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21 June 2017
Muscat: People who care for disabled relatives are calling for a change in disabled permit rules so that they can avoid breaking the law. Disability advocates say people who care for relatives with disabilities should also receive permits – not just the person with the disability.
The current rules covering permits are so stringent that permits are only issued to the disabled person – even if they are incapable of driving.
Sabah Mohammed Al Bahlani, Chief Executive Officer for the Association of Early Intervention for Children with Disabilities, has spoken to the Times of Oman about recognising carers who struggle to support those with disabilities.
“Many countries have wider limits on permits, including permits for temporary conditions, rather than only granting permanent ones. The law here also doesn’t allow for care givers to use a disabled parking space when the person with a disability is in the vehicle with them, which creates a lot of challenges,” she said.
Ahmed Al Badi, a board member of the Oman Association for the Disabled, had to obtain special permission to have his driver park his specially adapted vehicle in spaces reserved for the disabled, as he is a quadriplegic and is unable to drive.
For most, the driver – if not the person named on the permit – is breaking the law.
Ahmed’s driver was refused permission to park in a disabled bay at Muscat Festival, he says, until he argued with police.
“We need widespread awareness of these rules. These grey areas have been hurting so many people with disabilities. We already take care of ourselves, we spend more money on devices and chairs and things that we need, and yet we don’t receive much consideration, as a very small percentage of society that needs help,” he said.
Latest government data reveals that the number of disabled Omanis currently stands at 62,506, or 3 per cent of the total population.
Of these, people with walking difficulties constitute 26.8 per cent. “A human life is worth more than this, and giving people consideration, from permits, to decency with parking spaces, accessibility and wheelchairs. These things give people with disability an actual life to live,” Al Badi added.
A Ministry of Social Development spokesman said: “We do not give caretakers permits, whether they are parents of the disabled individuals or otherwise. We do consider severe cases that present extreme difficulty for the caretaker as a means to get a permit, but if the disabled individual is a child for example, and not a driver, they usually cannot get a permit.
“Similarly, a disabled person cannot use their permit while being a passenger of a vehicle, as they must be the person driving. Few exceptions apply for extreme cases,” she added.
Dr. Kawthar Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer at the Creative Centre for Rehabilitation, said, “Authorities need to recognise that supporting caretakers would make lives easier, and would not be taken advantage of. If the disabled person is not in the vehicle, of course a caregiver should not use a vehicle with a permit for their own personal reasons.
“However, if you’ve ever been out with a person who is disabled in Oman, you’ll see that the slopes and accessibility paths are only available by the entrance of buildings. If you’re forced to park farther away, even as a passenger, it becomes dangerous and challenging.
“When you spend some time with someone who has disability, you realise their daily struggle to do things we constantly take for granted, simply because we are able bodied and are physically, and mentally capable.”
Muscat: People who care for disabled relatives are calling for a change in disabled permit rules so that they can avoid breaking the law. Disability advocates say people who care for relatives with disabilities should also receive permits – not just the person with the disability.
The current rules covering permits are so stringent that permits are only issued to the disabled person – even if they are incapable of driving.
Sabah Mohammed Al Bahlani, Chief Executive Officer for the Association of Early Intervention for Children with Disabilities, has spoken to the Times of Oman about recognising carers who struggle to support those with disabilities.
“Many countries have wider limits on permits, including permits for temporary conditions, rather than only granting permanent ones. The law here also doesn’t allow for care givers to use a disabled parking space when the person with a disability is in the vehicle with them, which creates a lot of challenges,” she said.
Ahmed Al Badi, a board member of the Oman Association for the Disabled, had to obtain special permission to have his driver park his specially adapted vehicle in spaces reserved for the disabled, as he is a quadriplegic and is unable to drive.
For most, the driver – if not the person named on the permit – is breaking the law.
Ahmed’s driver was refused permission to park in a disabled bay at Muscat Festival, he says, until he argued with police.
“We need widespread awareness of these rules. These grey areas have been hurting so many people with disabilities. We already take care of ourselves, we spend more money on devices and chairs and things that we need, and yet we don’t receive much consideration, as a very small percentage of society that needs help,” he said.
Latest government data reveals that the number of disabled Omanis currently stands at 62,506, or 3 per cent of the total population.
Of these, people with walking difficulties constitute 26.8 per cent. “A human life is worth more than this, and giving people consideration, from permits, to decency with parking spaces, accessibility and wheelchairs. These things give people with disability an actual life to live,” Al Badi added.
A Ministry of Social Development spokesman said: “We do not give caretakers permits, whether they are parents of the disabled individuals or otherwise. We do consider severe cases that present extreme difficulty for the caretaker as a means to get a permit, but if the disabled individual is a child for example, and not a driver, they usually cannot get a permit.
“Similarly, a disabled person cannot use their permit while being a passenger of a vehicle, as they must be the person driving. Few exceptions apply for extreme cases,” she added.
Dr. Kawthar Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer at the Creative Centre for Rehabilitation, said, “Authorities need to recognise that supporting caretakers would make lives easier, and would not be taken advantage of. If the disabled person is not in the vehicle, of course a caregiver should not use a vehicle with a permit for their own personal reasons.
“However, if you’ve ever been out with a person who is disabled in Oman, you’ll see that the slopes and accessibility paths are only available by the entrance of buildings. If you’re forced to park farther away, even as a passenger, it becomes dangerous and challenging.
“When you spend some time with someone who has disability, you realise their daily struggle to do things we constantly take for granted, simply because we are able bodied and are physically, and mentally capable.”
© Times of Oman 2017
