In Pakistan persons with disabilities are still subjected to conventional exclusion and extreme stigmatization while globally there is a greater acknowledgment that most persons with disabilities have the potential to become responsible and self reliant members of society.

It is in this context that this research report has been prepared under a Program of The Aga Khan Council for Pakistan for bringing about positive changes in the social attitudes toward persons with disabilities and paving the way for an equal and inclusive world.

The Programme-one of a series of several different thematic programmes being held to foster awareness of modern-day issues facing the Ummah is being held during the year that commemorates the Golden Jubilee of the Imamat of His Highness the Aga Khan.

It is expected that this program, the Journey of Hope, will inform key publics, lead to greater awareness, and result in concrete steps to improve the opportunities for persons with disabilities in the educational, economic, social and cultural domains of their lives.

The report has been produced in collaboration with the National Commission for Social Welfare of the Government of Pakistan and with input from major institutions and organizations working with people with all forms of disabilities. The draft report was peer reviewed at four Focus Group Discussions organized at Peshawar, Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad during April 2008, with over a hundred such institutions participating.