: Information Archives

January 31, 2012

Organize Discussion and sharing meeting with Self Help Groups (SHG) members

Protibandhi Shishu Shiekkha O Paricharja Samity (Proships) is a non government local Organization in Bangladesh. Proships organize and conduct discussion and sharing meeting with Self help Groups member on the date 12th January 2012 under the Promotion of human rights of Person with Disabilities in Bangladesh (PHRPBD) Project supported by Centre for Disability in Development (CDD) and CBM. This project activities implements in Bahadurabad and Hatvangha Uinon (Local govt.Unit of Bangladesh) of Dewngonj Upazilla District of Jamalpur,Bangladesh.

Executive Director of Centre for Disability in Development (CDD) and Ramon Magsayses awarded AHM Noman Khan visited the project activities with his offices colleague. When Mr.AHM Noman khan and with his delegate arrive the project office of the organization Executive Director of Proships and Local Government Representatives of Upazilla Parishad Vice Chairman Begum Rokeya Sarder,Chukaibari Union Chairman Mr.Manjurul Islam Monju and local elites and members of civil society and many of Person with Disabilities(PWDs) Trainees of the Vocational training centre ( Adolescent girl with disabilities) given presentation their love with flower for reception and to greetings with heartiest .

Executive Director of Centre for Disability in Development (CDD) and Ramon Magsayses awarded AHM Noman Khan visited the Vocational training centre where adolescents with disabilities took part in training on Handicraft. Mr.Naman pleased to work and disable person are involve of development work and he say this initiate will be change of their lifestyle and increase towards positive attitude. Person with disabilities can assist to economical support in their families. He is happy and expressed to proships activities for promotion of human rights of Person with disabilities.

After visits the Vocational training centre he goes to field level work and took participation in Discussion and sharing meeting with self help groups (SHG) member. Under the PHRPBD project Self Help Groups member with disabilities are received to him with their heartiest and presentation with lovely flower. After reception both are meets with sharing and discussion meeting. Person with Disabilities and Groups leader are delivery to their speech on their jobs and problem with protecting their rights and also their changes of lifestyle and development issues. As a chief guest Mr.Noman given brief in the sharing and discussion meeting on promotion of their human rights. He hopeful to society and community people will come for promoting rights of disable person and as soon as to changes of attitude on disabilities.

Mr.Rafiqul Islam
Executive Director
Proships

Posted by jicafriends at 11:30 AM | Comments (0)

City Warms Up with Walkthon - India

The following information was retrieved from the "Disability & Development" mailing list with a consent of the publisher, the Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO).

The Times of India

City warms up with walkathon

Sachin Dravekar, TNN Jan 23, 2012, 02.58AM IST

NAGPUR: People walk for many reasons, but on a chilly Sunday morning, around 3,500 participants took part in Rotary Club of Nagpur and Arneja Heart Institute's walkathon for a healthy society at CP Club Jogging track near Ramgiri.

The special attraction for the walkathon was the 500 meters walk especially for physically challenged children.

"There were 150 of these lovely kids from Jivodaya Special School, Matru Sewa Sangh, Deaf and Dumb School, Anganwadi, Koradi road and May Flower school participating with exuberance. "These special citizens enjoyed every moment of the 500m walk. They were ready for the event since 5.30am. After the walk, they toured some places of Nagpur city. They enjoyed every moment of it," said Tauby Bhagwagar, president of Rotary Club of Nagpur.

Posted by jicafriends at 11:24 AM | Comments (0)

January 26, 2012

Employment of the Disabled to be Increased - Oman

Oman Daily Observer

More jobs for the disabled

Sun, 22 January 2012

MUSCAT — Shaikh Khalid bin Omar al Marhoon, Minister of Civil Service and Deputy Chairman of the Civil Service Council, has said the Ministry of Civil Service has urged all units of the state’s administrative apparatus (government departments) to implement a Civil Service Council decision to increase the rate of employment of the disabled.

The council took the decision during its second meeting of 2011 when it was agreed to expand the rate of recruitment of the disabled among Omani citizens in various government departments. The minister pointed out in a statement to the media yesterday that his call seeks to safeguard the rights of the disabled for employment.

The above-mentioned decision, he said, comes as part of a set of procedures to integrate the disabled into the society and to provide all appropriate means to encourage them to work and rely on themselves for making a living, said Al Marhoon.

The minister added that he would follow up the implementation of the decision which will open up a wide range of employment opportunities for the disabled people in different government departments, a right and a humanitarian gesture backed by all those concerned. Al Marhoon said in comments that the recruitment of the disabled is a joint responsibility and everybody or department is required to co-operate to help utilise the full potential of the disabled. He said that the disabled are capable of efficiently handling a large number of jobs. The civil society institutions in the Sultanate work hard to encourage the rehabilitation and employment of the disabled. — ONA

Posted by jicafriends at 10:45 AM | Comments (0)

January 23, 2012

A Government Department Introduces Accessible Website - The Philippines

Inquire Net

DSWD makes website friendly to disabled

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

By: Leila B. Salaverria
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—The website of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is easy to use, especially for people with disabilities.

According to the DSWD, the website [dswd.gov.ph] has an Accessibility Statement page that teaches users how to enlarge the texts that could be found on the site to make them easier to read and how to use keyboard shortcuts to get to important pages immediately, among other features.

The DSWD said it had met most of the Web accessibility recommendations of the Philippine Web Accessibility Group (PWAG), which had noted the department was qualified to receive the “Disabled Friendly Website” award from the National Council on Disability Affairs and the National Computer Center.

Among the DSWD website features that meet the PWAG’s specifications are—aside from the Accessibility Statement page—alternative text for every image, “skip to content” links, the use of descriptive links, a site map, a Home link on every page, text resizing and the use of standard access keys.

The site’s webpages also have a consistent design and column positions.

The PWAG has encouraged other government agencies to make their websites accessible to the public, including persons with disabilities.

Posted by jicafriends at 01:45 PM | Comments (0)

January 17, 2012

Coordination meetings held with members of Disability Rights Promotion committee

Protibandhi Shishu Shiekkha O Paricharja Samity (Proships) organizes a coordination meeting with Disability Rights Promotion Committee auditorium Chukaibari Union Parishad under Dewangonj Upazilla of Jamalpur district for the purpose of Improve quality of living of children with Disabilities through enhances their access to education, health and skill Development service.

On the date of 4th January 2012 Under the project of Development of the Children with Disabilities through Care and education we discussed in the meeting to Strengthening capacity of parents, community people and civil society so that they can perform better for caring and protecting rights of children with Disabilities and to access service providing institutions, (Including health, education, and local government) for better inclusion of children with Disability and providing service.

Mr.Rafiqul Islam Executive Director of the Proships is present key note and speech delivery on role of Members of DRPC. What and how they are working on rehabilitation of Person with Disability and promote rights of Children with Disability in the Community. Chukaibari Union Parishad (Unit of Local Government of Bangladesh) presided over the discussion meeting and Upazilla vice Chairman Begum Rokeya Sarder present as special guest and also presence Nazrana yesmin (Hira) Program manager (Rights) Development agencies of Manusher Janno Foundation. Numbers of 40 Participants (Person with disabilities, Parents of CWDs , self help Groups member and members of Disability rights promotion committee) took part in the program.

Mr.Rafiqul Islam
Executive Director
Proships

Posted by jicafriends at 11:49 AM | Comments (0)

January 13, 2012

Railway Stations to Offer Electronic Veicles for the Disabled - India

The following information was retrieved from the website of the Times of India.

Battery-operated vehicles to help physically challenged

By Kumod VermaKumod Verma, TNN | Jan 9, 2012, 01.47AM IST

PATNA: In a major policy decision, railways has decided to provide more facilities to physically challenged passengers across the country. The Railway Board has already approved the plan to allow private agencies to provide battery-operated vehicles at important stations. This facility will be in addition to the decision of railways to convert important railway stations into physically challenged-friendly ones.

According to a Railway Board official, the railways has identified major stations across the country where this facility is required to help disabled and elderly passengers board trains without any difficulty. The facility will save them from facing the rush of passengers on platforms, he said. According to sources, the Board has issued guidelines to every railway zone in this regard. The facility will be made available free of cost on 'first come, first served' basis at the crowded metropolitan city stations first. Service providers will be allowed to display paid advertisements on their vehicles to generate income, sources said.

However, the Board official said that railways would provide free electricity at stations for charging the batteries of such vehicles. It would be the responsibility of service providers to maintain the battery-operated vehicles on their own, he said, adding each zone of railways has to shortlist stations on a priority basis to make this facility available.

According to an ECR official, the railways has decided to introduce this facility at major stations like Patna Junction, Mughalsarai, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur and Barauni in the first phase. ECR has already provided other facilities at Patna Junction and other stations to the physically challenged passengers, like parking of their wheel chairs in the circulating area, toilet facilities and ticket purchasing counters at Patna Junction, he said.

Sources said the railways had earlier decided to provide a special bogie for physically challenged passengers in all important mail and express trains. However, this facility is not available in most long-distance passenger trains, they said.

Posted by jicafriends at 10:13 AM | Comments (0)

December 25, 2011

Mobile Phones Soon To Be More Accessible

The following information was retrieved from the website of the European Disability Forum (EDF - http://www.edf-feph.org/default.asp).

WORKING ON THE SMARTPHONE REVOLUTION: SOON TO BE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL

6 December 2011

The mobile internet is central to the daily lives of hundreds of millions of people around the world as an increasing number of consumers turn to smartphones for messaging, social networking, access to information and entertainment and many other services.

Smartphones offer significant benefits for the more than 1 billion people who live with some form of disability. Applications targeting the specific challenges faced by disabled and older people - for example, text-to-speech services for the visually impaired - can directly enhance quality of life. However, relatively few mobile application developers focus on the potential that smartphone apps have to help people with disabilities play a more active and independent role in society.

The Vodafone Foundation partnered with AGE Platform Europe and the European Disability Forum (EDF) to devise and deliver the Smart Accessibility Awards: an international competition which rewards developers who have the creativity, vision and social commitment to harness the power of smartphones and the mobile internet in support of disabled and older people’s needs.

The winning smartphone apps whose developers will share the 200 000 euros prize fund are:

Help Talk (Wellbeing category)
Help Talk is designed for people who are unable to communicate by speech, whether permanently or temporarily, such as those recovering from strokes. The application presents a set of commands represented by icons which when tapped ‘speak’ the basic need or desire - such as ‘I’m thirsty’ or ‘I feel pain’ - and goes on to allow the user to provide further detail in the same way.

Wheelmap (Mobility category)
Wheelmap helps people with impaired mobility who may literally face obstacles as they go about their everyday life. Crowdsourcing lets users of the application rate and review the accessibility for wheelchair users of public places including cafes, museums, hotels and shops. In one month 1200 users registered for the app, and 180,000 places were reviewed.

Zoom Plus Magnifier (Independent living category)
Zoom Plus Magnifier app allows people with visual disabilities including colour blindness and long or short-sightedness, as well as some forms of dyslexia, to easily read text by applying a magnifier, sharpening the focus, or adjusting font and background colours.

BIG Launcher (Social participation category)
BIG Launcher is an alternative customisable Android homescreen, for elderly or visually impaired users who often struggle to use the small keyboards on most devices. It uses big buttons and large fonts to represent all the basic functions of the phone – telephone, SMS messages, camera, gallery, SOS button and installed apps.

Rodolfo Cattani, EDF Executive Secretary said, “Accessibility and interoperability of communications devices are vital to making possible the professional and cultural inclusion of people with disabilities. At the same time, when not accessible, the technology can create new obstacles and can lead to new forms of discrimination.”

“Mobile technology has an important role to play in the context of the European Year 2012 for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations which aims at supporting older people to be active in all areas of their lives and live independently for longer”, observed Anne-Sophie Parent, AGE Secretary-General. “In a society driven by new technologies, it is essential to make sure new applications are accessible to all, in order to avoid increasing the digital divide and the social exclusion of the most vulnerable groups of the population.”

Vittorio Colao, Vodafone Group CEO said, "Vodafone is committed to doing all we can to empower consumers of all ages and abilities: we want to extend the smartphone revolution to as many communities as possible."

Neelie Kroes, European Commissioner for Digital Agenda said, “We need relevant smartphone apps for all our communities. I congratulate the winners of the Smart Accessibility Awards and the Vodafone Foundation for helping bring the benefits of smartphones to all Europeans. Everyone can gain from the digital revolution. "

Winning applications will be available to Vodafone customers using Android smartphones.

For more information about the awards or mobile accessibility, visit http://developer.vodafone.com/smartaccess2011 or http://www.guardian.co.uk/smart-accessibility

>BACKGROUND
1. AGE Platform Europe is the European network of around 160 organisations of, and for, people aged 50 or older. www.age-platform.eu

2. The Vodafone Foundation worked with Vodafone Developer to engage mobile application developers across Europe. The programme encourages and supports mobile innovation by working with developers and start-ups across multiple technology platforms and sectors to bring their ideas and businesses to market and help them flourish.

3. The World Report on Disability from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Bank (2011) estimated that there are now more than 1 billion people around the world who experience some form of disability, with 110-190 million of them encountering significant difficulties.

Posted by jicafriends at 06:23 PM | Comments (0)

December 20, 2011

Activities in Nepal

Disabled New Life Center(DNC), Nepal Newsletter is Here!
Click here Download file
to read about their various activities and so much more!

DNC is working with physically challenged children (DNC) was established in 1998 with the purpose of providing support to the physically challenged children in Nepal.
The objective is to give these children who requried special attention in the growing years with the required care, medication in the form of corrective surgery and support in the form of education and accomodation.

Posted by jicafriends at 02:31 PM | Comments (0)

December 19, 2011

Students Organized a Seminar on Education for the Visually Impaired - Oman

OMAN DAILY OBSERVER

Focus on education of visually impaired

Wed, 07 December 2011

MUSCAT — The Disability Group (Ibdah al Baseera), a subsidiary student group of the Society of Arts and Social Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University recently organised a symposium on ‘Educational institutions and the visually impaired’ under the auspices of Her Highness Sayyida Aliya bint Thuwaini al Said. The sessions shed light on the role of educational institutions in Oman in supporting students with visual impairment.

The event featured presentations by experts from within and outside Sultan Qaboos University and introduced some of the important technologies for people with visual disabilities. Dr Najma al Zidjaly, Assistant Professor in the Department of English of the College of Arts and Social Sciences at SQU, who is the superviser of the student group, said that the seminar was aimed at examining the status of education of the visually challenged in Oman and to shed light on the services provided by educational institutions to the visually impaired.

“It also analysed the weaknesses in the current educational system in catering to the needs of the visually challenged and shed light on the experiences of other countries in supporting the visually impaired students." Dr Najma added that some of the symposium sessions were earmarked for listening to the real life experiences of the visually challenged. It also showcased the capabilities of those students. Seven working papers were presented in the symposium.

The student group for the visually impaired was founded in 2008. Since its inception, the group has played a significant and effective role in highlighting the needs of those with disabilities in general and the visually challenged in particular, within and outside the university. Among the most prominent activities undertaken by this group are training sessions in the basics of computers, and advanced courses on the Internet and Braille system for the university students with disabilities and members of the Al Noor Association for the Blind.

Oman Daily Observer - http://main.omanobserver.om/

Posted by jicafriends at 02:31 PM | Comments (0)

December 16, 2011

Activities in Tajikistan

The report by ex trainee of Duskin Leadership Training in Japan.

After coming back from Japan I had so many ideas how to improve the situation of PWDs in my coutry but after some attempts of negotiations with the Government I realized that people here are not ready for changings and for changing the environment for PWDs.
Though the signing the UN CRPD is under the process now...

So now as you may know I'm working with Japanese NGO called AAR JAPAN (Tajikistan office). Currenlty we are conducting 2 projects for PWDs.
One is aimed at the reconstruction the facility which produces whe elchairs.
The term of the project is 1 year.
The 1st step is reconstruction of the building and making it barrier-free for wheelchair users who are the workers of this facility, the 2nd step is inviting Japanese specialist for a training of how to make good quality wheelchair. It is supposed to produce 100 wheelchairs during the project and distribute it to persons in need free of charge.

The purpose is to teach people how to make wheelchairs so that they can do it by themselves after completion of the project. As MLSP (Ministry of Labour and Social Protection) is importing 700 wheelchairs yearly from China (for distributing it to PWDs) there is a big possibility that MLSP will sign an agreement with the facility and will buy wheelchairs from them rather then to import it from China.

The 2nd project is a workshop for Women with Disabilities.
It is an 8 month profes sional sewing course. The purpose is getting income and become financial independent through teaching the participants how to sew so that in the future they can sew, have customers, get orders from them and make money.
According to the needs assesment sewing is the most popular job among housewives in Tajikistan.

So these are current activities in Tajikistan.
There are lots of things left to inform you, but may be naxt time :-)

Sincerely,
Ms. Olesya NARMURATOVA, Duskin 11th trainee

Posted by jicafriends at 09:20 AM | Comments (0)

December 15, 2011

No Budget Allocated to Disability Issues - Sierra Leone

All Africa.com The Concord Times (Freetown)

Alusine Sesay
7 December 2011

Sierra Leone: Disabled Cry Foul Over Budget Allocation

Freetown — Members of the disabled community have cried foul over the 2011 budget allocation saying they were left out in the whole process.

President of the Sierra Leone Union on Disability Issues SLUDI, Kabbah Franklyn Bangura, said that unlike last year when Le600 million was allocated for disability programmes in the budget, the 2011 budget mentioned nothing about the disabled.

"Last year 2010, the national budget showed Le 600 million. In this year's budget, nothing was mentioned specifically for disability issues or programmes," he said adding that they only received Le100 million out of Le 600million budget projected for them in 2010. He then raised a rhetorical question: "Why is the begging industry increasing within the disability communities and who is responsible?"

Bangura commended their effort in the ratification of the UN convention on the rights of persons with disability and the enactment of the 2011 disability act and called on the government to implement the Disability Act of 2011 and also to establish the disabled commission.

Reacting to the statement made by the SLUDI president, Member of Parliament, Hon. Nye Kofi who is also a person with disability said budget allocation for the disabled community goes through the Ministry of Social Welfare and Gender Affairs and the government has increased their budget to meet the needs of all vulnerable communities.

He said the government has the disabled community at heart and that they will try to meet their needs and aspirations.

Posted by jicafriends at 09:23 AM | Comments (0)

December 14, 2011

New Accessibility Rules Introduced in Jakarta - Indonesia

Jakarta Globe

New Rules Offer Fresh Hope For Jakarta’s Disabled Citizens

Dofa Fasila & Fidelis E. Satriastanti | December 08, 2011

Jakarta on Wednesday unveiled a new regional regulation that requires buildings and transportation facilities to accommodate the disabled and assures them access to health services and jobs.

“With the issuance of the regional regulation number 10 of 2011, Jakarta has become the first province with a regional regulation for the disabled,” Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said. “Hopefully this step can be followed by other provinces.”

Speaking at a gathering of 2,000 people with disabilities at the Ancol recreational park in North Jakarta to mark the unveiling of the new regulation, Fauzi said all offices and institutions under him must begin to meet the requirements of the new regulation.

“This all must be contained in programs set to be undertaken in 2012,” he said.

He called on all institutions to involve organizations of people with disabilities in the process of preparing the programs.

He said that in 2012, all buildings, especially public ones, and public transportation should be able to accommodate the disabled.

“In the health sector, authorities are also providing facilities,” he said, adding that it had already begun the work by addressing the needs of blind people.

Dimas, 24, who was present at the event, welcomed the governor’s plan.

He said he hoped more measures would be taken by city authorities to help people with disabled even more.

“Hopefully the government will continue to assist efforts by the disabled to progress,” said Dimas who is blind, citing various life skills as an example of what the government could help to provide.

Aria Indrawati, a spokeswoman for Yayasan Mitra Netra, a foundation for the blind, said she hoped that the government follow up on putting the regulation into effect by monitoring and evaluating its effectiveness.

“Its implementation has to be supervised,” Aria said. “The regulation should carry punishment and sanctions.”

Attention should also be given to organizations that provide services to the disabled, Aria said. Equipment required by people with disabilities should also be addressed, she said.

“For the blind, for example, the issue of books is not covered,” she said.

“They come to us to get books; we raise funds for them.”

The capital is estimated to have among its population at least 21,000 people with disabilities, with about 19,000 of them living in poverty.

According to Triwisaksana, deputy chairman of the city council, the regulation requires companies in Jakarta hire people with a disability for at least 1 percent of its workforce. No further details of the regulation were given.

“Now, there will no longer be companies rejecting disabled citizens applying for work. ... They have to abide by the law,” Triwisaksana said.

The city will also form an agency for the protection of the disabled, he added.

Sri Utami, who heads the Social Affairs Ministry’s social rehabilitation department, said her agency had entered into cooperation with at least 50 companies to provide employment under their corporate social responsibility programs.

On Sunday, first lady Ani Yudhoyono said all companies throughout the country should provide more opportunities for disabled people.

Posted by jicafriends at 12:18 PM | Comments (0)

December 12, 2011

NGO Organizes Autism Management Training - Nigeria

The Nation Online

NGO organises autism management training

By Osas Robert 28/11/2011

A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Behaviour and Social Intervention Demonstration Centre has organised a training programme for teachers and therapists in the management of autism-related conditions and other developmental disabilities in children. The training took place at Carol School, Ikeja, Lagos.

Mrs Bosede Asikhia, founder and programme director of the NGO, said the programme was meant to empower teachers and parents in boosting their ability to manage and help children suffering from autism and other developmental challenges to function like their mates.

She admitted facing challenges in getting parents of disabled children to cheer up and see the immense possibilities before such children. But she went ahead to provide some tips for proper management of children with autistic challenges.

She said: "The greatest issue is that some of the people have the notion that I cannot invest my money on this kind of child. But most of them that are educated and enlightened know the benefit that if effort is put into these children, there is ability in disability. Eventually, they are going to be able to develop a particular skill in that child.

"When intervening in the development of a disabled child, you should note the following: increase access to alternative sources of stimulation, use different reinforcement strategies, use shaping techniques, use substitutions like rhymes, songs, flashing/clapping devices, use stimulus equivalence – pictures of obsessed items and avoid withholding time-out."

Speaking at the seminar, the clinical director, Dr. Edward Asikhia, a United States-trained child psychologist, said autism which makes children unable to perform like their peers is something that can be managed psychology.

"Autism," he said, "is a developmental disability that is characterised by social restrictiveness, poor social interaction, poor communication potential and presentation of challenging behaviour. Children mostly affected are male from age two to age 20. Autism has no cure but can be managed through a new technology called Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) which is a simplified way of looking at areas of deficit of a child and different factors that you can alter so that the child will be able to adapt as much as possible to his environment" he explained.

He commended the efforts of the Lagos State government in training disabled children but noted that a lot still has to be done. He said over 60 people have benefited from their efforts in training teachers on how to manage the behaviours of a child in the classroom through ABA and urged corporate bodies to also help in training teachers to manage physically and mentally challenged children.

"The level of awareness is so far more in Lagos State though there is a lot to do. Lagos State has been able to pick out some of these disabled children and put them in inclusion schools. From records we have over 1000 children that are been trained but what the government should know is that the teachers that are put there are not trained in ABA knowledge. That is why we came back from U.S to equip teachers to handle autism cases. We intend to move from Lagos to Port Harcourt and Edo State but we cannot do it alone."

Posted by jicafriends at 11:39 AM | Comments (0)

December 08, 2011

City Councilor Requests Goverment to Allocate 1% of Budget to the Elderly and Disabled - the Philippines

The Visayan Daily Star

Nov. 28, 2011

Gov’t allocation of funds for elderly, disabled sought

BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO

Bacolod Councilor Catalino Alisbo has requested the Department of Budget of Budget and Management VI to direct the city mayor and the city budget officer to allocate one percent of the total budget of Bacolod City for plans, programs and services that will address the needs of elder person and person with disabilities.

In a resolution approved by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod recently, Alisbo said the DBM and Department of Social Welfare and Development executed joint circular No. 2003-01that mandates all local government units to allocate at least one percent of their total budget for plans, programs and services that address the need of elder person and person with disabilities.

The SP also approved a resolution requesting the General Services Office through the Office of the City Mayor to sell at public auction all government motor vehicles which are unserviceable, no longer needed, or declared as junk, after complying with Commission on Audit rules and regulations on disposal of government properties.

The resolution authored by Alisbo said the proceeds of the public auction will be used to clean the City Engineer’s Office compound, gasoline for garbage trucks, or repair of the CEO building, or, at the discretion of the mayor.*CGS

Posted by jicafriends at 09:25 AM | Comments (0)

December 07, 2011

WHO Produces Videos Showing Lives of Persons with Disabilities

World Health Organization (WHO)

Disabilities and rehabilitation

"What's disability to me" series of videos

Hearing directly from people with disabilities about their lives is vital to good research and effective policy. In this series of short films we learn from Rachel, a nurse with disability from the United Kingdom about the obstacles she has overcome in her career; we discover why Faustina, from Tanzania, feels that wheelchairs are so important to people with disabilities; Mia, from Lebanon, shares her experience of discrimination in education; and we hear about the efforts of Feliza, from Bolivia, to promote accessibility in her home town. Each film relates to a different chapter of the World report on disability, launched on 9 June 2011 in New York. Blind aboriginal musician Geoffrey Yunupingu Gurrumul has supplied the soundtrack to the films.

Feliza's story
Mia's story
Rachael's story
Faustina's story
Highlights from all the videos

Posted by jicafriends at 11:03 AM | Comments (0)

2011 Leadership Course Participants featured in JICA's World

JICA publishes a monthly magazine called JICA's World. This month (No. 39) is Special Issue on Disability.

What's more, this year's Leadership Course is also featured, with some of the participants, who have just completed their training last week, appearing on page 20 - see the photo below.

'A Nigerian participants says, "I now see persons with severe disabilities like yourself can have independent living" to Ms. Hiromi Ebihara, who has spinal muscular atrophy' (p. 20, No. 39 (Dec, 2011), JICA's World).

The magazine is available online - click here to see this month's Special Issue. It is in Japanese only, but viewers would enjoy many photos in the magazine.

Secretariat of jicafriends

Posted by jicafriends at 10:25 AM | Comments (0)

December 05, 2011

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

December 2, 2011

On the Occasion of the 2011 International Day
of Persons with Disabilities

The members, staff, and board of directors of the United States International Council on Disabilities (USICD) join the global community in celebrating December 3, 2011 as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This year's theme for December 3 is "Together for a Better World for All: Including Persons with Disabilities in Development." The leadership of USICD supports this theme and believes that international development agencies and organizations must be inclusive of people with disabilities when determining policy and allocating project resources.

Today, there are an estimated one billion people globally with disabilities-about 15 percent of the world's population. 80% of people with disabilities in the world today live in developing countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank's recent World Report on Disability highlights these findings, and the report asserts that people with disabilities are less likely to have access to education, health care services, employment, transportation services, and information.

Addressing these disparities requires international cooperation. National aid agencies such as USAID, as well as international donors, have made significant strides in incorporating disability on a policy level. But these World Report figures indicate that work remains before people with disabilities can fully benefit from aid organizations' initiatives. USICD joins with the world disability community in solidarity for the advancement of development inclusion and human rights protections, under the international slogan, "Nothing About Us Without Us."

Organizations led by and consisting of people with disabilities are some of the strongest voices in the push for disability inclusion. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), a treaty which the United States has signed and may soon consider ratifying, calls upon States Parties to promote the participation of disability civil society in local, national and international venues. As a non-governmental, constituent-led, membership organization, USICD is a leading voice in support of U.S. ratification of the CRPD. USICD's membership envisions a world where the equal rights of persons with disabilities are protected and advanced, where the capacities and talents of persons with disabilities are celebrated and elevated, and where people with disabilities come together across borders as a global disability community.

As we look ahead into the next year, we encourage development actors to build stronger connections to real disability experts-people with disabilities themselves. Disabled people's organizations and other allies can help expand disability inclusion, participation, and leadership in the development sector. Development initiatives must listen to the voices of the 1 billion global citizens with disabilities in order to build a just and inclusive world.

The USICD Board of Directors

Marca Bristo, President

Posted by jicafriends at 09:35 AM | Comments (0)

December 02, 2011

Call for Grant Proposals for Empowering Women - Deadline: 26 January 2012

Below is a message from Michael, a former participant in the Leadership Course. He kindly offered to share the information (see below) on the European Comission's Call for Grant Proposals.

"Hi I have found this information useful and i wanted to share it with you. You can apply or pass over to other organizations that qualify.

thank you

Most Sincerely,

Michael"

European Commission

Investing in People
GENDER EQUALITY
Restricted Call for Proposals 2011

Protection and promotion of women's rights, and women's social and economic empowerment

The application deadline is 26 January 2012 at 16:00 (Brussels time).

Click here"for Application Guidelines
Click here"for Application Form Annex A
Click here"for Application Form Annex B
Click here"for Application Form Annex C

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December 01, 2011

December 3 - International Day of the Disabled - Uganda

Uganda Media Centre, Office of the President

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

PRESS RELEASE ON INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

Theme: “TOGETHER FOR A BETTER UGANDA: INCLUDING PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN DEVELOPMENT”.

1.O. Uganda joins the International community to mark the International Day of the Disabled (IDD) on 3rd December 2011. International Day of the Disabled was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 47/13 of October 1992 to commemorate the anniversary of the World Program of Action concerning Persons with Disabilities, adopted by the General Assembly Persons with Disabilities.

The theme for this year is “Together for a better Uganda: Including Persons With Disabilities in Development”.

The aim of this day is to promote awareness among the public on the needs and rights of persons with disabilities. This is a day also when various stakeholder take stock of achievements they have made, challenges ahead and map out strategies for overcoming these challenges.

2.0 Inclusion of Person With Disabilities means the engaging the different abilities to create a culture of belonging in which persons with disabilities are valued , respected and given autonomy to including freedom to make their own independent choices to enable them fully participate in all spheres of development for sustenance.

3.0. According to the Uganda National Household Survey (2009/10) persons with disabilities constitute 16% of the population of Uganda. Going with this percentage, persons with disabilities are estimated at 5.1 million.

4.0. Persons With Disabilities are vulnerable by virtue of their impairment and negative societal attitudes arising from fear, ignorance, superstitions, neglect and lack of awareness of their rights. They usually receive less education, skills training, medical attention which reduces their employment opportunities and active participation in development activities. Consequently this discrimination and neglect ends their self-esteem, confidence and makes them dependent on their families and communities for survival.

5.0. The NRM Government has come up with measures to address the plight of persons with disabilities. It has ratified the Convention on the rights of Persons With Disabilities. The purpose of this convention is to promote, protect and ensure full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and its fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities and to promote respect for their inherent dignity. It has further, established the necessary National and Legal frameworks such as the National Council for Disability (2003) and Persons With Disability Act (2006) to promote rights and service delivery to Persons With Disabilities.

6.0.To promote participation in decision making processes at various levels, there are over 56,000 Persons with Disabilities participating in decision making bodies in the country. This is to ensure that their needs are articulated within the framework of decentralization emphasizes bottom-up approach to development.

To further promote the participation of Persons with Disabilities, Government put in place the Community Based Rehabilitation program to address issues of Persons With Disabilities.

Government has further established a special scheme to fund income generating activities among groups of Persons With Disabilities to improve on their livelihoods. Every year 3 billion Uganda shillings is sent to all district and municipalities of Uganda as seed capital.

A special Mine Action Victim assistance Program targeting land mine/UXO survivors in mine affected districts in Northern and some parts of Western Uganda is being implemented by Government. Here UXO/Land mine survivors and other Persons With Disabilities receive medical treatment and rehabilitation, psychosocial counseling, livelihood skills so that they can reintegrate into their communities.

7.0. I wish to take this opportunity to thank the Disabled Peoples’ Organizations, such as National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda and all the Uni-disability organizations and development partners who have always worked together to form a strong unified voice. Uganda has one of the strongest disability movements in the world.

It is through this concerted effort between the Government and such organizations that challenges of Persons With Disabilities will be overcome.

To create awareness on the needs and rights of persons with disability, Government in collaboration with the disability fraternity has planned for a number of activities in the different parts of the country during the week and on 3rd December 2011.

I request you to provide coverage to those activities that will culminate in the activities for the D-Day.

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November 22, 2011

PWDs Given Priority in Disaster Relief Fund - Pakistan

Pakistan Observer

November 4, 2011

PVDP starts distribution of cash assistance to flood affectees

Peshawar—Pakistan Village Development Programme (PVDP) in collaboration with international relief body, TROCAIR has started financial assistance of 500 families of the devastated flood of 2010 in Mohib Banda, district Nowshera.

Under the scheme each affected family will be paid Rs.14,000. Some 100 families of Jabba, Daudzai have been given cheques of Rs.7000 as first installment while the remaining amount of Rs.7000 will be paid in next phase of the scheme.

The relief cheques were distributed by Manager Operations, PVDP, Ziaullah Khan in the presence of the members of the committees of the local residents while beside Programme Manager, Zia-ul-Haq, Project Coordinator, Imran Iqbal, Assistant Project Coordination Zafar Islam were also present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Ziaullah Khan said that widows, orphans, destitute and special persons have been given priority in the distribution of the relief funds. More funds under the project will be distributed in 400 families of Momin Korrona, Banda Sheikh Ismail, Camp Korrona and Banda Miangaan.

He said that the purpose of extending financial assistance to flood affectees is an attempt for bringing improvement in their conditions of life and removal of the prevailing sense of deprivation from them.

He said that the programme is working on the special projects for promotion of business activities and provision of social opportunities in the flood affected areas.

Under the projects, he said besides leveling of the agricultural lands, repairment and rehabilitation of the water resources, the local women have provided skill for generating employment opportunities.

He explained that for minimizing the problems of the people, the expansion of the welfare project is also under consideration. —APP

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November 18, 2011

Pressure on EU Countries to Implement UNCRPD

Today there are 153 signatories and 106 ratifications of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, among which the European Union that ratified the UNCRPD as the frist internatioal organization in January 2011 (Source: Disability Info North West)

In October 2011, ten months later the ratification by the EU, the European Disability Forum wrote a letter to the member states of the EU, See below the article for more details.

EU SUMMIT: OUR LETTER TO HEADS OF STATE: WE DON'T WANT TO BE EXCLUDED MORE THAN WE ALREADY ARE

24 October 2011

Poverty, social exclusion, discrimination, marginalisation, illiteracy and negative stereotypes of people with disabilities can be the sad legacy of the economic, social and political reforms if implemented without duly consideration of the rights of people with disabilities: the European Disability Forum wrote a letter to all heads of State to make sure that the outcome of the summit on the crisis won’t have worst consequences on persons with disabiltiies.

To the Heads of State and Government of the European Union,

RE: IMPACT OF THE ECONOMIC CRISIS ON PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

The European Disability Forum (EDF), the voice of 80 million persons with disabilities and their families in Europe, calls on all the Governments of the European Union to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities and their families are taken into account all the way through economic, political and social policies.

Austerity measures undertaken by governments in the European Union could undermine progress towards the realisation of the rights of persons with disabilities enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as well as the social targets of the Europe 2020 strategy and the European Disability Strategy 2010 – 2020. Poverty, social exclusion, discrimination, marginalisation, illiteracy and negative stereotypes of people with disabilities can be the sad legacy of the economic, social and political reforms if implemented without duly consideration of the rights of people with disabilities.

The EDF calls on the European Council and all the Governments of Europe to ensure that people with disabilities are not socially, economically or politically excluded. In order to make sure that the rights of persons with disabilities are not undermined by current responses to the economic crisis, we must consider that:

1. People with disabilities might freely move in European societies, live independently and included in society: no action restricting these capacities should be envisaged in any social protection reform. Personal assistance and other community support services should not be undermined by austerity measures.

2. Education of persons with disabilities will be respected and reforms in the education systems will not mean reduction in education support policies in mainstream education and should not lead to segregation to special schools.

3. The right to work and employment is fully respected: Measures for full inclusion in employment including reasonable accommodation and supported employment should not disappear from the national employment policies.

4. Access to health services for people with disabilities is not put into question and health services for people with disabilities do not consider their health as secondary in respect to non-disabled people.

5. That Social habilitation and rehabilitation is considered an investment for European societies ensuring that all capacities are collected and fully participate in the construction of Europe after the crisis. The quality of social services should remain a pre-condition for respecting the human rights of people with disabilities.

6. Adequate living standards and social protection are ensured. This will mean that no measures are taken that will have the effect of leading people with disabilities into poverty, social exclusion or reduction of his/her living income.

7. Freedom of expression and opinion and access to information is not restricted by reforms of public and private services.

8. Respect for family life is ensured by guaranteeing to all people with disabilities and their families adequate family policies. These policies should remain a priority.

9. Organisations representing people with disabilities should be consulted in regard to any action that could have an impact on the rights of people with disabilities.

10. Raising the awareness of the needs of persons with disabilities should take place in order to ensure that the portrayal of persons with disabilities in the media and other relevant stakeholders is done correctly and does not lead to social stigmatisation.

Yannis Vardakastanis

President of the European Disability Forum

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November 17, 2011

Disability certificate now guaranteed to be issued within 3 days - India

IBN Live

November 7, 2011

Disability certificate to eligible persons within 3 days: Govt

Shimla, Nov 7 (PTI) Disability certificates would be issued to eligible persons within three days of applying and any deliberate delay in doing so would attract action, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Sarveen Chowdhary today said. Inaugurating a day-long workshop on empowerment of visually impaired persons with the help of technology, she said there were some 67,000 disabled persons in the state and the government was committed to their welfare. She said 1,332 disabled persons had been provided jobs in different departments under a three per cent quota which included 439 visually impaired.

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November 16, 2011

Campaign for The Rights of the PWDs - India

The Times of India

November 4, 2011

Campaign to create awareness about rights for disabled people

NEW DELHI: Alok Sikka (35) has waited in his wheelchair at bus stops for hours on an end, but most of the time buses have sped past without stopping for him. One of biggest problems that disabled people face, he says, is commuting. This confines them to their homes for most of their lives.

To create awareness about the rights of disabled people, the National Trust under ministry of social justice and empowerment launched a pan-India campaign called 'Badhte Kadam' at Dilli Haat on Thursday. 'Badhte Kadam' would be organized in 35 states with 250 fairs to involve various organizations like district courts, schools, offices, architects and even the district collectorate to sensitize people about the issue.

