Materials :
Working Document :
DRAFT BMF PLUS 5
Forward looking Strategies for the Second Half of the Decade (2008 – 2012)
PREAMBLE
We, the members and associate members of ESCAP represented at the
High-level Intergovernmental Meeting on a Mid-Point Review of the Biwako
Millennium Framework for Action towards an Inclusive Barrier-free and
Rights-based Society for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific (BMF),
held in Bangkok," in October…. 2007.
Recalling the successful High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to Conclude
the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled persons, 1993-2002, held at Otsu
City, Shiga, Japan, 25-28 October 2002, hosted by the Government of Japan,
the Shiga Prefecture Government and the City of Ohtsu, and its adoption of
the BMF.
Recalling the ESCAP resolution 58/4 of 22 May 2002 on promoting an
inclusive barrier-free and rights-based society for people with disabilities
in the Asian and Pacific region in the twenty-first century, by which it
proclaimed the extension of the Asia and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons
1993-2002, for another decade, 2003-2012.
Recalling the ESCAP resolution 59/3 of 4 September 2003 on the
regional implementation of the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action
towards an Inclusive, Barrier-free and Rights-based Society for Persons with
Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific during the Decade (2003-2012), by which
it requested all members and associate members to support the implementation
of the BMF at the national level and through international cooperation and
partnership.
Noting that a mid point review of the BMF should be conducted in 2007, on
the basis of which the targets and strategic plans for the second half of
the Decade may be modified and new targets and strategic plans may be
formulated (paragraph 63 of the BMF).
Appreciating that ESCAP members and associate members adopted resolution
61/8 of 18 May 2005 on mid-point review of the implementation of the
Biwako Millennium Framework for Action towards an Inclusive, Barrier-free
and Rights-based Society for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the
Pacific, by which it called ESCAP members and associate members to renew
their commitment to the implementation of the Biwako Millennium Framework in
advance of the Intergovernmental mid-point review in 2007.
Noting with appreciation the successful organization of the first ESCAP
biennial meeting to review the achievements, namely, "The ESCAP Regional
Workshop on Monitoring the Implementation of the Biwako Millennium
Framework", held in Bangkok in October 2004 and its outcome documents.
Noting also the periodical evaluation reports on national and regional
implementation of the Biwako Millennium Framework, prepared by the ESCAP
Secretariat for various intergovernmental meetings (e.g. ESCAP annual
commission sessions, a series of committees on social development, and the
committee on vulnerable groups in September 2004), from the inception of the
new Decade, and recognizing the action that may be re-vitalized for the
second half of the Decade.
Noting with great appreciation three background documents prepared by the
ESCAP Secretariat for this Meeting, on monitoring of (a) national
implementation of the BMF at the mid point review, and (b) regional
implementation of the BMF at the mid point review, as well as (c) a set of
indicators for monitoring the implementation of the BMF for the period of
2007-2012.
Having considered the significant progress made (or conclusion, or any
status by October 2007) concerning the work of the Ad Hoc Committee
on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on Protecting and
Promoting the Rights and Dignity of" Persons with Disabilities and the
subsequent process towards signature and accession/ ratification of the
Convention by the member states.
Reaffirming the significance of paradigm shift from charity to
rights-based" stipulated in the BMF, and the importance of the
concept of human rights, including rights-based development in all legal
framework, strategies, policies and plans of action for persons with
disabilities at all levels.
Reaffirming the guidelines set out in the BMF for achieving the goals of
the Decade with 7 priority areas for action (self-help organizations
of persons with disabilities and related family and parent associations,
women with disabilities, early detection, early intervention and education,
training and employment, including self-employment, access to built
environments and public transport, access to information and communications,
including information, communication and assistive technologies, poverty
alleviation through capacity-building, social security and sustainable
livelihood programmes)," its targets, and 4 strategies (national
plan of action on disability, promotion of a rights-based approach to
disability issues, disability statistics/common definition of disabilities
for planning, strengthened community-based approaches to the prevention of
causes of disability, rehabilitation and empowerment of persons with
disabilities) to achieve the targets of the BMF.
