals particularly against four dimensions:

1. Rights Protection
2. Health and Care
3. Social Welfare
4. Financial Protection

This approach towards disability encompasses advancing a care model that serves all the needs of PWDs while taking into account other corresponding factors such as severity of disability, socioeconomic status, age group, gender and type of disability.

SPRC’s work on Disability

In designing a research and policy development agenda on disability that aligns with the multidimensionality of disability and interconnectedness of various issues, the SPRC situates its policy diagnosis in Social Policy, as it place the PWDs at the centre.

It is often cited that there is a lack of data on disability and PWDs in Pakistan, which creates limitations in formulation of evidence based policies and plans. In contrast, the SPRC identified gaps in the kind of data that is collected and current level of limited operational use of administrative data as primary problems. Therefore, while continued efforts to incorporate disability in national and regional surveys is crucial, the SPRC has highlighted the importance of effective utilization of administrative data from disability registries with the concerned government departments.

After undertaking an internal diagnostic exercise, of such sticky issues related to the inclusion of PWDs, the SPRC formulated policy proposals to push for reforms with different government entities.

This work of the SPRC is centered in the Research and Development group on the Rights and Welfare of PWDs and the Elderly in Islamabad Capital Territory (R&D Group), established by the SPRC in 2023. The work of this group is based on a crossministerial and line-departments coordination and experience and knowledge sharing on the issue of disability in Pakistan. This development approach is described in detail in a brief on the work of the R&D group.