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June 29, 2010
Fiji disable convention workshop
The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Fiji Broadcasting Corporation
The Fiji Disabled People’s Association will be organizing a media workshop at the FTU Hall in Suva tomorrow.
FDPA president Akuila Rewatabua says the aim is to raise awareness among media personnel on the Convention of Disability’s Rights.
Rewatabua says the convention has been signed by government and people now need to be well informed on the issue.
“We’ll be looking at 20 participants from all media outlets so that after this workshop we’ll be able to carry out awareness program on the convention so that people in Fiji can be aware of and also know the important of it to people with disability.”
http://www.radiofiji.com.fj/fullstory.php?id=28776
Posted by jicafriends at 07:13 PM | Comments (0)
June 28, 2010
Department worried over maltreatment of disabled children-Ghana
The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.
Ghana News, Get all the latest news from Ghana: Accra Mail: Ghana news updates daily
Sunyani (B/A), June 24, GNA - Mr Hammond Kwarteng, Brong-Ahafo Regional Director of the Department of Children on Thursday expressed concern about the maltreatment of children with disabilities by some parents.
He noted with regret that reports gathered by the Department indicated that the situation had become common in the region and added some parents even considered such children as a curse and denied them formal education.
Mr Kwarteng was speaking with the Ghana News Agency after he and his Deputy, Mr George Yaw Ankomah, presented a variety of items worth GH￠1,000 to the Nyamaah basic school Unit of Specially Needs Children in Sunyani.
The items comprised 24 multi-purpose learning tools, a number of toilet rolls, football, box of key bar soap, biscuits, different types of non-alcoholic beverages and quantities of fan ice cream.
The donors also presented similar items including two bags of rice, cooking oil and soaps to the center for Women and Children Association, a Non-Governmental Organisation that has adopted people living with HIV/AIDS located at Sunyani Zongo.
Mr Kwarteng said it was an offence punishable by law for parents to lock up their disabled children and deny them formal education and appealed to the general public to help to identify and to trace such cases for the law to take its course.
He explained that people with disability were also blessed with talents and urged the public to assist to unearth and to harness such talents to make them grow to become assets of the state.
Mr Ankomah explained that the presentation demonstrated the commitment and preparedness of the Department to address some basic needs of the vulnerable in society.
Mr Anthony Damoah, headmaster of the unit, thanked the donors for the gesture and assured them that the items would be used for their intended purposes.
He said the unit had 28 school children, who were mainly physically and mentally challenged with four teachers and mentioned lack of a classroom block, adequate teaching and learning materials and vehicle as some of its problems.
Mr Damoah added that some of the school children lived outside Sunyani and because of the lack of transport they did not attend school.
He, therefore, appealed to government and other NGOs and philanthropists to come to their aid.
GNA
Posted by jicafriends at 07:02 PM | Comments (0)
June 22, 2010
Training Report : June 21, 2010 PM : Welfare Services for Persons with Disabilities in Japan
The first lecture was held at Seminar room 18, our decent room.
It was about the Welfare Services for Persons with Disabilities in Japan, given by Special Advisor, Welfare Division for Persons with Disabilities, Dept. of Health and Welfare for Persons with Disabilities, Social Welfare and War-Victim's Relief Bureau, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
The lecture was very informative. He gave a comprehensive explanation on the topic, including historical development of welfare services for persons with disabilities, the laws related to disability field, definition of disabilities, changes of the numbers of persons with disabilities, basic plan and reform of health and welfare policies and measures for persons with disabilities, assistive devices, discount system, income security, measures related education, future challenges and so on.
The lecture was extended until 4:45 since participants asked many questions to the lecturer.
Thanks to the lecturer's tireless efforts eight participants could gain an overall understanding of the welfare services for persons with disabilities in Japan.
http://jicafriends.jp/vocational/gi2010/training/v0621pm.html
Posted by jicafriends at 09:38 PM | Comments (0)
Training Report : June 21, 2010 AM : Ice breaking session
Ice breaking session was held by committee members in order to establish close relations with participants.
Firstly eight participants gave self-introduction and then committee members made presentations about their working careers in power points.
Two committee members who could not attend the session also introduced themselves in their ppts.