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November 14, 2011

Information Booklet on the UN Convention Released - Pakistan

Pakistan Today

Published on November 3 2011

Disabled people’s rights… lawmakers definitely needed a booklet on that

KARACHI - The Network of Organisations Working for People with Disabilities, Pakistan (NOWPDP), an initiative of the Aga Khan Council for Pakistan, has released a booklet on the UN Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The move is aimed at celebrating the ratification of the convention by the Pakistan government.

As of February 2010, 78 countries have ratified the UN Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities aims to ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy equal human rights as others. Its objective is “to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedom by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity”.

The booklet has been distributed to members of the parliament, the prime minister and the president to raise awareness about ways in which Pakistan can implement the clauses of the convention and become a more inclusive society for people of all abilities. The booklet highlights the state of disability in Pakistan and the benefits of a more inclusive society. It proposes implementation of legislation, through effective monitoring and governance bodies within the government, accessibility of buildings and the environment for people with disabilities, availability of quality education for all children with disabilities, equal opportunities for people with disabilities to gain employment without fear of discrimination and the ratification of the convention, as a symbol of commitment of the Pakistani government to the inclusion of people with disabilities.

The booklet was developed in collaboration with the Children’s Museum for Peace and Human Rights, having compiled a petition of over 1.1 million signatures supporting the ratification of the convention. The Children’s Museum for Peace and Human Rights and NOWPDP are working together to increase awareness of the convention and Pakistan’s obligations under it.

For more information on the booklet, visit the website of NOWPDP (Network of Organisations Working For Persons with Disabilities Pakistan).

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November 11, 2011

"Us and Them" Attitude Criticised in the UK

Below is an article which was retrieved from the website of The Guardian, a British newspaper.

The Guardian
Posted by Matthew Harper
4 Norvember 2011

Tackling disability discrimination takes more than wheelchair ramps
Let's challenge the 'us and them' attitude towards people who have disabilities that don't conform to society's norms

You're in a restaurant; dressed up, with friends, family, maybe a partner and halfway through your slap-up meal there's a tap on your shoulder and "do you mind moving? it's disgusting, no its just … you're dribbling – it's putting me off my food". Had that said to you? Or been the one saying it? Or even just thinking it?

Postwar history taught us that the mindset of western civilisation was that individuals needed to adapt to existing environments and that wheelchairs were obstacles to participation, not steps and kerbs. The late 1960s and early 70s saw action taken for infrastructure to adapt to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities and encourage inclusion. Visibly, there are obvious procedures and policies, ramps and electric doors to demonstrate this progression.

However, these physical alterations only take into account the physical needs of those they intend to assist. We may have automatic electric doors for people in wheelchairs, but how would we react to someone on a cold windy day asking to have an outside door wedged open because their autism makes them fear being locked in? I wouldn't want to be sat in a cold draft, would you?

Having worked in a retirement village where there are residents with extra care needs and those without, and working within school and youth settings where again there are children with and without registered disabilities, there is still a divide. There is a repulsion in canteens or restaurants if the person with a disability is "dribbling" or "making a mess"; it is something that "we do not want to look at" but it is OK if it is "over there" or if "they are out of the way".

In the era of Rosa Parks' stand against racism, where the segregation of white and black people was clearly marked with signs, an "us and them" ethos was not only accepted but lawful; being "over there" was mandatory. Nowadays, on the whole we would judge this as disgusting, so even without signs on seats, why do we promote the same outcome for disability? Why do people feel the same way now as we did 60 years ago?

Perhaps the reason is that there are no signs, nothing written, and nothing tangible to stand up against. Instead the segregation lies in hushed tones and is actually more corrosive.

This segregation is justified by saying disabled people need to be "over there", because that's where their special needs can be met. I am not saying there is not an element of truth in that, however needs also involve social interaction, inclusion and the capacity to participate as equals.

We find security in the process of pigeonholing people into easily identifiable groups. Take, for example, someone with mobility problems such as paraplegia, which has become an "acceptable" disability through the social construction of the "wheelchair". We know not how to react to the medical condition and its implications, but the wheelchair itself – we move out of the way, we hold the door open and so we feel we have engaged correctly while avoiding having to address the disability directly.

Cerebral palsy, on the other hand is still classed as "socially unacceptable", as it is difficult to identify. That person hobbling home, unbalanced, is surely just drunk? And why would we publicly want to associate ourselves with a rude drunk? What would that do to the non-disabled image? We'd be lying if we said those thoughts hadn't even fleetingly crossed our minds.

So, how do we battle this segregation? It starts with acceptanceof the stark reality we live in and what we actually think of disability, but are too ashamed to admit. Change comes from understanding and accepting disability, together with embracing the person as an individual.

Maybe we can start with me? I have cerebral palsy; it's mild, but I'll probably limp back to my seat, unbalanced, and awkwardly work through my meal later on, but how would I have been taken if I was dribbling throughout or if autism meant that my language abilities were impaired? Disability isn't cool or fashionable, but it is real and it is now. The apartheid culture and the Rosa Parks era has not left our reactions towards disability and still limits people's lives today.

• Matthew Harper works at Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust's Hartfields Retirement Village in Hartlepool and wrote this piece for the Young Thinker of the Year Award of the Young UK and Ireland Programme, for which he was named runner up

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November 05, 2011

Protection and promotion of women’s rights, and women’s social and economic empowerment

European Commission

Investing in People
GENDER EQUALITY
Restricted Call for Proposals 2011

Protection and promotion of women’s rights, and women’s social and economic empowerment

Grant Application Form (Parts A and B)

For economical and ecological reasons, we strongly recommend that you submit your files on paper-based materials (no plastic folder or divider). We also suggest you use double-sided print-outs as much as possible.

To learn more...Download file

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October 28, 2011

Korean Film That Changed Society - A Film Review by NY Times

The recent Korean film called "The Crucible" (or Dogani, in Korean) has impacted the Korean sociey and led to changes on rules for sexual crimes on persons with disabilities. Below is a review of the film by the New York Times, sourced from the "Disability & Development" mailing list with a consent of the publisher, the Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization (IDE- JETRO).

The New York Times

Film Underscores Koreans' Growing Anger Over Sex Crimes

By CHOE SANG-HUN
Published: October 17, 2011

SEOUL — At an appeals court in the southwestern city of Gwangju in 2006, a school official was convicted of raping a 13-year-old deaf girl and sentenced to one year in prison. When the verdict came, an outraged middle-aged man, also deaf, let out an incomprehensible cry from the galley, signaling frantically with sign language.

“It was clear that the man was shouting, ‘This is wrong! This is wrong!”’ Lee Ji-won, a newspaper intern, wrote in her blog later that day under the subject line, “I saw the foul underside of our society.”

The man was forcibly removed for disrupting the courtroom. And that might have been the end of it. Except that the intern’s blog inspired a best-selling author, Gong Ji-young, to write a novel based on the sexual assaults at the Inhwa School for the hearing impaired, the school’s attempts to conceal the abuses and the victims’ struggle for justice.

Now, a film based on that novel — “Dogani,” or “The Crucible” — has roiled South Korea.

Since its release on Sept. 22, 4.4 million people, including President Lee Myung-bak — nearly a 10th of the country’s population — have seen it. The film has tapped into widespread anger over official reluctance to take sexual crimes seriously, and over how justice is served, or not, in South Korea.

The cabinet has vowed to inspect all facilities for the disabled and minors to ferret out teachers with records of sexual abuse. The head of the Supreme Court admitted that “society is simmering with resentment” toward a legal system long criticized as “yujeonmujoe mujeonnyujoe,” or “not guilty for the rich, guilty for the poor.”

Lawmakers are pushing for tougher penalties for sexual crimes. The Education Ministry has said it will shut down Inhwa School.

For a low-budget movie barred to people under 18, “The Crucible” has had an extraordinary impact.

In a way, that reaction seems at odds with South Korean society. Here, disregard for the disabled is so entrenched that the subway authorities began installing elevators for wheelchair access only in recent years following protests by the handicapped in which they chained themselves to the tracks with signs that read, “We want to use the subway too.”

“What people see in the movie is a capsule version of their society,” said Chun Sang-chin, a sociologist at Sogang University. “There is anger over how the strong bully the weak, despair over how the system protects the well-connected, and fear that the same can happen to the rest of us.”

In the Inhwa case, four teachers and administrators — including its principal and his brother — were convicted of raping or sexually molesting at least eight students aged 7 to 22, some orphaned or mentally disabled, from 2000 to 2004.

But only two of the four served any jail time. The principal was found guilty of raping a 13-year-old girl and taking a bribe of 3 million won, or $2,630, from a teacher. But he was freed when an appeals court suspended his sentence.

“The Crucible” graphically depicts sexual and physical violence against minors. But just as sensational is the cynical collusion it portrays among the elite of the movie’s fictional town of Mujin. A judge gives a lenient sentence to defendants represented by a lawyer who until recently was his colleague on the bench. A police detective pockets cash from a school principal who is both a church leader and sadistic rapist.

Scenes in the film showing demonstrations in support of the defendants mirror events in the Inhwa case.

“When court was in session, members of the Protestant church the principal and his family attended rallied outside the courthouse,” said Park Chan-dong, a human rights advocate who campaigned for the children. “They called us ‘evil’ and ‘Satan’ and loudly prayed that ‘hell fires’ would consume us.”

Judges, defense lawyers and police detectives involved in the Inhwa case have denied any misconduct. But to many here, some of the movie scenes look all too plausible.

“I wanted to show that, although our society has developed a lot, barbarous things still happen,” said the film’s director, Hwang Dong-hyeok.

Underneath the vibrancy of South Korea’s young democracy runs an unease about what many consider deepening inequality — a problem the government recognized last year when it listed “building a fair society” among its top policy goals.

Kim Yeh-ram, a college student who saw the film, said its release had “added fuel” to public outrage. The release followed a series of high-profile incidents that bolstered accusations that the state was failing to protect the vulnerable while some of the rich and powerful acted as if they were above the law.

Last year, for example, Chey Cheol-won, 41, a trucking company owner and cousin of one of the country’s richest men, was convicted of hitting a 52-year-old former union activist 13 times with an aluminum baseball bat while his executives watched. He then wrote out a 20 million won check on a company account and threw it in the victim’s face. Mr. Chey received a suspended sentence.

The number of sexual crimes against mentally or physically disabled people reported to the police was 320 last year, up from 199 in 2007, according to the National Police Agency. But the government estimates that fewer than 10 percent of victims report sexual crimes to the police for fear of being shamed in public trials.

In South Korea, sex crimes generally can be prosecuted only if the victim presses charges, and charges are often dropped if a financial settlement is reached between the defendant and the plaintiff. Two years ago, the law was revised to require that all sex crimes involving alleged victims aged 18 or under be prosecuted, even if they have not themselves pressed charges. Following the uproar over “The Crucible,” the government has promised to extend this to cases where the alleged victims are mentally or physically disabled.

When sexual assault cases involving victims aged 13 and under come to trial now, roughly 95 percent of defendants are found guilty, but penalties are weak, with about a third receiving prison terms and the rest receiving suspended sentences or assessed fines. Half of the teachers who were convicted of sexually assaulting their students or others were given nothing more severe than a pay cut or a short suspension, according to the Education Ministry.

“Many of the facilities for the disabled are stamping grounds for human rights abusers,” said Ser In-whan, secretary general of the Korean Federation of Organizations of the Disabled. “It’s not just Inhwa School.”

The Inhwa case came to light in 2005 when a teacher alerted human rights groups. For that, the teacher was fired.

The police began an investigation four months later, only after former students talked to a national TV station. As the Gwangju city government and school board tossed the case back and forth, students and parents staged a sit-in for eight months outside their offices, calling for justice.

In a movie scene that highlights the disconnect between the authorities and the disabled, a judge slams his gavel and shouts “Silence!” to deaf viewers in the galley using sign language. In the early days of the Gwangju trial, no sign-language translation was provided in the courtroom, Mr. Park said.

Im Eun-jeong, a prosecutor in the case, wrote in her diary at the time of a courtroom filled with “deaf children crying out silently to society with their sign language.”

She noted in the diary, which she recently posted online, “Their anger and despair made every hair on my body stand up.”

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Film Changes Rules for Crimes on Persons with Disabilities - Korea

The following information was downloaded from the "Disability and Development" mailing list, with a consent of the publisher, the Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO).

The Korea Herald

Tougher rules for sex crimes on disabled

2011-10-07 19:42

Complaints no longer required for prosecution; first-time offenders to be tagged

Sexual crimes on the disabled will be prosecuted with or without the victims’ complaints and first-time offenders will be bound to wear electronic tagging devices under toughened rules unveiled by the government Friday.

Because prosecution of sexual crimes cannot proceed without complaints by the victims under the current law, the victims were often paid off by the offenders to agree on a settlement.

Prodded by a public resentment sparked by the box office hit “Dogani,”
the Prime Minister’s Office announced a set of measures against sexual crimes on the disabled. Most of the measures are already in a bill submitted to the National Assembly by lawmakers last year.

The film is based on a true story about a series of rape and other sexual assaults by faculty members on students at Inhwa School, a special education institution for the hearing-impaired in Gwangju, for five years from 2005.

Inhwa School will be shut down and the state sanction on the social welfare corporation named Wooseok that runs the school will be nullified, Yim Jong-yong, minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, said in a press briefing.

“All the necessary steps for legislation will be taken within the ongoing National Assembly session,” Yim said.

Whether to scrap the statute of limitations on sexual crimes against the disabled, however, will be subject to further discussion.

A prosecution investigation found 10 teachers at Inhwa involved in the crimes, but only six of them were indicted as parents of some of the victims did not press charges. Of the six, two received no punishment as the statute of limitations on their cases had expired and another two were given a suspended sentence. Only two were sentenced to jail terms of one year and two years, respectively.

Under the plans announced Friday, school faculty members slapped fines for sexual violence will be disqualified as teachers.

The government will also add coerced adultery, which does not require proof that the victim was unable to resist, to the list of sexual crimes against the handicapped, Yim said.

The current law acknowledges rape only when the victim was found to be in a state where resistance was impossible, stirring criticism that offenders are often nominally punished.

The government is set to submit to the National Assembly next month a bill that raises the jail term for rapists of the disabled from three to at least five years and allows the prosecution to seek a court order for an electronic ankle bracelet to be attached, starting from first-time offenders.

The government will also push for a revised bill which obliges registered social welfare corporations to name outside directors and disclose certain information to raise their transparency, Yim said. The government had failed to make the revision in 2007 due to opposition from the ruling Grand National Party and religious groups.

While taking steps to shut down Inhwa School as soon as possible, the government said it will arrange for 15 of its 22 students to transfer to neighboring schools and the remaining seven, who live in Inhwa, to move to another facility.

The teachers implicated in the sexual assaults will be barred from teaching for good, and a thorough investigation will be launched into the possibility of additional crimes and other irregularities of the school.

Facilities found with similar cases in the ongoing nationwide inquiry on institutions for the disabled will be closed down, Yim said.

The government will also introduce a system to provide victims of sexual violence with legal assistance, hire more sign language interpreters for investigations, and expand the counseling and medical treatment services for the disabled.

By Kim So-hyun

Posted by jicafriends at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)

October 27, 2011

High Court Outlaws Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities - India

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development", with a consent of the publisher, the Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO).

IBN Live, The New Indian Express

Oct. 26, 2011

Allow deaf-mute to contest polls

CHENNAI: A clause in the Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act, which prevented the deaf-mute from contesting polls, has been challenged in the Madras High Court.

L K Venkat, a physically challenged person and a law graduate, contended in his writ petition that in proviso 37(3) of the legislation, a person would be disqualified for election if on the last date of filing of nomination or on the date of election he was of unsound mind or a deaf- mute. He made a representation to the State Election Commissioner on October 4 regarding the exclusion. The petitioner said it was the State ’s duty to give protection and encourage such persons by giving enough opportunity to them as part of confidence-building measures.

These people do not need any sympathy, but only want recognition by way of equal opportunity. The legal provision was ultra vires of the Constitution, especially against Art 14, by denying equal opportunity.

Madras High court has ordered notice on the writ petition.

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Ramps Block Votes of the Disabled - India

IBN Live, The New Indian Express

Oct. 18, 2011
Chennai

No ramps, no sensitivity for differently-abled

For the differently-abled at the local body polls, inaccessibility continued to remain an issue, like in previous elections. People with disabilities who went to cast their votes on Monday reported several problems that they faced.

Brijithammal (76), a Palavakkam resident, ended up not voting as the polling station at the ALM School in University Quarters had 10 steps to climb and no ramp to take her wheelchair up.

Mathan Gaberial, son-in-law of Brijithammal and also producer of the movie Maa taken on the differently- abled, who escorted her to the polling booth, said, “It was very disappointing that the election commission had made such arrangements without bothering about accessibility for the differently-abled. When I went and asked the presiding officer about it, I was told that I should contact the election commissioners’s office.”

In the polling booth at the Jafferkhanpet Government Girls’ Higher Secondary School, the place where the EVMs were kept was too narrow and was impossible for a differently-abled person to squeeze inside. Simmachandran, a resident of Jafferkhanpet who is also the general secretary of Federation of Tamil Nadu Handicapped Association, said, “There is absolutely no space for disabled people like us to go inside and vote. As I couldn’t get inside, the poll officer turned the EVM to� face all the people waiting to vote. The whole idea of secret ballot was gone.”

At a polling booth at the Nadar Higher Secondary School in Kottur, Chidambaranathan, president of Federation of Tamilnadu Handicapped Association, could not take his wheelchair into the polling booth entrance. He said, “The passage is too narrow for the wheelchair. I had to tell the polling officer my choice and he voted for me. The secrecy is lost.”

In Poonamallee, the differently-abled (hearing and speech impaired) were made to wait in a regular queue.

Simmachandran said, “What is disappointing is that on October 3, we presented a list of differently-abled-friendly measures to the attention of the State Election Commissioner. He also promised us that it will be followed. But today, we are disappointed.”

Many booths in the city remained inaccessible for the differently-abled. But Gopalapuram booth had wheelchair access for DMK leader Karunanidhi.

Posted by jicafriends at 09:14 AM | Comments (0)

October 26, 2011

New Train Station Commended for Its Accessibility - Malaysia

The following information was downloaded from "Disability and Development" mailing list, with a consent of the publisher, the Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO).

The Star online

ITT commended for being disabled friendly

PUTRAJAYA: The new Bandar Tasik Selatan integrated transport terminal (ITT) has achieved a 75% score on disabled-friendliness from a recent audit conducted by the Committee on Universal Design and Built Environment.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said the results were beyond satisfactory as the multi-transport terminal covers most of the needs of the disabled.

She added that the audit included the Express Rail Link (ERL) and Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) stations.

The audit was conducted on September 22 in collaboration with the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), International Islamic University of Malaysia, RapidKL, Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd, ERL and associations representing the disabled.

The ITT, which was opened on January 1 this year, served primarily as a bus terminal for south-bound buses while the terminal is also an interchange for rail services such as KTM Komuter, Light Rail Transit (LRT) Ampang Line, ERL and RapidKL buses.

The development of the terminal is an initiative under the GTP's Urban Public Transport NKRA to alleviate the reliance of personal vehicles which contribute to the increasing city traffic congestion by significantly improving the experience of using public transport that would in turn make it a preferred method of commuting in the Klang Valley.

Posted by jicafriends at 09:10 AM | Comments (0)

October 24, 2011

Increased Accessibility at Indian Metro Station

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Institute of Developing Economies Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO).

The Hindu

Metro stations are disabled-friendly

DEEPA KURUP
CHITRA V. RAMANI

First impressions indicate that there is hope yet for the disabled commuter

Public transport and roads in Bangalore have been patently disabled- unfriendly. The same holds true for a majority of public spaces that, barring a few ramps here and there, do nothing to help people living with disabilities.

First impressions of the Namma Metro stations indicate that there is hope yet for the disabled commuter. Apart from the mandatory ramps at the entrances, the stations have specially grooved-tiles to help the visually-impaired navigate their way into and about the station.

The ramps are wide, both at the entrance to the station and to the ticket counter. The grooved tiles ? one with circles and the other with cylindrical grooves aligned in a particular direction ? serve to indicate to the visually-impaired which direction to take.

The staff at the Metro station told The Hindu that the tiles with the circles would help the visually impaired realise that they were in front of a new level and would have to take either a left or right, while with the ones with the cylindrical groves, they would know that they can continue to go on ahead. The tiles with cylindrical groves lead from the Metro platform to the lift and the two escalators.

The lift too has buttons with Braille inscription to help the visually impaired. Though the station does not have public restrooms yet, there is a special restroom for the disabled in the staff rooms. To reach the platforms, commuters can either climb up 87 stairs, take either of the two escalators or take the lift. The swipe counters and ticketing booths too appear to be low enough for wheel-chair users to use them.

Metro officials claim that facilities and access for persons with disabilities have been provided in accordance with the Public Works Department norms. The ticket counters are low and gates are wide enough for persons on wheel-chairs to enter the stations.

While these are only the first impressions, once the stations open and persons with disabilities are able to use the station, a clearer picture of just how adequate these provisions are will emerge.

Namma Metro had also said that other facilities such as announcement and hooters for the visually-impaired and glow lights in prominent places and signals and tickers for the hearing-impaired will also be put in place.

CONTROVERSY

Earlier this year, the project had courted controversy when Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) got an exemption from providing jobs to persons with disabilities. The Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities took suo motu action against BMRCL for seeking such an exemption, following which two hearings were held after which the authority agreed to implement the mandatory reservation.

K.V. Rajanna, Commissioner for Persons with Disability, says that earlier this year he and disability rights activists had conducted an audit at the Metro stations, and suggested some improvements. He is confident that the Namma Metro project will indeed be friendly towards people with different kinds of disability and hopes it sets a benchmark for other public facilities too.

Posted by jicafriends at 01:44 PM | Comments (0)

October 20, 2011

Latest developments of UNCRPD

República de Cabo Verde ratified the Convention on 10-10-2011

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
•153 signatories
•106 ratifications

Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
•90 signatories
•63 ratifications

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by jicafriends at 09:17 AM | Comments (0)

October 18, 2011

Persons with disabilities asserting their rights to education and work - Afghanistan

Bakhtar News Agency on 27 September 2011

Monday, September 26, 2011 Kabul (BIA) A number of special people gathered in front of the Wolesi Jirga, or lower house of Parliament, on Sunday and asked lawmakers to help them find education and employment opportunities.

A number of special people gathered in front of the Wolesi Jirga, or lower house of Parliament, on Sunday and asked lawmakers to help them find education and employment opportunities. Members of the National Deaf Association, including women and children, had inscribed their demands on banners they carried. “We want the president to provide us with education and employment opportunities,” one banner read. Another said, “Social integration of the deaf brings development”. The deaf were an underprivileged section of society which the government must provide equal rights, deputy director of education of the association, Nangyalay Nizami, told BIA. The association was provided with political, cultural, social and economic training by NGOs’ he informed, saying some of the deaf were imported shoe-making and tailoring skills as well.

Around 2.7 percent of Afghan population is suffering various disabilities. A new member of the International Convention on disabled Rights, Afghanistan has made no progress in improving living conditions for the special people. Alami Balkhi, head of the disabled and widows commission, said the convention guaranteed facilities and privileges for the special people.

Posted by jicafriends at 10:27 AM | Comments (0)

October 13, 2011

ICT Facilitated Access to Information Innovations

From OneWorld Foundation India

We are pleased to inform you that the Daisy for All case study is now part of OneWorld's 'ICT Facilitated Access to Information Innovations' report published with support from the World Bank Institute and the Canadian International Development Agency.
The online version of the report is now publicly available at http://access2info.asia/.

Posted by jicafriends at 10:30 AM | Comments (0)

CIDP Master's Application Opens for 2012 Admission

The Institute on Disability and Public Policy (IDPP) is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for Fall 2012 admission to the Master's of International Affairs in Comparative and International Disability Policy (CIDP) program. Please disseminate the attached announcement throughout your institutional and professional networks.

We look forward to welcoming a second cohort of students into the CIDP program.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. Thank you for your continued support of the IDPP.

Communications Associate | Institute on Disability and Public Policy for the ASEAN Region
COTELCO
http://aseanidpp.org
http://cotelco.net/maya.aguilar
+1.202.670.4143

(See attached file: CIDP Master's Application Opens for 2012 Admission.pdf)
Download file

Posted by jicafriends at 10:26 AM | Comments (0)

October 12, 2011

UN Convention - Fourth Session of the Conference of the States Parties

Article 40 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (adopted in 2006) requires the States Parties to meet up regularly to discuss all matters related to the implementation of the Convention. Accordingly, the fourth session of the Conference of the States Parties took place on September 7-9 at the UN Headquarters, New York.

The theme of this session was "Enabling Development, Realizing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities" with sub-themes of “Realizing the Convention through International Cooperation," "Political and Civil Participation" and "Work and Employment."

Below is the statement made by the Japanese government:

* * * * * * *

Statement by Mr. Tetsuya Kimura
Minister, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations

At the Fourth Session of the Conference of State Parties tothe Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

7 September 2011

Mr. Chairman,

Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates,

Ladies and gentlemen,

My delegation is honored to participate as a signatory in this fourth session of the Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Five years ago, we adopted the Convention by consensus in the General Assembly. Since then efforts for the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms of Persons with Disabilities have been made through its legal framework. Japan participated actively in negotiations to draft the Convention and signed it in 2007. Japan is now in the process of preparing for the conclusion of the Convention. Today, Japan would like to take this opportunity to share with you the positive measures we have taken in the last few years.

Firstly, the Government of Japan established the “Ministerial Board for Disability Policy Reform” through the Cabinet in December 2009. The Prime Minister heads the Board, of which all ministers are members. The Ministerial Board was established for the purpose of advancing intensive institutional reforms, including improvements to relevant domestic laws necessary for concluding and implementing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Furthermore, recognizing that not only governments but also persons with disabilities participated in the negotiations of the Convention, and also responding to domestic requests, we felt it was important to establish a mechanism whereby the voices of persons with disabilities can be heard and reflected in national policies. To meet this objective, the “Committee for Disability Policy Reform” of which half the members are either persons with disabilities or family members of person with disabilities, was convened under the auspices of the Ministerial Board.

Secondly, the Amended Basic Law for Persons with Disabilities was approved on 29 July 2011. The purpose of the law is to realize “a society in which all citizens co-exist and mutually respect personality and individuality without separation regardless of disability.”

Two features of the new law are worth pointing out. First, it sets up the Committee on Measures for Persons with Disabilities which oversees implementation and monitoring of on-the-ground measures taken for persons with disabilities. Second, it includes the negligence of ensuring to provide necessary and appropriate accommodation as discrimination based on disabilities, which is the first example of the legal concept of ‘reasonable accommodations’ to be included in our domestic body of law. These provisions are in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Lastly, we have been engaged in international cooperation as embodied in Article 32 of the Convention. The Government of Japan has been contributing to this through its official development assistance (ODA). For example, we have been promoting “barrier-free” railway facilities and university campuses, and have also been establishing rehabilitation and vocational training facilities for persons with disabilities.

Mr. President,

Presently, in addition to what we have achieved so far, Japan is in the process of drafting new legislative measures regarding the protection and promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities. Despite many challenges, we will work closely with persons with disabilities and organizations that represent them, with the aim of protecting and promoting their rights.

I thank you for your kind attention.

* * * * * * *

Secretary of jicafreinds

References:
http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1571
http://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/COP/cosp4_statement_japan.pdf

Posted by jicafriends at 08:56 PM | Comments (0)

October 05, 2011

Presidential Proclamation--National Disability Employment Awareness Month

"Utilizing the talents of all Americans is essential for our Nation to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world. During National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we recognize the skills that people with disabilities bring to our workforce, and we rededicate ourselves to improving employment opportunities in both the public and private sectors for those living with disabilities..."

--Barack Obama, President of the United States of America

To learn more visit:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/10/03/presidential-proclamation-national-disability-employment-awareness-month

Posted by jicafriends at 04:44 PM | Comments (0)

September 29, 2011

United Nations Human Rights Pacific Office congratulates Palau’s human rights progress

UN Human Rights Pacific Office congratulates Palau Friday, 23 September 2011, 7:34 pm Press Release: OHCHR scoop.co.nz

MEDIA RELEASE
23 September 2011

United Nations Human Rights Pacific Office congratulates Palau’s human rights progress

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The United Nations Office of the High Commission for Human Rights
(OHCHR) Regional Office for the Pacific congratulates the Government and people of Palau for taking a historic step forward for the promotion and protection of human rights in Palau. President and Head of State, H.E. Johnson Toribiong, showed his country’s commitment to human rights by signing eight of the core human rights treaties in New York this week.

Matilda Bogner, Regional Representative for OHCHR’s Office for the Pacific, said:

“The commitment shown by these signatures is remarkable and gives a clear message that Palau has now started a journey to provide people in the country with a stronger foundation to enjoy human rights and fundamental freedoms. It also gives a clear message of political will and leadership across the Pacific and supports the spirit of the recent Pacific Island Leaders’ Forum meeting in the area of human rights. I want to join others in conveying my sincere appreciation to the Government of Palau for this progress. I also want to reiterate the Regional Office’s readiness to assist Palau in translating this commitment into a reality on the ground.”

On 20 September, during the United Nations Treaty Event in New York, Palau signed eight human rights treaties: the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (ICRMW), the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CPED). Palau has been a State Party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child since 1995.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

* OHCHR leads global Human Rights efforts and works to promote and protect the Human Rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948.

* OHCHR is headed by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanethem Pillay, who coordinates Human Rights activities throughout the UN System and supervises the Human Rights Council.

* OHCHR Regional Pacific Office covers 16 countries: Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Posted by jicafriends at 10:18 AM | Comments (0)

September 27, 2011

Leadership and Networking Course Starting Soon

The training course, Development of Leadership & Networking of Persons with Disabilities, is soon starting at JICA Tokyo. Seven participants are expected to arrive at Narita Airport on October 11. The detailed program has been confirmed and will soon be updated on our website !

Following induction sessions, the training starts on Monday October 17. The participants are to receive a wide range of training – including lectures, visits, workshops and presentations – at a variety of venues in Tokyo, Hiroshima and Osaka.

They are also to engage themselves in Individual Training, which will be tailored for their respective individual needs and interests. Contents of Individual Training will be finalized with help from their coordinators after their arrivals in Japan.

Bon voyage to the participants !

Secretary of JICA Friends

Posted by jicafriends at 01:54 PM | Comments (0)

September 16, 2011

Job Vacancy at UNICEF

The following information was retrieved from the website of UNICEF

VACANCY POST: Programme Specialist (Children with Disabilities), P-4, New York

Vacancy Number: E-VN-2011-001469
Duty Station: New York
Position #: DPP12005
Country: USA
Region: NY HQ
Contract Type: Long-term Staff (FT)
Application Close: 27-Sep-11

Purpose of the Position

Based within the Disability Unit, under the guidance of the Senior Adviser on Children with Disabilities, you will provide technical support to UNICEF’s work on children with disabilities and particularly to devise and implement a strategy for the roll-out of the revised 2007 programme guidance note on inclusion of children with disabilities to regional and country offices; initiate and guide the development of training tools as well as advocacy for UNICEF’s support to the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) as they relate to children with disabilities; and to coordinate efforts in supporting UNICEF's engagement with the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and for the promotion of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Key Expected Results

1. Provides expert advice to support UNICEF in integrating the rights of children with disabilities into programme and policy formulation
Working in coordination with Division of Policy and Practice (DPP) and Program Division (PD), devises and implements a strategy for the roll-out of revised 2007 programme guidance note on inclusion of children with disabilities to regional and country offices. Prepares draft policy documents, operational and technical guidance for UNICEF programming sectors on children with disabilities issues.

End Result (s): Strategy for the roll-out of the programme guidance note on inclusion of children with disabilities fully developed. Improved support and resources for the implementation of the international human rights treaties, in particular the CRPD, CRC and CEDAW, through UNICEF programmes and policies.

2. Partnerships and Initiatives
Participates in and coordinates UNICEF’s involvement in intergovernmental processes and liaise with partners from the disability community and other strategic organisations working on disability, including the World Bank, WHO, Save the Children and Handicap International. Taps into these partners’ expertise in shaping UNICEF’s advocacy and programming around disability;
Represent the Senior Adviser on Children with Disabilities on the Inter-Agency Support Group on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Proposes strategies and contributes to advocacy with human rights institutions/mechanisms and the UN system at global level on disability issues and for bringing those issues into their agendas. Using the principles of human-rights based approach (HRBAP), provides support to the inter-agency policies, strategies, monitoring and accountability mechanisms for integrating the disability issues in UN operations and programmes.

End Result (s): Strengthened leadership in intergovernmental processes and human rights institutions as well as in interagency initiatives will increase attention to the rights of children with disabilities in partners’ agendas at international level.

3. Data collection and analysis on the situation of children with disabilities
In coordination with country and regional offices, supports PD and DPP in identifying major gaps with regard to data on the situation of children with disabilities. Liaises with the Statistics and Monitoring Section and other relevant sections to identify the most appropriate ways to fill these information gaps; Conducts policy and legal research and analysis as it relates to disability issues, including analysis of the CRPD as legal instrument. Interprets CRPD articles for UNICEF application on disability issues for UNICEF policy development as required by Executive Staff.

End Result (s): Rights perspective incorporated in research and policy analysis for enhancing the realization of the rights of children with disabilities and elevating UNICEF’s credibility in policy debates.

4. Capacity building
Provides technical support to UNICEF field offices. Guides the development of an organizational capacity building strategy and tools on children with disabilities. Develops training tools and facilitates training to support the roll-out of the revised disability guidance note to regional and country offices; develops and facilitate learning sessions on disability for HQ-based staff. Contributes to the review and assessment of UNICEF programme analysis, planning and monitoring tools to assess the application of HRBA framework.

End Result (s): Strengthened analysis and feedback of UNICEF programme performance on disability issues at all levels leading to better organizational performance, strengthened mechanism to monitor implementation of CRDPD in UNICEF policies and programmes.

5. Inter-Divisional Collaboration
Supports the HQ-based inter-divisional working group on children with disabilities.
Prepares inputs for UNICEF strategic planning processes, including and for briefings and talking points for senior managers on disability issues. Contributes to the development and implementation of global capacity development efforts around disability issues and the application of a human rights based approach. Advises staff and partners on disability issues/approaches and facilitate training as required.

End Result (s): UNICEF’s strategic planning processes on disability issues strengthened and human rights-based framework reflected in reports and advocacy messages. Advocacy around disability issues strengthened by implementation of effective capacity development strategy.

6. Advocate for UN human rights mechanisms to integrate the rights of children with disabilities
Brings the issue of children with disabilities to the attention of the CRPD Committee through written inputs, assisting the Committee in days of general discussion and in the drafting of General Comments. Encourages and supports country offices in countries that are coming up for review to prepare alternative reports and offer support to the State Party and other actors in drafting and presenting reports. Produces reporting guidelines for country offices.

Supports country offices in reporting to the CRC Committee on disability and advocacy towards the State Party on this issue. Advocates with the NGO Group on the CRC to encourage participation of DPOs in child rights NGO coalitions.

Supports UNICEF’s participation in the Human Rights Council’s annual half day panel on disability. Supports country offices in reporting on disability and advocacy in the Universal Periodic Review mechanism of the Human Rights Council.

End Result (s): Strengthened advocacy for UN human rights mechanisms to integrate the rights of children with disabilities will increase attention to the rights of children with disabilities in UN human rights mechanisms’ agendas.

7. Key Liaison between UNICEF and AusAID for the REAP Project
Working in coordination with (and as member of) the Project Implementation Team, draws up project implementation plan which will prioritise and detail the work to be undertaken over the three-year period of the project. Responsible for the reporting requirements for AusAID, coordinating UNICEF country and HQ reports on the project

End Result (s): Successful implementation of REAP Project, which will increase UNICEF’s expertise and capacity to lead on issues relating to children with disability, and translating to improved policies, programmes and advocacy across developing countries.

Qualifications of Successful Candidate

Advanced university degree in social sciences with a specific focus on children and disability. A first level university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Eight years of professional experience of working on issues of childhood disability, at least six years of which should be in the context of low and middle income countries. Experience of national and international level advocacy on disability issues, of programme planning and implementation, and of guiding monitoring and evaluation efforts in a development agency context is required. Clearly demonstrated ability to conceptualize development issues and write high quality technical reports, analytical materials and project proposals is essential. Direct field and community level experience in programme execution, involving government and international development agencies is highly desirable.

Competencies of Successful Candidate

• Communicates effectively to varied audiences, including during formal public speaking.
• Sets high standards for quality of work and consistently achieves project goals.
• Able to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment.
• Has good leadership and supervisory skills; co-ordinates group activities, ensuring that roles within the team are clear.
• Analyses and integrates potentially conflicting numerical, verbal and other data from a number of sources.
• Negotiates effectively by exploring a range of possibilities.
• Translates strategic direction into plans and objectives.
• Quickly builds rapport with individuals and groups; maintains an effective network of individuals across organizational departments.
• Contributes and tries out innovative approaches and insights.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization.

For more information, go to UNICEF's website - http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index.php

Posted by jicafriends at 04:24 PM | Comments (0)

September 09, 2011

UN conference on disabled to focus on protecting rights, promoting development

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

14:03, September 07, 2011

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Representatives from member states, civil society, and the UN system will attend a meeting beginning on Wednesday on the rights of the disabled and how empowering disabled people can enhance international development.

Officials briefed the press here on Tuesday on the Fourth Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which runs from Sept. 7-9.

"The Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is unique in the family of human rights instruments," said Maria Larsson, Swedish minister for children and the elderly as she addressed reporters. "Three days of dedicated, substantive debate on the global forefront with all stakeholders present is a moment to cherish and benefit from."

The meeting will bring together 400-500 delegations from states parties, observers, and dignatories to the convention as well as 200-300 civil society representatives. They will be discussing the implementation of a convention that has been ratified by 103 states parties and has been in force since May 2008.

The convention is designed to empower disabled people by articulating their rights and their status as subjects rather than objects of charity and social protection.

"The convention will help build a more inclusive society where everybody wins from the participation of many voices, where equal opportunity for all produces benefits for all," said Larsson.