Recalling the principles of the World Programme of Action concerning
Disabled Persons, the United Nations Standard Rules on Equalization of
Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, the ILO Convention 159 on
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons), the Salamanca
Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education, and the Dakar
Framework for Action, Education for All.
Considering the United Nations Millennium Declaration, adopted in
September 2000, whose goals include eradication of extreme poverty and
hunger, achievement of universal primary education, and development of a
global partnership for development, and the 2005 World Summit Outcome,
adopted in September 2005, which recognizes the needs to guarantee the full
enjoyment of the rights of persons with disabilities without discrimination.
Noting the recognitions by the World Bank and other international
development banks that unless persons with disabilities are brought into the
development mainstream it will be difficult to halve poverty by 2015, or
give every girl and boy the chance to complete primary education to the same
date, and" their commitment to inclusion of disability concerns in
their poverty eradication efforts as well as the disability-inclusive
development approach," so-called "twin track approach" of
disability mainstreaming and empowerment of PWD, which was" promoted
and officially adopted by some bilateral development agencies such as
DFID and Jica.
INTRODUCTION
The new Decade (2003-2012) must ensure a paradigm shift from a
charity-based approach to a rights-based approach to protect the civil,
cultural, economic, political and social rights of persons with
disabilities. The Philippines has declared the period 2003-2012 the national
Decade of Persons with Disabilities. Japan has adopted the third long-term
"Fundamental Framework for Action during the New Decade of 2003-2012" with
the mandate of achieving an inclusive society.
At the national level, the current Decade brought more progress in
rights-based disability policy and legislation than earlier Decades in
the Asia and Pacific region.
Throughout the first five years of the Decade, significant progress has
been made. Also, prior to the inception of the current Decade, a few
countries in the region already adopted a well-functioning national
anti-discrimination legislation to eliminate all kinds of
discriminations and prejudices against people with diverse disabilities, and
to mainstream disabled citizens." For instance, Australia, the
Philippines and Hong Kong-China had already institutionalized an effective
anti-discrimination legislation to protect the rights of PWD and its
monitoring mechanism, such as an equal opportunity commission (or a
national human rights commission), for enforcement of the law." Also,
Japan has adopted a more rights-based amendment of the fundamental law for
disabled persons[1]. At the
provincial level, the Chiba prefecture of Japan has recently adopted an
anti-discrimination regulation to protect and promote the rights and
dignity of persons with disabilities." China has been always very
proactive in the global process of drafting the International Convention.
Concerning national policy, Vanuatu adopted a national disability policy
in 2004 and established a focal point on disability issues under the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2003, Cook Islands passed a comprehensive
rights-based national policy on disability and action plan. In 2005, Solomon
Islands also adopted a national policy on disability, with reference to the
Biwako Millennium Framework. In 2005, Papua New Guinea and Timor Leste
initiated the process of drafting a national policy on disability based on
the Framework and in consultation with disabled peoples' organizations and
various stakeholders.
Therefore, since the adoption of the BMF, it has played a significant
role region-wide in the elaboration of new more rights-based national
legislation and policies as well as local/provincial rules and regulations
for persons with disabilities. This active and practical application of the
BMF goals and strategies has provided new and valuable experiences on how to
utilize the BMF effectively in the next 5 years. Concurrently, it has
revealed certain weakness, shortcomings, outdated-ness, and omissions in the
existing text at the mid point (2007)." For instance, the significant
progress made by the Ad Hoc Committee on the Convention and the
anticipation for signing, and accession/ratification by a number of ESCAP
members and associate members is a completely new development, which
further confirms the rightness of rights-based approach and the concept of
human rights and none-discrimination stipulated in the BMF. The concept of
the BMF, "inclusive[2]",
"barrier-free[3]", and
"rights-based[4]" society is
re-affirmed at the mid-point and these three compositions of the BMF
principle are indivisible and inter-related; however, the primary focus of
action during the second half of the Decade may be the "rights-based".
