Thailand Country Report

Implementations towards Persons with Disabilities

1. Disability Policy

The Royal Thai Government has been aware of persons with disabilities and consistently developed disability policies aimed to improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities with dignity. Recently 2 enactments concerning rights of person with disabilities had been enforced; the Thai Constitution B.E 2550. This constitution contains anti – discrimination chapters due to the provision of persons with disabilities. In addition, the constitution designated accessibility to the social welfare and accessible devices. Other Governmental services include the rights to benefit from welfare and services. Secondly, the Persons with Disabilities' Quality of Life Promotion Act B.E. 2550, legislation with clear focus on persons with disabilities another step from the Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities Act B.E. 2534. In addition to this, the National Persons with Disabilities' Quality of Life Developmental Plan (Volume III) B.E. 2550 – 2554 is a guideline for disability development practice integrating related organizations. According to the 2002 National Statistics Office data, Thailand has 1.1 million disabled persons consisting 1.7 % of the entire population (63 million persons).

2. Self-help organizations of persons with disabilities and related family and parent associations

Thai disabled people have a long run forming disabled peoples' organizations by the type of disability. In 1983, these organizations integrated establishing the Council of Disabled People of Thailand (CDPT). Recently, CDPT consists of the Thailand Association of the Blind, the National Association of the Deaf in Thailand (NADT), the Association of the Physically Handicapped of Thailand (APHT), the Association of Parents for Thai Persons with Autism and the Association for the Mentally Retarded of Thailand. Activities of CDPT are being a cross-disability advocator, developing careers, managing the organizations, and networking with provincial bodies strategically to protect the rights of persons with disabilities at the regional, provincial, district, and community level.

Self-help organizations have not only been academically and financially supported and empowered by public sector but were offered the opportunity to participate in the disability-related policy making process. In this regards, these organizations were board members of the national and provincial level committees. The important role is to promote the rights of disabled persons as could be seen recently in the latest Constitution and to promulgate enactments of both the Thai Constitution and the National Persons with Disabilities' Quality of Life Promotion and Developmental Act B.E. 2550. In accordance, these organizations are potentials preceding every National Persons with Disabilities Developmental Five-year Plan.

3.Women with Disabilities

The Royal Thai Government encourages women with disabilities to participate equally to males with disabilities in social activities such as education, participation, employment, etc. Consequently, women with disabilities are encouraged to sit as board committees and subcommittees at the national and provincial level. Meanwhile, women with disabilities in self-help organizations become committee leaders or change agents, however, the ratio of women with disabilities in those self – help organizations is less than 5%. Besides this, women with disabilities are attempted to form women with disabilities organizations to implement activities, however, there are currently 3 or 4 organizations formed with conditions.

In the context of a mainstreaming society, women with disabilities tends to participate for a short period but tie up together to form committees in Women Councils. Accordingly, more movement would have to be encouraged concerning women with disabilities.

4. Early detection, early intervention and education

Early detection has been conducted by several organizations; the Ministry of Public Health, Education, Social Development and Human Security, Interior, etc. Mechanisms and networks at the provincial and community level by social development volunteers, local administrative organization, health care center, school, special education center, the Office of Social Development and Human Security at provincial levels were created as the initial stage promoting the rights to access welfare and services. Referral service and rehabilitation are provided as a one stop service.

Apart from the rights to be educated, access to services and/or assistive devices was also stated in the National Education Act B.E. 2542. Currently, the Royal Thai Government is considering new Special Education Act draft which focuses on the special education policy for persons with disabilities to reach education service and other resources at all levels and educational system to empower their quality of life and independent living.

Currently, education for persons with disabilities in Thailand covers all education levels and types of education as follows;

Early Intervention (EI): preparedness stage developing pre-school skills and coordinating referrals.

12-Years Fundamental Education in 59 public and private schools for persons with disabilities including mainstream classes and the home school pilot project following the government's policy encouraging all children with disabilities who desire to learn must learn. There are 22,722 public and private schools open for children with disabilities.