At the beginning participants looked a bit nervous but they could break the ice at the end of the session.
http://jicafriends.jp/vocational/gi2010/training/v0621am.html
Posted by jicafriends at 09:16 PM | Comments (0)
June 18, 2010
More companies tap Open Door Fund to hire disabled
The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.
By Jeremy Koh | Posted: 11 June 2010 2151 hrs
Since it was set up in July 2006, 79 companies have tapped the fund, which provides subsidies of up to $100,000.
Of these companies, 22 came on board in the last eight months.
26-year-old Eddlie Neo sustained head injuries seven years ago in a gang fight.
He slipped into a coma for seven months and thought all was lost. "Gone, (my) future all gone, because I was lying on the bed, I can't move, (though) can talk & see, but I cannot work," said Neo, a physically-disabled job seeker.
Neo can now look after himself and get around on his own. Last year, he picked up IT skills at the Society for the Physically Disabled but is still looking for a job.
"I see a lot of people who are worse off than me, and I decided to carry on with my life. I hope companies' bosses will accept (workers who are) wheelchair-bound, that's the main thing. If they don't accept this, those who are on wheelchair can't (find) work," said Neo. Neo's dream is to open a bar that hires those who are physically-disabled. "I was a bartender before, so I'm interested in this kind of jobs. (I hope to) give them a chance to support themselves and show that people with disabilities can work and lead a normal life," said Neo.
36-year-old Juraimi Jafar, who was born with cerebral palsy, is also working to land a permanent job. He has never worked full-time and gets by with a $100 allowance as a trainee packer. He knows he has to earn his own keep with a secure job. He said: "If my parents (are gone), then I need to take care of myself. Otherwise, who's going to take care of me."
Juraimi and Neo are among the disabled in Singapore who badly need a job. While more companies have been tapping the Open Door Fund to make this possible, the numbers do not appear encouraging.
Only 79 companies have done so over the past four years.
"A lot of time, the misconception or the fear of not knowing how to react, how to talk to a person on a wheelchair, for example, or how to talk to a person who's blind. It's this poor understanding of how to relate to a person with disability," explained Chia Woon Yee, director of Technology and Vocational Training at the Society for Physically Disabled.
About 400 physically-disabled people have found long-term employment, thanks to the Open Door Fund. - CNA /ls
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1062643/1/.html
Posted by jicafriends at 05:43 PM | Comments (1)
June 17, 2010
Training Report : July 16, 2010: Program Orientation
Program orientation was held at Seminar room 18 (our room as you know!).
JICA program officer and a person in charge of JSRPD gave a brief outline of the training course to JICA participants.
Though it was the first day, many questions related to “project plan writing” were raised.
Each participant has a chance to introduce him/herself including staff of JICA, JICE, JSRPD.
AT the beginning they looked nervous, however as time passed It seemed like as if they were having reunion with old friends.
The actual program will be started from next Monday, June 21, 2010.
Please look forward to the training report!
http://jicafriends.jp/vocational/gi2010/training/v0616.html
Posted by jicafriends at 09:55 PM | Comments (0)
June 16, 2010
Dispur move for disabled -India
The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.
16 June 2010, Calcutta Telegraph
DAULAT RAHMAN
Guwahati, June 15: The Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority has set a June 30 deadline for hospitals, malls and commercial buildings in the city to introduce disabled-friendly facilities.
Facilities like ramps and wheelchairs will be introduced in government offices, educational institutions, bus terminuses, railway stations and even at Kamakhya temple atop Nilachal Hill in a phased manner, to be completed within this year.
Manikut Pathak, the development officer of GMDA, said a group of experts and officials has already visited various shopping malls and private hospitals to check out facilities available for physically challenged or differently-able persons.
He said not a single building has been so far was found to be equipped with the required facilities, making these places completely inaccessible for physically challenged persons.
“The GMDA has made it mandatory for the owners of commercial buildings and private hospitals to install display boards and prominently highlight the facilities and infrastructure available for physically challenged persons. It would be a tough job as the details gathered by the GMDA has revealed that not a single building in the city has such facilities. But we must go ahead since the initiative would be in adherence to various directives issued by the Supreme Court in recent years and various provisions of the Disability Act, 1995 to make public places completely accessible to physically challenged persons,” Pathak said.
