The Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities has proposed introducing a separate budget line for persons with disabilities in the estimates of every ministry to ensure that their needs and concerns receive adequate attention.

The proposal was discussed at a special meeting of the Caucus held recently at Parliament under the chairmanship of MP Sugath Wasantha de Silva.Australian High Commissioner Matthew John Duckworth and a group of officials, along with representatives of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), also attended the meeting.During the meeting, Deputy Co-Chair of the Caucus, MP Dr. Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam, made a detailed presentation on the work undertaken by the Caucus and the progress achieved over the past one and a half years.He said the Caucus had conducted a series of district-level consultations involving persons with disabilities and relevant government officials. Consultations in the Northern Province and Kalutara District had been successfully completed, while similar program were planned for six more districts.

Proposals for next year’s Budget had also been gathered with the participation of more than 50 organizations representing the disability community.Meanwhile, the Caucus is working towards introducing a new Disability Bill in accordance with international standards to replace the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, No. 28 of 1996. Steps are also being taken to introduce a Sign Language Act and bring about necessary reforms in the special education sector.In another initiative, a WhatsApp video call service has been introduced to enable persons with hearing impairments to contact the Police Emergency Service on 119 using sign language during emergencies.The service was established with the intervention of the Caucus Chairman and is supported by police officers trained in sign language.