H R Awan, H Minto
Sight Savers International, Pakistan Country Office, Islamabad, Pakistan
The background of the study In 1997, Sight Savers International commissioned a survey on the existing services of the visually impaired in Pakistan. This situation analysis revealed that service providers working the area of rehabilitation of visually impaired often worked in isolation. There was a lack of coordination resulting in underutilization of existing services and clients had great difficulty in obtaining inter-sectoral referral and sustained follow-up between curative, educational, economic and social rehabilitation services.
The method used To address this issue, a series of meetings at national, provincial and district levels were held. The main objectives of these meetings were to apprise the participants of the existing services, address the inter-related issues of education, vocational training, rehabilitation, and establish a data base of resource persons and organizations at each level. These meetings were able to bring people from different professional backgrounds on a single forum and acted as a catalyst to improved cross referral and understanding amongst professionals thus resulting in better service delivery to the visually impaired and blind.
The results obtained These exercises have resulted in development of a multi-disciplinary approach to disability, formulation of a national strategy for networking of service providers of visually impaired, provincial implementation plans and service provision up to the district level.
The conclusions reached These networking exercises in themselves are empowering participative processes that need to be continued and strengthened at all levels to ensure the successful implementation of any low vision programme.
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