Vocational School provides formal and non-formal education for persons with disabilities included in the curriculum of the certificate, diploma, and short courses level in 235 vocational boarding and inclusive schools.

College Level is provided in 72 institutions (out of 153) providing a bachelor to Ph.D. degree. These institutions support disabled students services providing services to equipments, assistive devices, sign language interpreters, and tutoring. In regards, the Ratchasuda College, Mahidol University is the only college providing disability studies.

As mentioned above, the Government of Thailand has quantitatively succeeded in providing education services for persons with disabilities in various ways and at all levels. Consequently, the government has also developed the education system qualitatively benefiting from the education loan for persons with disabilities to set up 4 important systems;

1. Developed human resources of special education institutions in order to support and link special educational system into all levels.
2. Developed inclusive educational institutions as well as special education centers
3. Established and developed media networks, assistive devices, and other necessary educational services for children with disabilities services to certify the standards and guidelines of the rights of persons with disabilities to assistive devices, services, and other educational aid B.E.
4. Conducted 41 long- and short-term training courses according to the type of disability and education level.

As a result, 67.82% of persons with disabilities in the educational age are provided education, which shows the success of the Thai government providing education to persons with disabilities increasingly annually.

5. Training and employment, including self-employment

From the National Statistics Office 2002 Survey, 71.5 % of persons with disabilities over 15 are unemployed and 28.5% employed. Among persons with disabilities over 15, 47.5% are self-employed, 29% assists in household businesses, and 19.4% are private sector employees. From this, the data shows the more men with disabilities have jobs than women, 62.7% and 37.5% accordingly.

The Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons Act B.E. 2534 stated the rights of persons with disabilities by providing vocational rehabilitation in order to support independent living and a better quality of life. The country has supported job opportunities through vocational trainings, employments, and assisting in self-employment as following;

5.1 Vocational Training for Persons with Disabilities

Public and private sectors provide various types of vocational training in vocational training in 8 Governmental Vocational Training Institutes for Persons with Disabilities in the central and provincial region providing vocations training to persons with disabilities ages 14-40 in 12 areas. Six hundred persons with disabilities have been trained annually. Several private sectors have also given importance to provide vocational training to persons with disabilities. In addition to these programs, the public sector provides the opportunity to mainstream vocational training between persons with and without disabilities throughout the country offering 7 vocational areas. This program provides services to approximately 700 disabled persons per year. Accordingly, an on-the-job training pilot project had been initiated to build skills, discipline, and to learn the real practice before starting to work. Community vocational training for disabled persons is initiated for persons with disabilities in the rural areas. This is the Government's pilot project gathering persons with disabilities in the community by career interests and ability according to the community's environment and the market demand. As a result, 1,260 persons with disabilities and families from 47 provinces have been provided vocational trainings from the year 2003-2005.

In order to develop vocational skills, public and disabled peoples organizations collaborate in hosting the biannual National Abilympics and designated Thailand's representatives to the International Abilympics organized every 4 years.

5.2 Employment

The Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons Act B.E. 2534 stipulated that employers are mandated to hire disabled persons to any position in a ratio of 1 disabled person to every 200 regular employees. If employers prefer not to employ disabled persons to work by the set ratio, the employers can donate to the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons Fund. Persons with disabilities can loan from the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons Fund in order to asset self-employment or to support their self – help groups/organizations. A statistical data of 400 disabled persons have been employed each year.

The government has been promoting job employment for persons with disabilities by publicizing to private, public, and semi-public organizations through seminars to provide information on employing persons with disabilities. In this regards, outstanding firms employing persons with disabilities will be awarded every year by the Prime Minister on the International Disabled Day. Public sectors promote job opportunities by hiring persons with disabilities at the provincial offices of the Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Social Development and Human Security throughout the country. There is an effort for this to be a model to other private and public organization hiring disabled persons.

In addition, the National Persons with Disabilities' Quality of Life Promotion and Developmental Act B.E. 2550 has improved the context on job employment by promoting on-the-job training and home-based job or even provide space for persons with disabilities to do business. If any private firms hire more than 60% of persons with disabilities, the fore say firm will be tax exempted. In this regards, public organizations are mandate to hire persons with disabilities at the same ratio as private organizations 200:1.