To pursue the targets and strategies of the BMF and its rights-based
approach, the involvement of civil society, including self-help
organizations and the NGOs concerned, was proved to be essential and
critical. Indeed, the promotion of rights-based approach was initiated and
promoted through the strengthened regional network and cooperation among
Governments and civil society (e.g DPOs, NGOs, INGOs, academic institutions,
human rights organizations, etc.) to share common concerns and challenges
and to provide mutual collaboration." For instance, the Asia-Pacific
Development Center on Disabilities (APCD) was established in 2004 at
Bangkok to promote an inclusive and rights-based society and to implement
the BMF. The Center has been playing a vital supporting role, through
serving persons with disabilities and professionals working with them in
capacity building, information sharing and networking at the regional level.
Also the Asia Pacific Disability Forum (APDF) was formed in
November 2003 as the first and the only NGO regional mechanism to promote
the implementation of the BMF and the new Convention on Promoting and
Protecting the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities. The Forum
has been working closely with UN ESCAP, APCD and other United Nations
agencies.
Throughout the entire BMF text, a comprehensive model of "disability" is
used implicitly to refer to persons with disabilities, while recognizing the
recent global developments in defining "disability" and the significant role
of the attitudes of society and people towards disabled persons (e.g.
social model of disability). Disability is not merely an individual
attribute (e.g. medial model of disability) but a complex
combination of environmental factors, personal factors and
inter-relationships[5]. In
this regard, the wider use of WHO-ICF in countries of the region may
be useful not only for collecting disability statistics, but also for
development of the a common regional" approach to the fundamental
concept of disability and disabled persons.
The purpose of preparing the proposed supplement (BMF PLUS 5) to the BMF
is to complement and develop the existing BMF text in certain areas of new
developments. The work is based on analysis of achievements, shortcomings,
challenges and gaps presented by the members and associate members as well
as civil society groups."
In the analysis, the following areas were pointed out and used for
categorizing purpose: (i) general principles and concepts of disability,
(ii) rights-based legislation and policies (including towards ratification
of the Convention), (iii) the needs of persons with special groups (e.g.
disabled children, older persons with disabilities, persons with
developmental and psychiatric disabilities), (iv) disability-inclusive
development approach, (v) enhancing access to health care, education,
training and employment, (vi) facilitating access to the build environments,
community living, transport and information, (vii) self-help groups and
Disabled People's Organizations and (viii) regional, sub-regional and
national networking as a modality for exchange of information and
collaboration.
The structure and draft text of this supplementary (BMF plus 5) does not
follow the structure of the BMF text and the 7 priority areas. The
sequence of the categories has been formulated in order to avoid unnecessary
duplications and repetitions of the BMF text." The goals, targets and
strategies already adopted by the BMF and endorsed by the members and
associate members at the Intergovernmental Meeting in 2002 will be still
valid for the entire period of the Decade, thus it is not needed to repeat
the same phrases again.
This supplementary document therefore focuses on the concrete strategies
for the members, associate members and civil society groups for priority
action during the specific period of 5 years, 2007-2013, and it shall serve
as an action-oriented "to-do-list" for governments and other entities
(academic institutions, NGOs, DPOs, self-help groups and private sector)
responsible for improving the life of PWDs in the region. The mode of
presentation combines a short commentary with a set of concrete
recommendations for action.
In the process of elaborating this supplement, several international
organizations and individual experts have contributed, including those
representing the interest of special groups through a series of the
stakeholders' consultation meetings. The group of experts and persons with
various disabilities has worked with the draft text and made many valuable
suggestions during 2006-2007, and finally the outcome of the expert group
meeting (represented by government experts held in 2007, prior to the mid
review), organized by UN ESCAP, …..October … 2007, has taken into account,
before it was finally adopted by the Intergovernmental Meeting.
The most important common feature of the comments and recommendations in
this document is (i) the importance of the Convention process (smooth
signing, and accession/ratification) and its timely reflection into the
framework of national (domestic) legislative (e.g. anti-discrimination law,
rights based regulations) and policy, (ii) the vital need to mainstream
disability issues into national, regional and international development
efforts, and (iii) the needs of emerging groups of disabled persons who
require special attention.