For its fourth session, the conference will have the theme, " Enabling Development, Realizing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities." The officials all emphasized the importance of people with disabilities to overall international development.

"Returning to the theme of the conference, I would just like to add that enabling development encompasses an objective of the disability community to look at disability and development," said Marten Grunditz, permanent representative of Sweden to the UN.

"There is a feeling in the community that we will not be a the position to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) if there is not commensurate progress among the 1 billion people having one or other form of disability," Grunditz said.

The MDGs are a set of eight international development targets that UN member states have pledged to achieve by the year 2015.

Professor Clive McCallum, chair of UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities emphasized the importance of bringing disabled people sufficient jobs.

"Its only through employment that we can play full roles as citizens in our countries," said McCallum. "It's only through employment that we can use our talents to contribute to the better of society. Its only through employment that we can support ourselves and our families."

He cited a Dec. 2010 report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that concluded that in member countries of the OECD, the unemployment rate for disabled people is more than twice as high as the national averages. The situation, he said, is even worse for women, who have a higher unemployment rate than disabled men.

"If you look at the OECD report, far too much is spent upon disability pensions and social welfare benefits," said McCallum. " What we want is money to be spent to get us into employment so that less of us need to be on social security and benefits and in these economic times of downturn when some countries are cutting their social security its even more imperative to have programs to get us out of sheltered workshops, to get us out of our homes, and to get us in full time employment."

McCallum added that the committee looks forward to the three- day conference as an opportunity to communicate with other stakeholders on an important issue.

"We see it as a marvelous way for us to interact with civil society and with states' parties," he said. "We play a small part in administering the convention at the international level, but the real responsibility is on all those states parties that have signed up to implement the convention within their own societies."

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90777/90856/7590893.html

Posted by jicafriends at 01:20 PM | Comments (0)

September 07, 2011

Taking disabled’s plight to Cabinet-Malaysia

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

By ZUHRIN AZAM AHMAD

PUTRAJAYA: The Transport Ministry will raise at the Cabinet today the disabled's plea for arobridges at the new low-cost carrier terminal at KL International Airport (KLIA2).

“I am not promising them anything but I am hoping for some positive signs on the issue,” minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said after meeting representatives of disabled groups at his office here yesterday.

Last month, the groups voiced their objection when Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) decided not to install the aerobridges.

They pointed out that the aerobridges were necessary for their safe boarding and disembarkation, even for those who were pregnant.

Kong said he was aware of these problems. “That is why I stressed that airport facilities should be built according to international standards,” he said.

The group's spokesman Christine Lee appealed to the Government to compel MAHB to install the aerobridges.

“We pay full fares just like any other passenger and we want to be treated with dignity and not be carried up and down the aircraft.”

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/9/7/nation/9440999&sec=nation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bB-fHifjr4&feature=share

Posted by jicafriends at 03:48 PM | Comments (0)

September 05, 2011

Remembering Fred Fay, Upcoming USICD Events, and Other August News

http://www.usicd.org/template/index.cfm

Posted by jicafriends at 11:21 PM | Comments (0)

Child Laws Should Be Enforced-Zimbabwe

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

24 August 2011

Zimbabwe: Child Laws Should Be Enforced

There is no doubt that children are mankind's greatest asset; not only do they keep the human race alive, they also perpetuate the transmission of the body of knowledge, and hence development, from generation to generation.
They are our most enduring legacy, guarantors of our civilisation, past and present, and need to be nurtured with meticulous care and accorded all the support necessary so that they can reach their full potential and contribute meaningfully towards the realisation of a world fit for all.

Of late, however, there has been a disturbing upsurge in reports in the press of children with disabilities being abandoned by their parents soon after birth. While in other cases of abandonment, care has been taken to find the culprits and bring them to book, in the case of children with disabilities, however, abandonment reaches its lowest point.

Here, we are confronted with a situation where, after the mother has given birth to a child with disability, the father summarily abandons the family without any feeling of compassion, openly declaring that there is no way that he can give birth to a child with disability.

Worse still accusing the wife of infidelity and dabbling in witchcraft. The father is allowed to abandon his legal, moral, financial and emotional obligations with impunity by an indifferent society that conveniently chooses to look the other way.

On February 4, 2011, H-Metro reported the case of a mother who gave birth to a child with teeth. The father rushed to distance himself from paternity of the child, saying there was no way the child could have been his, and that the mother must have strayed from the marital bed. As is the norm in such cases, the mother will be left holding the baby as it were she will be the one to care single-handedly for the child till it grows up, thus creating a number of psychological problems for the child from which he or she seldom recovers.

There was not the slightest response from the authorities, or a whimper from human rights organisations, and not even a concerned groan from child protection societies. Zimbabwean child help societies remained sublimely supine in the face of this first form of violence on the rights of the child, choosing, as usual, to play the role of the innocent bystander. The church, though preaching that children a gift from God have also choose to remain mum on the matter.

Continue reading:http://allafrica.com/stories/201108240032.html

*The writer is Information and Communications Officer with the National Association of Societies for the Care of the Handicapped an umbrella body of organisations of and for people with disabilities in Zimbabwe.*

Posted by jicafriends at 02:55 PM | Comments (0)

September 02, 2011

IIM-A waste to help kids with visual, hearing impairments-India

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Dayananda Yumlembam, TNN | Sep 1, 2011, 01.07AM IST

Read More:PGPX|Married Students' Hostel|Indian Institute Of Management, Ahmedabad

AHMEDABAD: As students of Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) make the best of their waste, it will be the visually and hearing impaired children in the country who will be gaining out of it.

Every month, a mail that is circulated among the students of IIM-A fixes a date and points out a venue, usually one of the dorms in the campus. Students will then come individually and in groups to drop their old news papers and old magazines to the venue. The exercise accumulates more than 250 kilograms of old news papers on that single day.

In another corner of the campus, a spouse of a married student is busy accumulating the solid wastes coming out of the many households of the married students living in the Married Students' Hostel (MSH). Around 45 kilograms of wastes including empty bottles, cans, old clothes pile up in a month's time.

These activities are part of a social initiative recently launched by the students of IIM-A's Post Graduate Programme in management for Executives (PGPX). The students are regularly accumulating the institute's wastes. The revenue generated from selling these wastes is then donated to an NGO called Sense International (India) which supports local organizations working with visually and hearing impaired children.

Vikas Guru, 38, a PGPX student who initiated the exercise, said, "We are able to generate around two thousand rupees every month by selling the newspaper to the scrap collector. These amounts are donated to Sense International (India)."

Kothai Ramanathan, spouse of a PGPX student who is collecting the solid wastes from households in the campus said, "We will soon begin to sell what we have collected to increase the fund generation." The exercise which has become regular now is set to grow further. Many faculties and staffs of the institute have decided to join in.

"I always wanted to involve in supporting the underprivileged children. Being a student here and the environment in this campus have enabled me to finally make it happen. The exercise is here to stay as we will make sure that incoming batches carry it on," said Guru who was working as a deputy general manager with MTNL before coming to study at IIM-A.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/IIM-A-waste-to-help-kids-with-visual-hearing-impairments/articleshow/9814940.cms

Posted by jicafriends at 01:40 PM | Comments (0)

Visually impaired students included-Fiji

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Timoci Vula
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Fiji Times

FIJI'S education ministry is working with non-government organisations (NGOs) such as the Fiji Society for the Blind to ensure children with disability are not deprived of better education.

In a Ministry of Information statement, the ministry said for this year alone, it had successfully integrated 176 special education students into mainstream schools, a handful of whom were from the Fiji School for the Blind.

Fiji School for the Blind acting head teacher Makereta Musukasau said 11 students had been integrated into various primary and secondary schools.

"We've got two Form Four students at DAV Girls College, one Form Six student too at DAV Girls College and two Form Five students at DAV College," Ms Musukasau said in the statement.

"We also have a class five student at the Tagaqe District School in Nadroga, a Form Three student at John Wesley College, a Form Seven student at Dudley High School and two students integrated into the Fiji National University," she said.

Ms Musukasau said it was important that parents sent their children with special needs to school on time so they could be integrated into regular schools when the time was right.

Government has allowed visually-impaired students to be integrated into regular schools to provide them the same opportunities and educational experiences as those provided for children with normal eye sight.

"It is also to allow blind children and their families, neighbours, and friends to interact socially in normal situations. Development of the right educational environment will make integration of blind
children a reality," Mrs Musukasau added.

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=179289

Posted by jicafriends at 01:17 PM | Comments (0)

August 31, 2011

DU to introduce Braille EVMs, ramps-India

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Neha Pushkarna | Aug 31, 2011, 01.05AM IST

NEW DELHI: The visually-impaired can exercise their right to a secret ballot from now on. In order to make DUSU elections disabled-friendly, the university has decided to provide information on the electronic voting machines in Braille. Until last year, visually handicapped students voted with assistance from others. but that practice is going to be discontinued in the elections to be held on September 9.

The university also plans to make the polling booths more accessible with the installation of ramps.

"We want to make the entire election process more inclusive this time. The candidates' list is going to be provided in Braille. Besides, we will also put up ramps. We will be meeting all college principals in a day or two to apprise them of the development," said chief election officer, I Usha Rao. She said that her team will ensure that disabled students get an equal chance to cast their vote. The decision has been taken following the Supreme Court's 2005 order, which called for general elections to be made disabled-friendly.

Bipin Tiwari, deputy dean for differently-abled students, said, "The whole purpose of the secret ballot was defeated when the visually-impaired cast their votes with the aid of helpers. But now we are getting stickers made in Braille format." He added, "The Supreme Court order clearly mentions that there should be ramps at the polling stations, there should be no queues and the polling personnel should be sensitized. We are now trying to implement all this in DUSU elections."
According to Tiwari, at least 400 students will benefit from Braille EVMs this year.

The process for filing of nominations is on till August 29. The nominated candidates are allowed to withdraw their names by September 1. The list of final nominations will be put up later that day. Voting will take place from 8.30am to 12.30pm in morning colleges and from 4pm to 8pm in the evening colleges. The code of conduct for the elections is being prepared but like last year, candidates will not be allowed to use printed posters for campaigning.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/DU-to-introduce-Braille-EVMs-ramps/articleshow/9802417.cms

Posted by jicafriends at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)

August 29, 2011

RDRC, JICA Launch Access Campaign for the Disabled-Rwanda

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Aug 23, 2011 (The New Times/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- Rwanda Demobilization and Reintegration Commission (RDRC) in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on Friday launched a campaign to enable people with disabilities have a barrier-free environment.

Together with other partners in the fight against the violation of the rights of people with disabilities, the two parties met to devise lasting solutions to factors limiting disabled people from participating in social and economic activities.

"It is not only about the ex-combatants, but every disabled person deserves the right to enjoy his freedom and rights just like any other human being," said Brig. Gen. Peter Bagabo, a Commissioner in RDRC.
He added that people with any form of disability, should willingly be integrated in society as well as getting services they are entitled to.

Speaking to Sunday Times, one of the participants Zacharie Nkundiye, said they fail to access certain services in their day-to-day life due to unfriendly infrastructure.
"Some services are provided in buildings that were constructed without putting in place provisions for people with disabilities," Nkundiye said.
He explained that although the law is clear about the style of construction in regard to accessibility by people living with disabilities, the problem still exists.

Responding to Nkundiye's concern, Vedaste Hakizimana, a Community Development and Project Analyst at the Ministry of Local Government, said that according to construction guidelines, buildings, especially those meant to offer public services, must be designed with easy access for people with disabilities.

Hakizimana added that, the government is committed to making sure that people living with disabilities have their rights respected.
Copyright The New Times. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).

http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story.asp?storyid={e69f1b9c-78ea-42b5-85da-b642c1ea32cb

Posted by jicafriends at 02:25 PM | Comments (0)

August 25, 2011

United Voice Newsletter- August 2011-Malaysia

Dear friends,

For United Voice latest updates, please read our latest newsletter at http://www.unitedvoice.com.my/newsletter/2011AugNewsletter.pdf

Stories in this issue include:
+ Persidangan Advokasi Diri PDK - By Nazmi Kamarulzaman
+ 4th National Self-Advocacy Conference - By Lo Lit Whei
+ United Voice Art Exhibition @MATIC - By Dennis Liew
+ Conference at Geelong, Australia - By Felicia Fang

Thank you for your support.

Best Regards,

Committee and Staff of United Voice
http://www.unitedvoice.com.my/

Posted by jicafriends at 01:32 PM | Comments (0)

August 24, 2011

New Vision, Uganda:"The hidden disabled talents"

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Salaseini Vosamana

Publication date: Thursday, 18th August, 2011
Alex Ndeezi

A recent World Health Organization (WHO) estimate put the number of persons with disabilities )PWD) in Uganda at 16% of the country's 33 million people, meaning that over five million people have disabilities. The report, launched in May, is designed to help countries tap the potentials of PWDs and promote disability rights. However, the real figures are likely to be higher because many disabled people are hidden from society in inaccessible rural areas.

Getting an education is nearly impossible for all, but those who come from the wealthier sectors of society. Schools are simply unable to cater for them. And even if the school is prepared to accept the child, the logistics of a child who can't walk to school each day are generally insurmountable. About 70% of children with disabilities are not getting an education because of their disabilities. However, education and training for PWDs is sometimes made possible through a variety of associations, organizations and some of the skills education training authorities. For PWDs, if getting education is difficult, getting a job is almost 10 times more difficult.

Even though the Income Tax Act makes provision for a tax incentive for employers of 5% or more PWDs, persons with disabilities make up to just 0.2% of the work force in the NGO, private sector and public sector. This is partly due to the massive shortages of low skilled jobs for which PWDs traditionally qualified. The latest statistics from UBOS/URA show that employment is increasing but in more of non-formal sector. There are many reasons for the high rates of employment of PWDs, however, one of them is because of stereotyped negative attitudes and lack understanding of what disabilities entails. Getting persons with disabilities into the workplace has many and varied benefits from decreasing the burden on social welfare to raising the morale at the workplace and increases tax revenue on employment income. However, there are companies that would like to fix persons with disabilities into the workplace but they just do not know what to do. They also do not know how disabled persons would fit into their work environment or how they could be accommodated in a building designed for the able bodied.

Part of the problem is that people have a stereotyped view of what being a person with disabilities means. The assumption is that they will be employing a person in a wheelchair. But there are a great many conditions that qualify as disabled, from deafness to autism and Down syndrome to paraplegia. Diabetes and epilepsy also qualify as disabilities, and there is talk of obesity getting included in the category as it is becoming a serious problem especially in developing and middle income countries.

Disabled people have very different needs. There is need for flexibility from the employer and the employee. A person who needs to spend a day in a week on a dialysis machine, for example, might need to accept reduced pay if the company agrees to hire them on a four-days-a-week basis. To help companies who want to tap into these potentials, persons with disabilities should be given tasks they can perform to their best capabilities and cope with modifications that can be made.

The labour department in the ministry of Gender can play an important role in ensuring that both employers and employees understand each other and are accommodative of each other's needs. In terms of the Persons with Disabilities Act 2006, employers must reasonably accommodate the needs of disabled people to enable them advance in their employment. This could, for example, involve modifying existing equipment or buying new equipment like specialised computer hardware, re-organising work stations or changing assessment materials. One of the greatest challenges physically disabled persons have is not being able to move around. Modified cars are expensive and public transport is not geared towards people with disabilities. So even when he does secure a job, a disabled person is often unable to get there. This calls for accessible and affordable public transport facilities for these categories of people. The writer is MP respresenting PWDs

http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/459/762972

Posted by jicafriends at 05:23 PM | Comments (0)

Wheel Chair Tennis Tournament on Cards-Zimbabwe

We found the following information from the mailing list of "Disability and Development,"which is published by Mr. Soya Mori. It reminded us of Mr. Fabio Padilla, a former participant of Leadership Development Course 2006 who organized the International Wheelchair Tennis Tournament in Colombia.
http://www.jicafriends.jp/projects/latinamerica/colombia/001fabio/003.html

Ellina Mhlanga

11 August 2011

MORE than 30 wheelchair tennis players are expected to converge at Bulawayo Club for the Disabled for the first Bulawayo Open wheelchair tennis tournament scheduled for next week.

The competition will run from August 15 to 19 and will be recognised as part of this year's NEC Tour. However, the classification is for one year and the event will be re-evaluated next year.

The development comes after the Wheelchair Tennis Association of Zimbabwe were given the greenlight to host the event by the International Tennis Federation after successfully hosting two editions of the Harare Open last year in April and this year in May.

The national association have been commended by ITF for their developmental programmes that saw the body introducing the sport to Manicaland and Masvingo, beyond Harare and Bulawayo, who have been dominating the sport.

The tournament is expected to feature players from South Africa.

WTAZ vice president, Alexander Mkandla, said the event provided an opportunity for local players, who are not able to go for international competitions in other countries due to financial constraints, to showcase their talent.

"We have been preparing for the event and we are ready to go. The tournament will feature mainly local players and South Africans.

"So far we have 33 players who have confirmed their participation.

"We had closed the entries a week ago but we have players from Masvingo who have shown interest and I think we going to accommodate them.

"Most of the players are coming from Harare and this is an advantage for those who cannot afford to go outside the country because they can now get international exposure and experience when they take part in the competition.

"It is an opportunity for them to earn points for international rankings. It is also good for the development of the sport locally," said Mkandla.

The WTAZ vice president said they were hoping to spread the competition to other provinces.
"We now have four active provinces that are registered, that is Harare, Bulawayo, Masvingo and Manicaland while in Gweru we have some players but they are yet to be registered.

’We are looking at spreading the competitions to other provinces. Our players are excited, we have good players practising and preparing for the game and we are expecting a competitive event," said Mkandla.

Some of the players expected to compete include Zimbabwe's top player, Nyasha Mharakurwa, Samson Muroyiwa, Brian Mafuvise and Daniel Buleya.

Mharakurwa will be hoping to redeem his pride after losing the Harare Open to Robinson Mandez of Chile in May.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201108110972.html

Posted by jicafriends at 05:20 PM | Comments (0)

August 19, 2011

Information for spanish speaking jicafriends- Invitation to the International Congress for Persons with Disabilities in Chaco, Argentine

CONGRESO INTERNACIONAL DE DISCAPACIDAD EN LA PCIA DE CHACO. ARGENTINA

MIÉRCOLES 24 DE AGOSTO

LA PERSONA CON DISCAPACIDAD: ENTORNO FAMILIAR Y ÁMBITO SOCIAL

• Lic. Ana Dorfman - Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina - AMIA - Bs. As. - Argentina "Discapacidad, estado y sociedad civil"

• Sra. María Viterba Scheffer - CAIDIN - Centro de ayuda integral al discapacitado del norte - ONG Representante de la Provincia del Chaco- Agentina

• Escrit. Silvia Mirta Válori - Bs. As. - Argentina "Respeto del hogar y la familia: sexualidad, género y discapacidad"

• Mgter. Flavia Steiner - Centro Educativo Terapéutico MI LUGAR - Sta. Fe - Argentina - "Discapacidad y familia"

JUEVES 25 DE AGOSTO - De 10:45 a 13:00 HS.

4 EDUCACION: GARANTIA DE LAS PERSONAS CON DISCAPACIDAD COMO CIUDADANOS DE PLENO DERECHO PARA MEJORAR SU CALIDAD DE VIDA

• Lic. Ana Moyano - Ministerio de Educación de la Nación - Bs. As. - Argentina -
“Políticas de la Educación Especial en el País en el marco de la convención”

• Prof. Marta Insaurralde - Dirección de Educación Especial - MECCyT -
“Calidad de vida de la persona con discapacidad”

• Prof. Gonzalo Schugurensky - Corrientes - Argentina - “Educación y discapacidad: el derecho a la formación académica.”

• Esc.Amalia Dolinsky - Argentina -
“Familia y discapacidad: el respeto del hogar y la familia.”

• Escritora Silvia Mirta Valori - Argentina -
“Moda, diseño y discapacidad: el derecho a vestirse”

PDF (238KB)
PDF (172KB)
PDF (62KB)

Posted by jicafriends at 01:29 PM | Comments (0)

August 18, 2011

Going Public on the issue of aerobridge !-from Malaysia

Dear Friends,

Please read press release below.
Do come and give your support!
Please circulate. Thanks!

Regards,
Swee Lan
(Vocational Rehab. 2006)
***********************************************************

Dear Editor,

We, a group of disabled persons ,comprising of wheelchair users, people with walking difficulties, people with learning disabilities, people with low vision together with children in prams, senior citizens, pregnant women, frequent air travellers and concerned citizens, will be gathered this Saturday at the following venue, date and time :-

Venue : KL Sentral (Departure Hall)
Date : 20th August, 2011 (Sat)
Time : 11 am.

The purpose of the gathering is to express our strong objection to the decision made by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) not to build aerobridges at the newly constructed airport, KLIA2.

We wish to draw your attention to the news article in the business section of the STAR newspaper dated 15th July,2011 (Friday), titled “New LCT designed to enable installation of aerobridges” which reported that aerobridges will not be installed at KLIA2.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/7/15/business/9107067&sec=business

We are deeply disappointed that the decision made by MAHB was not done in consultation with the user groups and has not taken into consideration public opinion! As this is an important decision which will affect many user and consumer groups, MAHB should have consulted them and listened to their views before arriving at such a decision.

This decision by MAHB not to include aerobridges in the construction of the new airport is a backward step taken in the wrong direction!

Aerobridges allow easier, safe and secure access to boarding and disembarkation of all passengers especially passengers in wheelchairs, people with walking difficulties, senior citizens, children and pregnant women - more so during inclement weather. Airports without aerobridges pose great dangers and inconveniences especially to these group of users !

With the world statistics pointing to aging populations, we strongly think that aerobridge is a“must have” feature in all newly constructed airports including low cost carrier terminals. Aerobridge should and must be made a “universal feature” in all airport designs.

Our letter dated 18th July,2011, seeking for an appointment to meet Tan Sri Bashir, Managing Director of MAHB has received no response so far.

We, therefore, urge you to send a reporter and camera crew to this event to help carry our messages so as to draw the urgent attention of the top management of MAHB, cabinet Ministers and the public at large, hopefully to be able to influence the decision makers to restore their decision to re install the aerobridges at KLIA2 for the safety, security and convenience of all passengers ! Help us make KLIA2 fully accessible for all !

Thank you for your support !

Posted by jicafriends at 08:01 PM | Comments (0)

August 16, 2011

Finance training at disabled centre-Fiji

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Salaseini Vosamana
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Fiji Times

BASIC financial literacy training has been introduced at the Fiji National Council for Disabled Centre to educate 15 physically-challenged youths on income, expense and budget saving.

The first ever training was part of the National Youth Day celebrations.
Centre women and youth officer Elenoa Lavetiviti said the youths were representatives of various communities.

"The training will enable these youths to be self-sufficient and independent as they will understand the nature of saving," she said.

"They will be able to start their own small businesses through the knowledge they gain from the training.

"They can also share it with their peers in the community so everyone has a better idea of financial literacy."

Facilitator Tom Victor said the objective of the training was to impart to young people the basic steps of utilising funds.

"Our main aim is to educate these youths and make them understand the importance of money and how they can save it," he said.

"There is a high demand for this training because it transforms youths to become reliable and consistent people even though some of them are not well-educated.

"With the current economic crisis, it is important that people are able to manage money wisely."

The training was funded by the Department of Youth and Sports.

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=177663

Posted by jicafriends at 09:05 AM | Comments (0)

August 15, 2011

Qtel Shops staff learn sign language to help disabled-Qtal

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Qtel’s special needs training group This summer, 17 employees who work in Qtel Shops throughout Doha are learning sign language, to be better equipped to assist hearing-impaired customers.
The training programme is an extension of the company’s community outreach initiative known as “Access for All,” launched in December 2010. “Access for All” is dedicated to addressing the needs of the disabled.
In June, 17 customer service representatives who are team leaders and heads of sections at Qtel Shops received week-long training.
The daily training was conducted by Mohammed Ali Bin Ali and Samir Samareen, both certified sign language trainers.
In early September, the Qtel customer service training unit will conduct two more week-long sessions on sign language to complete the course for the designated staff.
Qtel will have customer service representatives who are proficient in sign language at its Villaggio, Al Rayyan, Salwa and Hyatt Plaza shops by early October. They will be easily identifiable by their badges,
which will say “I speak sign language.” In the coming months, Qtel will train customer service representatives in sign language to staff its Al Wakhra, City Center and Al Khor shops as well.
Qtel has partnered with Mada (Qatar Assistive Technology Centre) and Vodafone under the umbrella “Access for All” initiative, which aims to give disabled people in Qatar the tools they need to successfully communicate and participate in society.
Under the “Access for All” initiative, the disabled now have access to special handsets and accessories as well as new Qtel call centre and customer billing services.
In addition, the Qtel website has been updated with a dedicated section for the disabled, with helpful information and assistive tools such as magnification.
To qualify for a special 50% discount on Qtel assistive technology and services offered through “Access for All,” all a customer has to do is show a disability ID card produced by the Society of Special Needs & Rehabilitation in Qatar. Anyone who is over 65 also qualifies. As individual customers, the disabled receive this discount on all mobile,
Internet and landline services except for international calls. The disabled are also eligible to receive a specialised handset at a 50% discount every two years.

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=452110&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16

Posted by jicafriends at 04:40 PM | Comments (0)

August 10, 2011

Kokorozashi IL Undou-Phnom Penh CIL, Cambodia

Personal attendant training in Cambodia.jpg

From 28th to 29th July, 2 days Attendant Training was held at Phnom Penh CIL office.

The training aims that severe disabled persons and non-disabled persons deeply understand and satisfy with each other in sequence to eliminate discrimination in order to make one society for all.

Phnom Penh CIL have conducted this attendant training and the criteria target is university students and persons who are interested in disability issues and social welfare.

Please visit the following website for more information;
http://phnompenhcil.blogspot.com/

Phnom Penh CIL; http://www.ppcil.org/

Posted by jicafriends at 09:25 AM | Comments (0)

August 08, 2011

Good practice in Tajikkistan

Hello dear friends!

From July, 11 till July, 14th our organization has spent automobile race under the motto «Life it there is a movement». Active workers of our organization in number of 25 persons by 5 hand-operated cars have passed a way to 1000 kilometers. We stopped in each administrative center and met a management of areas. We propagandized the Convention of the United Nations on the rights of invalids, also were engaged in propagation of a healthy way of life and tried to make active PWDs on places. It would be desirable to notice that our action also has been dated to 20 years independence of Tajikistan. Automobile race has been spent with support of Fund Soros Tajikistan within the limits of the program «Initiatives the CRPD ratification republic of Tajikistan», Open Company Gazpromneft Tajikistan and the Device of president republic of Tajikistan.

Automobile race has passed at active participation of mass-media and at the moment the video film of this automobile race prepares.

After automobile race UNDP and the Tajik center on a mine action has entrusted us to realize the project Summer camp for victim. Summer camp passed from July, 14 till July, 25th in mountain gorge Romit. Except rest suffered from mines and received physical inability participated in trainings and seminars where we tried to explain to them that physical inability it not tragedy and with physical inability it is possible to live and be useful to a society.

It is short about sewing activity.

dest regards,
Asadullo

Posted by jicafriends at 11:51 PM | Comments (0)

Launching on Establishing the first IL Organization in Myanmar/ Nay Lin Soe

Nay Lin Soe

Dear JICA Friends,

Good Evening.
Today, we are very happy to announce and share you good news from Myanmar.
We, three Myanmar with disabilities who have completed one year training program named DUSKIN Leadership Training in Japan; a Program for persons with disabilities in Asia and the Pacific Region, founded a NGO of disabled people named “MyanmarDuskin Independent Living Initiative (MyanmarDuskin ILI)” in Yangon on May 8th 2011 to initiate and start the independent living movement of persons with disabilities in Myanmar with the following vision and missions.
Vision
To build an inclusive and right-based barrier-free society where persons with disabilities can live independently with their fullest potential as others
Mission
- To empower and support persons with disabilities for their independent living
- To advocate and promote the inclusion and rights of persons with disabilities

To reach the vision and mission; MyanmarDuskin ILI is going to implement the following activities;
1) Advocacy: Disability Equality Training, Disability Rights Training to GO, NGOs, Religious sectors, Business sectors, Professionals and Media groups
2) Capacity development: Training, Seminar, Workshop, Conference, Study program and Visits for Disabled people’s organizations, Parent groups and Individual disabled persons
3) IL Centers - National, Regional, State and Township levels
4) Programs, Projects and Actions for independent living and equal rights of persons with disabilities in the community
We attached our profile for your information.
As IL is the first and very new for Myanmar people, we MyanmarDuskin ILI are going to introduce IL concept to Myanmar society and initiate and promote the IL movement of disabled people in Myanmar.
In conclusion, we would like to request you all to share us necessary information, experience and supports for independent living of persons with disabilities in Myanmar. Also, we welcome your advice and suggestion to all of us.
Please keep in touch with us.

3-Founders and Staffs

Best regards,
Nay Lin Soe (Mr.)
Program Director
MyanmarDuskin Independent Living Initiative (MyanmarDuskin-ILI)

Chairman
Network for Myanmar Disabled People (N.M.D.P)

Email: nay.lin.star@gmail.com

http://jicafriends.jp/world/trends/living/myanmar/index.html

Posted by jicafriends at 11:38 PM | Comments (0)

August 05, 2011

Barrier-free campuses for handicapped-Pakistan

Lets Move to Change the Society.bmp

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Published: July 29, 2011

LAHORE - Pakistan’s first Independent Living Centre (making disabled persons’ access to campuses unhindered) is to be set up at the Lahore College for Women University. Japan’s Milestone and Mainstream Association International will provide assistance and guidance for the centre, University VC Prof. Dr. Sabiha Mansoor told a seminar held at the campus on Thursday.
“The centre will be the first in the country’s public sector universities. The LCWU will sign an MoU with the Japanese association and the institutions will work together for designing the LCWU’s campus on the principle of the Universal Design for Barrier-Free Architecture. (All academic and administrative buildings of the University will be set up on that design.)
“The centre will also provide technical assistance to other universities and educational institutions across Pakistan regarding designing their barrier-free campus,” she said while appreciating the role of the Environmental Science Department of the University for initiating environmental awareness activities and research projects.

The seminar on “Accessible Living Environment for All” was hosted by Environmental Science Department. A delegation of Mainstream Association International including Mr. Matsushima, Mr. Kirian, Mr. Sato and Mr. Shunji Kadaota addressed the seminar. The Japanese partner institutions include Tokyo Institute of Technology, Aichi Gakuin University, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and International Center for Literacy and Culture in Tokyo.

Dr. Kausar Jamal Cheema, Dean Faculty of Natural Sciences, Prof. of Environmental Science Department delivered keynote address. In her address, she described the international protocol and agreements about the rights of persons with disability.
She mentioned different environmental hazards and factors that pose risks and cause disability. She highlighted the needs of designing the campus LCWU which would be barrier free for all in respect of mobility and access.

She stressed that the Millennium Development Goal for ensuring environmental sustainability cannot be achieved unless effective change takes place in national policies and programs. She explained that Disability results from an interaction between a non-inclusive society and individuals.
For example; person using a wheelchair might have difficulties gaining employment not because of the wheelchair, but because there are environmental barriers such as signs, inaccessible buses or staircases and ramps which impede access.
Students and staff of educational institutions with mobility related problems and vision impairment become more physically at risk in case of inaccessible buildings, emergency and in situations of disasters.

Mobility and access to class rooms, laboratories, library, computer facilities, cafeteria, grounds and students activity centres are the issues that need special care and priority to address to make institutions more friendly and conducive for the participation of these people more effectively. In case of emergency or accident, evacuating in time and sheltering are the issues of consideration, she added.

Mr. Farrukh Mehmood Malik, President of MILESTONE and Ms. Maria Qureshi described the story of movement of the Milestone Society for the betterment of persons with disability and their independent living environment. Mr. Shafiq ur Rahman, founder of the Milestone Society delivered a detailed lecture focusing on the need of establishing Independent Living Center at educational institutions, such as LCWU.

Japanese leaders from Mainstream Association International, Osaka, Japan described the history of Independent Living movement in Japan and gave their recommendations to establish barrier free living environment for persons with disability in an educational set up in Pakistan. Mr. Shunji Kadaota highlighted the need of self determination as first step towards independent living.

http://nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Lahore/29-Jul-2011/Barrierfree-campuses-for-handicapped

Posted by jicafriends at 09:45 AM | Comments (0)

July 27, 2011

Celebrating ADA and Disability Rights Around the World -- July 2011 Newsletter

http://usicd.org/template/index.cfm

Posted by jicafriends at 08:04 PM | Comments (0)

July 21, 2011

5th African Forum On Blindness Opens-Ghana

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

The Ghana Blind Union, in collaboration with the World Blind union and the African Union of the blind, has begun a 4 _day African forum on blindness in Accra on the theme: “Access Africa—Exploiting The Full Benefits Of Social Inclusiveness For All Persons”. In a speech delivered to open the forum, the Minister for Employment and Social Welfare, Hon. Enoch Teye Mensah, disclosed that modern services for the blind and partially sighted were started by philanthropists and missionaries which eventually led to the establishment of the Akropong School for the blind and a sheltered workshop for the blind at Adabraka.
The Minister said the declaration of the International year of Persons with Disability in 1981 and activities in the decade which followed including the social and political changes in Ghana re-awakened interest of government leading to discussions to have a Disability Act to protect the rights of affected persons.
Hon. Mensah said in 2006, Parliament promulgated the Persons with Disability Law (Act 17), while in 2009, a National Council of Persons with Disabilities was established to oversee the implementation of the provisions of the law. He pointed out that the passage of persons with Disability Act in August 2006 preceded the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in December which contained all its core principles including access to education, employment, health services, and family and community life to promote inclusiveness in all development agenda.
He said as part of efforts to promote inclusiveness in all our development agenda, District Assemblies, which are the equivalent of the Council under the US political system, is enjoined by law to set aside 2% of the Common Fund to support persons with disabilities in their education and for tolls to establish their own means of livelihood. “While these achievements must be acknowledged and celebrated, we need to recognize at the same time that there is much more work ahead of us still”, he added.
Hon. Mensah expressed regret about the challenges faced on the need for skills in managing disability issues at all levels —national, regional and community, noting that there was the need to have people who understood the issues manning the post at every level of the chain of service delivery.
He gave the assurance that government would continue to pursue a national development agenda that prioritized the realization of citizens’ rights and entitlements which enhanced the nation’s democratic development and constitutional rule. “We will persist in this because we believe that a safer, stronger, Ghana will be achieved through developing a more equal Ghana – a Ghana where everyone has opportunities to fulfill their potential, where no talent is wasted”, he added.
Present at the four-day forum are both national and international groups of the blind.

http://www.ghana.gov.gh/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6505:5th-african-forum-on-blindness-opens&catid=28:general-news&Itemid=162

Posted by jicafriends at 01:51 PM | Comments (0)

July 12, 2011

Computer training report 2nd quarter

Dear jica friends, please find the attach report. happy reading. thanks, vashkar

PDF (334KB)

Posted by jicafriends at 03:07 PM | Comments (0)

June 27, 2011

CRPD Outreach and Education; WHO World Report on Disability; GDRL Online Prototype; and More...

Newsletter

http://usicd.org/template/index.cfm

Posted by jicafriends at 10:35 PM | Comments (0)

June 23, 2011

Global Disability Rights Library Newsletter - June 2011

website image

http://www.usicd.org/template/index.cfm

Posted by jicafriends at 02:34 PM | Comments (0)

Request for Publishing a XIII International Training Course on Disability & Development 8th to 15th September 2011

Greetings from Actionaid-India !

We are happy to announce XIII International Training Course on Disability & Development which is scheduled from 8th to 15th September 2011 at Bangalore. The eight day intensive exercise is intended for Programme Managers of organisations and projects involved in development and disability work. The course is designed to equip the participants with appropriate attitudes, necessary knowledge and basic skills to initiate, monitor, develop and strengthen disability and development programmes apart from facilitating information exchange among participants. The participants will also be exposed to updated knowledge, information and perspectives for disseminating the same. Faculty comprises a team of distinguished professionals, practitioners, disabled activists and management experts.

The workshop is targeted at middle and senior level professionals from the Government, NGOs, International NGOs and individuals interested in disability work. The number of participants will be restricted to 25. The course will emphasise the use of participatory learning approaches and have a fieldwork component. Lectures, group discussions, case studies and work analysis will form an essential component of the programme. The last date for receiving duly filled applications is 22nd July 2011.

Kindly publish the information and pass on to interested candidates, please find enclosed files for details and do revert back incase of clarifications.
Thanking you,

PDF (97KB)
PDF(Form) (154KB)

Warm regards,

Raghavendra B.Pachhapur,

Programme Officer - Disability Unit, No.139, Richmond Road, Bangalore - 560 025 | Tel: + 91 080 43650650 | Fax: +91 080 25586284|Website :www.actionaid.org

Posted by jicafriends at 02:03 PM | Comments (0)

June 14, 2011

Involve disabled people in DRR: Dr Luveni-Fiji

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

June 10, 2011 03:31:35 PM
By Repeka Nasiko
Fijilive.com

An important part of disaster planning and management is understanding disability and how people with disability can be included in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) says Minister for Social Welfare Dr. Jiko Luveni.

While opening the Disability Inclusiveness Disaster and Risk Management Workshop in Nasese, Dr. Luveni said DRR concerned the whole community and therefore it was important that vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities to be included in the management plans.

“Persons with disability have special needs but also have special abilities. Disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction considers how needs of persons with disability can be addressed and also how they can contribute to disaster risk reduction and disaster management.

“Specific developments in the policy arena, further confirms the commitment by the State through the establishment of the FNCDP Act of (1994) and the Signing of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in (2010),” said Dr Luveni .

http://www.fijilive.com/news/2011/06/10/33824.Fijilive

Posted by jicafriends at 02:10 PM | Comments (0)

June 13, 2011

JICA Training Course: Mainstreaming of Persons with Disabilities for African Countries -Independent Living Program-(For Group A: Government Officer)

Dear jicafriends living in African countries,

Mainstreaming Course consists of two groups, A is programmed for the government officers and B is for leaders of disabled people's organizations.
Deadline of Group A is also 23 June, 2011.

Please share the following information with your friends.