The new building bylaws formulated by the GMDA clearly mentioned that the commercial buildings must be constructed in a disabled- friendly manner.
The disability law unit (Northeast) of Shishu Sarothi, an NGO, while welcoming the initiative, said it would adopt a wait-and-watch policy to see the effectiveness of the GMDA’s step.
“Introduction of ramp and wheelchair will not be enough. According to the Disability Act, 1995, several other facilities, like specially designed elevators with auditory signal system to make it easy to identify floors for visually impaired, are a must at shopping malls, private hospitals and other government offices. There must be guide maps at shopping malls, hospitals and railway stations for those with hearing impairment,” Anju Talukdar, the project co-ordinator of the NGO, said.
In April last year, the disability law unit (Northeast) of Shishu Sarothi, an NGO, decided to file a case in Gauhati High Court against the chief electoral officer of Assam and deputy commissioners for their failure to make polling booths disabled-friendly during the Lok Sabha polls.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100616/jsp/northeast/story_12568516.jsp
Posted by jicafriends at 11:00 AM | Comments (0)
June 15, 2010
Technical and political strategy for Inclusive Rebuilding in Chile.
Technical and political strategy for Inclusive Rebuilding in Chile.
As we advance (too slow I must said) towards Inclusive Rebuilding of Chile, we are using a Technical and political strategy.
a) Technical: to use and generate useful knowledge to be provided to community, government and private sector. We are implementing this strategy. One example of that is the seminar we are organizing with the Pan-American health Organization to be held on 26th of July (more details in next report).
b) Political: we have support from the National Diet. A National Deputy called Mónica Zalaquett coordinate a Political Agreement for granting the Inclusive Rebuilding of Chile (it has the full support of all congress people)
I attached the official document
proyecto de acuerdo discapacidad( PDF file 149KB)
Posted by jicafriends at 08:05 PM | Comments (0)
Participants arrived at JICA Tokyo
Dear jicafriends,
We are happy to inform you that six participants from Myanmar, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal、and Malaysia arrived at JICA Tokyo in the morniing. They appeared to be in good health.
Participants from China and Iran will be arriveing soon as well.
Program orientation will be held tomorrow and everyone concerned except committee members will be gathered at JICA Tokyo.
The secretariat of jicafriends
Posted by jicafriends at 12:50 PM | Comments (3)
USICD News & Annual Meeting Reminder
http://www.usicd.org/template/index.cfm
Posted by jicafriends at 12:24 PM | Comments (0)
June 14, 2010
Welcome to Japan-Participants of Decent Work Course 2010
Dear jicafriends,
Eight participants of "Employment Promotion and Realization of Decent Work of Persons with Disabilities 2010" are coming to Japan tomorrow.
http://www.jicafriends.jp/vocational/gi2010/participants.html
The program orientation will be held on Wednesday to get to know with each other.
http://www.jicafriends.jp/vocational/gi2010/schedule.html
We'll report their training on this website, so please visit us and give us your feedbacks!
The secretariat of jicafriends
Posted by jicafriends at 06:05 PM | Comments (0)
June 10, 2010
Deaf-blind citizens to receive free services at public institutions in Peru
The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.
LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra
The Peruvian government legally recognized deaf-blindness as a unique disability, and President Alan Garcia enacted a special law to grant proper attention for people who suffers from it.
The norm indicates that public and private institutions that provide services or attention must also facilitate specialized interpreters to help people suffering from this disability.
The Peruvian state officially recognizes as valid communication systems the sign signal, Braille system and some other alternatives systems that have been approved by the Ministry of Education, to grant deaf-blind people free access public services, according to this law.
The government estimates that deaf-blindness affects more than 10,000 people in Peru as a unique disability.
http://www.livinginperu.com/news/12110
Posted by jicafriends at 05:17 PM | Comments (0)
June 09, 2010
Report from Carlos - Chire
Quirihue Town:
The first inclusive rebuilding experience had finally happened in Quirihue Town, Chile. Many deeds were perform and valuable lessons learnt, but most important hope flame still burns, closing he inequity gap towards a day when in disasters and daily life human beings behaves as brothers and sisters and no one will be left behind to suffer.
We arrive Friday the 28th by midnight to Quirihue Town. We were very excited to start early morning.
That’s part of what we found:
We had 4 strategic products:
1) Disaster and emergency relief for People with disabilities survey.