1. Principles, approaches and definitions
The BMF encourages governments to actively implement the paradigm shift
from a charity-based approach to a rights-based approach to the
empowerment of persons with disabilities, and to move towards the human
rights perspective, being in mind the current process towards (or conclusion
of …. The latest progress by 2007) the International Convention on Promoting
and Protecting the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities. Thus,
the principles of the remaining 5-year strategies may include among others,
the rights-based, non-discrimination, participation and inclusion,
respect for differences and diversity, equal opportunities and
accessibility.
Discrimination on the basis of disability means any distinction,
exclusion or restriction on the basis of disability which has the purpose or
effect of impairing the exercise or enjoyment, on an equal basis with
others, of all human rights and fundamental freedom in the civil-political,
socio-economic-cultural or any other fields. Discrimination includes all
forms of direct and indirect discrimination, including denial of "reasonable
accommodation"[6].
Meantime, the global disability movements and the "social model of
disability" advocated by them helped our society to understand what needs to
take place in order to ensure disabled persons' equal access to human and
civil rights. Nowadays, most people
[7] probably refer to the social model of disability in a rather
comprehensive manner, such as "rights model of disability"."
Our common regional approach to disability may include a very positive
statement and vision about disabled persons, recognition of diversity and
differences among disability/disabled persons, recognition of the need to
eliminate institutional discrimination and social barriers (social attitudes
and physical barriers), allowing of the individual choice, and recognizing
that not all the things that exclude PWD are solely about society's
attitudes and fault[8]."
What is required in the region at the mid review point may be a "rights
model of disability" with a striking balance between empowerment and
leadership of PWD, and the efforts for removing the existing barriers. In
this regard, the definitions and principles of disability in the WHO-ICF may
serve as a useful reference and guidance[9].
Taking into consideration of the above principles, the following
recommendations set out below are practicable only when an integrated
strategy is adopted, as they are all inter-linked and interdependent. The
principle aim of the 5-year strategies is to suggest different sort and
forms of action whereby the institutional discrimination and barriers to
access to rights encountered by PWD can be eliminated universally.
2. Rights-based disability policy and legislation
(including the convention follow-up)
Commentary text
Legislation is often a first step towards eliminating the institutional
discrimination and prejudice against PWD. Parallel to the process towards
the International Convention, several countries in the region already
institutionalized a well-functioning anti-discrimination legislation and its
effective monitoring mechanism (e.g. a national equal opportunity
commission) for enforcement of the law. In some other countries where a
national anti-discrimination law does not exist yet, a provincial regulation
to ban all kinds of discrimination against PWDs and uphold the principle of
equality was enacted at the local level. A few of these developments were
made during the first 5 years of the current Decade. Promoting legislation
that bans all kinds of discrimination, including the environmental sphere
and in the field of service provision and employment can be seen to be most
essential to implement the Convention (to translate the State's global
commitment into national strategy) at the national level, and to eliminate
the barriers preventing the full participation of PWDs.
Recommendations
- Smooth signing and accession/ratification of the Convention on
Promoting and Protecting the Rights and Dignity of Persons with
Disabilities, with as little reservations as possible.
- A national framework to monitor, promote and enforce compliance
with the Convention, ensuring a strong consumer-influenced monitoring
mechanism on the rights of persons with disabilities.
- Enacting of a national "anti-discrimination legislation" to
protect the rights of PWDS, supplemented by local (provincial) regulations
banning all forms of discrimination against disabled persons.
- Establishment of a statutory monitoring mechanism (body), which is
public-funded and independent, for enforcement of the anti-discrimination
legislation (e.g. an equal opportunity commission, national human rights
institution, etc).
- Awareness-raising campaigns (pro-active action) aimed at
eliminating all forms of discrimination and prejudice against PWD and
encouraging the universal design products and technologies.
- Making the official complaint procedures as simple and easily
accessible as possible. The measures may include the elimination of heavy
financial burden jeopardizing equal access to the courts by the
discriminated (e.g. setting up a special lawyer-free tribunal/small
court on disability discrimination, or the State's subsidizing the fee
for low-income disabled persons)."
- Active involvement of PWD and their organizations in the drafting,
review, revision, monitoring and implementation of disability-related
legislation.