The secretariat of jicafriends

****************************************************************************

1. Title: Mainstreaming of Persons with Disabilities for African Countries -Independent Living Program- (J1100872)

2. Period of program
Duration of whole program: July 2011 to December 2011
Preliminary Phase: July 2011 to August 2011 (in a participant’s home country)
Core Phase in Japan: August 28 to September 10, 2011
Finalization Phase: September to December 31, 2011 (in a participant’s home country)

3. Target Regions or Countries:
Kenya, Malawi, and South Africa,
,
4. Overall Goal:
The participants will acquire skills to develop scheme of IL which lead to empowering persons
with disabilities and promoting UN "Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities" and
the 2nd "African Decade of Disabled Persons” in African countries.

5. Objective:
At the end of the program, the participants are expected to achieve the followings;
(1) To understand importance of including persons with disabilities into the processes of
policy-making and implementation to promote the UNCRPD
(2) To examine meanings of IL movement as a way to advocate the rights of persons with
disabilities
(3) To understand the importance of accessibility of built environment and
communication in developing IL
(4) To promote IL concept as a basis of disability policy
(5) To draw out a countrywide action plan to reinforce IL of persons with disabilities

6．Eligible / Target Organization：
Relevant ministries which are in charge of policies/administration regarding persons with
disabilities

7．Total Number of Participants： 6

8．Language to be used in this project： English

9. Contents:
The program of this year is designed with focusing on “Realization of Rights of Persons with
Disabilities” as a principle theme.

Posted by jicafriends at 02:19 PM | Comments (0)

JICA Training Course: Mainstreaming of Persons with Disabilities for African Countries–Independent Living Program- (For Group B: Leaders of Disabled People’s Organizations)

Dear jicafriends living in African countries,

We would like to inform you about the following JICA training course.
Application deadline is 23 June, 2011. Only 10 days left!
If you live in one of target countries and know someone appropriate, please encourage him/her to apply.

The secretariat of jicafriends

******************************************************************************

1．Title: Mainstreaming of Persons with Disabilities for African Countries –Independent Living Program- (For Group B: Leaders of Disabled People’s Organizations) (J1100872)

2. Period of program
Duration of whole program: July 2011 to December 2011
Preliminary Phase: July 2011 to August 2011 (in a participant’s home country)
Core Phase in Japan: August 21 to September 10, 2011
Third Country Phase in Thailand: September 11 to 17, 2011
Finalization Phase: September to December 31, 2011 (in a participant’s home country)

3. Target Regions or Countries:
Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia,
,
4. Overall Goal:
The participants will acquire management skills to take initiatives for their movements of independent living which lead to empowering DPO(Disability Persons' Organization)s and promoting "Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities" and "African Decade of Disabled Persons” in African countries.

5. Objective:
At the end of the program, the participants are expected to achieve the following;
(1) To examine meanings of IL movement as a way to advocate the rights of persons with
disabilities
(2) To study measures to implement peer-counseling, IL program, provision of personal assistance
and other services, and IL center management
(3) To understand the importance of accessibility of built environment and communication in
developing IL
(4) To promote i IL concept which implies how disability policies should be made
(5) To draw out a countrywide action plan to reinforce IL of persons with disabilities, and
(6) To consider effective models of IL movement and IL center in developing country in Africa

6．Eligible / Target Organization：
National Disabled People's Organizations (DPOs) actively involved in the mainstreaming and empowerment of persons with disabilities in the member countries of Southern Africa Federation
of the Disabled (SAFOD) and Pan African Federation of the Disabled (PAFOD).
The course for the Group B is NOT for government organizations (such as Ministry of Social
Welfare, Ministry of Health, etc.), only for DPOs.

7．Total Number of Participants： 11

8．Language to be used in this project： English

9. Contents:
The program of this year is designed with focusing on “Realization of Rights of Persons with
Disabilities” as a principle theme.

Posted by jicafriends at 02:00 PM | Comments (1)

World Report on Disability by WHO and the World Bank

We are very happy to announce you that the first ever World report on disability, produced jointly by WHO and the World Bank.

The report provides the best available evidence about what works to overcome barriers to health care, rehabilitation, education, employment, and support services, and to create the environments which will enable people with disabilities to flourish. The report ends with a concrete set of recommended actions for governments and their partners.

WHO URL:http://www.who.int/disabilities/world_report/2011/en/index.html
Full report: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2011/9789240685215_eng.pdf
Technical content: http://www.who.int/disabilities/world_report/2011/report/en/index.html

The secretariat of jicafriends

Posted by jicafriends at 10:10 AM | Comments (0)

June 07, 2011

We have UN CONVENTION WITH US NOW‐Pakistan

Dear leaders of Disability movement

Pakistani disabled persons achieved Ratification of UN CONVENTION the GOvernment of Pakistan. My organization MIlestone Strugle a lot with all collegue organization. Credit goes to all disabled persons of the world that we achieve an other country for the right based society but our realy strugle start from today regarding implementations.

Shafiq Ur Rehman
Make the Right Real

ISLAMABAD, June 6 (APP):
President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday signed the Instrument of Ratification on UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at Aiwan-e-Sadr at a special ceremony attended by persons with special needs, members of civil society, NGOs and INGOs. The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2006. So far, 148 states have signed and 100 have ratified this important convention. The Government of Pakistan signed the convention on September 25, 2008.
Addressing the gathering, the President termed the day as historic and said that it was a great pleasure and privilege that the signing and the ratification was happening during the present democratic government.

The President said the Constitution of Pakistan guarantees equal rights to all citizens.
“The teachings of Islam also lay great emphasis on protecting the weak including orphans, widows, elderly, poor and, above all, the persons with disabilities,” he continued.
“In line with our values and the Constitution we will fulfil our responsibility towards the special people,” he vowed.
The President said, “it was our duty to look after and take care of the people with special needs. We all have to work together to fill in the gap created by the nature in some people.”
He called upon members of civil society, NGOs and affluent people to assist the government in ensuring that the people with special needs are being properly looked after.
President Zardari said caring for the special people was very close to his heart and he was personally committed to the cause of disabled people.
In August, 2009, he recalled, special CNIC scheme for the special persons was launched by him in the Presidency.
He said the aim was to identify special people throughout the country and provide them facilities to live in peace and dignity.
These facilities include importing duty free cars, 50% concession in airlines and railways and free medical treatment in public sector hospitals. So far NADRA has issued 96,000 Special CNICs, he added.
The President said it was also a matter of great pleasure to learn that the Directorate General of Special Education has also taken various initiatives for the welfare of special people.
Establishment of Special Education Departments at Allama Iqbal Open University, University of the Punjab and Karachi University, bill on provision in building codes to give accessibility to special people, construction of Special Education buildings in main cities, declaring the Federal Capital and provincial headquarters as disabled friendly cities, permission to special persons to appear in CSS exams and establishment of 127 Special Education Centres in main cities were among those initiatives, he noted.
The President said, “these are all important steps but are not enough and the government wants to do more. We will do more.”
The President called upon the federal and provincial governments to carefully review the UN Convention and take all necessary steps for the protection and due care of every special person.
Wishing all the people concerned involved in taking care of people with special needs, the President hoped that they would continue to serve the cause with even greater zeal in the days to come.
The gathering, at the end of the ceremony, also offered Fateha for the President’s father late Hakim Ali Zardari.

Posted by jicafriends at 05:02 PM | Comments (0)

June 01, 2011

Celebrating a milestone-Fiji

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

By Samisoni Nabilivalu
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Fiji Times

THE Fiji Association of the Deaf has herald in a new era with a celebration.

The celebration at last week's Deaf Awareness Week at the Fiji National Council for Disabled Persons' Suva headquarters, though subdued at times was an occasion worth making noise for as the deaf community marked the inclusion of sign language interpreters on news broadcasts by Mai TV.

Association project officer Makarita Vuli, who has a hearing impairment, said that while it was expected to be a slow process, members of the association were happy they were being given better access to information.

The association along with the Fiji Sign Language Interpreters Committee has been pushing, since 2004, for the inclusion of interpreters or captions during news broadcasts.

In 2006, a chance meeting between association president Serevi Rokotuibau and acting Information Ministry deputy permanent secretary Setaita Naita resulted in the cause gaining an ally within government's higher echelons.

According to Fiji Sign Language Interpreters Committee general secretary Mere Mafi Kacisolomoni, the support of the Government eventually brought about an invitation from the Information Ministry for the inclusion of interpreters during their news programmes on Mai TV.

"The reaction from the deaf community has been one of gratefulness as they can now also enjoy the news.

"As interpreters, this is also quite an achievement for us and we are hoping that in time interpreting sign language will be recognised as an occupation," added Mrs Kacisolomoni.

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=171212

Posted by jicafriends at 01:05 PM | Comments (0)

May 30, 2011

JICA Leadership Training Program for Future Leaders in Sports for Persons with Disability

Dear jicafriends,

Leadership Training Program for Future Leaders in Sports for Persons with Disability is going to start from September 27, 2011.

Nine participants will be selected from Philippine, Laos, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, India, Fiji, Samoa and Cook Islands.

Eligible organizations or persons are as follows;
（1） Government agencies and departments responsible for sports for persons with
disability
or
（2） National Paralympics Committees (includes National Sport Federations and/or
related organizations for sports for persons with disability)

Application deadline is July 15, 2011.

More information can be obtained from the following page;
http://www.jicafriends.jp/jicainfo/pdf/J1100806.pdf

Posted by jicafriends at 10:57 AM | Comments (0)

May 26, 2011

Handicapped persons start 72-hr long hunger strike-India

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

WEDNESDAY, 25 MAY 2011 22:38 KDNN

Srinagar: Accusing the government of indifference, scores of handicapped persons Wednesday began a 72-hour-long hunger strike here, to press for their demands.

Scores of handicapped persons under the banner of Jammu and Kashmir Handicapped Association staged a protest demonstration at the Press Enclave here this morning.

Carrying placards that read “Down with the Social Welfare Department,” “Fulfill our demands immediately,” and “Give free education to our children,” the protesters were demanding implementation of Disability Act 1998, which provides 3 per cent reservation to handicapped persons in government jobs, increase in monthly financial support from 400 rupees to 1500 rupees, introduction of the Braille system of education in Jammu and Kashmir, replacement of diesel motorcycles in place of tricycles, etc.

“Leave alone solving our problems the authorities are not even serious about listening to us. That’s why we have decided to sit on a hunger strike to draw the government’s attention,” Sajad Ahmad Masoodi. President J&K Handicapped Association said.

Sajad further revealed that there were 3.6 lakh physically challenged people in the state, with the largest number of handicapped people belonging to Kupwara and Baramulla district of north Kashmir.

“Kupwara has 38,530 physically challenged people while the number has shot up to 39,421 in Baramulla district," Sajad said.

http://www.kashmirdispatch.com/city/25053523-handicapped-persons-start-72-hr-long-hunger-strike.htm

Posted by jicafriends at 04:50 PM | Comments (0)

May 25, 2011

DPI-AP Regional Workshop in India

WDear friends,

Please note the information attached for a Regional Workshop in India in August 2011 and circulate among your networks,.

PDF01 (212KB)
PDF02 (216KB)

DPI-AP Information Support
e-mail: infosupport@dpiap.org
web : www.dpiap.org

Posted by jicafriends at 06:10 PM | Comments (0)

STAR Project-Pakistan

Dear jicafriends,

A STAR project (Abbottabad Social participation Through Awareness Raising) produced short movies for raising awareness of disability issues. We are sorry that subtitles are only in Japanese.
We hope you will get some clues.

Part 1-6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fhigQrec7o
Part 7-11: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l173CC8euZ8
Part 12-15: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFmKH68c1zA

A former participant of Leadership Development 2010 actively involves in A STAR project. And he wrote a project plan, "leadership training for A STAR project."
http://www.jicafriends.jp/leaders/pdf/l2010projectpakistan0101.pdf

URL for A STAR project: http://sky.geocities.jp/a_star_project/index.html

The secretariat of jicafriends

Posted by jicafriends at 03:38 PM | Comments (0)

May 23, 2011

1-2-Know: Reading braille in speach-Malaysia

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

(newstraitstimes)
2011/05/15

THE Wonkook Lee Snail reader is a tiny technological gadget that has the potential to revolutionalise reading for the visually impaired.

It is a small rolling wheel device pressure-activated to read braille. The rolling wheel has a pressure-sensitive surface that is triggerd ny the shape of braille bumps, which then triggers the Snail's speaker to voice the text to reader. The reader has the option of listening to the text out loud or in private through their Bluetooth headset. There is also a recording button on the side of the Snail allowing readers to record and listen to their text at a later time. Reading braille without the Wonkook Lee Snail is much less efficient. Check out store yankodesign.com

http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/1-2-KNOW_Readingbrailleinspeech/Article/
http://www.yankodesign.com/2011/05/05/reading-braille-aloud/

Posted by jicafriends at 11:26 AM | Comments (0)

May 19, 2011

New JUTC buses for disabled Others to be retrofitted-Jamaica

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Jamaica Observer
Wednesday, May 18, 2011

THE Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) has rolled out three new buses, which will be used to serve the disabled community. The new additions brings to six the number of buses now serving the disabled in Kingston.

JUTC Managing Director Paul Abrahams, said that 55,000 disabled persons are transported yearly on three routes serviced by the JUTC. Abrahams added that while the regular service has designated seats that cater for disabled individuals, the new units will greatly assist in boosting that effort.

"As part of our mandate at the JUTC, we have to ensure that we pay special attention to this operation, which is so greatly needed and in much demand," he said.

Social Affairs Officer at the Combined Disabilities Association, Theresa Grant said that with more uses, children with intellectual disabilities and other individuals will enjoy the benefits of getting to where they want to go on time.

"We are appreciative that the JUTC found it possible, along with the Government, to improve this service and we are indeed looking forward to even more improvement in this area. On behalf of the Combined Disabilities Association, I want to say thanks to the JUTC," Miss Grant said.

Minister of Transport Mike Henry said that the JUTC will be retrofitting some of the refurbished buses to suit the requirements of the disabled community.

"My job is to make sure that persons who are less fortunate in the society, have access to public transportation to get them home safely," said Henry.

The fleet of buses assigned to the disabled community serve the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre, Lister Mair-Gilby Senior School for the Deaf, Hope Valley Experimental School, the Abilities Foundation, Salvation Army School for the Blind and the School of Hope.

Posted by jicafriends at 03:57 PM | Comments (0)

Ensuring equal employment opportunities for 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.

(VOV) - The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) held a seminar in Hanoi on May 11 to review the project to generate jobs for disabled people.

The project “Opportunities for Every one” is part of a national programme for sustainable employment launched by the ILO in Vietnam to ensure that people with disabilities and those living with HIV/AIDS will have equal access to employment.

Director of the ILO in Vietnam, Rie Veijs Kjeldgaard said that the unemployment rate for disabled people is really a heavy burden on society though many businesses are, in fact, willing to generate jobs for disabled people. “Opportunities for every one” will help strengthen cooperation between businesses and the people with disabilities.

The programme’s expert, Ms Caitlin Wyndham, affirmed the project has had initial success in setting up steering committees in businesses. She also pledged to continue providing expertise and support to businesses, adding that the ILO and VCCI will discuss expanding the project in the future.

Under the programme, many businesses have committed to offer employment opportunities to people with disabilities.

http://english.vovnews.vn/Home/Ensuring-equal-employment-opportunities-for-disabled-people/20115/126522.vov

Posted by jicafriends at 02:16 PM | Comments (0)

May 18, 2011

Beijing opens hearing dog center-China

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Sunday marks Help-the-Disabled Day in China. The day aims to raise awareness of the plight faced by the country's 80 million people living with disabilities. The deaf and people with impaired hearing account for about a quarter of this figure.

To mark the day, Beijing established its first hearing dog training center. The trained canines alert their owners to important sounds, such as doorbells, smoke alarms and ringing telephones. Hearing dogs provide a vital service by barking or physically leading their owners away from danger, for instance in the case of a ringing fire alarm. After alerting their owners, dogs are rewarded by being given a treat. The dogs can be trained in as little as three months.

http://www.china.org.cn/video/2011-05/16/content_22573809.htm

Posted by jicafriends at 11:38 AM | Comments (0)

300,000 disabled folk yet to register with dept-Malaysia

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

(thestaronline)
Wednesday May 4, 2011

IPOH: An estimated 300,000 disabled people have yet to register themselves and the Welfare Department is going all out to locate them.

Its director-general Hadzir Md Zain said to date only 300,000 were in the department's database.

"Although public awareness has grown over the years, there are still many who have yet to register with us," he said.

Speaking to reporters after the launch of an early intervention campaign for children with disabilities, Hadzir said parents' denial and lack of information on availability of assistance were among the reasons why parents were not coming forward to register their disabled child.

Hdzir said the department would organise roadshows and registration campaign to locate and persuade diabled people to sign up.

"Sometimes, we also take part in community programmes carried out by other agencies," he added.

On another matter, Hadzir said the department welcomed the setting up of more community rehabilitation centres.

"At present, there are 428 centres in the country," he said.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/5/4/nation/8601832&sec=nation

Posted by jicafriends at 09:49 AM | Comments (0)

May 16, 2011

Majority of buildings not user-friendly, says chartered architect-Sri Lanka

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

More than 60 percent of buildings in Sri Lanka mainly in the private sector including supermarkets, banks and toilets are not designed by professionally qualified architects, said Professor Harsha Munasinghe, chartered architect and acting Dean and Head of Moratuwa University’s Department of Architecture.

Dr Ajith C. S. Perera speaking at the event
He said so at a programme organized by IDIRIYA, a non-profit organization focusing on disability rights and supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) to highlight the importance of designing and constructing buildings in accordance of design specifications, standards and regulations now in force towards social inclusion.

Disability activist and accessibility advisor Dr Ajith C. S. Perera said designers and building owners disregard the specified standards set by the Supreme Court in 2009 October and further strengthened in last April, thereby posing safety hazards to everyone, especially to pregnant women, senior citizens, visually impaired persons and those recovering after surgery and illnesses.

Dr. Perera highlighted how a pregnant woman recently had a near fatal fall at the newest outlet of a leading supermarket chain in Colombo. “
It was revealed that the root causes here are the failure of owners in their moral duties, social responsibilities and legal obligations to adhere to specifications and design for safety and accessibility – two inherent rights of all citizens,” he said.

“It is detrimental that laws in force are ineffective allowing the owners, designers and builders who are violators of standards and regulations are still allowed to go scot-free whilst the victims suffer, even with their precious lives” revealed Dr. Perera .

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/110515/News/nws_14.html

Posted by jicafriends at 05:07 PM | Comments (0)

May 13, 2011

UN chief welcomes 100th ratification of UN disability convention as ‘milestone’

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

12 May 2011 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today hailed Colombia’s signing of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as an “important milestone,” emphasizing the treaty’s role in providing inclusion and development for persons with disabilities worldwide.
On 10 May, the South American nation became the 100th country to ratify the Convention which supports greater access for the disabled to participate in their communities. It is widely regarded as the first international human rights treaty of the twenty-first century.

“This is an important milestone for Colombia and for the global community,” Mr. Ban said, commenting on the signing. “The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is a powerful tool for inclusion and development. Let us use it to make concrete improvements in the lives of persons with disabilities,” he added.

About 10 per cent of the global population, or 650 million people, live with a disability, with many excluded from fully participating in the economic, social, and political lives of their communities.

An estimated 386 million people of working age suffer from some form of disability, with unemployment rates in this category soaring as high as 80 per cent in some countries.

Mr. Ban’s remarks were echoed by Sha Zukang, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), who said he was greatly encouraged by the ratification. DESA is the UN department which serves as Secretariat for the Convention.

“This is a great achievement by the international community in working towards a just and equitable society, based on equality and equal opportunity for all, including persons with disabilities,” Mr. Sha said.

The Convention was adopted by the General Assembly in 2006 in an effort to ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy the same human rights as everyone else. Eighty-two countries immediately ratified it – the highest number for a UN treaty in history.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=38365&Cr=disability&Cr1

Posted by jicafriends at 11:24 AM | Comments (0)

May 11, 2011

Special Event of Myanmar Disabled People

Dear Sir/Madam

Good Evening. I would like to share the report on Special Event of Disabled People in Myanmar done in April.

Please kindly read in following detailed messages.

Best regards,

Nay Lin Soe

Network for Myanmar Disabled People (NMDP)
Yangon, Myanmar

NMDP ROGO

E-mail: nmdpmyanmar@gmail.com

Report on Special Event of Disabled People in Myanmar

April is the special month of Myanmar New Year. In this period all the people in whole country used to enjoy with long holidays and welcome the New Year celebrating the â€œWater Festivalâ€ every year. This Festival is a traditional social activity and also very famous sign of Myanmar New Year. Every citizen regardless ethnicity, age, gender, class, or religious belief participate in the festival with the enjoyable activities of pouring & playing water each other, singing, dancing and acting funny performances, cooking and having traditional foods & snacks together and visiting to pagodas, etc. However, majority of persons with disabilities didnâ€™t get this kind of opportunity to involve as others due to negative attitude of families, inaccessible transportation and lack of initiator who encouraged them.

In this situation, Network for Myanmar Disabled People (NMDP) organized â€œThe First Biggest Water Festival of Myanmar Disabled Peopleâ€ at Yangon in this New Year and created the opportunity for 150-Persons with disabilities to participate in the festival as others with the collaboration of Department of social welfare, government blind school, 6-DPOs, 6-NGOs and 7-business sectors.

The purposes of the activity were;

i)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â To create opportunity for persons with disabilities to play water and participate in New Year festival
ii)Â Â Â Â Â Â To show the strength contribution and donation of disabled persons and
iii)Â Â Â Â To promote public awareness on the participation of disabled people

The opening ceremony of the festival was celebrated in the beautiful morning of April 14th and continued the activities for three days. Director General, Directors and Deputy Directors, Principals of disabled institutions and Reporters from different media were also attended. During festival, persons with disabilities including women and severely disabled persons were spent their time participating in enjoyable activities such as playing water at coconut pavilion beside the road together with public people, singing, dancing and performing happily on the wooden stage, helping and donating elderly persons and cooking and having traditional snacks and foods together. The organizer arranged the vehicles for transportation of all disabled participants.

Conclusion, this is not only a social movement for inclusion of Myanmar disabled people but also a joint-collaboration effort of DPOs, NGOs, Business sectors and Department of social welfare. Network for Myanmar Disabled People (NMDP) has decided to carry out this kind of activity every year.

Â Reported by
Nay Lin Soe (Mr.)
Chairman
Network for Myanmar Disabled People (NMDP)

CBR Project Manager
Association for Aid and Relief - JAPAN

Posted by jicafriends at 11:00 AM | Comments (0)

May 09, 2011

USICD Community Supports Japanese Recovery; Annual Meeting Recap; GDRL Prototype Recipients Announced; and More...

http://www.usicd.org/template/index.cfm

Posted by jicafriends at 04:44 PM | Comments (0)

May 06, 2011

Cape Coast BAC training disabled persons to acquire business skills-Ghana

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

More than 48 disabled persons in the Cape Coast Metropolis are being trained by the Cape Coast Business Advisory Centre (BAC) of the National Board for Small Scale Enterprises, on business management, to build the capacities of participants, to enable them to improve upon their businesses.

The one-month programme was organised by the Cape Coast BAC and the Department of Co-operatives with financial support from Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO).

Ms. Alison Walker, the Disability Development Advisor of the VSO, told Ghana News Agency in Cape Coast that the voluntary group had released 10,680 Ghana Cedis for the training, to enable the disabled to acquire skills to successful operate profit making enterprises to better their living conditions.

She said the executives and members of disabled groups: the Ghana Blind Union, Ghana Society for Physically Disabled, Services and Advocacy for People with Intellectual Disability and the Ghana National Association of the Deaf would benefit from the programme.

According to Ms. Walker, who is currently attached to the Cape Coast Metropolitan Social Welfare Office, the training programme would focus on group dynamics where members would be encouraged to partner with others to undertake income generating activities.

Other contents include records and book-keeping to expose participants among others to business transaction and record keeping, business and financial management, the culture of saving and the benefits of banking.

Ms. Walker said the training course was important because majority of the disabled in the Metropolis were poor and face obstacles in the area of securing and maintaining livelihoods.

She said it was necessary that their capacities were built for them to run their own businesses and petty trading activities with the required skills.

The Head of the Cape Coast BAC, Ms. Veronica Essien, indicated that Associations of the Disabled were working to develop a collective business venture for the benefit of all its members.

She said numerous assistances both in cash and tools from organizations, to some of the disabled persons have not helped improve their businesses hence the training programme to give them the needed skills to run their economic ventures.

Ms. Essien asked the participants to avail themselves of the opportunity being offered them to secure livelihoods and take care of their families.

http://www.ghananewsagency.org/s_economics/r_27955/economics/cape-coast-bac-training-disabled-persons-to-acquire-business-skills

Posted by jicafriends at 02:17 PM | Comments (0)

2nd Asia-Pacific CBR Congress-Philippines

Dear Friends and Colleagues

The Philippines and the Programme Organizing Committee respectfully asks if you would like to present a paper and/or facilitate a concurrent session for the 2nd Asia Pacific CBR Congress to be held in Manila from 29th November to Dec 1st, 2011.

Please refer to the attached programme for reference on: theme and topics fo discussion.

There are 5 concurrent sessions, each made up of 6 smaller sessions. Each small session will have a facilitator and an assistant facilitator. There will be 3 presenters for each of these sessions. The programme will guide you as to the topics for each small session.

Each presenter is allowed 15 minutes to discuss their paper. The facilitator will decide whether there will be open plenary after each presenter or following all the presentations. To ensure a lively discussion and opportunities to share on current good practice and issues, it is strongly recommended to pay heed to the guides provided on the abstract form.

If you are keen to present, please may we direct you to the instructions below.

For your convenience in making a submission, please read the following guidelines:

1. Closing date for submission of abstracts is May 31, 2011.
2. Please limit your abstract to 500 words or less, using the Abstract Format, which you will find attached to this letter. Alternatively, you can visit the Congress website at: http://www.cbrcongress.com/for further information.
3. Abstracts should be submitted to the Programme Committee by email at:
cbrapcongress.program@gmail.com
4. All submitted abstracts will be acknowledged within 5 working days from receipt.
5. All abstracts will be reviewed by the Programme Committee (we cannot guarantee your abstract will be accepted).
6. Authors of accepted abstracts will be notified by email.
7. The final list of presenters will be confirmed by July 31, 2011.
8. Authors of accepted abstracts must submit both their full paper and Power Point presentation (compatible with MS 2003 version) via email at cbrapcongress.program@gmail.com
by September 30, 2011.
9. Official language for presentation is English.
10. Presenters should also be registered participants.

Please if you can recommend someone to present and/or facilitate let us know or ask the person to send an abstract.

Please contact us at cbrapcongress.program@gmail.com
if you wish to be a facilitator.

Thank you very much and we look forward to your engaging and exciting abstracts and presentations!

There will also be an opportunity to display papers in the lobby during the Congress.

We would like to remind you that the “early bird” registration fee of PhP10,000 will expire on April 30th 2011. From May 1st, the fee rises to P12,000, so we urge you to take advantage of the “early bird” promo. For registration and payments please visit the congress website at: http://www.cbrcongress.com/
Please may we again remind you, deadline for abstracts from potential presenters is May 31st, 2011
For more details please go to http://www.cbrcongress.com/
Thank you very much

Respectfully yours,

Programme Sub-Committee,
National Organizing Committee,
2nd Asia-Pacific CBR Congress

Posted by jicafriends at 10:29 AM | Comments (0)

April 28, 2011

Vocational training brightens lives of disadvantaged-Vietnam

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

HA NOI - The disabled law, which was officially promulgated in 2011, has marked a great advance in the development of the rights for the disabled.

The law recognised the important roles disabled people played in society, said Dang Huynh Mai, president of the Viet Nam Federation for People with Disabilities.

In accordance with the law, the disabled would enjoy several preferential polices, said Nguyen Ngoc Toan, head of the Department of Social Policies, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

With the regulations on education, vocational training and employment for people with disabilities, the disabled are provided with opportunities to support themselves.

The disabled people's enrolment in educational establishment would be given priority and they would be exempt from subjects or activities which they were not physically capable of participating in, he said.

They were also ensured the right to have free access to vocational training, he said.

The preferential polices aim to increase vocational opportunities for disabled people.

At the Viet Nam Federation for People with Disability's first conference, which concluded last week, Le Minh Hien, vice president of the Ha Noi Disabled Association and director of Vi Ngay Mai Centre of Vocational Training, said, "Only with knowledge, skills and employment can we overcome the unhappiness of fate and poverty".

Education eased disabled people's lack of confidence, said Tran Van Tuan from Thanh Hoa Province.

Education also provided chances for the disables to participate in all aspects of life, while eliminating existing prejudices and discrimination, said Tuan.

"My education completely changed my life," said Tran Manh Huy. "Now I work as an IT engineer."

However, increasing educational and vocational opportunities for the disabled was not an easy mission, said Hien.

The policy needed to be continually enforced and the links need to be worked out with an possible shortcomings that exist, she added.

In Viet Nam, 37 per cent of disabled people are living in poverty and 24 per cent living in temporary housing. - VNS

http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/Social-Isssues/210441/Vocational-training-brightens-lives-of-disadvantaged.html

Posted by jicafriends at 04:42 PM | Comments (0)

Disabled woman makes her mark-Vietnam

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

by Thu Trang

HA NOI - Despite her disability and young age, 24-year-old Nguyen Thi Thu is already a skilled employee of a bakery in Ha Noi's Tay Ho District. Seeing Thu serve customers in the shop briskly with a gentle smile, nobody would realise that she was hearing-impaired.

Two years ago, Thu, who is from the northern province of Ninh Binh, had no income and was hopeless about her future. Today, she earns about VND1.5 million (US$75) a month working at the bakery, supporting herself and even giving her mother some financial assistance.

"The greatest thing was that I changed my neighbours' and some other people's thinking that the disabled are useless," she said.

Thu, who was introduced to the job by a friend, also hearing-impaired, is one of 20 employees of the Donkey Bakery, owned by Vietnamese-American Luyen Shell. Sixteen of the employees are disabled, either hearing-impaired, blind or physically disabled.

Luyen opened the bakery in 2009. The idea of hiring the disabled began when, shortly after she had opened the shop, a deaf-mute girl stopped in to ask for work.

Now, says Luyen, "the only norm to hire employees is they have an inquiring mind and really want to change their lives."

Luyen, of course, met a number of difficulties in training them at first, and Thu admits that she didn't know sign language and at first had difficulty communicating with Luyen and with the bakery customers.

"But maybe the love in our hearts helped us reach an understanding,"says Luyen. "All of my employees know that I love them and want to help them, so they follow my lead and understand my training."

The disabled were often aware of their shortcomings and thus continuously wanted to learn and work hard, she said.

"But employing the disabled, we should also understand that they do not need charity. They are workers with high potential ... who have the capacity to meet the demands of work."

Viet Nam has 6.1 million disabled, constituting 7.8 per cent of the total population. While 60 per cent of the disabled are of working age, only 25 per cent have incomes, with the remaining dependent on their families, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

"Many people with disabilities have demonstrated that, with the right opportunities along with adaptations and support if needed, they can make major contributions to all levels of the economy and society,"said Rie Vejs-Kjeldgaard, director of the ILO Office in Viet Nam.

The exclusion of people with disability from the labour market had been at a great costs to society, she said.

"Experience in many countries shows that inclusion is much easier said than done and is a long and challenging process," said Rie. For inclusion to take place, it needed involvement of the entire Society, from policymakers to implementers, the disabled and the non-disabled people, she said. - VNS

http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/Social-Isssues/210442/Disabled-woman-makes-her-mark.html

Posted by jicafriends at 09:18 AM | Comments (0)

April 27, 2011

Medvedev calls for benefits for disability-friendly employers-Russia

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev proposed on Monday granting benefits to employers who hire people with disabilities.
"We should not shy away from giving preferences to employers who are ready to hire people with disabilities," Medvedev told the liberal online TV station, Rain.
Small steps have been taken in recent years to improve infrastructure for Russia's estimated 13 million disabled but most have been limited to Moscow and the country has a long way to go before it catches up with its Western peers.
"There has never been a culture in Russia of integrating disabled people into every-day life," Medvedev said. "They have simply been ignored."
But the president also noted that the Soviet mentality of ignoring disabilities was slowly beginning to fade.
In 2008 Russia signed The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that gives greater rights and freedoms to disabled people.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20110425/163695829.html

Posted by jicafriends at 10:22 AM | Comments (0)

April 25, 2011

Government introduces sign linguist in its news-Fiji

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Sunday, April 24, 2011
Report by : Roland Koroi
Fiji Broadcasting Corporation

In its efforts to make information more accessible, governments in collaboration with the Fiji Association for the Deaf launched the use of a sign linguist on its television news service Fiji Today which airs nightly on Mai TV.

A statement from the Ministry of Information, National Archives and Library Services of Fiji says this development reaffirms Government’s commitment to creating a more inclusive, knowledge based society that does not segregate based on lines of race or physical challenge.

The provision of sign linguist on its TV news service is pursuant to Pillar 9 of the People’s Charter for Change Peace and Progress which calls for making Fiji a knowledge-based society.

Acting Deputy Secretary and Director of Information at the Ministry Setaita Natai acknowledged the hard work of the Fiji Association for the Deaf and called on all stakeholders to follow suit.

http://www.radiofiji.com.fj/fullstory.php?id=36233

Posted by jicafriends at 01:40 PM | Comments (0)

April 22, 2011

Intex launches mobile phone for visually impaired-India

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

PTI, Apr 19, 2011, 06.31pm IST
Tags:National Association for the Blind|MP3
NEW DELHI: Mobile handset maker Intex Technologies today launched a dual -SIM handset, designed for the visually impaired, priced at Rs 2,600.

The dual-SIM (GSM-GSM) handset has a Braile keypad (along with large-sized digits) to facilitate recognition of digits as well as a 'Talking Keypad' feature, which speaks out in English the number pressed.

"India has the largest number of blind people in the world and we thought it was a category that needed to be catered. The phone is our small way to bring connectivity to the visually impaired," Intex Technologies Director General Manager Shailendra Jha told reporters here.

According to the National Association for the Blind (NAB), there are more than 12 million visually impaired people in the country.

The handset is also equipped with an SOS button, which allows the user to save four emergency numbers. By pressing the SOS button, the call gets automatically directed to the first emergency number.

"We are not just targeting the visually impaired with this handset, but also the elderly, who have difficulty handling the smaller keypads," Jha said.

The phone has facilities like MP3 and wireless FM radio to make this a feature-rich phone, he added.

"Blindness is a disability which could be overcome with training and guidance. Devices like these can play a very useful role in their integrated development," NAB President Mohinder Kapur said.

Intex is aiming to sell more than 5,000 units in the first three months of the launch, which it expects will grow once the handset becomes more popular.

The company will promote the handset through associations like NAB and other old age homes, Jha said.

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-04-19/news/29447051_1_maker-intex-technologies-today-dual-sim-handset-wireless-fm-radio

Posted by jicafriends at 10:56 AM | Comments (0)

April 21, 2011

Various Events Take Place in Celebration of Day for Disabled Persons in Korea

This Wednesday marks the 31st Day of Disabled Persons here in Korea and in celebration, President Lee Myung-bak visited a leading company that employs workers with disabilities. ccording to the Presidential Office, he visited a company in southwest Seoul to compliment it on its corporate policy, since disabled people make up to 40 percent of its staff.
Cheong Wa Dae said the president's visit was aimed at highlighting the importance of job opportunities for the disabled. Meanwhile, around 3-hundred disabled people and their families gathered at the Kim Koo Museum and Library in Seoul to celebrate.
At the event, Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik pledged to increase this year's welfare budget for the disabled by 8 percent compared to last year.
http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=115119&code=Ne2&category=2

A day before this year's Day for Disabled Persons, a special free speech session was held in Seoul, where those with disabilities had a chance to express and share their thoughts with the public.
Many said that although things have improved quite a bit over the past few decades, they still face prejudice and at times feel isolated from society.

[Interview : Kim Jun-woo, Center head Songpa Solution Center for Independent Living] "In the past, people used to view a disabled person simply as someone in need of help. But I hope, from now on, that awareness will grow so that we can live as equal members of the society."

Welfare experts say the most crucial element, and often times the most challenging, for those with disabilities is having a job that will secure their independence.
And to make it easier for them to find places to work and also to encourage companies to hire more disabled people, an annual job fair hosted by the city of Seoul was held at SETEC Convention Center on Wednesday.

[Interview : Roh Young-ok, Jobseeker with hearing impairment] "I came here today to go to interviews and see if there is a suitable work place for me. I'm not sure if it will work out, but I'll see how it goes."

Modern Joy, one of the participating companies, produces leather bags and is run by a CEO with a hearing impairment.
He says because he was able to successfully hire workers through last year's fair, he came back for more.

[Interview : Lim Baek-gyu, CEO Modern Joy] "I believe the best welfare for disabled people is creating jobs for them. I hired five people last year who turned out to work really hard and with great passion. I plan to hire seven more disabled jobseekers this year."

More than one-thousand positions are available, and the fair aims to fill three-hundred on-site. And an official says that the city itself plans to hire ten people with severe disabilities.

[Interview : Han Young-hee, Director Disability Welfare Division] "What makes this year's fair special is that we brought in many more companies that are willing to hire workers with severe disabilities."

Efforts to improve the overall social environment for disabled people are certainly on-going and it seems there are a few areas left in which Korea could make considerable improvements.
Laah Hyun-kyung, Arirang News.
http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=115117&code=Ne2&category=2

Posted by jicafriends at 11:46 AM | Comments (0)

April 19, 2011

Employers of a big heart-Singapore

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

The Business Times
Sun, Mar 27, 2011

Peering through the glass pane into the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) outlet on Lorong One in Toa Payoh, you are unlikely to see anything amiss. Happy crew are serving 'finger-lickin'-good' chicken to diners, like you will see in every KFC restaurant across the island.

But the minute you reach for the door, you know this KFC outlet is different. A sign on it says: 'This restaurant is run by deaf crew. Please refer to the menu card and point for your order. Thank you'

Kentucky Fried Chicken Management not only hires persons with disabilities (PWDs) but also trains them to take on suitable jobs in selected restaurants - and it tailors the workplace to make the PWDs feel at home.

