Saito Kobo is a wheelchair manufacturing company in Japan providing mobility services to persons with disabilities in general and to severe persons with disabilities in particular. Mr. Sho Saito is expert in his mobility field who has been manufacturing manual and electric wheelchairs for long and his contributions in this regard can never be denied. He has been visiting Pakistan for many years providing trainings to Disabled Persons Organizations (DPOs) about the manufacturing and repairing of electric wheelchairs. Mr. Habib Ur Rehman from Sakura Wheelchair Company is another feather in the cap – he is running a wheelchair manufacturing project in Japan and imports and donates wheelchairs to Pakistan to ensure the mobility of persons with disabilities. Both the companies are serving in the best possible manner to support Pakistan and every year they donate electric wheelchairs to Pakistan that are distributed to persons with disabilities. The recent visit of these two figures was scheduled to visit 3 organizations in Pakistan to provide training workshops on repair of electric wheelchairs; these organizations include DWA Karachi, Milestone Lahore and Saaya Association Islamabad.

Mr. Sho Saito and Mr. Habib Ur Rehman visited DWA Karachi. Mr. Jawaid Rias and the staff paid warm welcome where Mr. Jawaid Rias, after formal introduction of organization, activities and staff, briefed the delegates about the mobility workshop where bikes are manufactured for persons with disabilities. He also thanked the Sakura and Saito Kobo for providing them with electric wheelchairs that are being repaired and distributed to persons with disabilities. The contribution of the Sakura and Saito Kobo in providing mobility to persons with disabilities can never be denied. This initiative of provision of electric wheelchair is ensuring mobility of persons with disabilities and raising an awareness concerning participation of persons with disabilities spreads in the society.

Milestone Society for the Special Persons is the largest active organization of persons with disabilities in Pakistan. It has history of serving persons with disabilities for 21 years and it enjoys the status of introducing Independent Living philosophy to persons having disabilities in general and persons with severe disabilities in particular. It is a fact that with the efforts of the Milestone there is ray of positive change in the society, as it is continuously producing leaders who are agents of change in Pakistan. For achieving this mission and noble goals, the great contribution and generous support of Mainstream Association can never be denied.

Saaya Association for persons with disabilities is serving persons with disabilities in Islamabad under the leadership of Mr. Asim Zafar for the last many years. Its wheelchair repair unit has been recently established with the support of Saito Kobo and Sakura Wheelchair Company where electric wheelchairs are repaired and distributed among persons with disabilities.

Their third visit was paid to Saaya Association serving persons with disabilities in Islamabad. After receiving formal introduction to the staff and activities, Mr. Saito and Mr. Habib described the purpose of their visit from Japan. The electric wheelchair unit established with the support of Sakura was visited and wheelchair repair training workshop conducted where Mr. Saito and Mr. Habib shared their electric wheelchair repairing technique with the trainees. The session was fruitful as video presentations were made and lectures were delivered on manufacturing and repairing of electric wheelchairs. The questions and queries were well answered to satisfy the trainees. KAY2 TV channel covered the event live on the media for awareness-raising.

The delegate paid an official visit to JICA Office where the project for persons with disabilities was discussed that is to be implemented in Lahore in the coming days. The project is designed for persons with severe disabilities where they will be provided with the electric wheelchairs and with the self management trainings to be productive and contributing part of the society. The Sakura wheelchair company is supporting the said project in Pakistan to ensure the mobility of persons with severe disabilities so that inclusive, barrier free and rights-based society can be achieved.

An Official visit was paid to the WHO Office where a meeting was held with Dr. Maryam Mallik, Disability Advisor, and the purpose of visit was to discuss the mutual ground of collaboration concerning the mobility services for persons with disabilities.

An international seminar was conducted by Saaya Association and Comsats University in Islamabad where students were sensitized of the disability issues and inclusion of persons with disabilities. Mr. Asim Zafar, the President of Saaya Association, delivered a lecture on disability where he provoked students to think what disability is and what independent living is. He described the history of Independent Living movement and its contribution to the lives of persons with disabilities and how this concept changed the plight of persons with disabilities in the world.