3. Groups in special needs (developmental and psychiatric
disabilities, invisible disabilities, children, the elderly, women with
disabilities, etc.)
Women with disabilities are often exposed to multiple discriminations,
based on disability, gender and poverty. The term "persons with
disabilities" in the BMF text should read therefore as girls, boys, women
and men with disabilities". Children with disabilities are often
neglected by the regular school system, and obstacles of physical
environment prevent them to move freely in the community, from interacting
with the company of other children." Some studies have shown that
experiences of sexual abuse and other forms of violence and abuse are
frequently reported among children and women with disabilities. The emerging
population with disabilities is older people. There are two
categories, those who experience their disabilities at early stage, with
dynamic needs with advancing age, and other category who lost physical,
sensory and mental functions due to ageing. With the increase in life
expectancy in many countries of the region, the latter category is growing
in number. The needs of the elderly with disabilities are often not included
in national disability policy and programmes. Another important group is
those who have disabilities that are not easily detected by others, so
called invisible disability. Among this group, persons with
psychiatric disabilities, those with disabilities from chronic
diseases, and those who are hard of hearing or deaf. One of the
shortcomings of the BMF text is that the needs of persons with
developmental, psychiatric and invisible disabilities are not covered in
sufficient manner.
Commentary text
Recommendations
(Women with disabilities)
- Further strengthening the effort by DPOs to include the concerns of
women and girls with disabilities into their agenda and assisting them in
pushing forward the inclusion of their concerns into agenda of mainstream
women's movement.
(Children with disabilities)
- Initiation of the programmes for early detection and intervention and
ensuring that children with disabilities, including those with extensive
and multiple disabilities, have access to medical care and rehabilitation
services.
- Ensuring that training and rehabilitation programmes should not
disrupt the disabled child's right to family life and social integration
with their non-disabled peers.
- The governments' responsibility for recognizing and eradicating
abuse and violence against girls, boys, women and men with
disabilities, understanding the possibility of occurring in the family.
- Provision of information to persons with the families of disabled
children about methods to take precautions against sexual abuse and press
charges, if this happens.
(Older persons with disabilities)
- Ensuring that the needs of older persons with disabilities in the
provision of health and medical care services, rehabilitation, assistive
devices and other forms of support services.
- Inclusion of the situation of older persons with disabilities in
research.
(People with invisible disabilities)
- Inclusion of the characteristics of invisible disabilities in taking
measures towards the fullest participation and providing equal
opportunities for persons with disabilities.
- Inclusion of information about persons with invisible disabilities and
their special problems in public awareness programme.
(Persons with psychiatric and developmental disabilities)
- Ensuring inclusion of the special needs of persons with developmental
and psychiatric disabilities in health and medical care, and in
rehabilitation and support services, with emphasis of self-determination.
- The government's support to the development of self-help groups and
organizations, representing the interest and the voice of persons
with psychiatric and developmental disabilities, independently from
the existing parents' organizations.
4. Disability-inclusive development approach
Commentary text
TBD
Recommendations
- Adoption of holistic and comprehensive approaches to national
development policies and programmes that are inclusive and disability
responsive.
- Mainstreaming disability into overall national development plans,
programmes and projects for poverty alleviation and promote multi sectoral
coordination of institutions at all levels.
- Allocation on predictable and sustainable basis the budget and other
resources (disability budgeting) for pro-poor policies and
programmes particularly for poverty alleviation among persons with
disabilities.
- Critical role of partnerships among the public and private sectors
and civil society in effective and sustainable poverty alleviation for
persons with disabilities.
- Capacity-building of persons with disabilities and their
organizations for self-help and mutual support and poverty alleviation.
- Disability sensitizing of society especially financial
institutions, law and policy makers, employers, media and major
stakeholders.
- Community approaches including Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR)
based on the holistic model
[10]as an important component
of a key and effective poverty alleviation strategy.
- Government and donors being responsive to and ensure that disability
is included in poverty alleviation strategies for example – Poverty
Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs") and so called "Twin Track approach"
of empowerment of PWD and disability mainstreaming..