At the counter of Toa Payoh restaurant, a crea member taps on his 'I am a deaf' badge card, without fuss, takes your order with a big smile. Lights, monitors and visual cues in the kitchen alert the hearing-impaired staff when food is ready to serve. A shift manager in on duty - he can't hear you, either.

Despite its 'handicapp,' the Toa Payoh outlet has been operating since 2003. Its success has spawned two other deaf-operated KFC branches, in Fuchuan Community Centre and Jurong West Community Centre.

Apart from the 300 deaf crew on its payroll. KFC also opens its doors to people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder as well as intellectually, physically and visually handicapped. Their ages range from 16 to 56. Some have been with KFC for as long as 19 years.

KFC has not gone unnoticed as a PWD-friendly boss. It was appointed Ambassador for the Deaf in 2004 and awarded the President's Social Service Award in 2006. "We believe the deaf are able people and we want to give them the opportunity to grow their careers and be independent, just like everyone else,"explains Michael Gian, KFC's chief executive officer.

http://business.asiaone.com/Business/News/SME+Central/Story/A1Story20110325-270134.html

Posted by jicafriends at 09:18 AM | Comments (0)

April 18, 2011

program for disable to travel Nepal

Dear jicafriends,

We/our team proudly organize the program named mountain event to travel and visit all disable people around the world. We have design the program especially for disable to move all over the Nepal (Himalaya).

First of all we research that what make difficult to disable to move around and they are forced to keep inside those desire. Thenafter we design the programs which fully assist to disable through recreational activities,exciting facilities and gaining opportunities.

They are no differ from we people its just a certain physical discomfort on body from external factors so the purpose of us is to minimize disability and overwhelm by creating the program such as peace rally to encourage, boost up confidence among the group.

We further help on uniting the groups member along the countries by having an worldwide map exchage programme to build up co-relation, peace,and harmony using t-shirt map, logo’s and flag.we together uniting all the leaders and members from government and non-government organization having seminar programme for sharing each other words and suggestion with an award distributing ceremony.

Therefor, we have expect that you all will help us for this event by connecting with us providing support,sharing ideas and views,participating with us of your disable organization.Its a big opportunity to visit passing the himalaya’s and analyzing the seneric beauty of Nepal.

Hope we will have kind response from you soon.

Thank you,

Krishna kandel(program manager)
Email: info@youthcreation.org
Email: youthcreationk@gmail.com
Postal Adress: G.P.O.Box. 8973 N.P.C-434,New Baneshwor,kathmandu nepal

http://www.youthcreation.org (please visit the site for more details)

Posted by jicafriends at 09:42 AM | Comments (0)

Separate census for disabled demanded-Bangladesh

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Dhaka, Apr 7 (bdnews24.com)
A local network of organisations working with the disabled has demanded separate census for the handicapped.
The National Alliance of Disabled People's Organisation (NADPO), a combine of 94 organisations, on Thursday made the demand at a press conference in the city, claiming they were not enlisted as the disabled in the fifth national census.
Organisation president Abdus Dulal said many disabled were not counted with their type of disabilities in the last month's census as the field-level information providers did not have a clear concept about the matter.
"After taking information from different organisations about the disabled people across the country, we're confirmed that they were counted during the census, but not as disabled."
Observing that correct statistics of the disabled people could not be found without a separate census, he said involvement of the disabled people in national development could only be ensured when a separate census was held.
NADPO vice-president Anwar Hossain Hazari, senior vice-president Iftakher Hossain Sohel, secretary general Jahangir Alam and coordinator Shirin Akther were also present at the press conference among others.

http://bdnews24.com/details.php?id=192270&cid=13

Posted by jicafriends at 09:16 AM | Comments (0)

April 11, 2011

Join USICD for our 2011 Annual Meeting on April 29 in Washington, DC

http://www.usicd.org/template/index.cfm

Posted by jicafriends at 03:50 PM | Comments (0)

April 08, 2011

2011 The 4th International Conference on Accessible Tourism-Taiwan

Dihua Street, Taipei photo by SUN AV Corporation

Taipei, 11 to 14 April 2011.

Asia Pacific Disability Forum (APDF) and Eden Social Welfare Foundation are delighted to welcome you to attend the 4th International Conference on Accessible Tourism, "ICAT 2011", at NTUH International Convention Center in Taipei Taiwan.

In 2006, we were elected as the chairperson of the Working Committee on Accessible Tourism APDF. Our mission is to promote accessible tourism in the Asia Pacific Region and around the world, our ambition is to turn Taiwan into the pioneer of accessible tourism leading the way in Asia.

We express our gratitude to the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Economic Affairs Board of Foreign Trade, Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taipei City Government and the New Taipei City Government for their support of the conference.

We are grateful to the international and local experts and speakers for sharing their expertise, knowledge and perspectives.

We are grateful to all delegates for their interest and support for the conference.

Like you, we are looking forward to sharing experiences and discussing country market development opportunities.

President of Eden Social Welfare Foundation

Joan C. Lo, Ph.D

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Programme and Further Information
"As every country around the world actively promotes tourism, many elders with movement difficulties and persons with disabilities also want to enrich their lives through travelling experience in domestic and foreign countries. The targeted market of accessible travel is very broad, besides persons with disabilities , pregnant women, infants, children, and senior citizens also need “accessible” vacations."
- Joan C. Lo, Ph.D.

Invited speaker Mrs. Lilian Müller, President of the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT), will address the delegates on the first day of the conference with a presentation on "Global Trends for Accessible Tourism".

Other distinguished speakers will present Country Accessible Tours from Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Group Discussion Sessions will focus on:

Accessible tourism & national economic development.
Accessible tourism & the development of human rights, national well being.
The construction of friendly living circle (soft and hardware).
Accessible transportation and devices.
Accessible Tours in and around Taipei are also included in the 2011 ICAT Programme.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conference Website
Visit the 2011 ICAT Conference Website to read the Programme, Register and obtain further information.http://icat2011.eden.org.tw/index-e.html

Posted by jicafriends at 09:55 AM | Comments (0)

April 07, 2011

Accessibility Reaching Everywhere - Call for papers andregistration-Belgium

Dear colleague,

This is a reminder to register for AEGIS' final workshop and international conference, entitled "Accessibility Reaching Everywhere" in Brussels, Belgium, on 28-30 November 2011. Registration is open via http://www.aegis-conference.eu. Access to both events will be free, but places will be limited.

The conference will gather a wide array of experts and users in the area of Assistive Technology to discuss scientific and policy developments in accessible technology; showcase relevant projects and initiatives in the area of assistive technology.

We also launched a call for papers for the conference in the following categories:
- Scientific papers
- Technical papers

Conference topics (non-exhaustive list):
- Accessible desktop applications (AT, developer tools and accessible applications)
- Accessible mobile applications (AT, developer tools and accessible applications)
- Accessible Rich Internet Applications (AT, developer tools and accessible applications)
- Accessibility and Standardisation (e.g. ISO, eInclusion, Policies, Legislation)
- Accessibility and Usability (e.g. Design for All)
- Accessibility research (e.g. Assistive technology usage by end-users and their satisfaction, innovative AT training via accessible e-learning)

Important dates:
- Abstract submission deadline: 30th April 2011
- Notification of acceptance abstract submission: 31st of May 2011
- Paper submission deadline: 30th June 2011
- Notification of acceptance and outcome of review process: 15th September 2011
- Final camera ready papers: 31 October 2011
- Registration by 31st October 2011

We are delighted to also offer an opportunity to have a trade stand or poster stand, entirely for free.

Full details and guidelines are available on http://www.epr.eu/aegis/?page_id=45, including the abstract instructions.

We are also pleased to announce that the fifth issue of the AEGIS Newsletter (http://www.aegis-project.eu/images/docs/Newsletter5_AEGIS_FINAL.pdf) is now available for download in accessible PDF format.

Please forward this mail to anyone you believe might be interested.

Best regards,

Organisation Committee:
Dr. Evangelos Bekiaris (Research Director, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Hellenic Institute of Transport, ÆGIS IP Coordinator)
Mr. Karel Van Isacker (Project Manager, European Platform for Rehabilitation)
Ms. Julie Buttier (Communications & Public Relations Officer, European Platform for Rehabilitation)

To be removed from this specific mailing list, click here:
http://www.phoenixkm.eu/mailinglists/mailinglists.php?p=subscr&mlst=pwdorganisations&rem=inquiry@dinf.ne.jp
To be removed from all of our mailing lists, click here:
http://www.phoenixkm.eu/mailinglists/mailinglists.php?p=mlist&rem=inquiry@dinf.ne.jp

Posted by jicafriends at 02:33 PM | Comments (0)

The 1st Committee Meeting for Decent Work Course 2011

1st Committee meeting.bmp

Dear jicafriends,

The first committee meeting was held on February 18, 2011 and committee members including JICA officers and JSRPD satff discussed about the contents of the training program.

Deadline of submitting the Application Documents is April 28, 2011.
Target countries are East Timor, Fiji, Ghana, Iran, Jamaica, Jordan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar.

For more information, please refer to
http://www.jicafriends.jp/vocational/pdf/v2011gi.pdf

If you know someone, please encourage them to apply.

The secretariat of jicafriends

Posted by jicafriends at 11:13 AM | Comments (0)

April 04, 2011

Driving school for the disabled-South Africa

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

March 31 2011 at 04:17pm
By Motoring staff

Driving Ambitions is an organisation devoted to help teach disabled people to drive.
Sarah Nkgeng, a paraplegic employee of Primedia, could never have thought that from an emotionally painful experience in obtaining her driver’s licence, when she was faced with harsh discrimination, could arise a driving school for the disabled. Yet that is exactly what happened.

Her story was shared with Wayne Duvenage, chief executive of Avis Rent a Car, by Simon Gear of radio station 702, and it quickly became the inspiration to him to assemble a team of like-minded partners, including the QuadPara Association of South Africa (QASA), Masterdrive and others, who could help those in similar situations to achieve their goals of mobility, and so Driving Ambitions was born.

The school provides driver assessment and training for people with disabilities. The first vehicle, a Hyundai i20, fitted with permanent hand controls and a dual brake, was sponsored by Avis. QASA is running the project and appointed Caroline Rule, an occupational therapist, to help teach disabled people to drive a specially adapted vehicle.

Barloworld, which counts numerous people with disabilities in its corporate ranks, has already stepped up to the plate with a R150 000 contribution to start Driving Ambitions’ engines.

“Cars with specially adapted hand controls for the disabled are a normal part of our Avis fleet,” says Duvenage. “It seemed logical that Avis should be the driving force behind the initiative.”

“This is just the first phase of a longer-term vision,” explains Ari Seirlis, national director of QASA. “As the project expands and more sponsors come on board, we intend establishing a Centre of Excellence at Zwartkops Raceway, where people with a range of mobility impairments can be fully and properly assessed and taught to drive using different types of hand controls.

“This type of Centre is quite common in Europe, but a first in South Africa, and it is definitely an excellent solution in assisting people with disabilities to integrate into mainstream society.

When the project reaches this stage, Masterdrive, a driver education company in South Africa, will bring its own expertise to bear, providing the safety element for the programme. “The track and skidpan at Zwartkops will provide excellent facilities for training across a spectrum of eventualities, including potential accidents and hijackings, ” explains CEO, Eugene Herbert.

Sarah herself was ecstatic that her experiences had led to the creation of a project that will benefit other disabled people. “It makes the hurt and opposition I went through worth it,” she says. “It’s wonderful to know that Driving Ambitions will give other disabled people independence.”

The driving school is based in Gauteng for now with a national roll out planned eventually.

http://www.iol.co.za/motoring/industry-news/driving-school-for-the-disabled-1.1050323

Posted by jicafriends at 05:46 PM | Comments (0)

April 01, 2011

Community-Based Inclusive Development-APCD

APCD functions as a regional center, which promotes an inclusive, rights-based and barrier-free society and collaborates with all stakeholders in order to enhance the further development of CBR programs through the essential elements of the new CBR guidelines.

We strive to empower people with disabilities and key stakeholders to enable them to voice their needs, accessing tools to create change, to have opportunities to forge their own destiny.

We seek to bring about social transformation, make a positive difference to the lives of persons with disabilities,their families and community with the ultimate goal of achieving an inclusive society for all

Group 1: 23 May - 3 Jun 2011 (2 weeks) Master Training module: Training Fee USD 1,200

USD700: New CBR guildines Training materials Lunch and coffee break
USD500: Breakfast Fully accessible double room

Group 2: 15 - 26 Aug 2011 (2 weeks): This is a certified training course for master trainers.

For more information;
http://www.apcdfoundation.org/?q=content/community-based-inclusive-development

Posted by jicafriends at 03:57 PM | Comments (0)

March 30, 2011

Disabled people return to quake city-New Zealand

March 30, 2011
Radio New Zealand

Health officials says 40 disabled people evacuated from Christchurch after the earthquake in February have returned to the city.

The Ministry of Health says 260 mostly intellectually disabled people had to be relocated after the powerful quake on 22 February because of damage to residential care facilities.

The ministry's group manager of disability support services, Anne O'Connell, says they were sent to other parts of the South Island first, and about 100 went to North Island facilities.

Ms O'Connell says a fantastic reponse from the sector meant the shift ran smoothly and about 40 people have already returned.

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/canterbury-earthquake/71664/disabled-people-return-to-quake-city

Posted by jicafriends at 01:16 PM | Comments (0)

March 25, 2011

USICD's Annual Meeting, Social Media, New Staff, and More: Our March Newsletter

Newsletter image

http://www.usicd.org/template/index.cfm

Posted by jicafriends at 02:03 PM | Comments (0)

March 17, 2011

APCD International Training on CBID

We strive to empower people with disabilities and key stakeholders to enable them to voice their needs, accessing tools to create change, to have opportunities to forge their own destiny.

Group 1: 23 May - 3 Jun 2011 (2 weeks) Master Training module: Training Fee USD 1,200

USD700: New CBR guildines Training materials Lunch and coffee break
USD500: Breakfast Fully accessible double room

Group 2: 15 - 26 Aug 2011 (2 weeks): This is a certified training course for master trainers.

More information, could you please see the following file.
http://www.apcdfoundation.org/?q=system/files/FactSheet.pdf

Posted by jicafriends at 02:30 PM | Comments (0)

March 15, 2011

VOICE OF GRASSROOTS - GRACE NEWSLETTER

Respected All,

Greetings from GRACE Association Pakistan (www.grace.org.pk). We are happy sharing our newsletter

"Voice of Grassroots 2010" with you. This issue will let you know not only about GRACE Association's

activities but also Pakistan Flood devastation especially in Gilgit-Baltistan province, An inspiring success

story of Mr. Muhammad Babar Shahzad & Ms. Sana Iqbal from Haripur Pakistan proving that Dream is

Power, Volunteers collaboration story of Mr. Rohan Chalise from Nepal, Funding opportunities for

grassroots, Pakistan floods 2010 and its long term affects on victims at grassroots level by Michelle Khilji

and My observations by Ms Tahereh Sheerazie from Los Angelis. All news and articles are exclusive.

We hope you will like the Voice of Grassroots Newsletter. We look forward receiving your kind feed backs

as well.

Thank you,

PDF1 (963KB)

PDF2 (924KB)

PDF3 (772KB)

--
Khadim Hussain
Founder & Chief Executive,

GRACE ASSOCIATION, PAKISTAN

27-E, Office No. 5, 3rd Floor, Ali Plaza,
Fazal Haq Road, Blue Area,
Islamabad

Tel: +92-51-2829970, 2529683
Cell: +92-346-5016822

ceo@grace.org.pk
www.grace.org.pk

Posted by jicafriends at 02:53 PM | Comments (1)

March 10, 2011

Invitation to join the round table discussion - "Role of Media in Awareness Raising for Proper Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in National Census 2011" on 10th March 2011-Bangladesh

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "AccessBangla" with a cooperation of Mr.Vashkar Vhattacharya.

Dear All,

Greetings from ActionAid Bangladesh.

You are aware that upcoming National Census 2011 will take place during 15th to 19th March 2011.

In 2001 census, disability related questions (though was pegged as faulty) was included in the census for the first time, but due to lack of awareness people did not provide their information regarding disability. As a result, we do not have any proper and reliable statistics on Disability in Bangladesh.
This year, BBS incorporated Disability issue in the questionnaire in a more improved manner and we are hopeful to get a reliable statistics if people provide their information regarding disability properly. So, this is high time to aware people for providing their information on disability and media can play a crucial role in this awareness raising. In this context, Disability Team of ActionAid Bangladesh (AAB) and National Disability Forum (NFOWD) are jointly organizing a roundtable discussion on 10th March 2011 on “Role of Media in Awareness Raising for Proper Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in National Census 2011”.

The event will take place at Reporters Unity Roundtable Conference Room, Shegunbagicha from 10:00AM to 01:00PM. Dr. Sadeka Halim, Commissioner - Information Commission, Government of Bangladesh, has given her kind consent to be our chief guest in the discussion. Ms. Kamrunnesa Hasan, Deputy Director General :Program - Bangladesh Television and Ms. Kazi Rosy, Convener - Disability Rights Watch Group will be there as special guests. Besides, a number of renowned media professionals will be joining the roundtable as guests of honor. They are, Mr. Zahirul Alam, Chief of Correspondence, NTV; Mr. Syed Rahman, Executive Director, RTV; Mr. Fyzus Salehin, Senior Assistant Editor, Daily Ittefaque; Mr. Mostafa Kamal, Deputy Editor, Daily Kaler Kantha; Mr. Mehedi Hasan, Senior Sub Editor, Daily Sun; Mr. Shahidul Islam Shachhu, Program Manager, Channel I; Ms. Shahnaz Munni, Additional Chief Reporter, ATN Bangla; Syed Badrul Ahsan, Editor – Current Affairs, Daily Star and Mr. Zahid Reza Noor, Feature Editor, Daily Prothom Alo. Ms. Rabeya Sultana, Head-GFM, AAB will present the key note paper and Mr. AHM Noman Khan, ED, Centre for Disability and Development (CDD) will discuss on the paper as Designated Discussant. The discussion will be moderated by Mr. Khandaker Johurul Alam, President, NFOWD and Mr. Mansur Ahmed Chowdhuri, Member, UN Committee on UNCRPD and Board Member of, AAB will preside over the round-table.

On behalf of Disability Team of AAB, I would like to invite you cordially to join our event on 10th March 2011.

With thanks,
Sayema.
______________________

Sayema Chowdhury
Deputy Manager – Justice for Marginalised & Convenor – Disability Horizontal Team
ActionAid Bangladesh
Tel: +880 2 8837796, +880 2 9894331
Fax: +880 2 8815087
Email: sayema.chowdhury@actionaid.org
http://www.actionaid.org/
End poverty. Together.
ActionAid is an international anti-poverty
Agency working in over 40 countries, taking
Sides with poor people to end poverty and
Injustice together

Posted by jicafriends at 03:40 PM | Comments (0)

February 25, 2011

Asia Pacific Disability Rehabilitation Journal

The Asia Pacific Disability Rehabilitation Journal is a bi-annual Journal, for researchers, planners, administrators, professionals, donor organisations and implementing agencies involved in disability and non-institutional rehabilitation. The major emphasis of the Journal is on articles related to policy development, concept clarification, development of methodology in the areas of service delivery, training of manpower and programme evaluation, and development of technology related to rehabilitation. Other articles related to rehabilitation of disabled people that may be of use to implementing agencies, academicians and donor organisations are also published.

The editor of this journal is Dr. Maya Thomas who has been making contribution in policy development and strategy planning related to disability and rehabilitation, particularly community based approaches for many years.

Reference: http://www.aifo.it/english/resources/online/apdrj/journal.htm

Posted by jicafriends at 10:01 AM | Comments (0)

February 24, 2011

PWDs ask President for livelihood, not dole-outs-Philippines

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

By LEONARD D. POSTRADO
February 23, 2011, 6:34pm
MANILA, Philippines — A group of handicapped persons Wednesday asked President Aquino to provide them with jobs and shelter rather than alms through the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program.

Members of Kilusan ng Maralitang May Kapansanan (KMMK) held a demonstration at the Chino Roces Bridge (formerly Mendiola) near Malacañang at around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday where they urged Aquino not to be blind, deaf and mute to the demands of persons with disabilities (PWDs).

Manila Police District Station 8 commander Police Superintendent Jimmy Tiu said that around 50 PWDs joined last Wednesday's protest action.

“I hope they would treat us as human and not to be blind, deaf and mute to our demands,” KMMK spokesman Mike Catain said.

Catain said PWDs needed stable livelihood, shelter and other basic services instead of the dole-outs being given by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

“We wonder where the DSWD allocates its fund considering that it has one of the biggest shares in the national budget. We wonder how this agency spends funds while people like us fail to get our share as one of the major beneficiaries of the department,” he said.

As proof to his claim, Catain pointed out that PWDs working at the Rehabilitation Shelter Workshop (RSW) were set to be laid-off in days to come.

“The agency headed by Secretary Dinky Soliman brags to give poor families with mere alms in form of CCT and dole-outs but it fails to offer the ranks of the PWDs the proper treatment and services they rightfully deserve,” the KMMK spokesman said.

The group also criticized the DSWD for allegedly being an instrument in the exploitation of PWDs in forms of low wages and lack of benefits.

They also cried foul over the threats of demolition of a DWSD property at Escopa in Quezon City to pave the way for the construction of a broadcast network company. Catain claimed that at least 200 handicapped families were facing eviction from the property because of the project.

“We have nowhere to go. As the government slowly forgets its obligation to provide us with the basic services that we need, it also takes away our right to live decently and with dignity,” he said.

“We just hope that PNoy will try to open his eyes, lend us his ears and speak on our demands for jobs, homes and justice like an able person who is not numb to what we feel. As PWDs, we hope that PNoy will serve as our ears and voices in order for us to live like normal people,” Catain said.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/305940/pwds-ask-president-livelihood-not-doleouts

Posted by jicafriends at 02:04 PM | Comments (0)

February 22, 2011

United Voice Newsletter Jan 2011

Dear friends,

For United Voice latest updates, please read our latest newsletter at http://www.unitedvoice.com.my/newsletter/2011JanNewsletter.pdf

Stories in this issue include:
+ Self-Advocacy Workshop - by Teoh Hooi Ting
+ Disability Rights Tribunal in Asia & Pacific International Conference - by Nazmi Kamarulzaman
+ Embracing Diversity & Creating Disability-Sensitive Communities - by Johari Jamali
+ DET Training for Attorney General Chambers - by Wendy Yeong
+ Lawatan Sambil Belajar di United Voice - by Diana, Sariha, Shahell & Basri

Thank you for your support.

Best Regards,
Committee and Staff of United Voice
www.unitedvoice.com.my

Posted by jicafriends at 05:58 PM | Comments (0)

February 17, 2011

Deaf eligible for driving licence: Delhi high court-India

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Published: Tuesday, Feb 15, 2011, 3:11 IST
By Kanu Sarda | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA

The Delhi high court allowed on Monday the plea of National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and said if the deaf person approaches the transport department for a driving licence then the same should be given if he passes the test.

Till now, the motor vehicles act prohibits the deaf from obtaining a driver’s licence on the ground that they could be a source of danger to the public.

“Deaf were given licences in the UK, Australia, Germany, Belgiumand Thailand and there the authorities only insist on double rear-view mirrors. In Malaysia and Sri Lanka, this category of drivers is to indicate the handicap by putting a sticker on the car. But they are not allowed to drive commercial or passenger vehicles,” NAD’s counsel Colin Gonsavles said.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_deaf-eligible-for-driving-licence-delhi-high-court_1508037

Posted by jicafriends at 05:04 PM | Comments (0)

February 14, 2011

Nation marks National Intellectual Disability Week-Philippines

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

February 12, 2011, 10:46pm
MANILA, Philippines – To call attention to people with intellectual disabilities, February 12-18, 2011, is observed as National Intellectual Disability Week. Originally declared as “Retarded Children’s Week” pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 1385 in 1975, the celebration later became the “National Mental Retardation Week” and is now National Intellectual Disability Week.

Intellectual disability is defined as a certain limitations in mental functioning and skills. The average person’s intellectual functioning is 100. It is believed that people with an IQ below 70 are considered to have intellectual disability. The disability usually occurs at birth or later in childhood. The intellectually disabled have difficulty in following directions and instructions, solving problems, understanding complex information, and in exercising judgment and abstract thought.

Some of the factors that cause intellectual disability are genetic factors; problems during pregnancy of the mother (heavy alcohol use, infections such as rubella and glandular disorders); problems at birth such as hyperthyroidism, measles, chickenpox, among others; environmental factors such as malnutrition and unhealthy living conditions. There is no cure for intellectual disability but it can be managed through teaching interventions.

Carrying the theme, “Changing Times, Changing Needs: Moving Toward Happiness,” this year’s celebration is part of the observance of the Philippine Decade of Persons with Disabilities (2003-2013) as provided in Presidential Proclamation No. 240. The Department of Education is encouraging all schools, especially those with Special Education programs, to conduct activities such as advocacy campaigns featuring children and youth with disabilities; inviting the public to observe classes and other educational services provided to children and youth with intellectual disability; conducting dialogues with parents, service providers, and other stakeholders on the theme of the celebration; discussing the best practices on the inclusion of children with intellectual disabilities during teachers’ and parents’ meetings; holding cultural shows, camps, sportsfests, photo and work exhibits, and other activities; and encouraging children with intellectual disabilities to tell their stories. The Annual Camp Pag-ibig for children with special needs will be held on February 12-13, 2011, at the Balara Filter Plant in Quezon City.

Let us support the intellectually disabled by joining the activities lined up for the celebration. Let us be agents in helping them in their journey towards the realization of their fullest potentials.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/303996/nation-marks-national-intellectual-disability-week

Posted by jicafriends at 02:07 PM | Comments (0)

February 10, 2011

Information from Fabio san-Colombia

Fabio san 4.bmp

Dear jicafriends,

Mr. Fabio Padilla, a former participant of Leades' Course 2006 introduced Mr. Ben Hein's website to us.

Ben Heine is a painter, illustrator, portraitist, caricaturist and photographer. He was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast and currently lives and works in Brussels Belgium.

Please visit his following site;
http://www.benheine.com/pencilvscamera.html

And we are pleased to inform you that Fabio san established his website.
Please visit his site:http://www.fabiopadilla.com/

The secretariat of jicafriends

Posted by jicafriends at 02:34 PM | Comments (0)

February 09, 2011

Skilled disabled workers miss out-Vietnam

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

HA NOI - Skilled disabled people are having difficulty finding jobs in the community because enterprises doubt their abilities or they won't make an effort to integrate them into their workforces. Instead the disabled are left without jobs, relying on their families for support, or they are left to do the most menial tasks in the community, usually on low incomes. However, those enterprises which do employ disabled people have nothing but good comments about their work.

Ha Noi's Vietsoftware Company director Tran Luong Son, for example, said: "All of the 10 disabled workers in my company work just as well and as hard as other workers." The information technology sector was particularly suitable to disabled people because the work required use of the brain rather than physical skills, Son said. "The disabled give their whole mind to their work and ceaselessly study to improve their abilities," he said.

Minh Tam Humanity Vocational Training Centre director Vu Thi Xiem had a similar story. Her centre had more than 100 trainees, most of whom were disabled. "They are hard-working and careful and their workmanship, such as with rattan and oyster inlay products, is perfect," she said.

Potential employers should not think of the disabled as needing support, but rather to be treated the same as all workers, Ha Noi Disabled People's Association deputy chairman Le Minh Hien said.
All they required was the basic good conditions such as access to the building and toilets and suitable desks for wheelchairs. Hien said if disabled people were trained they could work as well as able people.

Nevertheless, statistics from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs show the tragic story. Of the 5.4 million disabled people across the country, 58 per cent of them are at working age and able to work but only 25 per cent of those capable of work have jobs. The remainder depend on their families. One example is Pham Manh Bien, who graduated from the Ha Noi University of Industry's Information Technology Department in 2009 but still has not been able to find a job. "I never used to have a complex about being disabled, but after so many enterprises refused to employ me I was forced to accept the fact that I am a disabled," he said. Many people like Bien give up trying to find jobs and instead earn their living by setting up small shops, repairing bicycles or selling bread or lottery tickets.

Ha Noi Disabled People's Association deputy chairwoman Duong Thi Van, who also is disabled, said :"I graduated from university and applied for many jobs but all of the employers refused me solely because of my physical condition."

Tran Van Tu, head of the Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour's Policy Division, said there were other reasons why disabled people couldn't find jobs. "Many disabled people don't take the initiative and join the labour market so they don't get the job opportunities," he said. Many of them had an inferiority complex and found it difficult to integrate into the community. This was because society did not care enough about disabled people and there was no link set up between disabled people, vocational training centres and enterprises, Tu said.

"We don't have job consultancy centres for the disabled," he said. Ha Noi Disabled People's Association chairman Vu Manh Hung said authorities should publicly praise the abilities of disabled people and the enterprises who gave them jobs. "The State should also have a strong punishment for enterprises who do not obey the law about employing disabled people," Hung said.
"We should also organise job fairs and exhibitions displaying disabled people's products and expand and increase the number of disabled vocational training projects and job opportunities." - VNS

http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/Social-Isssues/208174/Skilled-disabled-workers-miss-out.html

Posted by jicafriends at 02:41 PM | Comments (0)

Census second phase from tomorrow-India

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

TNN, Feb 8, 2011, 11.50am IST
Tags:Ranchi Population|Census 2011

Ranchi: The second phase of Census 2011 will start from Wednesday and will continue till February 28 in the state when 29 questions will be asked to each family.

For the purpose, 70,000 trained persons will be deployed in the state. Trainers and supervisors will ensure that data is collected accurately. The revision of the collected data will be done from March 1 to 5.

From February 28 midnight, data of homeless people will be collected and special arrangements have been made for collection of data during the National Games from February 12 to 26.

In the previous census, several districts of the state had the ratio of male and female below the national average and in the country 262 such districts were identified and named as Gender Critical Districts.

Jharkhand had eight such districts Bokaro, Dhanbad, Garwah, Palamu, Giridih, Godda, Sahebganj and Pakur.

"To get the accurate data of females in these eight districts, NGOs have trained several supervisors and data collectors on gender issues and questions related to women will be filled cautiously," said census director Sunil Kumar Barnwal.

He said in 2001 questions related to disability was asked in 15th position but in the 2011 exercise, a question related to disability would be posed at the ninth position and special training had been given to collect the disability data accurately.

"After the collection of data, provisional data concerning the state could be released as it is of immense importance to the people," said Barnwal. He added that in 2011, the data would be collected scientifically and with the help of technology.

"The questionnaire will have unique bar codes and is designed technically. The data of the first pase and second phase will be compared, so that no person is left out," said Barnwal. For the cllection of data of urban slums and sub-urban areas, special maps will be used which will give exact details of inhabitants and data could be collected. "In the country, 33 cities including Ranchi have been selected where such special maps will be used," added Barnwal.

Read more: Census second phase from tomorrow - The Times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/Census-second-phase-from-tomorrow/articleshow/7447679.cms#ixzz1DQ0tt6qw

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/Census-second-phase-from-tomorrow/articleshow/7447679.cms

Posted by jicafriends at 12:00 PM | Comments (1)

February 07, 2011

Global Disability Rights Library Newsletter - February 2011

web image

http://www.usicd.org/template/index.cfm

Posted by jicafriends at 05:03 PM | Comments (0)

‘State failed to train enumerators’-India

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

TNN, Feb 6, 2011, 01.38am IST
Tags:Mental Illness|Census 2011

AHMEDABAD: Mental illnesses will be extensively mapped in phase two of Census 2011, to be held between February 9 and 28. Besides mental retardation, people will also be asked if they have a family member suffering from depression or anxiety.

Experts believe more people are suffering from mental illnesses today than earlier believed. According to one estimate, two out of every five Indians suffer from depression. Census director (Gujarat) Manish Bharadwaj said the question on disability will include mental illness. "The section on mental illnesses will include depression, schizophrenia, anxiety disorder and mood disorder," he said.

Mental health experts are happy with the exercise but add that mental illnesses should not be clubbed with the section on disability.
"Depression and anxiety may lead to loss of workdays, but they cannot be termed as disability. While physical disabilities and mental retardation can be measured in percentages, it is very difficult to measure disability due to depression, anxiety and mood disorders," says psychiatrist Mrugesh Vaishnav.

Read more: Mental illness to be mapped in census 2011 - The Times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Mental-illness-to-be-mapped-in-census-2011/articleshow/7433804.cms#ixzz1DEGUb2ss

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/State-failed-to-train-enumerators/articleshow/7421988.cms

Posted by jicafriends at 10:36 AM | Comments (0)

January 28, 2011

Census 2011: Enumerators told to be disabled-friendly-India

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Jan 28, 2011 Indian Express
Tags : Census 2011, Manish Bharadwaj, Disability Advocacy Group

Ahead of the second phase of Census 2011, which will cover differently-abled people, a sensitisation programme was held in Ahmedabad on Thursday, wherein the speakers urged enumerators to behave sensitively while asking questions about persons with disabilities. The second phase of the 2011 Census is to take place between February 9 and 28.

Addressing the state-level programme, the director of Census operations in Gujarat, Manish Sharadwaj, told hundreds of disabled delegates that the “problem (is) not with you, but with the way society has been built to cater to only ‘normal’ circumstances”.

“This information (on disabled persons) will be used to ensure there are required facilities —education, employment, transport, assistive devices, health services etc, which will help you become more independent, participate and contribute equally in society,” said Bharadwaj.

Organised jointly by the state’s Directorate of Census Operations, UNICEF and the Disability Advocacy Group (DAG), the programme sought to tell people that accurate information on disabled family members must be provided to enumerators, and that enumerators must behave sensitively when asking questions about such members.

This is the first time that disability has been given such importance in the census, partly to check government statistics from 2001 that showed only 2.1 per cent of Indians are disabled, far behind WHO figures of 5 to 10 per cent. Developed countries like Australia and the US have close to 20 per cent of their populations as disabled.

According to the 2001 Census, 2.12 per cent of Gujarat’s population had some form of disability, with 47 per cent of them with difficulties in sight. “There is a huge underestimation of the number of people with disabilities, as a result of which, people with disabilities do not have the necessary facilities,” Bharadwaj said, adding that individual information will not be shared with anyone, not even the courts of law.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/census-2011-enumerators-told-to-be-disabledfriendly/743072/

Posted by jicafriends at 02:42 PM | Comments (0)

Skepticism on the Worth Of Disability Rights Bill-Indonesia

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Jan. 28, 2011 Jakarta Globe

Ismira Lutfia | January 27, 2011
Puskesmas Countrywide to Get Big Boost in Operational Funds 11:20am Jan 22, 2011

People living with disabilities in Indonesia are hoping for a better deal after lawmakers ratify an international convention on the rights of the disabled this year, although there is skepticism that the exercise will make much difference to their plight.

Muhammad Anshor, director of human rights and humanitarian affairs at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, said on Tuesday that a bill to ratify the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities (CPRD) was already in its final stage and would soon be forwarded to the House of Representatives for deliberation.

He also said that the ratification would require changes in the country ’s legal paradigms to be effective, as the convention does not regard the disabled as objects but as citizens with rights.

As an example of the new paradigm, he said, the building of public facilities for the disabled should not be regarded as charity or a medical remedy.

The convention’s point of view is that disabled people are capable of making their own decisions and participating in public life on an equal basis with other members of society.

Indonesia signed the convention in 2007 with at least 80 other countries.

However, Anshor said it remained to be seen whether the implementation of the convention—after it becomes a national law — would actually bring about any real changes soon, adding that a lot of work was needed.

He said the convention is multidimensional and requires full, national implementation since this is not just a human rights instrument but also a development instrument.

The convention, he said, will not create new rights but is a compilation of other international human rights instruments that stress the needs of the disabled.

Jonhar Johan, a deputy for women’s protection at the Ministry for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, said that based on the 2004 Socioeconomic Survey, there are at least 1.7 million blind people in Indonesia, 602,784 deaf and/or mute people, 1. 6 million people with physical disabilities and 777,761 who are mentally handicapped.

He said the number was growing as the country’s life expectancy was increasing—as were the treats of chronic degenerative diseases, the number of accidents and natural disasters.

Many of the disabled live in rural areas and come from the lower classes, with limited access to mans of support.

Didi Tarsidi, chairman of the Indonesian Association for the Visually Impaired (Pertuni), said society at large bears the responsibility of providing facilities that allow the disabled to lead their lives as independently as possible.

He said the disabled are often discriminated against in the public domain, citing cases of airlines refusing to take on board disabled passengers or banks that would not allow blind people to open their own account, arguing they were unable to read for themselves the terms of agreement for bank account holders.

“They could actually have their bank staff read out the agreement to us but it seems that the banks don’t even trust their own staff,” he said.

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/skepticism-on-the-worth-of-disability-rights-bill/419261

Posted by jicafriends at 12:21 PM | Comments (0)

January 27, 2011

International Symposium on Social Enterprise for Sustainable Employment of People with Disabilities-Thailand

The following information was downloaded from the website of "Phnom Penh Center for Independent Living" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Mey Samith.

Reunion with Mr. Ueno at Symposium.bmp
At Symposium Mr. Samith met Mr. Ueno, Course Leader for Leadership Development Course.

International Symposium on Social Enterprise for Sustainable Employment of People with Disabilities was held during 15-17 December, 2010 in Diana Garden Resort, Pattaya, Thailand.

The symposium aims to promote social enterprise among countires in the ASEAN region, and to spread a social enterprise concept and good example of social enterprise as a promotion guide line to people with disabilities. The participants are come from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thai government officers, Non-government working on Enployement for PWDs, Business, Mass media, academicians and others. A gain, the symposium also invited speakers from Japan, Hong Kong of China, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand.

more information; http://www.ppcil.org/

Posted by jicafriends at 05:06 PM | Comments (0)

Oita OVOP International Exchange Promotion Committee

Dear jicafriends,

Oita OVOP International Exchange Promotion Committee launched website.
http://www.ovop.jp/en/

It reminded us of the time when participants of Vocational Rehab. Course 2007 visited the Committee to have lecture.

