Closing Ceremony of 5-days training workshop on "Empowering Persons with Disabilities through Social Skills Training and Workplace Inclusiveness"
Rawalpindi (26 August,2022): The concluding ceremony of 5-days training workshop on ‘Empowering Persons with Disabilities through Social Skills Training and Workplace Inclusiveness’ was held on 26 August, 2022 at FJWU. The training of trainers was attended by the employees with disabilities working in various public and private sector organizations from Rawalpindi/Islamabad. The Guest Motivational Speaker of the closing ceremony was Mr. Atif Sheikh, Executive Director, Special Talent Exchange Program (STEP) while the Guest of Honor was Prof. Dr. Shaheena Ayub Bhatti, Director WRRC & Professor of English. The Project Lead, Prof. Dr. Bushra Yasmin, in her closing remarks thanked PUAN for making this event possible. She appreciated the participants for their enthusiastic response and expressed her hope that they will take the welfare cause ahead. Prof. Dr. Shaheena Ayub Bhatti highlighted lack of education as a barrier for special persons to access job market and to get into mainstream. She shed light on how the inclusivity at workplace can help produce a more productive employee irrespective of their disabilities. She appreciated the efforts of project team.
Mr. Atif sheikh lauded Fatima Jinnah Women University’s efforts in promoting the culture of higher studies for women and congratulated the project team for their initiatives for PWDs from the platform of FJWU. He emphasized that disability must not be taken as a sign of weakness rather the focus should be on finding and closing the gaps in the systems for PWDs inclusiveness. The ceremony concluded with the participants’ reflection and distribution of certificates among them.
The workshop is based on the project awarded to Prof. Dr. Bushra Yasmin (Fulbright Alumna), Dr. Shaheryar Naveed, Dr. Aneela Maqsood and Mr. Hamad Manzoor, by US Mission in Pakistan and Pakistan US Alumni Network. The second workshop would be held on August 29-31, 2022 at FJWU, for the employer group of PWDs, to sensitize them to address the inclusiveness of PWDs at workplace by creating such physical and social environment supportive to effective functionality of PWDs.