- The vital importance of timely international cooperation in relief,
rehabilitation and re-development, which should provide accessibility
with reasonable accommodation for all, both in continued efforts to
address the Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 2004 and in response to the
tragic earthquake of October 2005 affecting and India and Pakistan that
resulted increase in the number of persons with disabilities in the
region.
- Disability mainstreaming (disability segregated data) into the
existing national statistics on assessing the socio-economic
characteristics (e.g. school enrollment, employment, health condition,
etc.) of the population.
5. Enhancing access to health care, education, training and
employment
Commentary text
TBD
Recommendations
(Health care)
- Disability prevention and health promotion as an integral part of all
public health promotion measures and policies (school, workplace, health
services, etc.).
- Elimination of all forms of segregation of discrimination
against people with disabilities (including those suffering from
psychiatric illness), enabling them to benefit on equal terms from health
and medical services, and high-quality rehabilitation to lead a dignified
existence, bearing in mind the individual choice and self-determination.
- Ensuring the living conditions in health care facilities meeting
respect for individual rights and fundamental freedom, including in
matters of "informed consent" to treatment, particularly in
psychiatric institutions.
(Education)
- Re-affirmation of the principle of inclusive education:
Elimination of all forms of segregation and discrimination against PWD,
with full access to primary, secondary and higher education on equal
terms, to guarantee full access to mainstreaming education system,
while taking account of the specific learning needs of children and adults
with disabilities.
- Educational systems capable of accommodating diversity of educational
needs of children and adults with disabilities, and enabling access to
mainstream education and life long learning facilities in the child's
or adult's best interest.
- Integration of disabled children in mainstream education from very
early age (kindergarten, etc).
- Establishing a legal framework (law) and resources allocation to
guaranteeing equality of access to pre-school, school education and
life long learning.
- Including disability as a compulsory subject in initial or
in-service (refresh) courses for teaching staff in pre-school, school and
university education.
- Development of resource centers with adequate human and other
resources to provide regular teachers with support for inclusive
education.
- Development and improvement of reception strategies for students with
disabilities, to foster more open attitudes among university and higher
education staff.
- Promotion of bridges between regular school and special education,
allowing the preferences of the child as far as possible.
- Promotion of health education, prevention and awareness of the causes
of disability.
(Employment and training)
- Re-affirmation of ILO Convention 159
- Enhancing the "public - private partnership" in terms of skills
development and hiring disabled people with innovative approaches"
(e.g. corporate responsibilities, social farms, social enterprises,
dialogue with multinational corporations, etc.)
- Implementing integration policies by sufficient financial resources
and awareness-raising campaigns, targeting employers and employees,
regarding the provision of "reasonable accommodation" and the
management of disability in the workplace.
- Promotion of employment of PWD in an open employment market through
implementation of a more dynamic, affirmative policy.
- Improving in the numbers and capacity of trainers and educators in
mainstream skills and vocational training to accommodate the needs of PWD.
- Ensuring an improvement and modernizing in the level of skills and
training of women and men with disabilities.
- Strengthening action towards people with more extensive (severe)
disabilities
- Collection and documentation of case studies and good practices
where government is positively mainstreaming disabled people in the
workforce.
- Self-employment and informal sector employment of persons with
disabilities.
6. Facilitating access to the build environments, community
living, transport and information
Commentary text
TBD
Recommendations
- Inclusion in legislation of the measure to enable persons with
disabilities to live in the environment of their own choice, which
includes building and fitting out of their own private houses at
reasonable costs.
- Strengthening the accessibility in the urban and the built
environments, housing and transport, mass market products, based on the
concept of the "universal design".
- Application of more integrated and comprehensive technology standards
to the built environment, public services, communication systems and
housing, with the concept of universal design, for the purpose of
promoting an independent living of persons with disabilities in their
own communities.
- Asserting in laws and regulations (rights of access to buildings,
transport, education, etc.) the principle of autonomy and
self-determination, in which persons with disabilities are entitled to
lead independent living and take decisions for themselves.
- Use of legislative, financial and technological solutions to remove
the existing obstacles and eliminate the negative features generating the
existing discrimination and inequality, in infrastructure design,
dwellings, transport, public spaces, technology and information and
communication systems.
