APPROACH

Persons with Disabilities’ Self-Initiative to Development (PSID) is a consumer (disabled people) driven, rights-based, holistic focused development approach that empowers persons with all types of disabilities and lifts them as the center of the development with the responsibility of their initiation, participation and ownership that ensures the society is for all which exist at any situation or status. The philosophy of PSID is based on the belief that the successes of persons with disabilities influence and enhance the entire community and indeed actualize and accelerate the overall development of the nation and contribute to all. It is equally accessible for any citizens, adaptable, sustainable and peaceful, regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, gender or socio-economic status. In the PSID, persons with disabilities can effectively contribute by maximizing their potential and enriching their overall process when able to enjoy the same opportunities as other citizens of a nation, from the grassroots to the national level. PSID recognizes that disability issues are preventable, persons with disabilities (PwDs) issues are rights, equalities, understanding, obligations, respect, acceptance, participation, leadership, sustainability, ownership, development and contributory issues. The success of persons with disabilities contributes to accelerating the peace and overall development of a nation. Through a democratic process, persons with disabilities are directly responsible for the planning, decision-making, implementation, and management of their programs and organizations from the grassroots to the national level. PSID actions achieve a barrier-free resilience society for all including children with disabilities, women with disabilities that helps to build the capacity of persons with disabilities to become innovators able to fully enjoy their human rights while also ensuring that their primary needs are met. PSID believes that disability prevention, ensuring disabled persons’ rights-based and peacebuilding actions, capacity building of their organizations, collaboration and other issues mentioned are lifelong efforts. It needs continued investment based on the response of PwDs, so that by acceptance of all citizens, the country will be more safeguarded with peace and beauty. It has proven to be adaptable, it is cost-effective, as it produced more results compared with cost and that allows for high returns on investment to both economic and social benefits for individuals, their families and their nation.

PSID was created from conclusions made by the decade of life experience of Abdus Sattar Dulal, Founder of Bangladesh Protibandhi Kallyan Somity (BPKS), established as a National Resource Organization of persons with disabilities in Bangladesh. After a decade of organizational experience, Mr. Dulal found that traditional charitable, medical service delivery or asking such as based on someone’s request, insistence, or recommendation models were not effective, holistic, or sustainable for PwDs. BPKS promotes the PSID approach with the vision of a barrier-free, rights-based world for all where persons with disabilities can improve their lives, be active members of their society and contribute to national development.

The effectiveness of the PSID approach is attributed to its three main nexus and synergy, that is, three main concepts that are identified as being consumer/PwDs-driven, rights-based and holistic, leading to the implementation of three strategies to obtain the desired results.