5.3 Self - employment

Self-employment groups are support to disabled persons who have received trainings or implement self-employment to develop employment and products. As a result 99 groups in 47 provinces have been formed. In regards, persons with intellectual disabilities or severe disabilities are encouraged to form a group to do business in the community under parental assistance. The government also provides entrepreneurship loan from the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons Fund as a capital not more than 40,000 baht with 5 years remuneration with no interest rate. From B.E. 2538-2549, 50,059 disabled persons have lent more than 1,000 million baht. This is to promote employment of disabled persons into the mainstream society as could be seen through the One Tambon One Product project.

Recently, the Royal Thai Government has announced to ratify the ILO Convention No. 159 (1983) : Convention concerning Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons).

6. Access to built environments and public transport

Meanwhile, the physical environment and public transportation tend to remain inaccessible to cover full needs for persons with disabilities even though many facilities are developed but are still not enough comparing to the ratio of buildings, transportation, and public facilities in the society. This is due to the regulations stating no punishments instead of providing incentive for tax reductions. The government launched a new law in 2005 enforcing buildings constructed after the new law declaration must provide accessible facilities for persons with disabilities. Besides this, the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons Committee set up a sub-committee concerning accessible facilities for persons with disabilities; their role is to assign, support, monitor and evaluate accessible facilities. Moreover, the National Development of Persons Disabilities Plan (Volume 3) B.E. 2550 – 2554 contains the strategies to promote environment accessibility and facilities. In practice, campaigns and public relations e.g. training, seminar, broadcast through radio and television were implemented to provide conceptual understanding of accessible facilities for persons with disabilities. Furthermore, a MOU was signed between policy makers and implementers.

Even though, some public facilities are built for persons with disabilities in Thailand, the society and implementers should be aware of this issue to be continuously promoted.

7. Access to information and communications, including information, communication and assistive technologies

Thailand through NECTEC has been developing information and communications accessibility including information and communication technology and assistive devices. NECTEC is the ICT focal point organizing related-activities; seminars, publications on ICT accessibility, and promote web accessibility. In addition, NECTEC provides consultation to web masters to develop web accessibility for all along with research and development on technology development for all types of disability for instance innovating audio travel tools for the blind, portable communication tool for hard hearings, developing computer multimedia dictionary, etc.

At the policy level, a ministerial regulation was formulated to set standards and guidelines for persons with disabilities to seek their rights to education media, accessibility, and other related aid devices with have been distributed to persons with disabilities throughout the country. In accordance, the sub-committee on accessibility for persons with disabilities formulating standards and ICT plans for persons with disabilities to access.

Recently, the adoption of National Persons with Disabilities' Quality of Life Promotion and Developmental Act B.E. 2550 initiates the importance of ICT accessibility stating it under the rights of persons with disabilities.

8. Poverty alleviation through capacity-building, social security and sustainable livelihood programmes

The statistics from the persons with disabilities registration showed data of 26 % are severe disabilities, facing economic and social problem. The government provides a living pension of 500 baht per month to 4,000 persons giving them opportunities to live with their family in the community. Currently, 235,980 persons with disabilities including persons with severe disability are receiving the mentioned welfare. Furthermore, self – help organizations had established an independent living pilot project training initiating three Independent Living Centers in three provinces in Chonburi, Nonthaburi and Nakornpathom. In addition, the public sector established a pilot project to empower and sustain employment by supporting self-employment of persons with disabilities in their community.

In addition, persons with disabilities assisted with institution service and outreach activities, the government organized community – based projects as pilot projects in promoting community – based rehabilitation programs run by social development and human security volunteers, whom have rehabilitation and development knowledge. These are mechanisms to reach out and refer persons with disabilities to be able to access to services and community resources. Presently, the community – based rehabilitation project is launched to 322,467 persons with disabilities within 120 districts in 50 provinces by 1,258 social development and human security volunteers.

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Last updated 07/23/07. Contact: info @ visionoffice.com