- Focus on physical accessibility design standards for various
categories of PWDs in rural areas and impoverished urban communities in
terms of physical infrastructure, transportation and basic water and
sanitation infrastructure.
- Introducing a set of universal design and/or accessibility
guidelines in bidding process of international cooperation projects, and
ODA agencies' adopting an official set of guidelines (a policy) on
accessibility standard.
- Application of accessibility standards and guidelines as a
pre-condition for public funding and using public procurement as a tool
to promote accessibility.
- Promotion of accessible tourism by the Government, and local
governments.
- Supporting and fostering the development of legislation, measures,
guidelines, etc. taking into account the accessibility of digital
information technologies.
- Formation and functioning of consultation bodies set up to design and
develop measures (legislation, action programmes, standards at national,
provincial and local levels).
- Further development of affordable and updated ICT equipment and
facilities for persons with disabilities, in order to ensure equality in
information access and narrow the existing ICT divide.
- Promotion of use of the new digital technologies for developing of
distance learning (e-learning) of formal and informal education.
- Recognition (by the Government) of sign language as a national
language and as the medium of communication among deaf individuals,
for use in the education of deaf children and in the community.
- Due consideration of the needs of people with various communication
disabilities, such as the speech-impaired, the hard-of-hearing, the
deaf-blind and persons with developmental disabilities.
7. Self-help groups and Disabled People's Organizations
Commentary text
TBD
Recommendations
- Inclusion of most vulnerable groups such as women with
disabilities, persons with intellectual disabilities, persons with
psychiatric disabilities, and those with extensive and/or multiple
disabilities,"in all endeavors, including decision-making, planning,
implementation and evaluation of activities.
- Particularly in rural communities special attention to the
dynamics of disability and poverty, with a view to improving the
quality of life of persons with disabilities and their families through
promoting income-generation schemes and their access to credits.
- The formation of grassroots self-managed groups of persons with
disabilities and their village and district-level federations, with
extensive social mobilization as a component of key poverty alleviation
strategy and social inclusion of persons with disabilities.
- Community-based approaches, including CBR and/or Independent Living
which involves self-help groups of persons with disabilities as the
key stakeholder.
8. Regional, sub-regional and national networking to implement the 5-year strategies
TBD
Consolidating APDF's networking activities to further promote the BMF
and the Convention through establishing and expanding its sub-regional and
umbrella national forums of PWDs and NGOs in the region (good practices of
Pacific Disability Forum (PDF) and Japan Disability Forum)
- Setting up of a national forum of PWDs and NGOS (good practice
of JDF in Japan, the National Forum in Bangladesh)
- Creation of regional training networks in the field of action
oriented, participatory research on disability so as to promote a new
research skill, involving persons with disabilities as participants and
produces of the research piece, and no longer as mere "guinea pig".
[1] The amended Law has an
element of rights-based and anti-discrimination but it is not yet an
anti-discrimination law with strong enforcement mechanism.
[2] Disability mainstreaming
and inclusiveness.
[3] Removing the barriers
(physical barriers and barriers of social attitudes) often emphasized by
advocators of "social model of disability".
[4] Human and civil rights
based.
[5] Ref. The definitions and
classifications by the International Classification of Functioning,
Disability and Health (WHO-ICF), WHO, 2001.
[6] Reasonable accommodation
means appropriate modifications and adjustments by employers, service
provides, educational institutions and other relevant parties, not imposing
a disproportionate burden, where needed in particular case, to ensure to
persons with disabilities the full enjoyment and exercise of all human
rights and fundamental freedom.
[7] Hurst, R. (2001)
"International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health",
Disability Tribune, September.
[8] Definition of "social
model of disability", at the conference on "Reclaiming the Social Model of
Disability", organized by Greater London Action on Disability (GLAD), 2000.
[9] The International
Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (WHO-ICF), WHO, 2001.
[10] Ref. WHO, ILO, UNESCO
Joint Paper on CBR 2004, which defined CBR in the holistic and comprehensive
manner, including the human rights and poverty reduction components.
25 May 2006
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