Mobilizing District Committee Members

10. Clarify the Section 36 procedure with key committee members

Two key members of each district Persons with Disabilities Rights and Protection Act (DRPA) committee are the Deputy Commissioner and the Deputy Director of the Department of Social Services. The Deputy Commissioner is the committee’s chairperson and the Deputy Director is committee’s secretary. Together, they play an important role in determining where and how Section 36 applications should be filed. Neither the DRPA nor its Rules specify where Section 36 applications may be filed, and so filing procedures must be established on a district-by-district basis.

The experience of USAID’s EPD program shows that different districts operate differently. In some districts, the DC has instructed DPOs to file Section 36 applications directly with his or her office, or with an Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC). In other districts, the committee has decided that applications should be filed with the DD. In either individual meetings or large events involving the DC, ADC, or DD, DPOs should advocate for establishing clear rules for filing Section 36 applications and referring them to the larger committee. Without clarity, Section 36 applicants might face avoidable bureaucratic hurdles to receiving prompt decisions on their complaints.

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