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May 29, 2009
JICA Group Training Coues in "Promotion of Social Participation of Persons with Disabilities through Sports"
Dear jicafriends,
We would like to inform you that the said course is going to start from
September 14, 2009.
Application deadline is July 24, 2009. Target countries are China, India,
Fiji, Tonga, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Uruguay, Jordan and Myanmar.
If you know someone who is interested in participating in the training
program, please forward the following information.
http://www.jicafriends.jp/jicainfo/pdf/gij0900802.pdf
The secretariat of jicafriends
Posted by jicafriends at 05:20 PM | Comments (0)
May 28, 2009
Law Will Make Disabled Wear Signs in Traffic-Indonesia
The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.
We hope the Law won't accelerate discrimination against persons with disabilities. We welcome your comments or opinions on the following law. (The secretariat of jicafriends)
Lawmakers on Tuesday unanimously voted to update a 1992 Traffic Law, but ran into immediate controversy over a clause in the new version that requires disabled pedestrians to wear signs to warn others of their condition.
“All [political] factions agreed without any objection,” said Muhaimin Iskandar, deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, who led the plenary session.
Transportation Minister Jusman Sjafii Djamal, who was also present, said the new Traffic and Road Transportation Law was needed as the 1992 version was no longer adequate.
“There has been a change in the paradigm that influences the transportation sector,” Jusman said, adding that there was a need for a clearer definition of the responsibilities of those involved in road traffic.
The new law contains 326 articles, but it was the second clause of Article 80 that was met with anger from activists who protested its requirement for disabled pedestrians to wear warning signs.
“Handicapped pedestrians are obliged to wear special signs that can be easily recognized by other road users,” the clause stated. It also said that further details would be determined by a regulation.
“This law is to protect pedestrians, including those who are handicapped,” Malkan Amin of the Golkar Party said. “It is for their own protection.”
But to many activists, the clause smacks of discrimination.
“I am very disappointed. This is an infringement on human rights and will particularly affect the handicapped because they have to wear signs while on the streets,” said Saharuddin Daming, a blind member of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM). “This is marginalizing the handicapped.”
He said the law should aim to make public spaces more accessible for people with disabilities.
Saharuddin cited Bandung, West Java, where local authorities provided special traffic lights near an institute for the visually impaired, allowing its members to change the lights to red to ensure a safe crossing.
“That is what should have been regulated, things like traffic signs signaling the presence of blind people, so that people drive more carefully,” he said.
Darmaningtyas, chairman of the Institute of Transportation Studies, was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying that the law was preposterous and that the government should focus on providing facilities such as level footpaths and wheelchair ramps.
“It is strange when handicapped people are asked to carry extra burdens, ” Darmaningtyas said.
The law will come into effect when signed by the president or after three months have passed.
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/law-will-make-disabled-wear-signs-in-traffic/277469
Posted by jicafriends at 01:37 PM | Comments (0)
200th Birth Anniversary of honarable Louis Braille
How many of you know Louis Braiile?
He is the inventor of Braille and he made great contributions in the field of vision disability.
Louis Braille was born in January 4, 1809, and 2009 is his 200th birth anniversary. Celebrations throughout 2009 are being planned around the world to honor Braille's 200th birthday.
If you organize a celebration program, please share with us.
The related information can be obtained from the following site;
http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/louis/global_events.html
Those who would like to know about Braille;
Braill is a world-wide system used by blind and visually impaired people for reading and writing. Braille is read by passing the fingers over characters made up of an arrangement of one to six embossed points. It has been adapted to almost every known language.
More information on Braille;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braille
Posted by jicafriends at 09:57 AM | Comments (0)
May 25, 2009
Disabled People's Development Organization-Myanmar
We are very happy to inform you that the 1st office of our Self-help organization called "Disabled People's Development Organization (D.P.D.O)" in Yangon will be able to open in coming week. The office address would be :
Disabled People's Development Organization (D.P.D.O)
Butar-yon Street, East Gyoe-gone Township,
Yangon, Myanmar.
It is a type of self-help organization of PWDs and established it in 2003 in Yangon by disabled persons who are former participants of APCD, Thailand and AAR-Japan (VTC) graduates in Yangon. The former name is “Raise up PWD’s Development Group (RPDG)” and changed it into “DPDO” in mid-2009. We did not have resident own office before. We made regular monthly meeting at AAR-VTC hall in Yangon. Due to effort of responsible EC members and unity of all members, we will be able to open the first resident office in Yangon in coming week. Now there are 120 disabled members in our organization and continuing the activities within our limitation resources and situation.
