Understanding the needs of the disabled

This week is officially dubbed the 28th National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week and I salute our editors in the Philippine Star for coming up with an editorial entitled, "Protect the environment, prevent disabilities." This is the theme for the Disability Week; that helping protect the environment would reduce the number of persons with disabilities (PWD). Actually, it is only through the collective efforts of the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons (NCWDP) or the Organization of Rehabilitation Agencies (ORA) where the problems of disabled persons have been magnified through their ceaseless advocacy.

Let me point out a truism in better understanding PWDs. It is to realize that these people do not want your sympathy; they merely want easy access to public places, like schools, churches, restaurants or public buildings because disabled persons are just like you and me... they have places to go! But perhaps a more sinister message ought to be sent by the PWDs or a warning for instance to motorcyclists - to wear their helmet properly, otherwise they too may join the growing ranks of the disabled persons.

You should have read the column of Jose Vicente "JV" Araneta a couple of weeks ago in The Freeman entitled "Wear Your Helmet" where he gave a complete story on why motorcyclists should wear a helmet. In fact, in Cebu it is ridiculous that the poor people wear non-standard helmet like hard hats. It's like wearing no helmet at all! There ought be a law against wearing the wrong helmet. But then, riders ought to realize that a head operation these days cost close to a hundred thousand pesos! Hence, wearing even an expensive helmet is a very, very cheap alternative.

Let me also point out that we're proud of our Filipino culture where we take care of our old folks or grandparents. Yet isn't it strange that our homes are not even disabled friendly? If you ask me, this item should be emphasized to all architects and contractors that our homes should be constructed with the end in view that someday, our parents who built the house would continue to live in it in their old age. Thus, making our homes disabled friendly now is the right thing to do.

If you ask, how best can we commemorate disability week? The answer is simply... to understand their needs. You can start by reporting restaurants that do not have grab bars for the disabled to use. How about those with ramps that are too steep or even blocked? Again, the spirit of the law is to give easy access to disabled persons. Unfortunately, many buildings put ramps for simple compliance. These are the wrongs that should be fixed and we can help the disabled move around freely if we report these things.

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Last June 12th and 13th, nursing graduates here in Cebu took the Nursing Board exams at the University of Cebu Banilad and downtown campus - that's two nerve-wreaking days of scratching heads to write down the answer to these difficult tests. Now they'd like to know if they passed or not.

Well, it's been a month since the exams were done. After all those rumors that a leakage has been uncovered, it is only now that the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) has openly admitted that there was indeed a leakage during the exams. PRC Chair Leonor Tripon-Rosero said that the fact-finding committee traced the leak to manuscripts of two Board of Nursing members, whose names they have withheld. Now why is the PRC hiding the identities of these board members?

The PRC also identified the R. A. Gapuz Review Center for distributing leaked copies of the tests to those who took the review in Baguio City. Now if the evidence indicates to a link between the Gapuz Review Center and the erring Board members, then many people would like to see criminal sanctions filed against those board members and this review center.

Now while the leakage happened in Baguio City, this did not happen to the rest of the country. Of course, we don't know if the Gapuz Review Center is alone in getting those leaks. What if there were other review centers that got them and passed them on to their students? Meanwhile, what about the rest of those who took the nursing exam?

If the PRC continues to withhold the results of this exam, it is akin to punishing the innocent students who labored day and night, breaking their heads in trying to pass the nursing examinations. Should they be made to take the exams again? The PRC ought to know that taking those exams cost a lot of money! If at all, those who ought to retake the exams should be clearly identified as coming from the leaked documents.

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