Secretary General gave us a lecture on OVOP movement.bmp

The secretariat of jicafriends

Posted by jicafriends at 03:32 PM | Comments (0)

January 24, 2011

Blog for Children & Persons with Disabilities-Pakistan

A new blog was launched in Pakistan and we found the name of a former participant of Leaders' Course 2002, Mr. Muhammad Atif in the following page.

http://cpwdp.blogspot.com/

A blog to focous the hidden talents of Children & Persons with Disabilities in Pakistan. This blog will change people’s outlook towards Persons with Disabilities and bring about a Positive Mind-Set, and a sphere of mutual understanding among them . Through this blog we will focous the abilities of Persons with Disabilities who have achieved something in life in spite of many barriers due to their Disabilities. (Operated & Managed by Awareness Voluntary Organization)

The above information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Posted by jicafriends at 09:20 AM | Comments (0)

January 20, 2011

Solomon Islands is on the way to development-Solomon Islands

I am now in Solomon Islands.bmp

Dear jicafriends,

Solomon Islands is on the way to development.
There is almost no infrastructure or social security for persons with disabilities.

However, they are living happily because of strong ties of community.
Every community member is willing to support someone who has a disability.
"Working together" is the word most describes Solomon people.

On the other hand, independence of the persons of disabilities seems long way to achieve. The biggest problem here is that there is no active DPO(disabled people's organization) exists. Without DPO, the persons with disabilities have no place to appeal their own rights and no chance to nurture their leadership.

In this field, donors can play an important role and meet the people's needs.

Jun Yamashita
Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer

> Solomon Islands.bmp Awareness raising in Solomon .bmp

Posted by jicafriends at 03:37 PM | Comments (0)

January 14, 2011

Film fest on disability begins Thursday-India

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

2011-01-12 15:50:00
New Delhi, Jan 12 (IANS) Aiming to bring together voices from across the world on issues pertaining to disability, the eighth edition of the We Care Film Festival will start in the capital Thursday, officials said.

With 67 entries from countries like US, Britain, Canada, Israel, Indonesia, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Australia and Nepal besides India, the festival will travel across 25 venues in India and four South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bhutan over a period of five months.

It will culminate in May this year.

An organiser of the festival said: 'The festival's uniqueness lies in the fact that the audience watches and rates each film through a participatory rating process. This approach goes a long way in familiarising people with persons living with disabilities and also encourages filmmakers to tell their stories in an effective yet engaging manner'.

Some of the places where the festival will travel to in India are the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), AYJ National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped and SNDT Women's University in Mumbai, Tezpur University in Assam and Manipal Institute of Communication, Manipal University, in Karnataka.

The film festival was launched by Delhi-based NGO Brotherhood in 2003.

The eighth edition of the fest will be launched by Brotherhood, the United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan (UNIC), Unesco, the National Trust, which functions under the ministry of social justice and empowerment, and the Asian Academy of Film and Television (AAFT).

http://www.sify.com/news/film-fest-on-disability-begins-thursday-news-national-lbmpOgajfgi.html

Posted by jicafriends at 05:30 PM | Comments (0)

January 12, 2011

Bill to better quality of life for disabled-Taiwan

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The Legislative Yuan yesterday ratified draft revisions to a bill designed to safeguard the interests of physically and mentally handicapped people, stipulating that physically disabled people will have their ticket fares halved if taking public transportation systems in any city or county other than the city or county of their household registration.

Under the revised bill, local airline companies cannot refuse to carry physically handicapped people, and also cannot charge a flight ticket fare from those who accompany the handicapped people if the assistant is required. Violators will be subjected to a fine of over NT$10,000 and under NT$50,000, and the fines can be imposed consecutively for repeated violations.

The bill also clearly stipulates that local colleges and universities are allowed to create departments exclusively for the study of massage techniques by visually impaired people; and that non-visually-impaired people are not allowed to perform any massage-related business at hospitals, stations, airports, parks and government units.

In order to increase job opportunities for the visually impaired, the amended bill also requires government units to have at least one tenth of their telephone operators and customer service staffers hired from the visually-impaired, in case the number of such staffers exceeds 10.

It is also clearly stated that government units, private and government-run schools, as well as private and state-owned enterprises are required to reserve 2 percent of their parking spaces exclusively for use by physically disabled people.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications is required to work out rules and regulations governing the establishment of uncluttered environments at public transportation systems before the end of 2011, and then put them into stringent practice.

The requirement comes as a response to complaints from disabled people that public transportation systems such as ships, passenger buses, airplanes and even train services are still full of obstacles, even though it has been requested that such systems be obstacle-free ffacilities over the past 20 years.

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2011/01/11/287199/Bill-to.htm

Posted by jicafriends at 12:14 PM | Comments (0)

January 11, 2011

Global Disability Rights Library Announces Call for Applications to Receive Global Disability Rights Library

Posted by jicafriends at 02:36 PM | Comments (0)

January 04, 2011

Disabled asked to join arts tilt-Philippines

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

January 1, 2011, 6:44pm
CEBU CITY – The Region 7 office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is asking persons with disabilities (PWDs) talented in art, and those who have connection with them to join next year’s Very Special Arts (VSA) International competition.

Jaybee Binghay, DSWD7 information officer said the National Council for Disability Affairs (NCDA) has tapped them to urge talented PWD students to join the said competition as it is a good venue for them to share their gifts.

“The NCDA has requested DSWD to invite disabled students and students who have connection with them to join VSA activities,” she said. Competition categories include VSA International Young Soloists Awards and VSA Call for Writing.

The soloist award hopes to recognize and facilitate outstanding young disabled musicians internationally.

The main aim of the annual award is to acknowledge the artistic achievements, assist and induce these artists to achieve a successful career.

Since 1994, the Young Soloist Program has sought to identify talented disabled musicians with those participating given a chance to earn $5,000 monetary award worth $5,000 and a performance in Washington D.C.

Moreover, the contest is open to students with disabilities and students who are connected to them to showcase their accomplishments and promote increased access to the arts for people with disabilities. (Phoebe Jen Indino)

The program also aims to advocate for transparency and accountability in governance, positively reinforce good performers, popularize replicable best practices, and identify possible interventions to improve LGU performance.

Continue; http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/295986/disabled-asked-joing-arts-tilt

The International Organization on Arts and Disability; http://www.vsarts.org/x16.xml

Posted by jicafriends at 10:46 AM | Comments (0)

December 28, 2010

NYEP employs 513 disabled persons-Ghana

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

A total of 513 physically challenged people have since January this year been engaged under the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), Mr Jacob Adongo, a Deputy Coordinator of the Programme, has said.

The target is to employ about 5,000 of them by the end of 2011.
He said, this was part of efforts to improve the livelihoods of those with physical disabilities and enable them to contribute their quota to the nation's socio-economic development.
Mr Adongo was speaking at the end of year annual delegates' conference of the Ghana Federation of the Disabled (GFD) at Mannyia, near Abuakwa, in the Atwima-Nwabiagya District.
More than 60 delegates from all over the country were there to take stock of their activities for the year and plan for the future.
Mr Adongo said the NYEP's recently introduced modules including Kente Weaving, Hairdressing and Carpentry and Joinery, are designed to help equip persons with disabilities with employable skills.
The Deputy Coordinator said trainees after the completion of their apprenticeship would be provided with basic tools and start-up capital to establish their own businesses.
Mr Kwasi Asare, out-going President of the Federation, commended the media for highlighting disability issues and said he was hopeful that this would continue.
Mr Joseph Adu-Boampong, the in-coming President, said they were grateful to the government for establishing a Disability Unit within the NYEP to take care of their interests and wellbeing.
The vision of the federation, he explained, was to empower its members, especially the women, to make positive contribution towards national progress.
Mrs Rita Kyeremaa Kusi, Executive Director of the GFD, spoke about the need for them to stand together and to speak with a common voice to protect their interests.
GNA

http://accra-mail.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29608:nyep-employs-513-disabled-persons&catid=60:main-news&Itemid=209

Posted by jicafriends at 09:57 AM | Comments (0)

December 22, 2010

USICD News & Annual Meeting Reminder

http://www.usicd.org/template/index.cfm

Posted by jicafriends at 08:06 PM | Comments (0)

Japan's ODA for Project in Binh Duong-Vietnam

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Updated at: Friday, December 17, 2010 5:05:33 PM

(VEN) - A grant contract signing ceremony for the “Project for Constructing a Speech Therapy Facility at the Thuan An Education Center for Disabled Children in Binh Duong Province" under Grant Assistance for Grassroots and Human Security Projects (GGP) funded by the government of Japan took place on December 10 at the Consulate-General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City with total grant of US$105,870.

Established in 1976, the Thuan An Education Center for Disabled Children is the biggest center for hearing disabled children in the Southern Vietnam, annually receiving a large number of disabled children of all ages from Binh Duong and neighboring provinces such as Binh Phuoc and Dak Nong. Since 1995, the center adopted the Early Intervention Program to provide appropriate therapies for children with disabilities. However, since there were not enough rooms for specialized education and therapy services for hearing impaired child, the center cannot meet the increasing number of hearing impaired children. Under this circumstance, the Government of Japan has decided to grant an aid to build a new building (two storeys, 10 rooms) for specialized education to help hearing impaired children to get appropriate therapies, enhance their development and encourage them integrate into society.

At the ceremony, Harumitsu HIDA, the Consul-General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City, and Nguyen Thanh Thu Thuy, the Director of the Thuan An Education Center for Disabled Children, signed the grant contract. At the ceremony, HIDA, the Consul-General of Japan, said that through the project funded by the government of Japan, the educational environment for disabled children in the area will improve remarkably, and at the same time, the friendship and mutual understanding between Japan and Viet Nam will be further deepened./.Hai Yen

http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/Hochiminhcity/2010/12/87993/

Grassroots Assistance: http://www.pk.emb-japan.go.jp/ECONOMICS/Grassroots%20Projects/GGP.htm

Posted by jicafriends at 09:52 AM | Comments (0)

December 21, 2010

Disabled let down in education and employment-New Zealand

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Friday Dec 3, 2010
New Zealand Herald

Disabled New Zealanders are getting a raw deal when it comes to education and employment, according to a report from the Human Rights Commission.

Commissioner Judy McGregor said the report, released to coincide with International Day of Persons with Disabilities today, highlighted the need for the Government to act more in the interests of the disabled.

The report showed that only 22.11 per cent of disabled students with high needs gained NCEA qualifications compared with 66.24 per cent of all students.

"A poor education is an indicator for a poor future," Dr McGregor said.

With regard to disabled adults, the report highlighted a persistent gap in employment rates between disabled people and non-disabled people that had continued for more than a decade.

Dr McGregor said unemployment particularly affected disabled Maori adults, with more than half being jobless.

- NZPA
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10691807
photo caption: Racing: Limits left in dust for those with disabilities (with link to the related article)

Posted by jicafriends at 02:31 PM | Comments (0)

December 15, 2010

A ‘real’ deal for disabled-Bahrain

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

15 December:Gulf Weekly

THE Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Bahrain is investing $500,000 (BD188,000) into a community project to help entrepreneurial people with special needs set up their own businesses selling soft drinks.

In a unique initiative, the company is teaming up with the Ministry of Social Development and The Family Bank to provide 100 air-conditioned kiosks, individually customised with ramps for those using wheelchairs. They will come fully-equipped with coolers to keep the products chilled.

The agreement aims to support people with special needs to allow them to unleash their abilities for establishing and managing small businesses through their participation in the Dannatt project.

Participants will be able to apply for launch funding, in the form of micro-financing, from the bank and the kiosks will be installed in public gardens, facilities and other popular locations across the kingdom.

The Coca-Cola Bottling Company's charitable initiative, which bears the cost of manufacturing and furnishing the kiosks, will provide opportunities of self-employment, training and supervising the establishment of small businesses for people with special needs manning the kiosks.
Furthermore, the company will assign a training manager to provide the personnel with selling skills required to accomplish the job and prosper.

'This agreement comes as a result of the activities of the ministry to empower people with special needs and to provide a suitable environment to integrate them into society and provide employment opportunities and self-employment for them,' Dr Fatima Al Balushi, Minister of Social Development, said.

Dr Al Balushi thanked both The Coca-Cola Bottling Company for its contribution and The Family Bank, which collaborated to launch this initiative to facilitate the involvement of individuals with disabilities in small businesses that improve their income and raise their living standards.

The ministry will support this initiative by providing exclusive licences to install the kiosks at various locations, as well as providing additional training for the people managing the kiosks.

Sanjeev Khanna, general manager of the Bahrain Bottling operation, said: 'The Coca-Cola Bottling Company is dedicated to providing the necessary support for people with special needs in our community, and we hope that this new partnership will positively impact society and people who are in most need of our support.'

The company has designed the kiosks which will sell a variety of its drinks alongside other products. The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with nearly 500 sparkling and still brands.

Dr Atef Al Shabrawi, CEO of Family Bank, said the launch of the initiative comes after many meetings and contacts with various bodies and organisations, including the disability sector of the Ministry of Social Development and a number of NGOs that serve and help develop people with special needs.

http://www.gulfweeklyworldwide.com/article.asp?Sn=7969&Article=26159

Posted by jicafriends at 03:46 PM | Comments (0)

Bar: Stricter laws needed to help the disabled-Malaysia

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

KUALA LUMPUR: There is a need for stricter laws to make facilities for disabled persons at public buildings and properties a must, said Malaysian Bar Council president K. Ragunath.

He added that most public transportation and walkways were not disabled-friendly.

“There is not enough pressure on the government to take the matter seriously,” he said.

He added that the Bar Council planned to set up a committee to advocate the rights of the disabled within the next two months.

The committee would work with the government, various NGOs and town councils to increase awareness on the needs of the community.

“More government intervention is needed to protect the rights of the disabled community especially in terms of employment and accessibility to public property,” he said after the grand finals of the Bar Council Human Rights Debate 2010 last night.

The three-day competition saw participation of debaters from 18 local and international institutions in conjunction with the World Human Rights Day on Saturday.

The winning team will get RM5,000 from the total cash prize of RM30,000, while the remaining RM25,000 will be donated to five charity organisations.

The organisations selected to receive the donation include the National Autism Society of Malaysia and the Society of the Orthopaedically Handicapped Malaysia.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/12/13/nation/7611242&sec=nation

Posted by jicafriends at 10:16 AM | Comments (0)

December 13, 2010

National Forum on Disability kicks off-Syria

Nawal san at Closing Ceremony.bmp

The following information regarding AAMAL, the organization which Ms. Nawal Mouhamad, a participant of Leadership Development Course 2010 belongs to and it is downloaded from the mailing list of accessbangla.

13 December 2010:Zawya
By H. Sabbagh

Damascus - The National Forum on Disability, organized by the Syrian Organization for the Disabled (AAMAL), kicked off on Saturday at al-Umawyeen Conference Palace.
The Forum, held in cooeprration with the Centrail Council for the Disabled Affairs and UN organizations operating in Syria, aims it devising a national map of organizations that tackle disability issues and their services and boslter cooperation among them to improve the situation of disabled individuals.

Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Diyala Haj Aref said that the Council's work allows for group effort and partnership among government and private bodies regarding the issue of disability, stressing that no results can be achieved without a society that believes in what these bodies are working to achieve.

She called for working to empower the disabled and creating social awareness regarding their importance and potential, pointing out to the abilities they revealed during the Special Olympics games that were hosted by Syria.

For his part, Resident Representative of the UNDP in Syria Ismael Weld al-Sheikh Ahmad lauded Syria's efforts to integrated disabled individuals into society, mainly issuing the law for disabled care no. 34 for 2004, which stipulated for rehabilitating the disabled and providing job opportunities for them. He underlined the importance of the Special Olympics held in Syria under the auspices and support of Mrs. Asma al-Assad in raising social awareness regarding disability issues.

Weld al-Sheikh Ahmad noted that UN organizations operating in Syria gave priority to programs relayed to the participation of the disabled, stressing the importance of the participation of the private sector and civil associations in these programs.

In turn, Executive Director of AAMAL Rami Khalil said the Forum aims at forming a unified front and devising a national map for improving the situation of the disabled and achieve the goal of allowing the disabled to live a full life as active parts of society.

Participants in the Forum affirmed the importance of measuring the degree of disability to specify needs and distribute resources accordingly, calling for providing a suitable environment to allow the disabled to participate fully and actively in society.

They indicated to the need for changing social viewpoint towards disability to promote respecting differences and accepting disabled individuals and achieve equality.

They also said that Syria's National Plan for Disability, which is the first integrated national plan of its kind in the region, marks a turning point in bolstering social protection policies in Syria, noting that Syria joined several international agreements on human rights in general including the international Agreement for the Disabled in 2009.

Later, several sessions were held to discuss issues related to disability such as services, prevention, early diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, social initiatives, and educational integration.

Discussions during the sessions indicated to the importance of providing suitable healthcare to the disabled, carrying out preventative programs, group work, volunteer work, planning, establishing partnerships with governmental and private organizations, social marketing, and more.

Representatives of civil, popular, governmental bodies and international organizations are participating in the two-day forum, in addition to several experts.

Photo, art and handicrafts exhibitions will be held on the sideline of the forum, showcasing the works of disabled individuals. Other accompanying activities include theatrical performance, awareness shows, and documentaries.

AAMAL is a non-governmental, non-profit organization that was established in 2002 through an initiative by Mrs. Asma al-Assad. It aims at improving the conditions of peoples with disabilities in Syria through raising awareness, improving legislations and laws, providing treatment and training and integrating the disabled into society.

http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20101212065403

Posted by jicafriends at 02:26 PM | Comments (0)

International Disability Day-Melaka, Malaysia

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

MELAKA, Dec 11 (Bernama) - The Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, is concerned that many disabled people have not registgered themselves with the Welfare Department.

She said that 313,685 disabled people had registered with the department as of August this year - which is much fewer than the total estimated by the World Health Organisation.

Shahrizat noted that WHO estimated that disabled people made up 10 percent of the population of every country.

In view of this, the department launched a campaign today to encourage disabled people to register themselves, she said at a function to mark Disabled People Day at Ayer Keroh here.

Her speach was read out by the Secretary General of the Ministry, Datuk Dr Noorul Ainur Mohd Nur. She could not attend because she was being treated for food poisoning and the function was opened by Meleka Chief Datuk Sri Mohd Ali Rustam.

Shahrizat said the six-month campaign under an outreach programme will be carried out at shopping complexes.

She said that information on disabled people, including their numbers and the type of disability, was necessary in planning services and amenities for them.

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=549385

Posted by jicafriends at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)

Closing Ceremony of the Photography Exhibition on ‘Work and Life’ of Visually Impaired Persons-Bangladesh

Dear All,

Greetings from Bangladesh Visually Impaired Peoples Society (BVIPS).

Photography Exhibition on ‘Work and Life’ of Visually Impaired Persons which jointly organize by Bangladesh Visually Impaired Peoples Society (BVIPS) & Sightsavers from 7 December to 12 December 2010 at Russian Cultural Center, House # 42, Road# 7, Dhanmondi, Dhaka. Exhibition schedule time is 11.00 AM to 7.00 PM.

Closing ceremony along with Cultural programme will be held on Sunday, 12 December 2010 at 5.30 PM at the auditorium hall of Russian Cultural Center. Professor Dr. A.A.M.S. Arefin Siddique, Vice Chancellor, University of Dhaka, has consented as chief guest. Mr. Motiur Rahman, Editor, Daily Prothom Alo will be attend as special guest. You & your friends and family member are also invited in the said programme.

Hope your active participation in this regard.

Thanks and best regards,

AMIR HOSSEN
Finance cum project coordinator
Bangladesh Visually Impaired Peoples Society (BVIPS).

Posted by jicafriends at 10:36 AM | Comments (0)

December 09, 2010

Newsletter from Bangladesh-Young Power in Special Action (YPSA)

The following newsletter of YPSA, the organization which Ms. Sadia Tajin, a former participant of Vocational Rehab. Course 2008 belongs to and it is downloaded from the mailing list of accessbangla.

CHITTAGONG CITY CORPORATION HAS DECLARED SMOKE FREE BY THE MAYOR, MR. MOHAMMED MANJUR ALAM

Mayor sining on board
Mr. Mohammed Manjur Alam, Mayor of Chittagong City Corporation has declared smoke free Chittagong City Corporation. He said that 41 ward offices of Chittagong City Corporation would be smoke free from 7th December 2010 and all other public spaces and public transport would also be smoke free while he was present as chief guest in a view exchanging session on “Smoke Free Chittagong City Corporation” organized by YPSA. I concur with thirteen proposals made by YPSA for the Smoke Free City Corporation, he added. Mayor also declared some steps towards smoke free city corporation which were as follows

･ Smoke Free messages will be published in all circulations of Chittagong City Corporation.
･ Smoke free messages will be placed on around 70000 rickshaw's licenses plate
･ Chittagong City Corporation will form ward base smoke free committee headed by Ward councilors who will monitor and take grass root level initiatives in each ward.
･ Mayor will call a meeting for implement the smoke free Chittagong City Corporation within a short time where YPSA will be invited.
･ Mayor has given responsibility to Social Welfare standing committee and Health Department for smoke free initiatives

Meeting
The meeting was held at Abdul Sattar Auditorium of Chittagong City corporation office on 6th December 2010 with the assistance of Bloomberg Initiatives and Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. City Corporation has assisted YPSA to organize the meeting. Mr. Mohammed Manjur Alam, Mayor of City Corporation was the chief guest. Besides that Mr. Md. Samsuddoha, secretary and Mr. Dipak Chakrabarti, Chief Revenue Officer of Chittagong City Corporation and Professor Dr. A.Q.M Serajul Islam, ex-head of Skin and Venereal disease department of Chittagong Medical collage and hospital were presented as special guests. All councilors, panel mayor, officials of Chittagong City Corporation, smoke free coalition members and journalists were attended the meeting.

Meeting
During the session, mayor signed on a board marked "Smoke Free Chittagong City Corporation". YPSA handed over the Smoke Free Guideline to the Mayor.
Dr. Bishawarup Dev presented a slide show presentation on health hazards of smoking and Ms. Nasim Banu presented a slide show presentation on smoke free initiatives of YPSA and Chittagong City Corporation (CCC), present status of tobacco consumption in Bangladesh, benefits of smoke free environment and some proposal to CCC for the “Smoke Free City Corporation”. Proposals were as follows-

･ Adoption and implementation of smoke free guideline for the CCC.
･ Ensure implementation and enforcement of National Tobacco control act 2005
･ Declare Smoke Free City Corporation including all public places and public transport
･ Ban displaying of all tobacco advertisements like leaflets, posters, bill board, wall writing in the CCC area
･ Place smoke free messages on the license plats of all rickshaws and other vehicles.
･ Ban all tobacco product's related display box in the CCC area
･ Prohibit tobacco products sale within 100 meter areas of all educational institutions which contribute to reduce tobacco consumption and also reduce Eve teasing
･ Take necessary steps for wall painting with smoke free messages in different places under Chittagong City Corporation
･ Operate mobile court regularly
･ Give responsibility to any department/unit/committee/person for the enforcement of smoke free laws and initiatives
･ Encourage employers to prioritize non-smokers for the job recruitment
Display ‘No Smoking’ Signage in all public places and public transport in CCC
･ Regular air quality monitoring

In the meeting YPSA has shared initiatives of Mr. Mike Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City for “Smoke free New York City” as an example which also encouraged the participants to take some special decisions for smoke free city.

After the both presentation participants have participated in open discussion session and they has given some new ideas and their concern for smoke free city corporation. Besides that Mr. Jahangir Hossain, councilors of 26 no ward has officially declared that he will quit smoke from this meeting. Professor Dr. A.Q.M Serajul Islam, ex-head of Skin and venereal disease department of Chittagong Medical collage and hospital has moderated the discussion session. Mr. Palash Chowdhury, Director (Finance) was given welcome speech on behalf of YPSA.

http://ypsa.org/

Posted by jicafriends at 11:17 AM | Comments (0)

Empowering people with disabilities will help battle against poverty - UN Officials

3 December 2010 - Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the United Nations human rights chief have called on governments to do more to support people with disabilities, stressing that they play a vital role in efforts to reach the globally agreed anti-poverty targets by their 2015 deadline.

In a message marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Mr. Ban urged governments to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to integrate the needs of this group with their persuit of the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

"People with disabilities account roughly 20 percent of those living in poverty in developing countries," he noted. "Worldwide, they suffer high rates of unemployment and often lack access to adequate education and healthcare. In many societies, there are simply no provisions made for this group and they end up living in isolation, disconnected from their own communities."

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=36943&Cr=DISABILITIES&Cr1

Posted by jicafriends at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)

International Disability Day-Northerners mark special day-Fiji

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori. We believe the former participants of Fiji Vocational Training Center also participated in the march.

Saturday, December 04, 2010
Fiji Times

MORE than 100 people including persons with disabilities participated in a march to celebrate the National Disabled Day in Labasa yesterday.

About 15 students and staff of Labasa Special School and more than 30 students, teachers and caregivers from Fiji Vocational and Technical Training Centre for People with Disabilities, Suva were part of the celebration.

Ministry of Social Welfare permanent secretary Govind Sami said the event was an opportunity to recognise and raise awareness on the need to create a caring society without discrimination for persons living with disabilities.

"The celebration is aimed to bring together persons with disability and the community to showcase skills, abilities, contributions and achievements of people with disability," Mr Sami said.

The theme for this year's celebration is 'Keeping the promise -Mainstreaming disability in the Millennium Development Goals towards 2015 and beyond'.

"This stands as a reminder to the leaders to include, integrate and count persons with disabilities and their issues in all areas of development," Mr Sami said.

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=161196

Posted by jicafriends at 10:05 AM | Comments (0)

December 08, 2010

USICD News & Annual Meeting Reminder

http://www.usicd.org/template/index.cfm

Posted by jicafriends at 01:20 PM | Comments (0)

Photography Exhibition - Bangladesh

Dear Jica friends,

Greetings from Bangladesh Visually Impaired Peoples Society (BVIPS).

We are pleased to inform you that Bangladesh Visually Impaired Peoples Society (BVIPS) and Sightsavers are going to organize a Photography Exhibition to celebrate the successes of Persons with Visual Impairment of the country on the occasion of 60th Anniversary of Sightsavers this year. The Exhibition will take place during 07 to 12 December 2010 from 11:00 a.m. to 07:00 p.m. (Except Friday) at Russian Cultural Center Exhibition hall (ground floor), House 42, Road 7, Dhanmondi R/A, Dhaka. The inaugural ceremony of the exhibition will be held on 07 December 2010, Tuesday at 11.00 am at the auditorium hall of the Russian Cultural Center, Auditorium hall (ground floor), House 42, Road 7, Dhanmondi R/A, Dhaka.

Mr. Shawkat Ali, MP, Hon’ble Deputy Speaker, Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, has given his kind consent to grace the occasion as Chief Guest. Advocate Abdul Motin Khusru, MP, Advocate Mojibul Haque, MP and Advocate Shah Jikrul Ahmed, MP Government of Bangladesh, Mr. Jowaherul Islam Mamun, Secretary General, National Forum of Organization Working with the Disabled (NFOWD) will also attend as Special Guests.

You & your friends and family member are invited in the said programme.

Thanks and best regards,

AMIR HOSSEN
Finance cum project coordinator
Bangladesh Visually Impaired Peoples Society (BVIPS).

Invitation card

Posted by jicafriends at 01:04 PM | Comments (0)

USICD News & Annual Meeting Reminder

http://www.usicd.org/template/index.cfm

Posted by jicafriends at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)

November 22, 2010

Orissa: Handicap International is organising the International Workshop

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Report by Orissa Diary correspondent; Bhubaneswar: Handicap International, an international organisation specialised in the field of disability and working in Odisha since 2008 is organizing a three day International Workshop on ‘Integrating Disability in Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Response – Best Practices and Lessons Learnt’. The workshop will be organised in Bhubaneswar from 23rd to 25th November 2010.

The workshop aims to bring together the government and non government actors in the field of disability and disaster risk reduction from South Asia and Europe to share and learn from experiences and best practices in the field of disability inclusive disaster risk reduction. Disaster risk reduction remains a key challenge in South Asia region. The workshop will provide an insight into the issues of disability inclusion, need for required policy changes and collective approach to reduce risks and vulnerabilities of persons with disabilities through consistent programmatic interventions.

It will feature addresses from leaders in the field of disability and disaster risk reduction and response. The workshop is organised in the form of roundtable discussions, symposia, paper presentations, exhibits and lessons learnt from disability inclusive DRR interventions particularly from South Asia. Around 60 participants from State Disaster Managemnet Authorities of Gujurat, West Bengal and Odisha, various international and national organizations working on disaster risk reduction and disability issues, bi-lateral agencies and UN agencies will join the workshop including participants from Nepal, Bangladesh, Srilanka, Afganistan, Canada and France.

Sj. Surya Narayan Patro, Hon’ble Minister for Revenue & Disaster Management, Govt. of Odisha has kindly consented to grace the occasion as Chief Guest. Dignitaries including Mr. Nikunja K Sundaray, IAS, Special Relief Commissioner & Managing Director, OSDMA, Ms. Arti Ahuja, IAS, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Women and Child Department, Ms. Kasturi Mohapatra, Disability Commissioner, Prof. Asha Hans, Executive Vice-President Shanta Memorial Rehabilitation Centre and Mr. Gilles Nouzies, Country Director, Handicap International-India will grace the inaugural function and share their views.

Handicap International is implementing the project on ‘Integrating Disability in Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Response in partnership with Orissa State Disaster Managment Authority (OSDMA), Indian Red Cross Society, Concern Worldwide, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Shanta Memorial Rehabilitation Centre (SMRC). This project is supported by European Commission Humanitarian Aid under its DIPECHO Action 5. The project achieved the inclusion of persons with disabilities in disaster risk redcution at community level, made cyclone
shelters more accessible and influenced policy changes.

http://www.orissadiary.com/ShowEvents.asp?id=22521

Posted by jicafriends at 05:26 PM | Comments (0)

November 10, 2010

A packet of hope-India

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Posted: Sun Nov 07 2010, 03:18 hrs Freelance

As you walk into the office of Mirakle Couriers at Mumbai’s Churchgate, it is the long silence that greets you. But listen in and look around, and you realise this is a place that’s bustling with energy. Smiles pass on as messages get exchanged and the rapid hand movements tell you that this is peak time at Mirakle, a courier company whose 60 employees are all hearing impaired.

Dhruv Lakra, the man behind Mirakle, set up the company in 2008 with two office boys and no computers. But he knew who to hire—today his company has a staff of 60 members, all hearing impaired, a management team of five and two branches, one at Andheri and the other at Churchgate.

What worked to Lakra’s advantage is his experience in the social sector—during the tsunami of 2004, he worked to rehabilitate the fishing community. This MBA from Oxford gave up his job with an international investment bank after he came across a boy with a hearing impairment. “ I saw this boy in a bus and he was having trouble with even the simplest tasks. I realised that disability is invisible to the public and therefore not understood properly,” says Lakra.

That’s how he set up Mirakle and began by recruiting employees from various clubs and schools for the hearing impaired. “Theirs is more or less a closely knit network and soon I found aspirants coming in,” he says.

In India, an estimated six per cent of the population suffers from some kind of hearing loss. “Roughly 66 per cent of this population is unemployed. The limited employment opportunities they have is mostly in the unorganised sector,” says Lakra.

But at Mirakle, the employees hold jobs that give employee benefits and a salary that is almost “300 per cent more than what the unorganised sector offers them”.

Which is probably why everyone here is a success story. Reshma Parab joined Mirakle two years ago and is now in charge of the Churchgate office. “All the boys report to her,” says Rohan Mehta, the Media Marketing and Business Development head at Mirakle. “We are a not a charity organisation; ours is a social business, where the social element is embedded in the commercial operations. So we make sure our work is on a par with the competition in the market,” says Mehta.

Set up in 2008, in two years, the company has made a name for itself. With a client list that includes Mahindra & Mahindra, the Aditya Birla Group, Victory Art Foundation, JSW Group, Indian Hotels Company, Godrej & Boyce, Essel Propack and Vodafone, the company has grown impressively.

But the Mirakle story sparks a bigger debate. The hearing impaired in the country face an educational system and a society that are not prepared for them. The system makes it difficult for them to do routine things like own a vehicle or aspire for higher education. Special schools for those with disabilities are only till class X, after which they are left on their own, fighting their individual battles in a world that is vocal about its existence. “It hurts when these people are disadvantaged because of the system. Their grasping power and thinking ability is like yours and mine. I would say computers and text messages are a boon for them,” says Vidya Iyer, HR manager and a trained interpreter.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/A-packet-of-hope/707684

Posted by jicafriends at 03:46 PM | Comments (0)

November 04, 2010

Abuja Conference launches new guidelines aimed at empowering millions of Africans with disabilities

Dear jicafriends,

The 4th CBR Africa Network Conference (CAN) was held in Nigeria and the new CBR guidelines

were launched on Oct. 27, 2010. Please refer to the following Press release to obtain detailed

information. And CBR Asia-Pacific Network Conference regarding these guidelines will be held from

Nov. 13-15 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

CBR Asia-Pacific Network:
http://www.apcdfoundation.org/?q=content/cbr-asia-pacific-network

PDF File (156KB)

Posted by jicafriends at 06:21 PM | Comments (0)

November 01, 2010

Disabled protest for minimum wage-level benefits-Israel

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Hundreds of people with disabilities protest in front of the Finance, Social Affairs Ministries, charging officials with being more concerned with profits than human welfare.
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Israel news

Hundreds participated in a demonstration of disabled people opposite the Finance Ministry and Social Affairs Ministry offices in Jerusalem, demanding that their disability benefits be increased to the level of the minimum wage.

Participants had physical confrontations with police officers and security guards at the scene over the course of the demonstration, and attempted to break through the perimeter fences surrounding the compound and enter the ministry offices.

Several members of Knesset, including MK Ilan Ghilon and Moshe Matalon joined the leaders of the demonstration and expressed their support.

Representatives of the disabled announced their intention to renew their struggle for increased disability benefits over the weekend. In a letter sent to Social Affairs Minister Yitzhak Herzog, they wrote, "At issue is a group of people that experiences economic instability in almost all aspects of their life."

The letter also made mention of the fact that disability benefits have not been increased for several years, despite the fact that inflation has increased the cost of living.

People with disabilities are demanding that their benefits be increased gradually over the course of five years until they are on par with the minimum wage. In addition, they are asking that benefits not only be dependent upon a person's earning power, but primarily on the level of disability instead.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/disabled-protest-for-minimum-wage-level-benefits-1.321089

Posted by jicafriends at 04:39 PM | Comments (0)

October 26, 2010

Women Leaders with Disabilities Gather from Around the Globe

Eugene, OR – Mobility International USA (MIUSA) hosted 29 disabled women
activists from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East for
the 5th International Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability (WILD)
Exchange Program August 7-29, 2010.

During the program, WILD women participated in intensive seminars focused on
issues such as using the media, policy and legislation, health, HIV/AIDS,
violence prevention, employment and education. Delegates also participated
in team-building activities including an outdoor challenge course and river
rafting.

A key component of the WILD program was the five-day Gender, Disability and
Development Institute (GDDI), where WILD delegates were joined by 24 alumni
from past WILD programs, who offered their expertise and experience to
mentor the next generation of WILD women. These 53 disabled women activists,
representing 42 countries, met at GDDI with representatives from
international development agencies, including the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID), World Vision, Mercy Corps, Trickle Up,
and Accion International. During this intensive retreat, which included a
presentation from Judith Heumann, Special Advisor to the State Department on
International Disability Rights, participants engaged in targeted dialogue
on strategies for including women and girls with disabilities in development
projects internationally. The initiative also expanded MIUSA’s strong
network of grassroots women leaders with disabilities worldwide which
includes over 120 WILD alumni from 65 countries. Susan Sygall, MIUSA CEO,
remarked “WILD was an historic event of women with disabilities representing
many cultures, countries and types of disabilities, all coming together,
celebrating the “Loud, Proud and Passionate®” theme, and strategizing ways
to improve the lives of disabled women and girls throughout the world.

Key disability rights leaders and women’s rights advocates sent messages in
support of the dynamic three-week initiative. In a letter to the WILD women,
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton noted, “You play a critical role in
combating discrimination, promoting inclusion, and defending human rights
the world over.” USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah echoed these sentiments in
his message to the WILD delegation, remarking that “Full participation of
women and girls with disabilities is vital to effective development policy
and practice.” Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), a long-time disability rights
advocate, and Ambassador-At-Large for Global Women’s Issues, Melanne
Verveer, also sent video messages of support.

As a non-profit organization, MIUSA’s mission is to empower people with
disabilities around the world to achieve their human rights through
international exchange and international development. Since 1981, MIUSA has
offered international exchange programs for over 2,000 youth, adults and
professionals with and without disabilities from more than 100 countries.
MIUSA also currently promotes disability inclusion in USAID-supported
development projects in Ethiopia , Colombia , and Jordan .

The WILD program was made possible by the generous sponsorship of the
Walmart Foundation, the Mike and Lisa Sygall Scholarship Fund of Mobility
International USA, USAID, local businesses and families in Eugene and
Springfield , and an anonymous donor.

Look for the new WILD music video on YouTube - coming soon!

For more information contact:
Susan Sygall, CEO Cindy Lewis, Director of
Programs
mailto:sygall@miusa.org
mailto:clewis@miusa.org

Posted by jicafriends at 09:10 AM | Comments (0)

October 22, 2010

Budget 2011: Help the disabled-Malaysia

We found the name of Mr.V. MURUGESWARAN, the former participant of Leaders' Course 1999 in the following article. It was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

V. MURUGESWARAN, President of Damai Disabled Persons Association
(Selangor and Federal Territory),Petaling Jaya, Selangor
letters@nst.com
THE government has allocated RM6.4 billion to the Education Ministry as development expenditure to build and upgrade schools, hostels, facilities and equipment.

The ministry should draw up a comprehensive plan to ensure that the money is utilised in line with the "inclusive education" system.

The inclusive education system comprises an accessible infrastructure and well-trained teachers who can cater for all students.

The inclusive system will enable disabled students to attend "normal schools" just like their normal peers without being segregated based on their disabilities.

This problem has been long overlooked by the government.

The importance of education can be seen in Edward Everett's famous words: "Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army".

A huge sum of RM1.2 billion has been allocated to the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to carry out various welfare and community programmes, which include RM280 million for training programmes to benefit 80,000 registered disabled people in the country.