Organization Profile
Organization’s Name: Disabled People’s Development Organization (D.P.D.O)
The goal: To rise up the abilities and human resources of disabled persons by unity, then must be developed a society which has equal rights for all.
Motto: Towards Equal Society
Objectives:
・To empower each other, to have unity among us in order to build better spiritual value of disabled persons and to solve various facing problems by means of group activities
・To develop the independent living life-style of disabled persons by raising abilities and rights of us
・To reveal, solve and remove all of barriers that could be impeded inclusion of disabled people within society
・To obtain full participation in all of community sectors by accepting our competence
・To implement disability related actions, projects and other enterprises which are aimed to develop all disabled fields leaded by disabled persons ourselves.
・To cooperate with other organizations in order to develop educational, social, health and economic conditions of disabled persons
・To promote the leading role of self-help groups of disabled persons in Myanmar
We are doing the following small activities within our budget and resource limitation.
・Campaigns on development of SHG role and organizes and establishes new SHG in vicinity of Yangon and Delta Region
・Arranges group excursions to promote public awareness on disability issue
・Introduces on Social model of disability and responsible for peer counseling
・Makes some handicrafts and runs a hair cutting shop of group own for fund raising
・Shares education on nutrition in the community
・Refers and arranges on assistant devices for needed disabled persons
・Participate in social and sport activities
・Publishes Group Pamphlet, Group newsletters
・Sends some members to local and abroad capacity development training by the support of partner organizations
・Implements rehabilitatin programs for Nargis affected disabled by funding of some organizations
・Implements micro credit program for those group members who want to run their small business
・Supports information and takes into account the current problems to peer individuals and groups as much as possible
Best regards,
Nay Lin Soe (Secretary)
Disabled People's Development Organization (D.P.D.O)
Posted by jicafriends at 03:36 PM | Comments (0)
Nameste from Sangita-Nepal
Dear jicafriends,
Now we have launch the three activities in our office they are candle making, knitting and daycare centre for disabled children. Our candle making program is very satisfied. Because of more power failures in our country. But not good market for knitting matrials. The number of tourists are decreasing because of the bad poltical situation. Unfortunately I lost camera so that i couid not take pictures of activities and send them to you. We are going to make a home page so that you can see activities of PWDS and will learn more about us.. We have a big plan to make a rehalbitation centre for Disabled women or homeless people caused by disability in future.
I hope or confidence with my JICA FRIENDS.
Sangita
Posted by jicafriends at 09:44 AM | Comments (0)
May 18, 2009
From MILESTONE-Pakistan
We've received the following email from MILESTONE, Independent Living Center in Pakistan.
Dear jicafriends,
How are you?
From tomorow it is going to be one of the dangrous time of our lives. We are going to serve the disabled persons of SWAT area where many sucide bomb terrorisms are happening. There are many people who got disabillities due to the Taliban attacks. We cannot leave them alone and also there is an army operation is going on. So it will very difficult to rescue them. No body is doing this. So we decided to enter the war area and do the rescue activities for disabled persons by disabled persons. Pray for us. I know the life is very important but the work for disabled people became our lives now.
If we survive, then we will send you the reports and picture. Sometimes it's very difficult to work, but sometimes we cannot skip from work.
I promise that i will be careful for my MILESTONE team and also we will save many lives.
Lots of Love
Shafiq Ur Rehman
President
MILESTONE
Today's situation in Pakistan;
http://www.thenews.com.pk/
Posted by jicafriends at 02:21 PM | Comments (1)
The Second Committee Meeting for "Realization of Decent Work"Course
Dear jicafriends,
The second committee meeting was held at JICA Headquarters on May 8, 2009 and five participants were selected one each from China, Fiji, Malaysia, and two from Nepal.
They are going to arrive at Narita International Airport on June 16, and start the training program.
We will report their everyday training on this website.
The secretariat of jicafriends
Posted by jicafriends at 01:55 PM | Comments (0)
May 13, 2009
JICA trainings related disability
Information on JICA training courses related disability can be obtained from jicafriends web page.
1. Prosthetic and orthotic Technique
Overall Goal:
The participants are expected to disseminate the knowledge and techniques to other prosthetists and orthotists after finishing this course.