2) Emergency houses with accessibility to be built.
3) Local inclusive rebuilding committee (PwD organization, local government, regional government, private sector, other organizations).
4) Political declaration called: Quirihue town agreement for the inclusive rebuilding of Chile
We started 8:00 AM with the survey
Many needs to be helped, too much suffering, but above all they stand and prevail !!!!!!
So, we work building emergency houses for people with disabilities that lost their home
The very first house belongs to a young lady, a wheelchair user.
The Quirihue Town Agreement for the Inclusive Rebuilding of Chile.
We had a ceremony with authorities and Quirihue inhabitants. We sign an agreement stating our duty to rebuild Chile for everyone, a barrier free community of free citizens with full access to every corner of our land, the right to be helped when a disaster happens, to use all our resources and will to stand tall in our dark hour helping with real actions those in need.
Along with signing the agreement, we stump a nail in a piece of wood symbolizing t he beginning of the inclusive rebuilding of our country. The agreement was signed by:
• The Governor.
• 2 district congressmen.
• The president of PwDs organization of Quirihue Town
• The Major and his council.
• The regional director of the National Disabilities Service.
• The Executive Secretary of The Disability Commission of the National Association of Enterprises.
• The Coordinator of The Disability Commission of Austral University.
• By me.
The Minister of national Planning and the National Director of the Chilean Cooperation Agency sent their greetings to this initiative.
There are too many things to be done. We will send key data and procedures.
With love, from Chile
Carlos
http://jicafriends.jp/projects/latinamerica/chile/l2003carlos/008.html
Posted by jicafriends at 09:19 AM | Comments (0)
June 07, 2010
Govt access program falls short: Disabled people-Indonesia
The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.
Dina Indrasafitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 06/05/2010 12:15 PM
Ten years after the government vowed to increase public facilities for disabled people; mobility, comfort and access remain a problem, say activists.
In 2000, the late former president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid and former transportation minister Agum Gumelar, launched the National Public Accessibility Movement (GAUN), which aimed to increase special facilities for the disabled in public places.
Ten years later, disabled activists, including people in wheelchairs and with visual impairments, gathered in Jakarta to celebrate and lament GAUN.
The program has borne very little fruit, several activists said.
“It was the first time I used the [Transjakarta] busway,” said Sunarti, who has used a wheelchair since the age of 5 after she was afflicted with polio.
Sunarti surveyed Transjakarta as part of the event’s evaluation of the capital’s public transportation system ease of use for disabled people.
She had to be carried up a long flight of stairs that lead to the shelter at the Blok M terminal in South Jakarta because there were no ramps, she said.
Sunarti said that she usually uses taxis, which are expensive, so her time about town is limited.
“I go out twice a week on average. If there was more access [for disabled people], I would like to go out more,” she said.
Agum, who was named an ambassador for the disabled at the event, said GUAN’s sluggish and barely effective implementation was “saddening”.
“Only a fraction of [GAUN’s] goals have been achieved,” he said.
Indonesia has several laws and regulations that guarantee rights access and special facilities for the disabled.
The 1997 Law on Disabled People stipulates that disabled people have a right to access and must be treated equally.
A 2002 law stipulates that all public roads must be equipped with facilities for the disabled.
Other laws stipulate that buildings must provide access for disabled people.
“Sometimes the laws are merely a token,” Agum said.
Saharudin Daming said that he agreed.
“Often the infrastructure of government and private buildings ignores safety and security principles for disabled people, said Saharudin, an official of the National Commission for Human Rights’ (Komnas HAM) subcommission on education and awareness building, Saharuddin cited several examples of facilities that are unfriendly to disabled people, such as elevators.
It would not cost much to make those facilities friendlier, he said.
“If they want to design for the purpose of accessibility, they only have to change the software…sometimes elevators merely give a ‘dingdong’ sound, I can’t comprehend the meaning,” he said.
Saharuddin praised buildings with elevators that provide audible floor announcements.
He called for a special body to monitor accessibility for the disabled.
“It’s time to establish a national accessibility commission with a mandate to conduct monitoring, research and give recommendations,” Saharuddin said at a speech during the event.
According to a basic health research report compiled in 2007, the prevalence of disabilities in Indonesians has increased to 21.3 percent from 12.7 percent in 2001.
