Interregional Seminar and Regional Demonstration Workshop on Accessible Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) and Persons with Disabilities
Bayview Park Hotel, Manila, Philippines, March 3-7, 2003

ICT Policy Report - Cambodia

Mr. Ouk Sisovann
Executive Director, DAC

It is a great honour for me on behalf of the Cambodian Government, the Ministry of Social Affairs, Labour, Vocational Training and Youth Rehabilitation (MOSALVY) and the Disability Action Council (DAC), to be invited to participate and share with you the current status of Accessible ICT and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Cambodia at this important event.

Cambodia occupies a territory of 181,035 square kilometers topographically dominated by the Mekong River and the Tonle Sap Lake. It is located in the south-western corner of Indochina. Its total population is about 11.4 million (1998 census) with the annual growth rate of 2.4%. The proportion of female is 51.8%, and children under 15 years old is 48.2%. A large proportion of population (84.3%) lives in rural areas and only 15.7% live in urban areas. Phnom Penh, the capital city, has a population of 997,986.

Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen,

As you know, Cambodia suffered from more than two decades of war. The consequences have left the breakdown of basic services and destruction of national infrastructure, the presence of millions of landmines, the lack of basic health care and food security, and the absolute poverty of the majority of its citizens. All contribute to the fact that Cambodia is a country with a high number of disabled people (PWDs). It was estimated that between 2 to 3% of the population is physically disabled, in what is one of the world's most desperately poor economies. For example, one person in 235 is missing a limb(s). In addition, there are also an equally significant number of persons with hearing or sight impairment (35% of total disabilities). The vast majority of these disabilities are the result of explosions of landmines or UXO, the legacy of years of political strife.

The MOSALVY and DAC are always taking an active role to integrate our disabled persons into the community. This means to support them in their efforts to attain:

• Their basic needs such as food shelter, clothing and clean environment; Ø Their need for Equality in society, and to fight discrimination of nationality, colour, position, and wealth;
• Their need for respect from other people, and especially respect of basic rights;
• Their need for living as normal people, physically, emotionally, without conflict, violence, or intimidation;
• Their need for independence and human dignity, etc.

In order to meet these needs of persons with disabilities, the MOSALVY and DAC have struggled to achieve the following objectives:

• Physical rehabilitation by providing prosthesis and orthosis, assistive devices and wheelchairs to persons with disabilities where needed.
• Provision of vocational training to develop skills and abilities of persons with disabilities.
• Promotion of job placement and self-employment to improve their incomes and to raise their standard of living.
• Promotion and support to persons with disabilities in the community, especially in rural areas.
• Promotion of ICT so that persons with disabilities can get better access to information and communications needed.

Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Please allow me to share with you specifically the current situation of the ICT in Cambodia. Information and Communication in our context refer to the way information, experiences, and news is exchanged between individuals and/or groups of people. For people with hearing, visual, and speech impairments, the process of communication must be done in a different manner. We believe that assistive devices, tools and technologies can help in this communication process better/ Equal communication that allows people with disabilities to have equal participation in society. People with disabilities are able to access information about available services and be informed of their rights. Children with disabilities are then afforded the rights to an education with their peers. In the same respect, full communication allows people with disabilities to express their views and be more equal partners in any rehabilitation process.

According to the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities adopted by the UN General Assembly on its 48th session on 20 December 1993 in Section II, Rule 5(b.6) "Access to Information and Communication" (Resolution 48/96); which is stated that:

"States should develop strategies to make information services and documentation accessible for different groups of persons with disabilities. Braille, tape services, large print and other appropriate technologies should be used to provide access to written information and documentation for persons with visual impairments. Similarly, appropriate technologies should be used to provide access to spoken information for persons with auditory impairments or comprehension difficulties".

For people with visual impairments, reading material (e.g. newspapers, public health information, and literature) must be made available in Braille print (English and Khmer), on audiocassette, or other suitable forms for those who have difficulty reading regular print. Also services such as human readers (individuals who will read to blind persons) should be made available.

For people with hearing impairments, sign language is usually a primary means of communication. In order for sign language to be an effective means of communication, a standardized sign language needs to be developed. Services such as sign language interpreters are needed at vital public services and facilities particularly police departments, hospitals, law courts, and financial institutions. The certification of sign language interpreters will ensure that the maximum number of people with disabilities would benefit from such services. Assistive devices such as hearing aids would benefit individuals with some hearing loss to communicate through speech.

For people with speech impairments, sign language may also be a means of communication with others. Speech therapy may also be beneficial in order to increase the clarity of speech for those persons with existing levels of speech.

As in other disabilities, people with hearing, visual, and speech impairments must be allowed complete access to services and full participation in society. Assistive devices and tools can aid in communication between people with disabilities, their family members, community members, and society as a whole.

To meet the needs for improved information and communication of people with hearing, visual, and speech impairments, the following strategic plan has been developed:

Objectives:

To achieve the identified goal and objectives, the following activities are implemented and planned:

Current project activities of Govt. Ministries, NGOs and IOs

Planned Projects / Activities

Gaps in Services

Currently in Cambodia there exists many gaps in this area but many organizations are looking to expand their services. There is a general lack of availability of assistive devices and tools i.e. hearing aids, Braille machines, speech therapists, etc. Also, there is no certification of sign language interpreters in Cambodia. Khmer sign language is developing; however, it has not yet reached the completion stage. Reading materials in Braille also need to be more available. Schools exist for children with hearing and visual impairments but the current education system of Cambodia does not allow for the children with hearing and visual impairments to access fully public education with their peers.

Recommendations

As the number of sign language instructors increases, a system needs to be in place for the certification of the instructors. Teaching training in the areas of instruction for children with hearing and visual impairments would also allow more children to access an education with their peers. Further development in the Khmer sign language is also needed. In addition, the availability of speech therapists would allow those individuals with speech impairments to communicate more clearly.

Several organizations such as CDPO and ABC are working towards make assistive devices and tools more available for people with hearing and visual impairments.

Finally, may I, once again, express our deep gratitude and sincere thanks to the event's organisers for their kind invitation, hospitality and making all arrangements possible for me to attend and present the paper at this important meeting.

Thank you.

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