Target regions and countries:
Colombia, Fiji, Dominican Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Application deadline:June 27, 2009
more information: http://www.jicafriends.jp/jicainfo/pdf/gij0900810.pdf
2.Mainstreaming and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in Africa
Overall Goal:
The participants will acquire strategic skills of planning to enhance their institutional capacity, which leads to strengthen the capacity of PAFOD member DPOs’ (Disabled Persons’ Organizations) for promoting "African Decade of Disabled Persons” in African countries.
Target regions and countries: :
Cameroon, Egypt, Namibia(2)
Application deadline:June 23, 2009
more information:http://www.jicafriends.jp/jicainfo/pdf/gij0904097.pdf
The secretariat of jicafriends
Posted by jicafriends at 09:44 AM | Comments (0)
May 08, 2009
Disabled ‘broadly’ happy with arrangements in polling booths - India
We again found the name of Mr.Javed Abidi, the former participant of Leaders' Course 1995 in the following information. It was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.
Times of India
7th May 2009
New Delhi, May 7 (IANS) The teething troubles were quite apparent. Yet, as Delhi went to polls Thursday, the disabled population and NGOs working with the community were more or less happy with the special arrangements made in the polling booths by the Election Commission for the Lok Sabha elections. Javed Abidi, director of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for disabled People (NCPEDP), said that he was broadly happy with the facilities in the polling booths for the specially abled people.
“There have been lapses. Some disabled people have complained that the ramp in the booths for wheelchair bound people are too steep. Others have said that in some places the polling officers were unaware of braille strips in the electronic voting machines (EVM) for the benefit of the blind,” Abidi told IANS.
“However, broadly I am happy with the arrangements. These are teething problems and with time I am sure things will smoothen out,” he said.
For the benefit of the disabled population, the Election Commission has ensured that all polling booths would have ramps and the EVMs would have braille strips. According to an Election Commission official a total of 1.05 million EVMs are being used in these elections across various
states, and 450,000 among them are braille enabled.
Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Satbir Silas Bedi added: “We have also sounded the poll officials that separate queues be made for disabled people and senior citizens”.
According to NGOs nearly six percent of India’s population is disabled.
Arunima Jain, a school teacher who is wheelchair bound, said that she was quite happy with the arrangements in her polling booth in south Delhi.
“The ramp in my polling booth was a little steep so my husband had to get help to push me up to the booth. But other than that, I think the arrangements were satisfactory,” she said.
Similarly family members of Bhavya Verma, a wheelchair bound elderly woman who had come to cast her vote in a government school in Aurangzeb Road, said: “We are very happy with the ramp arrangement. She could cast her vote without much hassle.”
Jain however said that her friend who is visually impaired was in for a surprise when he reached the polling booth.
“My friend, who is blind, was shocked when he was told by the polling officer that he was not aware of the braille strip on the EVM. However when he was taken in, he could find the strip on the machine and cast his vote,” she said.
Abidi said that Chief Election Commissioner Naveen Chawla had specifically asked him to compile all the reports and give a detailed feedback on the disabled people’s polling experience so that
appropriate changes can be brought about in the future.
Posted by jicafriends at 01:14 PM | Comments (0)
May 07, 2009
Dong Nai provides jobs for 1,200 disabled people-Vietnam
The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.
Tuesday, 21/04/2009, 09:19
There are 19,590 disabled people and 5,600 AO victims* in Dong Nai Province, said the Provincial Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs. In recent years, the province in coordination with local agencies, organizations and businesses have actively supported the disadvantaged people with their life activities. The province spent VND 332.4 million providing free vocational training courses for them ; and so far 1,200 have been able to secure and maintain jobs with stable income.
Apart from that, local agencies created favorable conditions for disabled people to borrow loans from banks and granted free bus tickets to them. According to local officials, the number of disabled people who have jobs is still modest in contrast to the total number in the locality, this in spite of efforts of local agencies. The current economic recession has hit all economic sectors and it has caused some firms to lay off their workers.Under the circumstances, jobs for disabled people become more difficult, said officials.
Source: CPV
Translated by Thu Nguyen
FYI: *AO victims http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange
http://army.qdnd.vn/vietnam.economy.enews.24301.qdnd
Posted by jicafriends at 04:46 PM | Comments (0)
May 01, 2009
Newsletter from YPSA, Bangladesh.
YPSA, the organization which Ms. Sadia Tajin, a former participant of Vocational Rehab. Course 2008 belongs to sent us their newletter for April.
Posted by jicafriends at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)