In observance of the 2024 National Disability Rights Week, formerly the National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Central Visayas promotes a week-long advocacy from July 17 until 23.

Guided with the theme: “Promoting Inclusion: Celebrating Abilities and Advocating Access,” DSWD 7 and the Regional Committee on Disability Affairs (RCDA) kicked off the celebration on July 17, 2024 at the Area Vocational Rehabilitation Center (AVRC) II in Brgy. Labangon, Cebu City.

It promotes the rights of the persons with disabilities sector by making them heard and seen in society and promoting inclusivity and accessibility in benefiting social welfare services.

Together with the RCDA, a body of government agencies and non-government organizations working to promote the welfare of the sector, DSWD 7 organized various activities.

Autism Society Philippines (ASP) Cebu Chapter led the opening with a holy mass and a fitness zumba. Land Transportation Office (LTO) 7 and the Regional Federation of Persons with Disabilities paved the way for a motorcade around the downtown area in Cebu City.

DSWD 7 shared that the celebration also aims to bring social services by gathering different government services in one place.

Government agencies joined the activity. The Department of Health (DOH) Central Visayas Center for Health Development offers blood-taking services for glucose, cholesterol, and uric acid and hearing screening; the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) offers consultation and initial assessment for free training courses; the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) set-up a registration booth for PhilSys ID, and the AVRC II trainees and clients showcased food products and clothing outputs from their training classes.

The DOH-CVCHD also turned over assistive devices to DSWD 7 with ten wheelchairs and ten canes for recipients identified by the different federations in the region.

Dr. Jera Armendarez of DOH-CVCHD, who represented RCDA, called for other public and private sectors to observe the occasion. “By doing this activity, we can advocate the rights of persons with disabilities, show that we are here for them, and let them know that they are part of the society,” she said.

RCDA, chaired by DSWD 7, is renewing its call to promote the rights of persons with disabilities through registration and establishing a functional Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office (PDAO) in all local government units in the region.

According to DOH, Central Visayas has registered about 90,703 persons with disabilities with identification cards, or 5.1% in the country.

“We at the DOH are committed to bringing registration of persons with disabilities as intensive as possible. It brings forth an opportunity to enjoy the benefits and privileges of the sector under the law while empowering them to contribute equally to nation building,” Dr. Armendarez added.

During the kickoff, RCDA conducts learning sessions on mental health, breast cancer, and autism awareness.

DOH-CVCHD discussed stress management and acknowledgment of mental health as a health priority, Responsive Education for Autistic Children (REACH) Center on autism sensitivity, “I Can Serve” of the Rotary Club of Cebu shared their advocacies of early detection for breast cancer, and Philhealth talked about the Universal Health Care.

A friendly competition between persons with disabilities teams from highly urbanized cities in Cebu highlighted the kick-off, showcasing their skills and abilities in a unique seated volleyball game at the AVRC II-covered court. Mandaue City’s Ball Busters emerged as the champion.

The National Week for disability rights is not just a celebration to observe annually but a way to inform people that the sector has no boundaries, their potentials are limitless, and that they can equally contribute to society just like any other abled person.

It is a celebration that will roar and echo in the hearts of every Filipino of all ages, regardless of their social status, to learn, respect, and appreciate the rights and responsibilities of persons with disabilities. ###

(49) Views