I strongly recommend that the allocation be utilised more to provide comprehensive training and courses on fields such as information technology, automobile repair, sales and marketing to enable the disabled to cope with the current economic situation and contribute to the country.

http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/Budget2011_Helpthedisabled/Article/

Posted by jicafriends at 08:19 PM | Comments (0)

October 20, 2010

National DPO's Consultative Workshop-Pakistan

NATIONAL DPO’s CONSULTATIVE WORKSHOP
5th to 7th OCTOBER 2010
KARACHI

Comprehensive Health & Education Forum (CHEF) International is a Peshawar based Non Government Development Organization (NGDO) and works in the fields of Health, Education and Disability. Chef International for the very first time in Pakistan organized a five days National DPO”s Consultative Workshop at Quaiden Special Education Complex Gulistan-e-Johar Karachi. With the collaboration of MILESTONE for this event all DPO’s (Disable Peoples’ Organizations) arrived from across Pakistan to Lahore and from Lahore by bus our journey started on 2nd October, 2010 towards Karachi. During journey we crossed different cities Multan, Haiderabad and received DPO’s from their respective cities .More than 100 participants from 40 DPOs participated in this workshop the basic aim of this event was to ensure the DPO’s participation in the society for the betterment of PWD’s(Persons’ with disabilities) and their future planning for the mainstreaming disability through PWD’s inclusion.

Banner of National DPO’s Consultative Workshop

DPO’s Participants in bus on the way towards Karachi

Chief Guest Shazia Muree(Minister of Tourism sindh) charring the Workshop

Chief Guest Shazia Murre (Minister of Tourism, Government of Sind.) addressed the workshop and promised to raise the issues of PWD’s in national assembly.

At the conclusion of workshop leaders of the DPO’s realized the vital role of DPOs and other stakeholders in development.

40 delegates from across the country agreed upon a Joint Statement National Consultative Workshop.

Joint Statement of Pakistan DPOs
at
National Consultative Workshop Karachi
on
5th-7th October 2010

We the leaders of DPOs (Disabled Peoples’ Organizations) from all over Pakistan, at the National Consultative Workshop at Quaiden Special Education Complex, Gulistan-e-Johar, Karachi, with this joint statement realized the vital role of DPOs in inclusive development.

Ninety delegates from across the country agreed upon the following key areas.

1.Thankful to CHEF International for taking initiative, organized event and provided opportunity.
2.Also Thankful to CBM, LFW & DL for its collaboration with CHEF Int’l to promote activities of DPOs.
3.Recognizing role of the Government to providing opportunities to DPOs such as facilities of venue for workshop.
4.International day of person with disabilities 2010 will be marked jointly with activities at national level as well as at local level for 10 days starting from December 1st-10th, 2010 that means from world HIV/AIDS day to International human rights day.
5.Joint efforts will be made to practice such event repeatedly every year with same spirit.
6.That UNCRPD shall be ratified by the Government of Pakistan and DPOs must be included in implementation and monitoring process with the leadership role.
7.Emphasis on the activities will be on promoting inclusive businesses and entrepreneurship of Persons’ with Disabilities.
8.Efforts shall be carried out for the inclusion of DPOs in political process and at decision making level from the gross root level to national level.
9.Promotion of the philosophy and practices of independent living shall be the key agenda in community based inclusive development initiatives.
10.To promote peace and harmony among all DPOs of Pakistan, Organizations working in disability field and all other stakeholders include Government.

Posted by jicafriends at 10:20 AM | Comments (2)

September 29, 2010

Descriptopedia-Bangladesh

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "AccessBangla" with a cooperation of Mr.Vashkar Vhattacharya.

When you could see a picture and can't really describe it in words. When you want to get an idea about a physical description for a certain live, or even, virtual object When you want to help the blind get an idea about what you see and they can't. Descriptopedia is the right place for you to visit on a regular basis.

A blind person could never touch the mouth of a real lion or the outer view of a real high tower. How if they could perceive such things in descriptive wording? we, at descriptopedia, believe that one could understand things better when they perceive it in a more appropriate way. The blind lack the ability to see with their eyes, but they could see things when they understand them.

We believe the descriptive approach is brand new in internet resources, so we intend to provide textual descriptions for all objects around us as it is, not as it should be, and we will be pleased you promote our knowledgebase with your fantastic informative comments that may raise considerable questions, or provide valuable answers for any of the unanswered questions we raise.

Just visit Descriptopedia and give us your valuable views. It is our newly born internet resource at:
http://www.descriptopedia.wordpress.com/

Descriptopedia Team

Posted by jicafriends at 04:40 PM | Comments (0)

September 15, 2010

South Korean Elected Member Of U.N Committee To Protect Handicapped

SEOUL, Sept 2 (Bernama) -- A South Korean professor has been elected as a member of a U.N. committee, to promote the rights of the handicapped, Yonhap news agency quoted the foreign ministry as saying on Thursday.
Professor Kim Hyung-shik of Korea University of International Studies here is the first South Korean to earn a membership with the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the ministry said in a statement.

A total of 23 candidates competed in Wednesday's election held at the U.N. headquarters in New York to choose 12 members of the 18-member committee for a four-year term starting next year.

An expert on the rights of the disabled, Kim, 64, served as deputy head of the Korean office of Rehabilitation International in 2002-2005 and represented South Korean non-governmental organisations in conferences with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2006 and 2007.

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=525711

Posted by jicafriends at 04:55 PM | Comments (0)

September 13, 2010

Committee drafting new law for disabled not-India

We found the name of Mr.Javed Abidi, the former participant of Leaders' Course 1995 in the following article. It was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

TNN, Sep 4, 2010, 12.35am IST

CHENNAI: The process of drafting a new law for the disabled is neither transparent nor participative, say disability rights activists.

In the city to talk about the importance of the new, comprehensive law, disability rights activist Javed Abidi said the committee drafting the new law does not have enough disabled people on board.

Earlier this year, the Centre constituted a committee to draft a new law to replace the existing Persons With Disabilities Act, 1995. The new law was to reflect the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Disabled, which India ratified in 2007, and take a rights-based approach.

"There is not a single blind person on the committee, neither is there a person to represent people with mental retardation or mental illness," said Abidi, who is also convenor of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People in New Delhi.

Since the committee was formed on April 30, it has only met thrice. "And not one of the reports of the meetings or of the sub-groups has been made public," he said. "This law will impact our lives for the next couple of decades and there has been no consultation with us," he said.

Speaking from New Delhi, chairperson of the committee drafting the new law, Sudha Kaul, said they were committed to including all the stakeholders in the process. "The sub-groups that are looking into various aspects of the law, such as employment, education and civil and political rights, are each having discussions with people from the community," she said. "We will be putting these discussion notes on the website of the social justice ministry soon so that more people can comment on it."

The committee will submit the final draft of the law by December 31, and plans to hold regional consultations across the country in November before finalising the draft. "We will also hold a general assembly in Delhi. We want to enrich the process of creating a new law with open discussions," said Kaul.

Abidi, however, said that such consultations and discussions should have taken place before preparing the draft. "We should have access to the reports so that the new law is truly inclusive and reflects the concerns and needs of all disabled people."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Committee-drafting-new-law-for-disabled-not/articleshow/6488653.cms

Posted by jicafriends at 01:29 PM | Comments (0)

September 07, 2010

German Expert elected to Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities-New York

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Sep 2, 2010

Yesterday (1 September), German lawyer and disability rights activist Professor Theresia Degener was elected as German expert to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Federal Foreign Minister Dr Guido Westerwelle welcomed the choice of Professor Degener as an outstanding expert with a long-standing commitment to the rights of people with disabilities.

Professor Degener was involved in drawing up the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was adopted at the end of 2006 and is the most recent UN convention on human rights. Germany acceded to the Convention in 2009, bringing tangible outcomes as well for Germans with disabilities, who number almost 7 million.

Germany attaches great importance to the UN Disability Rights Convention, which is an important step towards increasing the rights of people with disabilities worldwide. Germany is pushing for the universal implementation of the UN Convention.

In Professor Degenerthe Committee, which is made up of international experts, has an authority on the rights of people with disabilities who is committed to the worldwide implementation of the Convention.

http://www.new-york-un.diplo.de/Vertretung/newyorkvn/en/__pr/2010_20Press__Releases/100902__German_20Expert_20elected,archiveCtx=2490040.html

Posted by jicafriends at 01:39 PM | Comments (0)

NGO offers helpline 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.

Karthik Madhavan

COIMBATORE: Finally, there is one place where all persons with disabilities (PWDs) can turn to – if not for all their needs, at least for most.

U and Disabled (UDIS) Forum, an NGO working for PWDs, has set up a helpline offering a host of services. “It will be a one stop shop for PWDs,” says M.N.G. Mani of UDIS.

By dialling 0422 2405551 or 0422 2648006 or 99445 56168 one can learn about the schemes devised by Central and State governments for PWDs, the schemes available for education or service organisation that wish to assist PWDs, how to access disability-related facilities from various sources, about assistive devices and their availability, referral centres for education and rehabilitation, disability components in public and private sector enterprises and employment opportunities in industries.

They can also access information related to disabled people's organisations and parents' groups, important national and international developments on disability and database on disabled persons.

Mr. Mani, who is also the Secretary General of the International Council for Education of People With Visual Impairment, says that the helpline is also open for those who want to assist PWDs.

“Say, an organisation might want to recruit such people and it might be interested in knowing if any of the governments provide grant or not. Even such information is available at the helpline.”

“The challenged people can access the helpline to gather information about whom to contact for their needs, what documents to be submitted, if they are availing of a scheme, and where to look for a job.”

He further says: “In effect the helpline aims at involving all stakeholders, optimising their efforts and bridging the gap between PWDs and others.”

Information

Information will be available between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. at the helpline. Assistance will also be available to those who visit the UDIS Forum in person.

They can get forms for various schemes, aside from information.

As for the database on PWDs, he says the details will be gathered with assistance from the District Disabled Welfare Office. And the UDIS advisory committee for helpline will meet periodically and update information.

http://www.hindu.com/2010/09/03/stories/2010090351120100.htm

Posted by jicafriends at 01:21 PM | Comments (0)

August 26, 2010

Report on flood in Pakistan-Milestone

Dear friend of disability movement.
We Milestone started a nation wide collective work with all DPO,s. We are sharing apromoting their work so they can learn and also lead disability movement and safe disabled perosns from disaster.
There is report of on very strong DPO fro karachi.

Regard

PDF (602KB)

Shafiq-ur-Rehman
President
M I L E S T O N E
Lets Move to Change the Society
Society for the Special Persons

Posted by jicafriends at 09:31 PM | Comments (0)

August 24, 2010

Monitoring the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities-UN Human Rights

Dear jicafriends,

For your information, please refer to the following pages on "Monitoring the Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities," Guidance for human rights monitors-Professional training series No. 17-New York.

http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/Disabilities_training_17EN.pdf

The secretariat of jicafriends

Posted by jicafriends at 11:52 AM | Comments (0)

August 19, 2010

Report on flood in Pakistan-Milestone

Dear Friends of Disability movement

there is a small activity by the disabled persons of Pakistan for the flood effected human being
I really appericiat if you could share with other cluster members.

PDF (557KB)

Regard

Shafiq-ur-Rehman
President
M I L E S T O N E
Lets Move to Change the Society
Society for the Special Persons

Posted by jicafriends at 08:02 PM | Comments (0)

Report on flood in Pakistan-Milestone

Dear jicafriends,

There are some short reports with some pictures of today activities... Very difficult for disabled persons to survive in Flood i found it after the experience... Lets think how to make strong plan to start new culture , not help but care.. and promote IL movement for Peace..

PDF (550KB)

Report on August 9, 2010
http://www.jicafriends.net/archives/pdf2010080901.pdf

Shafiq-ur-Rehman
President

Posted by jicafriends at 07:57 PM | Comments (0)

August 18, 2010

Plea to educate visually-impaired children-Fiji

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Samantha Rina
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Fiji Times

PARENTS of visually-impaired children in rural areas have been urged to enrol their children at the Fiji School for the Blind.

The call from the Fiji Parents Support Group for the Blind and Visually Impaired was made during the first-ever open day celebrations for the Fiji Society for the Blind yesterday.

The President, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, was chief guest at yesterday's celebrations.

Parents Support Group national secretary Vishwa Mudaliar said their mission as parents was to ensure better education and rehabilitation for children who were blind or visually impaired.

"We have a lot of children around the country that need special education at the Fiji School for the Blind but because of financial difficulties, parents are unable to send their children to Suva from the Northern or Western divisions although the hostel accommodation is free at the Fiji Society for the Blind," he said.

He said financial support would help them achieve their goals in sending their children to school for a better education. Free medical and dental checks were provided for visitors at the open day.

"There are a lot of parents and guardians in the rural areas who don't know of the services available for their child and we want to create and promote as much awareness as we can on this issue," Mr Mudaliar said.

Posted by jicafriends at 09:19 AM | Comments (0)

August 17, 2010

Committee Studying Suggestions on the Draft Legislation on Disability-India

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

A Committee consisting of representatives of various stakeholders including State Governments and Central Ministries, experts in various disabilities and representatives of Civil Society Organizations etc., has been set up in April this year to study the suggestions and comments received on the proposed amendments and to prepare a new draft Legislation. The Committee is presently deliberating on various issues relating to the terms of reference.

After wide consultation draft amendments to “The Persons with Disabilities (Equal opportunities, Protection of rights and full participation) Act, 1995” were formulated. The proposed amendments were circulated to all State Governments and concerned Central Ministries and were also posted on the website of the Ministry seeking suggestions.
Comments have been received from several State Governments, Central Ministries, Non-Government Organizations and individuals.

As per the provision in the present Act, “Disability” means-Blindness; Low Vision; Leprosy-cured; Hearing impairment; Loco motor disability; Mental retardation; Mental illness;

This information was given by Shri D. Napoleon, the Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment, in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=64850

Posted by jicafriends at 01:20 PM | Comments (0)

August 10, 2010

YPSA’s digital contents awarded nationally. DAISY and Shipbreaking Website

The following news from YPSA, the organization which Ms. Sadia Tajin, a former participant of Vocational Rehab. Course 2008 belongs to and it is downloaded from mailing list of "accessbangla."

It’s a matter of great cheery, surprising and achievement that YPSA’s digital contents ware awarded nationally. Ministry of Science and ICT, Government of Bangladesh is the host of the contest “National e-Content and ICT4D Award 2010” and D.Net is the organizer”.

We submitted concept paper on both project to the organizers in order to join the contest. At last YPSA’s content production on ICT4D was introduced and recognized as the best digital content and project countrywide.

“DAISY on E-inclusion & Participation” got champion award and Website of Shipbreaking got special award. The award giving ceremony held at auditorium of National Museum, Dhaka yesterday evening. Honorable Finance Minister Mr. Abul Maal Abdul Muhith was the Chief Guest while Honorable State Minister for Science and ICT Architect Yeafesh Osman was the Special Guest on the occasion. On behalf of YPSA Mr. Vashkar Vhattacharjee, Senior Program Officer and Focal person of DAISY Bangladesh have received the champion Award 2010 for DAISY and Md. Nazmul Haider, Senior program officer of YPSA have received the Special Mention award For Ship Breaking in Bangladesh web portal.

Now the winning projects are accomplished to join the global contest because the winners of the award will be eligible for contesting in World Summit Award 2011. This contest is endorsed by World Summit Award.

Regarding DAISY,
http://www.daisy.org/
http://www.ypsa.org/

Posted by jicafriends at 01:22 PM | Comments (0)

August 09, 2010

MILESTONE

Dear jicafriends,

From yesterday we started our work in limited resources i would like to share your some of the reports of flood. The good work is going on but disabled persons ignored badly. 12 Lakh disabled persons are supposed to be misplace in flood.
Time is passing very fast and in the next step there will be huge diseases... We need urgent support so we can organize some camp to save the disabled persons..

Its very difficult time.

PDF(907KB)

Regard

Shafiq-ur-Rehman
President
M I L E S T O N E
Lets Move to Change the Society
Society for the Special Persons

Posted by jicafriends at 07:01 PM | Comments (0)

Peace memorial ceremonies-Japan

Dear jicafriends,

The day, August 6, the city of Hiroshima held a Peace Memorial Ceremony to pray for the peaceful
repose of the victims, for the abolition of nuclear weapons, and for lasting world peace.

During that ceremony, Mr. Tadatoshi Akiba, the Mayor of City of Hiroshima issued a Peace Declaration directed toward the world at large.
http://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/shimin/heiwa/pd2010e.html

And at 11.02 a.m. on August 9, 1945, the sky above Nagasaki was filled by a white flash, and all the clocks stopped. The peace memorial ceremony will be held today in Nagasaki.

Let us work together to avoid creating victims of the wars and conflicts.
Let us think about the importance of world peace.

The secretariat of jicafriends

Posted by jicafriends at 09:30 AM | Comments (2)

August 06, 2010

News from APDF

This is the announcement of the APDF General Assembly and Conference to be held on October 17 and 18, 2010 in Bangkok. APCD( Asia -Pacific Development Center on Disability) kindly offers the room in APCD for the meeting/conference and serve as the Conference secretariat.

The next meeting and Conference will be very important for discussig the plan of action until 2012, the end of the 2nd Asian Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons and thinking of the future framework of the regional cooperation in Asia and Pacific beyond 2012. We hope to see you all in October!

With best regards.

Ryosuke Matsui, Secretary General of APDF

Program : download:PDF(61KB) | download:WORD(39KB)
Registration form : download:PDF(34KB) | download:WORD(39KB)

Posted by jicafriends at 03:54 PM | Comments (0)

Information from Fabio-Colombia

Florida Open 2007

Dear jicafriends,

I just found this interesting paper in the World Economic Forum's web site, it's an study from the ILO International Labor Organization,

Maybe some of you already know it but I'm sending the link in case you don't. There are also some asian countries included.

The price of exclusion : the economic consequences of excluding people with disabilities from the world of work
http://www.ilo.org/skills/what/pubs/lang--en/docName--WCMS_119305/index.htm

Warm Regars,
Fabio
Leadership Development 2006

Posted by jicafriends at 01:45 PM | Comments (0)

July 21, 2010

Barrier Free Campaign at Singhdarbar

Dear jicafriends,

I would like to share the reports of CIL Kathmandu attached herewith.
Thanking you.
Sincerely,
Krishna Gautam

PDF File (489KB)

Posted by jicafriends at 06:34 PM | Comments (0)

2nd announcement of 2nd Regional TOT DET

Dear jicafriends,

The 2nd Regional Training of Trainers (TOT) on DET for Asia and the Pacific
region is organised jointly by the Japan International Cooperation Agency
(JICA), and the Department of Social Welfare, Ministry of Women Family and
Community Development, Malaysia
Target participants of this training program is 16 Persons with Disabilities
(PWDs) who wish to promote equal rights of all by implementing DET as their
organisation’s activities.

Accommodation from 2 - 12 November 2010 will be covered by the Projcet,
however expenses of your trip, including airfare, travel within your
country, visa, airport tax, and others will by paid by the participants
themselves.

Application deadline is 25 August 2010.

For further information, please visit the following pages,

PDF File (131KB)

The secreatriat of jicafriends

Posted by jicafriends at 06:30 PM | Comments (0)

July 20, 2010

Disabled persons advised on employment-Uganda

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Monday, 19th July, 2010 E-mail article Print article

By Joyce Namutebi

THE Federation of Uganda Employers has warned persons with disabilities (PWDs) against using their predicament and fronting the issue of rights as the basis for demanding employment opportunities.

The director of Marketing and Membership Development, Stephen Jjingo, said disabled persons should instead prove to employers that they are capable of performing.

Employers are not there for charity, but to be helped by people who can deliver,・Jjingo said on Friday. He warned PWDs against presenting disability as an excuse for non performance.

Jjingo was speaking at a workshop called to popularise Article 27 of the UN convention on the rights of PWDs and other domestic laws that relate to disabled persons.

The article recognises the right of disabled persons to work and earn a living. It requires states that are party to the convention to report on legislative measures taken to ensure protection against discrimination in any form of employment and to recognise the right of PWDs to work on a basis of equality with others. Uganda ratified it in 2008.

Jjingo dismissed the notion of seeking employment and quoting the Disability Act and the rights issue as the basis. when you enter somebody's office, tell them what you can do.・

Under the Income Tax Waivers Act, incentives are provided to private employers who employ 10 or more disabled persons.

http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/726344

Posted by jicafriends at 06:50 PM | Comments (0)

United Voice Newsletter - July Edition

Dear jicafriends,

For United Voice latest updates, please read our latest newsletter at http://www.unitedvoice.com.my/newsletter/2010JulNewsletter.pdf

Stories in this issue include:
+ United Voice Building Official Opening - by Esther Moo
+ 15th World Congress of Inclusion International - by Teoh Hooi Ting
+ United Voice Art Gallery
+ Self-Advocacy Training at SMK Batu Unjur, Klang
+ United Voice AGM & Elections - by Lo Lit Whei

Thank you for your support.

Best Regards,
Committee and Staff of United Voice
www.unitedvoice.com.my

Posted by jicafriends at 10:19 AM | Comments (0)

July 16, 2010

Report on Accessibility by CIL Ktm

Dear jicafriends,

Independent Living Center Kathmandu has completed the program with the collaboration of Australian Embassy. The objective of this project was to sensitize the relevant stakeholders about the important factors to be considered for increasing the access of PWDs in the public place and increase their responsibility and efforts to do so. However this project has two specific objectives;
a) Increase the physical access of PWDs in public service centers
b) Sensitize service provider about the special need of PWDs and about their responsibilities towards them.

PDF File (674KB)

Please find the detail activity report attached herewith.
Looking forward your valuable suggestions
Thanking you.
Sincerely,
Krishna Gautam
CIL Kathmandu

Posted by jicafriends at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)

July 13, 2010

Iloilo stakeholders mark disability prevention, rehab week

One of the former participants for Leadership Development Course 2009 was President of Association of Differently-Abled Persons from Ilo Ilo, Philippines. Today we found the following information from the mailing list of "Disability and Development."

Iloilo City (12 July) -- A coordinated effort among Persons with Disabilities, the government and private sector is expected to strengthen the 32nd celebration of the National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week in the city and province of Iloilo on July 17 to 23.

The Iloilo City and Iloilo Provincial Federations of Differently-Abled Persons in coordination with the Regional Council for Disability Affairs in Western Visayas have lined up various activities to highlight the week-long celebration.

A mass at the Jaro Plaza on July 17 will kick-off the event. This will be followed by a medical and dental mission for indigent PWDs at the Association of Disabled Persons-Iloilo, Inc. office at the Jaro Plaza, the next day, July 18.

On July 19, a monitoring on the compliance of Accessibility Law or Batas Pambansa Blg. 344 will be conducted in some establishments in Iloilo City, followed by the opening of a photo exhibit at the SM City Iloilo Activity Center in the afternoon.

On July 20 to 21, PWDs will have their physical activities through a sportsfest that will be conducted at the Iloilo Sports Complex while on July 22 they will have the opportunity to showcase their talents through a presentation entitled "Awakening" at SM City Iloilo Activity Center.

There will be a Tree Planting Activity at Boardwalk in Mandurriao starting at 6 o'clock in the morning to be participated in by the PWDs, RCDA member agencies and non-government organizations on July 23. This will be followed by a Forum on Accessibility which will be conducted at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol.

In the afternoon of the same day, a simple ceremony will cap the week-long event that primarily aims to stimulate public awareness on disability problems and concerns particularly on issues on disability prevention, rehabilitation and equalization of opportunities for PWDs. Highlighting the activity is the distribution of 12 wheelchairs to identified indigent PWDs from the province of Iloilo.

July 23 is also the birthdate of Apolinario Mabini, known as the "Sublime Paralytic" of the country.

Concerned agencies were also encouraged to hang streamers highlighting the celebration and its theme "Sa Istrukturang Accessible, Lahat ay Able".
(PIA) [top]

http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&fi=p100712.htm&no=11

Posted by jicafriends at 09:17 PM | Comments (0)

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

http://accra-mail.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18199:department-worried-over-maltreatment-of-disabled-children&catid=60:main-news&Itemid=209

Posted by jicafriends at 07:02 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 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

USICD News & Annual Meeting Reminder

http://www.usicd.org/template/index.cfm

Posted by jicafriends at 12:24 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 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

PPCIL office Map.gif

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)

May 28, 2010

Judith Heumann to Join U.S. State Department in Fulfillment of Obama-Clinton Pledge

Judith Heumann, an international leader in the disability rights movement and a governmental representative to the USICD Board of Directors, will be joining the U.S. Department of State as their Special Advisor for International Disability Rights. This position was announced last summer, when President Obama and Secretary Clinton declared that the United States would sign the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
Heumann resigned her position as Director of the Department on Disability Services for the District of Columbia, and will assume her new position at the Department of State on June 7, 2010.

“This is a significant step forward to the U.S. government’s capacity to include disability in our foreign policy. The knowledge Judy will bring to the State Department will be invaluable to international development programs, U.S. ratification of the CRPD, and our country’s approach to international engagement,” says USICD President Marca Bristo. “As longtime colleagues and friends of Judy, the USICD Board of Directors is elated with her appointment and we wish her all the best in her new role.”

Previously, Heumann was the Advisor on Disability and Development for the World Bank from 2002 to 2006, and served as President Clinton's Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services from 1993 to 2001. She was a cofounder of the World Institute on Disability in Oakland, California, and served there from 1982 to 1993. She was also a cofounder of the Berkeley Center for Independent Living, serving as their Deputy Director from 1975 to 1981.

In March 2010, prior to her appointment to the State Department, the Minnesota-based nonprofit Courage Center announced that they will grant Heumann the 2010 Medtronic National Courage Award this September. Heumann was selected for the 2010 award in acknowledgment of her lifelong advocacy on behalf of children and adults with disabilities. Heumann was the first recipient of the Henry B. Betts Award in 1990.

Maria Veronica Reina
Executive Director
Global Partnership for Disability and Development (GPDD)
Secretariat:
Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University

Posted by jicafriends at 05:29 PM | Comments (1)

May 27, 2010

Internet Accessibility Issues-Bangladesh

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Accessbangla."

Although there has been tremendous progress in making the internet accessible for blind people, there are several things that we, as blind computer users, can't do. I know several blind individuals who use Craig's List, Face Book, and other related sites in order to network. The one problem we have is that we can't see the authentication verification code that pops up on the monitor when we log out. As you probably know, this authentication verification code, a random list of letters and numbers that are sometimes viewed upside down, is designed to prevent hackers from emembering it, and that's why it changes with every attempt to log out.

The problem is that a blind person can't verify it because the speech software can't translate it. A sighted person has to be on hand at all times to dictate every new authentication verification code that comes up on the monitor in order for a blind person to verify it. Under these circumstances, how do the blind manage to maneuver through these sites where you have to post information by logging in and out? I would like to be able to post ads on Craig's List without having a sighted person come here every time I log out, just so that he can read an authentication verification code that changes on the fly and is not understood by speech software. Do any of you have any solutions, and if you are a blind user, how do you log out?

Generally speaking, there have been attempts made by some web site designers to include fewer graphics on their sites, making it a lot easier for the blind user to read them. More often than not, speech software has difficulty reading a web site if it has too many pictures on it. I know that in the world of vision, people like to look at the pretty designs on a web site, because it looks attractive. No matter how nice the site looks, the design doesn't help the blind. Most, if not all, speech programs stop reading when they come across a picture. If the picture is too large, Jaws will be interrupted while reading the important material.

I don't think that legislation is necessary, because most of us don't like the government telling private industry what to do, so I feel we should just have more faith that web site designers will cut back on all the graphics in order for everyone to read what's on the site.

Posted by jicafriends at 09:32 AM | Comments (0)

May 24, 2010

The Final Review on the 2nd AP Decade

The Final Review
on ‘the 2nd Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons 2003-2012’
to be held in Korea in 2012

On May 19, 2010, the last day of the 66th Commission session, ESCAP adopted the resolution, sponsored by 11 countries in the Asia Pacific Region that the High Level intergovernmental Meeting on the final review of Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons 2003-2012 will be held in the Republic of Korea in 2012. HLM will evaluate what the AP Region has achieved and what gaps are remained during the 2nd decade, which is expected to contain ways forward post 2012, in ensuring that persons with disabilities exercise and enjoy their rights in all aspects of their lives. RI World Congress and APDF General Assembly will be held in conjunction with the ESCAP HLM.

All DPOs need to develop collaborative work not only between DPOs but also with governments and all stakeholders for the next two years preparation work. This will be another opportunity for the disability community in the region to work together to bring about real changes into the lives of persons with disabilities.

The Steering Group (facilitated by KSRPD) composed of academics, DPOs and governmental officers have been working on reviewing the 2nd decade and thinking ahead for post 2012, since October 2009.

Sang-Chul Lee (President of KSRPD)
& Il-Yung Lee (RI Vice President-AP Region)

Posted by jicafriends at 01:39 PM | Comments (0)

May 10, 2010

Visually Impaired Call for More Gov't Support-Rwanda

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

5 May 2010

Kigali — Visually impaired people under their umbrella organization, the Rwanda Union for the Blind (RUB), have called on the government to provide them with more education facilities in order to improve their lives.
Speaking during conference organised by the Indian based group, Rwanda Renaissance, and Kigali City Council, the Executive Secretary of RUB, Donatilla Kanimba, said that the visually impaired lack education because there aren't enough schools to cater for their needs.
"There are few schools that can accept visually impaired people, and this leads them to live in isolation and deep poverty because they lack education," said Kanimba.
"There's need to train visually impaired people or provide them with necessary support so that they live a productive life," she added.
Kanimba said that there is only one training centre situated in Masaka Sector, Kicukiro District and that trains visually impaired people in farming, adding that there is need to expand its capacity by adding other courses.
The meeting that attracted various institutions and NGOs discussed the prospectus of setting up a "white cane" workshop in Rwanda.
Addressing the conference, the chairman of Rwanda Renaissance, Clarence Fernandes, said that in collaboration with the National Association for the Blind of India, they are planning to set up the workshop in Rwanda which will employ visually impaired people and pass on skills.
A white cane is a mobility and safety tool needed by the vulnerable group of people as it reflects light in the dark thus making it safer for the user.
"If we start this project, the visually impaired people will be able to learn more skills and Rwanda will be able to export white canes to other countries in the region," said Fernandes.
According to RUB, one white cane costs Rwf 20,000.
According to a 2002 population census, there are over 13,000 visually impaired people across the country.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201005050064.html

Posted by jicafriends at 03:20 PM | Comments (0)

May 06, 2010

Number of Autism patients increasing-Kuwait

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

KUWAIT: Director of disabled-care department in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor Khaled Al-Mahdi affirmed the increasing toll of Autism patients and the need for special care and attention.
Al-Mahdi said on the occasion of World Autism Awareness Day organized by the disabled-care department yesterday the growing proportion of male autism patients are more than females and it is needed to set up a special wing for patients with autism at the care departments.
He pointed out the importance of the role provided by autism and disability patient centers, namely Kuwait Center for Autism (KCA). The reason for the delay to celebrate World Autism Awareness Day endorsed by UN in April 2 is to work on good preparation for celebration, he explained.
Al-Mahdi hoped for all people working to raise the level of performance in providing services which benefit the disabled, and praised the role of anyone who seeks to meet the needs of people with disability, especially that autism patients suffer from fragmentation and isolation, and lack of integration with the community. The celebration included a screening of a documentary about autism and poems.

http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=MTM2NzI5ODAwOA

Posted by jicafriends at 01:53 PM | Comments (0)

April 30, 2010

Job fair draws crowd-Guam

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

By Dionesis Tamondong
Pacific Daily News
April 27, 2010

More than 500 jobseekers -- a majority having some type of disability -- registered and were interviewed for jobs at the Special Challenges Job Fair yesterday. http://www.jicafriends.net/archives/2010/04/improve_those_w.html

The event, held at the Agana Shopping Center, brought together more than two dozen employers, jobseekers and organizations that provide programs and services for people with disabilities.

Frances Bell, of the Department of Labor's One Stop Center, said her office will remain in contact with potential employers over the next several weeks to determine how many were hired at the fair.

A variety of companies participated yesterday, including food services, insurance and financial services and construction companies looking to ramp up their personnel for projects anticipated with the military buildup.

In addition to helping people with disabilities find jobs, another objective of the fair was to help raise awareness of services for those facing barriers to employment -- transportation, assistive technology, vocational rehabilitation, housing, reasonable accommodation, and legal rights.

"We wanted to get them out of the house and let them know what's out there for them," she said. "A lot of them sit at home and become dependent on family."

The government of Guam has a poor record of helping people with disabilities find jobs and careers. In recent years, the Department of Integrated Services for Individuals with Disabilities has had to return millions of federal dollars that should've been used to help clients learn job skills and gain employment.

Bell said her agency, which partnered with DISID to organize yesterday's fair, will follow through with participating employers to see how many registered jobseekers were hired.

The event was held in conjunction with President Obama's Federal Job Fair for people with disabilities scheduled for the same day in Washington, D.C.

"These people have skills. We just need to train them and get them out of the house," Bell said. "We need to be aggressive as a community to get them employed."

photo caption: Summer job sought: Department of Education Division of Special Education teacher Nichol Napoleon, third from right, assists John F. Kennedy student Roman Elgarico, 16, as he checks out job openings at the Guam Community College booth at the Special Challenges Job Fair on April 26. Elgarico was looking for a summer job. The fair was held at the Agana Shopping Center. (Masako Watanabe/Pacific Daily News)

http://www.guampdn.com/article/20100427/NEWS01/4270316

Posted by jicafriends at 01:30 PM | Comments (0)

April 28, 2010

12th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons

The Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation (HKSR) is proud to announce that the 12th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons (TRANSED 2010) will take place at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center on 2-4 June, 2010.

More information: http://www.transed2010.hk/front/

Posted by jicafriends at 04:51 PM | Comments (0)

Thinking Ahead for an ‘Extended’ Decade! for People with Disabilities in the Asia-Pacific

Dear Colleagues in the Asia-Pacific region,

Greetings to you all from Korea.
As some of you might be aware that the final review of the 2nd Decade of Asia-Pacific Persons with Disabilities will be held in Korea in 2012 (it is expected to be officially announced at the 66th Commission in May). With regard to conclusion of the Decade, there have been some thoughts and suggestions beyond the 2nd Decade amongst people working in the disability field. To co-ordinate flows of thinking in exploring the issue around the region, a Steering Group was formed at the beginning of this year by people representing disability fields including academics and DPOs .

We are writing to you to share some views about how we might pool ideas together with the approaching end of the Second Decade of Asia-Pacific Persons with Disabilities (2003-2012). The subject we wish to explore with you is the rationale for moving towards extending the current Second Decade further. No doubt, this will invite observations and comments from you all in thinking about the achievements and shortcomings of the Second Decade.

With the above in mind, we thought it might be useful to share some ideas as we all represent views from different regions and DPOs. We would like to express our thinking at this stage in the first place and would invite your views re. the above matter.

Views of Korean Steering Committee on the Post-2nd Decade
We are still in the process of forming our position. However, we are of the view that nations within the region should act collectively to encourage ratification of the CRPD and actively participate in monitoring the subsequent implementation of the CRPD. In this context, we might recall that the UN’s Secretary-General in his Day of Persons with Disabilities speech had called for the implementation and universality of the landmark United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. He noted that persons with disabilities encounter many disadvantages, and are often among society’s poorest and most excluded”.

1. The DPOs in the Region have every reason to be proud of themselves in making a concrete contribution in the UN’s adoption of the CRPD with sustained efforts through BMF+five and other activities to support it. However, UNESCAP that has been the backbone of the 1st and 2nd Decades have concerns about the fact that the Region is still lagging behind in achieving specific objectives which are critical in achieving inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based society. To cite but one specific example with specific reference to the overall objectives of MDGs’ with its 18 general objectives and 48 monitoring indices, it is clear that persons with disabilities have not been a part of mainstream development efforts and the majority of them are still trapped in poverty and remain powerless.

2. We are of the view that if we would ever to launch the Third Decade, the overall goal and objectives should be directed to ensuring capacity building of individuals, communities and DPOs.

3. It is our strong view that the Region exploits the International Co-operation (as noted in CRPD Article 32 International Cooperation), as one of the main strategies in achieving goals of the Third Decade.

4. Having experienced the last 2 Decades, we envisage weather another ‘Decade’ continues to be adopted or a new time-scale might need to be introduced.

5. We have also thought about the strategic goals to be pursued as a Pan Asia Pacific Vision or Sub-regional Visions.

In connection with the above, we shall be most grateful if you could provide your comments by returning your by 30th April, 2010. Please click the link, following our names!!

With best regards,

Dr. Il-Yung Lee, M.D. President of RI Korea
Kim, Dae-Sung, General Secretary DPI Korea
Post-2nd Decade Steering Committee
Prof. Hyung Shik Kim, Convenor, Prof. Korea University of International Studies
Hanjin Jo, Prof. Social Work, Daegu Univ
Jaeyoung Yoon, Team leader, Planning and Development, Sahmyook Welfare Foundation
Jogbae Kim, Team leader, National Rehabilitation Center, Ex-prof. University of Pittsburgh
Dongchul Yoo, Prof. Social Work, Dongeui Univ.
Woonwhan Nah, Prof. Vocational rehabilitation, Daegu Univ, AP regional chair, Division of Policy & Services, RI
Yeja Lee, Chair, National Coalition of Disabled People
Mijoo Kim, Chair, Cultural Community of Women with Disabilities Consultant, World Bank
Heungshik Jo, Prof. Social work, Seoul Univ
Wongyu Choi, Prof. Social Work, Jeonbuk Univ, Chair, Commission of ‘R&D’ of APDF
Myonghwa Yoo, General Secretary, KSRPD
Inwhan Seo, General Secretary, KOFOD

Please, click the URL below.
https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dEdTT1dpTHlxS0I2RUhESC1pVkdKOFE6MA

Posted by jicafriends at 04:32 PM | Comments (0)

Zero Interest Loan Available For Visually Impaired-Malaysia

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 (Bernama) -- The visually impaired now have an opportunity to expand their business through the Entrepreneur Development Fund created by the Society for the Blind, Malaysia (SBM).