More than 48 million of Indonesia’s current estimated population of 227 million people may be disabled according to the report’s methodology, which says conditions such as myopia are disabilities.
“[The disabled] have great potential, if they are given access. If not, they will be the nation’s burden,” Saharuddin said.
Posted by jicafriends at 07:17 PM | Comments (0)
June 03, 2010
Report on Personal Assistant Training (PAT) and Mini-TRY event-Cambodia
The Phnom Penh Center for Independent Living (PPCIL) had held Personal Assistant Training (PAT) for assisting people with severe with disability on 19-21 May, 2010.
After 3 days trainig, all trainees and PPCIL’s staffs had organized the Mini-TRY to disseminate the activities of PPCIL and practicing on subject how to assisting wheelchair user by working along public places which have 21 participants to participated in the event.
For more information, please visit the following pages;
http://www.ppcil.org/report.html
http://www.ppcil.org/
Posted by jicafriends at 03:32 PM | Comments (0)
June 02, 2010
Good news of Mr. Try Suphearac from Cambodia
Mr. Try Suphearac, a former participant of Vocational Rehab. Course 2007 was invited to participate in the interiorlifestyle Tokyo 2010 by ASEAN-JAPAN CENTER.
http://www.interior-lifestyle.com/en10/
ASEAN-JAPAN CENTER conducted Market Access Support Program-Design & Product Development Workshop in Cambodia & Lao PDR last year 2009.
This workshop is a training program to create awareness on the importance of design and product development for Gifts, Houseware & Decoration, and Furniture & Furnishing products to be exported to Japan. For FY 2009, the program was implemented in Cambodia and Lao PDR in support of the ASEAN’s vision to extend further assistance to new ASEAN members. The first workshop was organized in November 25-27, 2009 in Vientiane, Lao PDR and December 1-3, 2009 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and the second one was in March 11-12 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and March 15-16, 2010 in Vientiane, Lao PDR.
Three companies from each country were selected to participate in “interiorlifestyle 2010” and Watthan Artisans Cambodia (WAC), a worker-run cooperative of Cambodian artisans with disabilities, was selected as one of representatives.
If you are interested what Mr. Try Suphearac is doing, please visit the following sites.
http://www.wac.khmerproducts.com
/http://www.jicafriends.jp/projects/asiaandpacific/cambodia/002try/index.html
The secretariat of jicafriends
Posted by jicafriends at 01:12 PM | Comments (0)
June 01, 2010
Hello My Dear Japanese Friends and Friends from Japan!
How is life going for you?...
For me, as usual, full of challenges but also full of rewarding experiences.
This time to share with you some pictures of my recent visit to Santa Cruz in Bolivia as the International Instructor of a Leadership Course for FUNBOLIDER, a Foundation working for the Global Competitiveness Leadership that was established as final project of one of my friends from Georgetown University in 2007.
The training was for 42 potential leaders selected among more than 200 candidates, all of them with very good professional background and education.
Disability is not the main topic here nor anyone in the audience has one, but through my stories, projects and group dynamics I did my best to inspire them and call them for action and to develop their leadership potential to improve their country.
Very successful course and lectures in other companies, one of them the largest engineering consortium of Bolivia CAEM - SOINCO and also the main newspaper and media group EL DEBER, here the link with an article about the visit.
http://www.eldeber.com.bo/vernotasantacruz.php?id=100522212458
(of course it's in spanish, sorry!)
Also another lecture in one of the main Universities of Bolivia The UPSA.
It was the perfect scenario to apply one of the group motivation techniques that I've been working on, named "achieving the impossible" which is based on the famous Rubik's cube. And yes!... some ot them made it!
Remember that many of us, with very special life stories and used to overcome obstacles on a dayly basis, have many things to share with all the people, not only PWDs, so c'mon let's keep giving the world a push forward!
I always remember all of you and I'm always expecting another good reason to go back to Japan.
Warm regards,
Fabio Padilla
Colombian Engineer living in Brazil
JICA Leadership course 2006
www.fabiopadilla.com
(web site under construction)
http://jicafriends.jp/projects/latinamerica/colombia/001fabio/006.html
Posted by jicafriends at 02:24 PM | Comments (0)