A study about the inclusion of persons with disabilities in sports An institutional analysis of Pakistan Blind Cricket Council

Abstract

The United Nations Organization describe Person with Disabilities in the preamble of United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) as “recognizing that disability is an evolving concept and that disability results from the interaction between persons with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinders their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others”. According to latest census data in 2023 by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics 3.1% of Pakistan’s population has some kind of disability. The ratio of visually impaired is also quite high with a percentage of 2.02%. Considering the Population of Pakistan i.e. 241.49 million, this proportion is quite high hence make it very important to make their inclusion in routine life via sports. Pakistan Blind Cricket Council was established in 1997 for the inclusion of blind people in sports. This paper attempts to study the historical evolution of this institution. By going through the official institutional documents, interviewing official and players this study attempts to conclude that a lot more needs to be done by the government in order to make it fruitful for the inclusion in motion for the visually impaired population of the country.