Study on disabled persons needs to be conducted in Morocco
Morocco, Culture, 7/27/1998

A study will be conducted throughout Morocco to identify the needs of disabled persons and to draw up a map of all institutions dealing with their affairs.

Secretary of state in charge of the disabled persons, Nouzha Chekrouni, who made the announcement in a statement to the Moroccan News Agency, said the study, initiated with the assistance of the European Union, will help glean accurate data on the needs and expectations of this population and consequently help the government adopt "a national policy in matters of the handicapped."

The study, she said, will help policy-makers define the priorities, rationalize choices and elaborate programs adapted to the daily reality of disabled persons in a bid to ensure their genuine integration in the working life. The integration of the disabled is not a mere necessity, but rather a matter of right, she argued, asserting that the social integration of this category of the population is on top of her department's priorities.

Besides the measures envisaged to promote this integration through education, schooling, health, access to public transport, buildings etc.., the revision of legislative texts, Chekrouni mentioned a program to foster society's awareness of the difficulties encountered by the disabled. The program includes a roadshow that will open debate on the issue, the aim being to consider the disabled as different and not as inferior.

The department is also considering the possibility of including sign-languages in the TV news to the benefit of the deaf and improving the services provided by summer camps so that disabled children can participate in these camps along with normal children.

The secretary of state added that she had started discussions with the employment department so that a quota be reserved for disabled persons. She added that her department wishes to draw up with the non-governmental organizations a working platform to the benefit of the disabled in a spirit of partnership. She hailed the work conducted by NGOs which have been precursors in matters of assistance to the handicapped, pointing out that the number of existing ngos exceeds 200.

The secretariat of state in charge of disabled persons spares no effort to enable the handicapped who are often edged out to recover their dignity and to integrate a society that is often hostile, Chekrouni said.

Previous Stories:
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  Morocco's population 35 million by 2014   (7/13/1998)

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