Faisalabad: June 23, 2012. (PCP) Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (AWAM) organized a training workshop for media personnel titled "Engaging Media to Highlight Disability Issues” held on June 18, 2012 at Lord’s Inn Hotel in Faisalabad, which was joined by 22 journalists from print and electronic media. The objective of the workshop was to impart knowledge among media personnel about disability concepts and framework, update them about injustice, inequality and discrimination towards persons/women with disabilities, and highlight role of media in reporting the cases of people with disabilities. At this juncture, the trainers emphasized on the media personnel to keep the government accountable through media attention towards plight of persons with disabilities, and play their role by raising awareness, using proper language and right terminologies when addressing disability issues. Speaking on the occasion, the Executive Secretary of the AWAM, Naseem Anthony said, “The journalists must use a good approach for the persons with disabilities to feel accommodated, when highlighting their problems and concerns." "There is general lack of awareness about disability, and it is not too late for the media to play an important role in bringing disability to the fore-front," he added. The Coordinator of the AWAM, Shazia George said, “Government should include disability issues in the curriculum, and must build good infrastructure at religious sites for persons with disabilities so that they could easily participate in their religious rituals.” “Role of media is imperative for integration of persons with disabilities in the mainstream, therefore media should come forward to highlight the plight of people with disabilities objectively, and make their stories positive and visible," she stressed. A Journalist, Farakh Shahzad said, “Media coverage plays a crucial role in educating the public by providing information on disability issues. It serves as the key for advocacy, networking and opinion-making, therefore reporting on disability must not perpetuate negative effects of disability nor reinforce stereotypes." A Journalist, Iftikhar Ahmad said, "People with disabilities suffer from a lack of presence in the media, because they are not regularly featured, strengthens the negative perception that they are somehow not the part of normal life. Journalists can play a role in raising their visibility by including them as their sources.” A Journalist, Ali Ashfaq Hashmi said, "The media just like any other development actors should play a critical role of raising awareness by not only reporting on disability but also setting the disability agenda. Media coverage on disability needs to be balanced, non-discriminative, and should not reinforce negative effects of disability." The Executive Director of the Society of Disabled People for Rights and Development (SDPRD) and a person with disability, Dr. Sajid Ali said, "The media can help begin to overcome the common feeling of isolation that persons with disabilities face by showing that they can be consulted on issues of national interest and are similar to able-bodied persons." "Depicting and portraying persons with disabilities by media in responsible positions contributing to the society will frame people's assumptions, perceptions and expectations," he added.