LONDON: A British Pakistani chartered accountant who swapped her successful career to provide a valuable service for adults with learning difficulties has said she did so to help such adults, their families and society.Mrs Mazhar Malik had a successful career as a chartered accountant with one of the top 10 accountancy firms in the UK and also worked in industry as a senior accountant, but called it quits some 10 years ago and set up a community interest company called Snaresbrook Arts Project (SAP) in London, which caters to the needs of adults with learning difficulties. Mazhar’s husband is a successful lawyer and the couple have four children.“I decided to change my career because I have a sister-in-law with special needs, who also lives with my family. Caring for my sister-in-law brought me into contact with other families who had adults with special needs, many of whom lacked support and asked me to help them.This resulted in my interacting with social workers and social services on their behalf. After some time and due to the demand and pressure on services the social services of a London borough suggested to me that I should set up a service to assist adults with special needs and that they would support me,” she said.Mazhar said that she was well rewarded as a CA and it was difficult for her to leave. “There comes a time when you decide whether money is important or lifestyle. My husband fully supported me,” she said.She bought a property in London where initially only one disabled person was referred for the first few weeks. “The SAP centre operates Monday to Friday and now caters to around three dozen clients a day. Our clients range in age from 25 to 79. Some live with their family/carers and some in residential homes.For many the only social activity is when they come here. My staff is professional and provides both physical (aid with walking, eating and activities) and emotional care (listening to their issues -- irrespective of their illness they still have to talk about things that are upsetting them). The staff is also trained to make assessment where necessary, for example whether the clients need additional help in their daily life,” she said.Mazhar said, “The clients who attend SAP cover a wide spectrum of disabilities, ranging from autism, blindness, muteness, behavioural issues and physical disabilities in various forms. We provide them with the ability to learn skills such as, arts, crafts, gardening, cooking where these are personalised to each individual’s disability and their wishes. We take them on annual holidays, for example groups have been to Turkey and last November we went to Spain. We provide a service where the clients are loved and treated with respect, as all people should be. There is still difficulty faced by those with special needs because most people do not understand their disabilities.”She said that her centre gets clients through recommendations made by social services or by others “we have assisted”.“In the UK, we are lucky that despite cuts in budgets social services provide some financial support to adults with special needs so they can have a choice and lead as independent a life as possible. I am unaware if such support is available to adults with special needs in Pakistan. I would support any policy or service that the Pakistan government can provide to such adults in Pakistan so that they too can try to lead a normal life. It would be much appreciated by the adults, their families and in turn be good for society in Pakistan. It is our moral and social duty to try and assist those less able than us. I would be delighted to assist the Pakistan government if it considered that I may be of assistance,” she said.Mazhar has no regrets that she left her profession. “The rewards of accountancy would have been greater but I get more satisfaction knowing that I am trying to provide a valuable, safe and caring environment to the clients, their families and seeing their smiles and appreciation. My daily satisfaction comes from the adults when they are leaving for the day and they express their excitement to come back the next day, with a hug and a thank-you,” she said.Mazhar said that South Asian households need to take a different approach to disability. “In my experience many British Pakistani/Asian households lack understanding. This lead to detrimental effects on the disabled adults as they are kept at home and this increases pressure on their families and society. Moreover, the disabled adult is held back from expressing his needs and the chance to live as normal a life as possible,” she said.
from The News International - National http://bit.ly/2sLuOJP
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