PADA keen to support disabled citizens, children with special needs

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 26: Director-General of the Public Authority for the Disabled Affairs (PADA) Shafiqa Al-Awadhi affirmed the keenness of the authority to support and provide all forms of services and assistance required by citizens and their children with special needs, reports Al-Qabas daily.

In a press statement, she revealed that the authority spends KD 150 million in the form of annual allocations, and educational and rehabilitation support for beneficiaries.

Al-Awadhi said the budget allocated for educational and rehabilitation services for people with disabilities is about KD 40 million annually, which benefits children who join local specialized centers, institutions and nurseries.

Regarding sheltering children with special needs in social welfare homes, she indicated that Kuwait provides shelters for them.

Al-Awadhi said, “Sheltering children with disabilities in social welfare homes is a negative matter according to the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

People with disabilities are viewed as indivisible individuals in society. They must live among their family members. Kuwait had received several observations about the closure of shelter homes in compliance with the signed agreements.

Housing cases are no longer a desirable thing in the world due to the general desire to integrate people with special needs instead of isolating them”.

Al-Awadhi affirmed that the number of disabled Kuwaiti citizens registered with the authority is currently 53,000, adding that they enjoy many financial privileges, as KD 110 million are spent annually for only three allowances, namely allocations for those under 21 years of age, drivers and servants allowances, and allowances for women who care for people with severe disabilities.

She indicated that, “There are other allowances for those over the age of 21 years, which are paid by the Public Institution for Social Security.

“There are other sums of money ranging between KD 5,000 and KD 10,000 paid by the Kuwait Credit Bank, depending on the severity of the disability, as well as other benefits such as priority for housing care, marriage loan and children allowance. Also included is the reduction of working hours for people with disabilities and those entrusted with their care, vacations with full salary, exemption from fees, prosthetic devices, early retirement for people with disabilities with full salary, early retirement for those in charge of caring for them with full salary, tuition fees up to the age of 28 years, and rehabilitation fees until the age of 45 years”.