SBM president Mah Hassan Omar said the loan was interest free and created to help the blind generate income for a more comfortable life.

He said the society's fund was obtained through donations from the public as well as charitable activities.

"So far, we have collected RM100,000 for the fund, along with RM23,000 from a charity concert held last year," he told reporters after presenting cheques to the fund's first two recipients at the Grand Pacific Hotel here on Sunday.

The fund, established last year, is the first of such created by a volunteer organisation in Malaysia.

Mah Hassan, who is a visually-impaired lawyer, said he hoped more philantropists and the private and government sectors would come forward to contribute to the fund.

Information on how to contribute to the fund can be obtained by calling Siti Nuraizah Ruslan at 03-40212942.

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=493344

Posted by jicafriends at 09:46 AM | Comments (0)

April 27, 2010

Improve: Those with disabilities need better help with job placement, training-Guam

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

April 24, 2010

On Monday, more than a dozen employers will interview people with mental and physical disabilities as prospective job candidates at the Special Challenges Job Fair.

The event is being held by the local Department of Labor in partnership with the Guam Developmental Disabilities Council, the Guam System for Assistive Technology and the Department of Integrated Services for Individuals with Disabilities' Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. It coincides with a federal job fair for people with disabilities being held Monday in Washington, D.C.

The government of Guam must get beyond these token events and work to fix a core problem -- its poor performance in training people with disabilities for the workforce and finding them jobs that will help them become self-sustaining.

On an annual basis in recent years, the local disabilities agency has had to return hundreds of thousands of dollars to the federal government because it failed to use the money to help DISID clients find or train for jobs. It often takes the agency years to find employment for clients, and often those jobs are low-paying, menial labor, such as janitor or kitchen helper, according to Pacific Daily News files.

Now that the federal court has appointed a management team to oversee the Department of Integrated Services for Individuals with Disabilities, as well as the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, perhaps there will finally be some long-overdue progress in helping those with disabilities find gainful employment.

The team has the power and authority it needs to either ensure the government of Guam implements long-overdue changes to vocational rehabilitation programs, or to outsource those duties to a competent contractor.

Our local government's shameful and substandard services to help those with disabilities find meaningful jobs needs to be rectified immediately.

http://www.guampdn.com/article/20100424/OPINION01/4240315

Posted by jicafriends at 09:56 AM | Comments (0)

More disabled-friendly footpaths coming up -India

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Chennai

“We will soon refurbish footpaths on busy roads in T.Nagar”

When the footpath near the Ripon Building was refurbished, yellow tiles with grooves to aid visually challenged were affixed. As part of the Chennai Corporation initiative to make pavements disabled friendly, similar tiles are being fixed on footpaths outside the new Secretariat complex.

The pavement on Swami Sivananda Salai is now ready with the grooved tiles. The bright coloured tiles will also be used in many more pavements in the city, Corporation officials said.

The Corporation has affixed the ceramic grids on pavements of Wallajah Road and on the footpaths at the Tower Park in Anna Nagar and Natesan Park in T.Nagar. “We would soon refurbish footpaths on the busy roads in T.Nagar,” an official added.

According to Corporation officials, the work of the footpaths will start immediately on completion of the Rs.1,400-crore storm-water drainage project across the city.

K.Rengapathy, a regular user of the footpath near Ripon Building, says the facility should be extended to all pavements for the visually challenged.

"This short stretch has been of great help for many people like me. But we continue to face problems while crossing roads and walking on other roads,” he says.

Nethrodaya founder Gopi says the basic issues relating to the problems for people with visual disability need to be addressed first. “ Encroachments on pavements, junction boxes and hawkers obstruct the path and making it very difficult for all persons with disabilities to commute. It is necessary that they widen the pavements and make them disabled-friendly,” he says.
Ramps and hand-grills must be provided and audio signals should be installed in all areas, he added.

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/cities/Chennai/article408140.ece
Caption:The pavement with yellow tiles and grooves on Swami Sivananda Salai, near the new Secretariat complex in Chennai. Photo: S. Thanthoni

Posted by jicafriends at 09:25 AM | Comments (0)

April 26, 2010

APCD Training of Trainers for CBR

Dear jicafriends,

Warm greetings from the Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD) in Bangkok, Thailand.

On behalf of APCD, I am pleased to inform you about Training of Trainers for Community-based Rehabilitation (CBR) through an Inclusive Development Approach, to be conducted in Bangkok from 7-18 June 2010. For the details of this training, please see the enclosed General Information (GI) as advanced information.

We would be grateful if you could facilitate the most qualified individuals from relevant organizations to apply to the above mentioned Training by sending the registration form to APCD at the earliest possibility preferably by 30 April, 2010.

For any other inquiry and information you may require, please feel free to contact Mr. Somchai Rungsilp, Networking & Collaboration Manager, E-mail: somchai@apcdfoundation.org or training@ apcdfoundation.org , Tel: 662 354 7505 Fax: 662 354 7507.

We would appreciate your kind cooperation on this matter.

PDF file (108KB)
Sincerely yours,
Nalinee Ruangrittisak
HRD Officer

For Mr. Somchai Rungsilp
Networking and Collaboration Manager

Posted by jicafriends at 02:11 PM | Comments (0)

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS – CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

The International Institute of Social Entrepreneurs (IISE) a programme being implemented by Braille Without Borders in Trivandrum, Kerala, India successfully trained the first batch of students from 12 countries in 2009 and the second batch including 29 participants from 18 different countries, started their course in January 2010. IISE is now seeking applications from highly motivated and committed candidates who have overcome obstacles in their life, have an interest in learning and working with different cultures, and who have a dream to realize for the 2011 course. If you are twenty-two years or older and can speak, read and write English, you are invited to apply for this one-year scholarship-based programme. For additional information visit http://www.bwb-iise.org/and/or email your inquiries to mailto:BrailleWB@gmx.net

You may also fax your questions at 0031848307904 or write via regular post at:
Braille Without Borders
International Institute for Social Entrepreneurs
c/o P. Kronenberg, Vivekanenda Nagar, Vellayani, Ookode, Nemom PO,
Trivandrum 695020, KERALA, INDIA

Deadline for applications for the 2011 course is the 30th of May, 2010.

Posted by jicafriends at 11:24 AM | Comments (0)

April 22, 2010

Call for Applications: Scholarship Opportunity for Master’s Degree in Public Policy

Dear jicafriends,

Call for Applications: The Nippon Foundation will provide full scholarship including tuitions, living allowance, required assistive technology and other support services, to a small group of individuals with disabilities to pursue graduate studies (Master’s level) in Public Policy offered by Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY-SPP), National University of Singapore, beginning in September 2010 as part of the establishment of the Institute on Disability and Public Policy (IDPP) in the ASEAN region. The applications deadline for this scholarship program is April 30, 2010.

The aim of the IDPP is to serve as a regional resource to both public and private sectors in fostering public policies to the overall vision of an ASEAN Region that is inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based, where people who are disabled are leaders in the determination of their own destinies.

The IDPP steering committee is currently recruiting a small number of candidates, within a three year period, with 1) Deafness, 2) Blindness, or 3) Mobility impairments, to serve as a human resource cadre to the establishment of IDPP and conduct research on disability and public policy in the ASEAN region. The committee seeks for persons with disabilities meeting the five criteria below:

(1) A talented and motivated individual with demonstrated leadership experience within an organization of/for disabled persons or other marginalized individuals in their own country.

(2) A commitment to achieving positive change for disabled persons through the development of proactive public policies within the ASEAN region.

(3) ICT skills to communicate for distant education and schooling.

(4) Commitment to cooperate with the IDPP Steering Committee after completing a Master’s degree in Public Policy.

(5) A person with the academic requirements and experiential background to meet the entrance requirement of a Master’s degree program in Public Policy such as that offered by Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY-SPP), National University of Singapore. More information about the LKY-SPP can be found at: http://www.spp.nus.edu.sg/Master_Public_Policy.aspx

In the meantime, we are already in contact with Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY-SPP) of National University of Singapore and we will soon be exploring programs at other universities in the region for the establishment of the IDPP

IDPP will be developed over five years and the program will be offered in a virtual manner in the future, so that talented leaders with disability are able to obtain an advanced degree in Public Policy in home countries. Also, we anticipate the feasibility of developing an Institute on Disability and Public Policy (IDPP) that will serve the ASEAN region but whose scope of work might well reach beyond ASEAN in the future. We would like the selected candidates to cooperate with the realization of t he Institute.

The application deadline is April 30, 2010. For further information and inquiries about the scholarship program and application process, please contact IDPP Secretariat/Project Office at IDPP@apcdfoundation.org.

Any application-related inquiries and materials should be submitted to the IDPP Secretariat/Project Office located at the APCD headquarters in Thailand:

Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability
IDPP Secretariat/Project Office

Application for IDPP Program
APCD Building
255 Rajvithi Road, Rajthevi
Bangkok, 10400 Thailand

http://www.apcdfoundation.org/?q=content/call-applications-scholarship-opportunity-master%E2%80%99s-degree-public-policy

Posted by jicafriends at 12:11 PM | Comments (0)

April 20, 2010

Message from CDPF

Dear JICA Staff:
Your newsletter was well received and I would like to take this occasion to express my sincere appreciation for your extending your sympathy to the victims in the earchquake hitted Yushu prefectrue of Qinghai province.Let us give our prayers to them all! May God bless them, May victims stay in peace!

With best regards

Sincerely yours,

You Liang
International Affairs Department of China Disabled Persons' Federation

Posted by jicafriends at 08:02 PM | Comments (0)

April 16, 2010

Disabled Pinoys aspire for rights, privilege-Philippines

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Two years after the Philippine Ratification on the United Nations (UN) Convention on the rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was signed, Filipinos with disabilities still aspire for equality, with hopes that public edifices, transports and facilities become more accessible to them.

At the commemoration of the 2nd anniversary of the UNCRPD ratification, persons with disabilities (PWDs) were clamoring anew over their rights and privileges not being provided given the UNCRPD and other laws that came into force even decades back.

“The ratification of the UNCRPD is marked as the most significant milestone in the historic struggle of Filipinos with Disabilities for emancipation from their second class citizenship status in the Philippines,’’ Lauro Purcil Jr., board of governor of Katipunan ng Maykapansanan sa Pilipinas Inc. (KAMPI) said.

“Within the two-year period, instead of ‘progressive realization,’ Filipinos with Disabilities witnessed a deliberate ‘reprogression’ against their right for full, meaningful and equal participation in political and electoral exercise as provided in Article 29 of the International Treaty and Republic Act (RA) 7941, The Partylist Law of 1997,’’ he said in a statement.

Purcil was specifically referring to the recent move by the Commission on Election (Comelec) to disqualify with finality the Disabled Pinoy Party (DPP), which was supposed to legally represent the sector.

Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larazabal earlier said that he was simply following orders from the Second Division of Comelec to reduce the number of participating groups from 154 to 120, thus the disqualification of the DPP.

The Comelec has increased the party-list participation from 120 to 187.

Purcil said the decision by the electoral body to disqualify DPP with finality was in violation of the Convention. In the election years of 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2007, he said that the Comelec has accredited several Party-lists.

In addition to Article 29 of the UNCRPD and RA 7941, Purcil said there were also laws that entered into enforcement within the two-year ratification period of UNCRPD that received similar negative discriminating treatment.

He cited RA 9442, which provided 20 percent discounts to PWDs in purchasing medicines, but which is allegedly being openly violated by one of the largest drug chains and its collaborators.

"The sector had fought for more than a decade for this law to be enacted in 2006. RA 9442 is simply intended to “equalize” benefits of Filipinos with Disabilities provided decades ago to the senior citizens, '' he said.

A former member and adviser to the Philippine Delegation to the UN International Conferences that formulated UNCRPD, Purcil lamented government’s failure to ensure respect of the Convention that took years to be deliberated.

He called for national and international support for the sure respect and implementation of UNCRPD, stressing it should not suffer the same fate as that of the 27-year-old Batas Pambansa 344, the Accessibility Law and other laws for the sector in the Philippines.

The KAMPI official also bewailed the continuing defiant to the requirements of the Accessibility Law, which seeks to provide the greater majority of Filipinos with disabilities access to basic
education, employment, health and rehabilitation services and many more right-based opportunities.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/252914/disabled-pinoys-aspire-rights-privileges

Posted by jicafriends at 11:47 AM | Comments (0)

April 13, 2010

USICD News & Annual Meeting Reminder

http://www.usicd.org/template/index.cfm

Posted by jicafriends at 03:58 PM | Comments (0)

April 09, 2010

Call for equal opportunities for people with disabilities-Bangladesh

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Hundreds of children, including those with disabilities and autism, took part in a cultural programme at Rabindra Sarobar at Dhanmondi in the city yesterday to mark the 12th National Disability Day.

The event was jointly organised by Disability Rights Watch Group and the Jatiya Protibondhi Forum.

The people with disabilities still face discrimination in their everyday lives, speakers at the event said and called on the government to take steps so that they receive equal opportunities in education, workplaces and everywhere else in life.

They also stressed the need for initiatives to make it easier for children with disabilities and autism to receive higher education like everyone else.

Speaking as a special guest, Secretary of the social welfare ministry Quomaran Nessa Khanam said the government would take initiatives to make the disability welfare act progressive and forward-looking, prioritising the needs of the people with disabilities.

She also gave assurance that steps would be taken to effectively implement various developments activities and projects initiated for the welfare of people with disability.

Noted jurist Barrister Amirul Islam and Barrister Tania Amir were also present at the event.

The Institute of Education and Research of Dhaka University also marked the day with two-day elaborate programmes.

On the first day yesterday, a discussion was held at Shaheed Munier Chowdhury Auditorium of Teacher-Student Centre (TSC). DU Vice Chancellor Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique, Jatiya Protibondhi Forum President Khandokar Jahurul Islam, Sight Savers International Country Director Dr Wahidul Islam and Vice President of Inclusion Initiatives for Special Needs-Bangladesh Abuzzoha Noor spoke at the discussion.

Rallies, bulletin board launching and a film festival will be held on the DU campus today.

The first Wednesday of April is observed as the National Disability Day in the country.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=133509

Posted by jicafriends at 11:37 AM | Comments (0)

April 07, 2010

Challenged people's job must be ensured-Bangladesh

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

PM asks for strict enforcement of rules to fulfil their quota in govt services

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has strongly directed the ministry and other departments concerned, including Public Service Commission, to implement quota facilities for the physically and mentally challenged persons in government services as per rules.

The PM also reiterated her previous announcement that any private offices and institution giving jobs to physically and mentally challenged people will receive tax exemption facility.

The PM was addressing the inaugural function of the 12th National Day for the Disabled and the 3rd World Autism Awareness Day at the National Foundation for the Development of Disabled People in city's Mirpur yesterday morning.

This year, the day is being observed with the slogan--“We always stand by people with disability and autism.”

Speaking as chief guest, the PM said the government will amend the existing law for the disabled, including provisions on autistic children, to formulate an up-to-date national policy for the best welfare of the physically and mentally challenged people and children.

There is a 10 per cent quota for physically challenged people in jobs for class III and IV employees of the government while the quota for the disable people in first class government jobs is one percent.

“But the quota facilities for them (physically and mentally challenged people) are not always implemented. I'm giving order to the authorities concerned to provide jobs to physically and mentally challenged people as per the quota,” she said.

Hasina also asked the government authorities to take best care of these people so that none is deprived of government jobs on the pretext of their so-called disability despite having necessary academic qualifications.

She said: “I can give an example of the Special Olympics, USA, which was held during our last tenure. Physically challenged sports men and women of our country secured 21 gold, 9 silver and 6 bronze medals. So, if we can give them ideal environment and all necessary facilities, such people also can earn name and fame for the nation.”

The premier said that the people with physical and mental challenges would have to be provided not only with jobs, but proper environment.

She noted that in many cases, buildings and offices are not constructed taking into account the problems of the physically challenged people and that's why such people find it very difficult to enter offices and other infrastructures.

She also expressed her deep empathy to physically and mentally challenged children who face serious obstacles to get admitted to educational institutions of the country for unfriendly attitude towards them even by the teachers.

“All physically and mentally challenged children must be admitted to his or her neighbouring primary schools and other higher educational institutions,” she also said.

The government has already given order for ensuring admission of these children into schools and necessary infrastructure and academic facilities for them in the educational institutions, she said.

“Special measures will also be taken so that physically and mentally challenged people will have due chances of higher education and degrees.”

The PM informed the function that the government has started construction of six vocational training centres for the physically and mentally challenged orphans at six divisions of the country while another such centre will be set up in the newly declared division Rangpur in due course of time.

“And to facilitate the physically and mentally challenged orphan and people with free medical services including therapies, service and help centres for the them are being constructed by the government. In this regard, the government has already allocated Tk 5.40 crore on a pilot project basis,” she said.

The work is going on in five districts while this programme will be expanded to all other districts and upazilas in phases, she added.

Hasina further announced that the government would construct a full-fledged complex exclusively for the physically and mentally challenged people in Dhaka.

On autism, she said autism is not a disease; children with autism need special care and love by parents and others.

The PM at the function distributed wheelchairs, educational instruments, modern Braille grammar books, sewing machines and artificial lenses among the disabled people and children for their outstanding performances in respective areas.

The physically challenged children also presented songs, dances and fashion show in front of the PM.

Chaired by Social Welfare Minister Enamul Haque Mostafa Shahid, the function was also addressed by PM's Health Adviser Dr Syed Mudasser Ali and Social Welfare Secretary Kamrunnesa Khanam.

Earlier, the PM inaugurated hostels for the working female and male disabled people, Service and Help Centre and Mobile Service and Information Centre for the disabled, and Autism Resource Centre.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=132758

Posted by jicafriends at 01:43 PM | Comments (0)

April 06, 2010

Disabled protest lack of seats at FIFA World Cup-South Africa

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

South African Disability Alliance members burnt tyres at the South African Football Association house on Thursday in protest against the lack of accessibility of 2010 World Cup stadia to people with disabilities.

Disabled demonstrators protest outside the Soccer City Stadium, background, in Johannesburg, Thursday, March 25, 2010, to protest the amenities provided for them at host city stadiums during the FIFA World Cup Soccer Tournament that gets under way in June.

More than 50 deaf, blind and wheelchair-bound protestors descended on the South African Football Association on Thursday to complain at the lack of disabled seats and access at the upcoming FIFA World Cup. Chanting slogans and carrying banners that read "the deaf want to be heard" and "no seats for us", SADA voiced their discontent at the way they believe they are being ignored by the organisers of the World Cup.

Local Organising Committee CEO Danny Jordaan came out of SAFA House to try way-lay their concerns. However, the protestors feel that the main problem has been the lack of consultation with them by the local organisers. They set light to four wheelchair tyres. SADA executive Ari Seirlis said the the alliance was burning tyres to indicated the pain of the disabled at not being able to attend any of the 2010 World Cup matches.

Ari Seirlis, the executive of South African Disability Alliance, says, "I don't believe they have taken the disability seriously and I really believe that the LOC owe all South Africans, people with disability and people to become people with disability, the opportunity to look at our stadiums and say: 'We can go there. We were there. We can participate. We can hold our own Paralympics in these stadia.' Right now we can't. They're just big monstrosities. We're sitting on the edge. We can't get in."

Danny Jordaan, CEO of local organising committee, says, "So, we have to work with you, not only to make sure the seats are there, but that these seats are full and people buy the tickets. And maybe you have the same problem as everyone else has, that the tickets are not accessible. Perhaps that is an issue that we must discuss."

Jordaan accepted a memorandum of their grievances from the protesters and said he would meet with the leadership of SADA on 31 March to discuss the issues raised.

http://english.cctv.com/program/sportsscene/20100326/101745.shtml

Posted by jicafriends at 01:57 PM | Comments (0)

Old Havana Reaches Out to Hearing Impaired-Cuba

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

By Patricia Grogg

Sign on a wall in Old Havana.

HAVANA, Apr 4, 2010 (IPS) - An innovative programme in Old Havana has given the hearing impaired greater access to the historical and cultural wealth of the restored historic city centre.

"Havana Radio is a public interest station with a focus on historical and cultural themes, and the hearing impaired are a segment of the population who would visit us and walk along these streets, but remained excluded from our work of restoring our cultural heritage. That was why the Cultura entre las Manos (roughly Culture in Our Hands) project was born," Yalena Gispert, who heads the programme, told IPS.

The idea emerged in early 2008, as part of Rutas y Andares (Routes and Pathways), a programme that offers Cuban families thematic walking tours through Old Havana in the summer months of July and August, with specialist guides providing information on the many sites of historical and cultural interest in the old city.

Old Havana, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in 1982, has been the focus of an extensive restoration project led by the City of Havana Historian's Office.

A Cuban sign language interpreter would accompany tours that included hearing impaired visitors. "But we realised that something special had to be done for them," said Gispert. "From the start, they showed a great deal of interest, asked a lot of questions, but the interpreting slowed down the tours."

That need gave rise to Cultura entre las Manos, which offers monthly historical tours for the deaf. The project also holds debates on cultural, historical and social issues with the participation of experts and sign language interpreters.

"I am delighted with the idea; I don't miss any of the meetings," Roberto Mesa told IPS, with the help of interpreter Carmen Salgado, head of the sign language interpreting degree programme at the University of Havana. "The tours and the issues discussed include us in the life of this country," he added.

"My mother is a literature teacher, and I read a lot. But Cultura entre las Manos is just for us, something prepared specifically for the deaf. There is always someone interpreting. And issues of interest to us are discussed," said Mesa, a 45-year-old graphic designer and father of two adolescents who are not hearing impaired.

The history of hurricanes in Cuba, archaeology, the global economic crisis and its impact, historical clothing and styles, national monuments, the economy, society and politics in China, history and current events in telecommunications, and stamp collecting are some of the subjects of the talks.

Gispert said the issues were suggested by the hearing impaired community, organised in the Cuban National Association of the Deaf, which sponsored Cultura entre las Manos, along with the University of Havana.

The programme also offers beginner's courses in Cuban sign language. In addition, it provides closed captioning - an optional display of dialogue, actions, sounds or other elements as text on the screen - for the radio and TV programmes produced by the Havana Radio station, in order to give access to the hearing impaired, on TV and the internet.

Havana Radio is the office of the city historian's radio station.

Another aim of Cultura entre las Manos is to produce visual communication materials in sign language for schools and the sign language interpreting degree programme.

In Cuba, where the literacy rate stands at 99.8 percent, according to UNESCO, most hearing impaired people can read and write, although they communicate by sign language.

The Havana Radio project is also contributing to the continued development of Cuban sign language. During the class-like tours, agreement is sometimes reached about how to name something, for example historical or cultural concepts, for which no specific sign exists.

One of the objectives of the Cuban National Association of the Deaf, which groups more than 20,000 hearing impaired people, is integration in society "with equal rights and duties, conditions and opportunities." It also works to eliminate communicational barriers that stand in the way of a normal life for people with hearing problems. (END)

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50911

Posted by jicafriends at 09:24 AM | Comments (0)

April 05, 2010

Disabled Chinese to get driver's licenses-China

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

YINCHUAN - More disabled people will be able to drive in China, including those paralyzed from the waist down, thanks to revisions to driving license regulations that will take effect starting from April 1.

The newly revised "Regulations on Application and Use of Driver's Licenses" allows, for the first time, Chinese who are able to sit by themselves despite their paralyzed limbs to acquire a license for adapted vehicles.

"The new regulations means a lot to me since a car will be my new 'legs'," said Shen Ping, from Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, who had driven for almost 30 years before both his legs were paralyzed in 1999 making him unqualified to drive under the old regulations.

Shen and over 60 others with limb problems started their 3-month training Tuesday, the first training course of its kind in Ningxia. They can get their license for an adapted vehicle after passing a test.

There are 28 million people with paralyzed limbs in China, and many are longing to drive but have been deprived of the right. Some have driven anyway, hoping to avoid being caught by the police.

Chairman of China's Association for People with Paralyzed Limbs Xu Fengjian estimates that China has at least hundreds of such "unauthorized drivers."

"If someone can sit by oneself, he or she can be a qualified driver, no matter whether they have legs or not," said Li Ning, chairman of a Ningxia association for people with paralyzed limbs.

The new regulation also permits hearing-impaired people to drive if they can hear adequately while with a hearing aid.

To get the license, applicants will undergo a health check at a designated medical institute to prove they are capable of driving. Successful applicants will undergo another check up if they want to renew their licenses three years later, according to the regulation.

"While allowing people with disabilities to drive, we also need to ensure the safety of both these new drivers and others on the road," said an officer with the Ministry of Public Security.

Traffic regulators will treat the disabled drivers the same as other drivers, said Zhang Xuezhong, who is in charge of vehicle management in Yinchuan City, the provincial capital.

The disabled drivers will have to drive vehicles that have been modified to enable them to drive safely. The vehicles will also be labeled to inform other drivers.

The revised regulation was passed by the Ministry of Public Security on November 21, 2009 and issued on December 7, 2009.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-04/01/content_9672440.htm

Posted by jicafriends at 01:08 PM | Comments (0)

April 02, 2010

CBR AP Network’s Logo Designing Contest

Dear jicafriends,

The Community-based Rehabilitation Asia-Pacific Network (CBR AP Network) was formed during the 1st CBR Asia-Pacific Congress which was held in Bangkok, Thailand on 18-20 Feb 2009. As a springboard to create awareness of the CBR AP Network, the Network conducts a Logo Contest among the 24 existing members, as well as potential member countries. Its closing date will be on 15 May 2010.

For the further information, please refer to the following documents.
Logo Contest: PDF file (54KB)
CBR AP Network: PDF file (12KB)

We look forward to your participation in the CBR AP Network's Logo Designing Contest.

Sincerely,

JANNET Secretariat
c/o Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities (JSRPD)
1-22-1, Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0052 JAPAN
TEL: +81-3-5273-0601 FAX: +81-3-52731523
URL:http://www.normanet.ne.jp/~jannet/e/index.html

Posted by jicafriends at 03:46 PM | Comments (0)

March 26, 2010

2nd International Deaf Expo 2010-India

Dear jicafriends,

The organizations all over the nation have united with World Organizations to conduct 2nd International Deaf Expo 2010: A conference on empowering technologies in educating the Deaf/Hard of Hearing from 13th to 17th December 2010 at New Delhi This Deaf expo organised by DEAF LEADERS, (Deaf Empowerment Activities For Literacy, Education, Accessible Development, Employment, Rehabilitation & Sports) India.

http://www.deafexpo2010.com/introduction.htm

Posted by jicafriends at 09:59 AM | Comments (0)

March 23, 2010

Invitation for Participation in Disabled Peoples’ National Congregation, 2010 in Bangladesh

Dear Colleagues/ Friends,

Greetings from National Alliance of Disabled Peoples Organizations (NADPO)!

We have the immense pleasure to inform you that a daylong Disabled Peoples’ National Congregation , 2010 is going to be held on Monday 29th March 2010 from 9:00 am to 5:00pm with the initiative of National Alliance of Disabled People’s Organizations (NADPO) in Bangladesh at historic Polton Maydan, Dhaka. This congregation main focus is “Disabled People in Development of Bangladesh”.

National Alliance of Disabled People’s Organizations (NADPO) is a national network of Disabled people’s organizations (DPOs) of Bangladesh to promote human rights of disabled people through full participation, equalization of opportunities and enhancement their abilities and accelerate their initiatives. The member organizations of NADPO are facilitating to development of capacity of the disabled People and their grassroots organizations’. It apparently seems that a clear idea regarding the importance of DPOs, disabled peoples and their role that has not yet been realized by the decision makers, political leaders, development partners, planners and different professionals in the country. In consideration of all of theses, NADPO is going to organize this congregation to increase the sensitivity among the responsible parties in the country. We hope more than one hundred thousands disabled people will attend from different part of the country in this congregation. You are cordially invited. To make this event successful your participation will highly be appreciated.

We hope that your presence in the congregation will contribute to achieve the rights of the disabled people in Bangladesh.

We are looking forward to meet you at the congregation.

With regards
Md. Jahangir Alam
Secretary General
National Alliance of Disabled People’s Organizations (NADPO)

For farther information & quarries:
E-mail:
pwdscongregation.nadpo@yahoo.com
pwdscongregation.nadpo@gmail.com

Posted by jicafriends at 04:00 PM | Comments (0)

March 18, 2010

Haiti's Rising Urgency

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

Two months after a 7.3 magnitude quake struck Haiti on January 12, leaving approximately 230,000 people dead and more than 1.2 million people homeless, there are many questions. How are the people coping? Is the aid getting through? Where will Haiti's displaced people find new homes, and how fast will they get there?

In order to get some answers, I combed through the international press, and I was dismayed at the lack of updated information. After reaching out to Worldpress readers through Twitter, asking for Haiti updates, I received hundreds of emails from Haitians and visitors to the country, and they all expressed that the situation in Haiti grows more urgent with each passing day.

While some of the emails were full of hope, many were full of fear and despair. One aid worker stressed the dire need for humanitarian help, especially as seasonal rains could threaten those left homeless with an outbreak of disease.

An orphanage worker said that there were 280,000 orphans before the disaster struck, and now an estimated 20,000 or more since. More than two months later, thousands of children are still separated from their parents. Aid is still desperately needed in some of the more remote areas in Haiti, and one email mentioned that machete-armed gangs are still lurking about.

In early March, the Batey Relief Alliance sent a team of dental and medical specialists from the United States to barely accessible communities like Anse-a-Pitre to deliver much-needed dental and medical care to children and their families living in horrendous conditions. Many Haitians are living in inaccessible communities and are completely isolated from medical services and international aid.

The emails from and about amputees were the hardest to read. According to one, between 6,000 and 8,000 people have lost limbs, and the numbers continue to grow as people suffer untreated infections. Thousands more suffered complicated fractures, some of which could turn into amputations if not managed properly.

A recent amputee was full of fear because the disabled are often treated as pariahs and isolated from society in Haiti. "Disabilities are ridiculed and thought of as a curse," she wrote.

One man said that in Haiti three out of four people are unemployed, and the work that does exist requires physical labor, making the situation very scary for him. He said that he couldn't get work when he had two legs, so how would he survive with just one? "You are a not a person if you are handicapped," he wrote.

Haiti, a country of 9 million that had limited capacity to treat an estimated 800,000 disabled people before the quake, lost two of its three prosthetics labs when the buildings were destroyed or damaged. A smaller lab remains in the south, but it desperately needs materials to make prosthetic devices.

Many amputees remain in fly-swarming hospital tents, and those who have been discharged have little hope, with no rehabilitation facilities, few physical therapists, and no chance of getting a prosthesis. A scant supply of crutches, canes and wheelchairs are trickling in through donations, but there are few paved roads, making navigating a wheelchair nearly impossible.

Michel Pean, Haiti's secretary of state for the integration of the disabled, recently said that Haiti's disabled—about 8 percent of the population even before the quake—had long been treated as second-class citizens, but the government has recently taken legal steps to recognize their rights and opened offices to serve them in the countryside. Ideally, Pean said, post-earthquake reconstruction could provide the impetus to make Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, more accessible to the disabled and create a national institute for rehabilitation.

For the moment, the focus is on making sure the thousands who underwent lifesaving amputations have a future.

"The situation for newly disabled persons is very delicate," Pean said. "They urgently need not only medical care, but food and a place to live. Also, we cannot forget those disabled before the disaster who, because of their handicap, are having trouble getting access to humanitarian aid."

"Haiti is trying to go back to normality, but several years will pass before everything goes back to the way it was before January 12," one aid worker wrote. "And excuse my negativity, but the way the Haitians lived before January 12 shouldn't really be considered normal."

Thanks to international aid, thousands of families have received tarps or tents that give them shelter, but it is not nearly enough given the huge demand, and many men and women wander around the city looking for wood, brass or nylon to build weak living structures they sadly call
home. Families who aren't as lucky to find building materials simply form tents out of bed sheets.

Almost all the capital's parks, soccer fields, school yards and even a country-club golf course in suburban Pétionville are packed with people living in flimsy structures under terrible conditions. They have no water, electricity or a sanitation system that could prevent the spread of epidemics.

Haiti's inhabitants, as well as its authorities, are more concerned about the upcoming hurricane season, which begins on June 1, than rain, since none of the provisional settlements have conditions to withstand the strong winds of a hurricane. Despite the efforts of the international community, thousands of Haitians will have no shelter during the hurricane season.

Around 200,000 tents have been delivered in Haiti, and the number might reach 240,000, but those shelters are too weak to deal with tropical cyclones. The massive distribution of tarps—and to a much lesser extent, tents—has reached 53 percent of the 1.3 million people in need of
shelter, according to a March 11 U.N. report.

Educators say that classes do not have a set date to begin. They were supposed to start by April, which would be almost impossible since more than 80 percent of the schools in the earthquake zone were destroyed or severely damaged. Nearly 4,000 students and more than 700 teachers,
principals and staff were killed during afternoon classes. All that's left of the Ministry of Education's main building is a crater filled with torn workbooks and lost teachers' ID cards.

A petition has been delivered to President Preval demanding that schools reopen immediately, be they in tents, temporary buildings or other makeshift facilities. But others are urging caution before rushing back into a system that never really worked in the first place. The problems are monumental: Just one in 10 Haitian teachers is a qualified educator, according to the Inter-American Development Bank, and a third have not even completed ninth grade.

The government is unable to support more than a handful of schools, leaving the system dominated by fly-by-night, for-profit storefront schools whose onerous fees and other costs keep half of Haiti's children from enrolling at any given time. Wealthy Haitians and foreigners opt out entirely, putting their children in upscale schools that cost some $8,000 per year—more than most Haitians will spend on food and basic necessities in 20 years.

Buildings were so unsafe that one school collapsed on its own in 2008, killing 100 students and adults. Two months after the earthquake, Port-au-Prince still has thousands of constructions that are partly destroyed or about to roll down the hillsides.

Another devastating reality is that Haiti's best and brightest were lost in the earthquake. They were the educated few of Haiti, an up-and-coming generation of nurses, technicians, office managers and college students. These people kept the books, educated the young, fixed the computers and were an integral part of building up Haiti. Now they're gone, just when their struggling country needs them most. Because the earthquake struck just before 5:00 pm, it annihilated office buildings and disproportionately killed the young professionals who were working in them. "So many of those bright young people who were going the extra mile to make Haiti work were crushed at their desks," a nurse wrote me.

"It is a generation that decided not to leave the country. They chose to work for the country," said Dieusibon Pierre-Merite, a Haitian sociologist with a United Nations anti-gang program that lost several staffers in the quake. "They are the ones who died." It will impact our culture, the future of Haiti. "The list of those lost is long. It includes judges who investigated violations of law in a country where street justice still rules; the Foreign Ministry's point man on relations with the neighboring Dominican Republic; at least 10 agronomists working at the agricultural ministry
to restore Haiti's farm sector; and three of Haiti's leading women's rights advocates, Magalie Marcelin, Myriam Merlet and Anne Marie Coriolan.

Preparations for the next disaster will have to go on without Ginna Porcena, the dynamic director of the National Geospatial Institute, who was part of a group of scientists who wanted to establish seismology stations in Haiti. The earthquake also killed many foreign aid workers and usinesspeople who cared deeply about Haiti and would have been the first to pitch in after the disaster. The United Nations lost 101 staffers, including the mission's top two officials.

Compounding the loss of Haiti's best and brightest is a quickening brain drain, as people with the ability and means to leave are abandoning the ravaged country. Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive told The Associated Press he has watched with dismay as educated youths boarded planes to the United States and elsewhere. They leave because Haiti, always a difficult place to live, became impossible after the quake, he said. "I was looking at their faces: They were escaping a country and they had no intention to go back," Bellerive said. "I feel love for the people that have lost family ... but I believe it's even harder for the country to see living people that could do so much to rebuild Haiti, leaving Haiti."

Only half of Haitians ever see the inside of a classroom, and only 2 percent complete high school, according to UNICEF.

Haiti has gone through such losses of talent before, usually in times of political upheaval. Many fled or were killed under the father-and-son Duvalier dictatorships from 1957 to 1986. People also escaped reprisals under the U.S.-backed junta of General Raoul Cedras in the early 1990s, under President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and in the violent chaos that followed Aristide's 2004 ouster.

But the losses this time are far more significant. The destruction was so widespread and instantaneous—gutting the capital and its institutions at precisely the moment when help, guidance and new ideas were most needed—that the absence will be felt for decades.

One email asked if I knew what preparations would be made to arrange a presidential contest before President Préval's term expires early next year. Most if not all polling stations in the quake zone were damaged or destroyed, and the hundreds of thousands of voters who were not killed were displaced or left without ID cards.

Most of the emails I received contained more questions than updates. Who will take care of the orphaned children? Where will Haitians live? When will the children be able to go back to school? What will happen to the amputees? Is the departure of U.S. troops a sign of dwindling international interest in the plight of the Haitian people? With each week, and a looming spring rainy season that could bring devastating flooding to low-lying camps, the answers to those questions grow more
urgent.

http://www.worldpress.org/Americas/3514.cfm

Posted by jicafriends at 01:44 PM | Comments (1)

March 16, 2010

Zambia: Hikaumba calls for promotion and protection of interests of disabled employees-Zambia

The following information was downloaded from the mailing list of "Disability and Development" with a cooperation of the publisher, Mr. Soya Mori.

The Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has called on government to come up with mandatory laws that promote and protect persons living with disabilities at work places.

ZCTU president Leonard Hikaumba noted that most disabled people have over the years been subjected to segregation and unfair treatment by their employers. He said despite their physical challenges, disabled persons have the potential to positively contribute to the growth of the country through various skills.

Mr. Hikaumba said this in Lusaka today when he officially opened a one day workshop organized by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in conjunction with various worker representatives aimed at equipping worker representatives with knowledge and information needed to become committed advocates for disabled persons.

Meanwhile Mr. Hikaumba has called on organizations intending to construct buildings to have the disabled persons in mind. He said it is sad that most work places in the country are not user friendly to disabled persons.

Mr. Hikaumba said it is important for organizations to ensure that their buildings have staircase and access ramps for persons with disabilities to avail them easy access to their buildings.

Speaking earlier ILO Skills and Employability Senior Specialist, Barbara Murray, said there is need for employers to change their attitude towards disabled people.

Ms Murray observed that disabled people are equal partners in development hence the need for them to be given equal employment opportunities just like any other person. She has since appealed to employers to give fair working conditions to pers