Debate over inclusion of mentally-ill people

Dubai: The definition of disability, whether to include mentally-ill people, sparked a heated debate at a roundtable discussion on a workable action plan for Arab countries.

Panelists representing advocacy groups for disabled and special needs people at the Arab Decade of Disabled Persons 2004 -2013 roundtable discussion, organised by Takamul, could not agree on the definition of disability and whether it should include people with psychiatric disorders.

"Mentally-ill people should not be covered under the UN Convention [on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities] because they can be treated medically. There should be separate laws to protect them," said Dr Nawaf Kabbara, president of Arab Organisations of Disabled People.

"I disagree with Dr Nawaf," rebutted Dr Muhannad Saleh Al Azzeh of Handicap International, saying that people with psychiatric disorders should be covered by the UN convention.

"Both have disabilities, but those with psychiatric disorders are totally excluded and marginalised because they have a horrible stigma attached to them," he continued.

The panelists also discussed the definition of disabled versus special needs, whether disability included people with health conditions that required special measures to be taken for them to function and live.

All, however, called for inclusion of disabled people into society, agreeing that the definition of disability should not be medically-based, but based on how the surrounding environment affected a person's ability to function.

In other words, if there are no ramps for a wheelchair-bound person to enter into a building, he effectively 'becomes disabled'.