Main : Contributions
: Lao Peoples Democratic Republic Country Paper
Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities
JANUARY 2003
I. Accessibility for PWDs in Lao PDR :
1. The Geography of the Laos PDR.
Lao is located in South East Asia, which is bordered by many countries as Vietnam,
Cambodia, China, Myanmar, and Thailand.
Lao is a land lock country that covers 236.800 Km2. The population is about 5.377.000
and most of them working rice felled of 80 % .For the Disabled there is 7-10% of total
population .It is 376 390 people , base on the World Health Organization (WHO)
2. The Activities movement of Decade of PWDs in Lao PDR.
- Based on the issue of Prime Minister No. 08/PMO date 27/01/1995 to established National
Committees for Disabled Persons.
- After Lao Government signed for accepting of ESCAP date 14/12/1995 on Equalization and
Full Participation in the Society of PWDs.
The movement detailed of the government throughout PWDs in Lao PDR as below:
- Establishing the National Committees for Disabled Persons that is many part of the
government has involved such as: Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, Ministry of Public
Health, Ministry of Foreign Affair, Ministry of Education, and other Ministry…
- Expand the Committees for the Disabled Persons through 14 provinces in order to make the
network of developing PWDs better and easier than before.
- Self-help group of PWDs has appeared, there is LDPA as a national level, and 4
associations for disabled people at four provinces and will be expanded to all province in
around the country in the future.
3. The policy of prevention of disabilities.
- There are many vaccination projects.
- The promotion of protecting accident on the road "Road Safety Project"
- UXO program.
4. Rehabilitation for PWDs.
There are many projects in Lao PDR that showed the step of rehabilitation has expanded
to rural areas in order to help PWDs get rehabilitation services. Belowed are some
programs that have been done:
- Orthotics, Prosthetic Project
- Community Based Rehabilitation Project
- Micro-credit project
- Etc…
5. Education for PWDs.
- Lao government has established a policy for all primary schools and kindergarten to
accept all children with disabilities to integrate into the school.
- There is a small special school for deaf and blind people.
- There is a project called "Inclusive Education Program" through 18 provinces
in Lao PDR
6. Vocational Training for PWDs.
- There is a vocational training school for PWDs , that school will have 100 students per
3 years.
- There is a Lao Development Center for Women with Disabilities, this center will have 30
Disabled women per 1 year.
- And some vocational center has also accepted PWDs.
7. The Problems of developing self-help group of PWDs in Lao PDR.
- Difficulty to living in daily life, economic situation is not very good and low income.
- The organization of self-help group of PWDs is not strengthening that we need to improve
with 3 mains step as:
- Developing Human Resource
- Developing the system of implementation and coordination
- Materials Support and budget plan.
II. Summary and Future Direction and Basic Data of PWDs in Lao PDR:
Due to the decade of PWDs 1993-2002, the disabled people in Lao PDR have a few things
to change on their life as:
- 40% of PWDs have involved in the Inclusive Education Program. 1600 disabled people in
our country have educated. The Inclusive Education Program expanded to 18 provinces and
220 schools received this program.
- Some of public places in the main city access for people with disabilities such as
sidewalk, airport, few hotels, etc.
- There is a self-help group of PWDs at the National Level and some provinces as Lao
Disabled People Association (LDPA) and The National Commission for Disabled Person (NCDP)
Concerning to PWDs in Lao PDR, there is few things that not improved and undeveloped
and PWDs need to be improved and developed as:
- Priority to getting a job of PWDs
- There is not any budget to work on developing PWDs concerning to the Government.
- The specific rules and/or laws for PWDs has not yet identified.
Based on the situation of disabled people in Lao PDR, three priorities that they need
and the government has not solved it yet like:
- The right for having the law for PWDs
- The service of treatment and employing PWDs to work
- The accessibility for PWDs that's not enough comparing with the need of PWDs there is
only 30% has improved.
The 3 priorities program of the regional co-operation for our PWDs are
- The Inclusive Education Program
- The Co-operation for Developing Leadership of PWDs Program
- The Vocational Development Program.
III. Basic information of Lao PDR concerning PWDs:
a) There are two main national organizations for PWDs in our country.
- Lao Disabled People Association (LDPA) as self-help group at the national level.
Phonkheng Rd. 13 South
PO Box 6751
Tel: (856) 21 - 45 1578
Fax: (856) 21- 41 5054
Email: ldpa@laotel.com
Contact person: Mr. Singkham TAKOUNPHAK
b) Ms. Chanpheng SIVILA is a woman with Polio, she is very movement and improvement of
the work for helping PWDs. She seems to be known by every body and every NGOs who work for
developing disabled people in Lao PDR.
At the moment she improve her self and she is now as a director of Lao Disabled Women
Development Center.
- Thaduea Rd, Hatsayfong District.
Tel & Fax: (856) 21 - 416725
Email: ldwdc@laotel.com
c) Mr. Singkham TAKOUNPHAK
- President of LDPA
Phonkheng Rd. 13 South
PO Box 6751
Tel: (856) 21 - 45 1578
Fax: (856) 21- 41 5054
E-mail:ldpa@laotel.com
d) The list of foreign organizations who are doing significant co-operation program in
the field of disability in our country:
1. Lao Disabled People Association
Phonkheng Rd. 13 South
PO Box 6751
Tel: (856) 21 - 45 1578
Fax: (856) 21- 41 5054
Email: ldpa@laotel.com
2. POWER / COPE
National Rehabilitation Center
Khouvieng Rd.
Tel: (856) 21 - 41 3895
Mobile: (856) 20 - 61 0050
Email: copeldpa@laotel.com
3. Handicap International
51/1 Hongkea Rd. Ban Sisangvone
Tel: (856) 21 - 41 2110 / 45 1298
Fax: (856) 21 - 41 6242
Email: hilao@laotel.com
4. JICA
Ban Sisangvone
Tel: (856) 21 - 41 4387
Fax: (856) 21 - 41 4386
Email: jicalao@laotel.com
e) The expert of disability policy studies and research in our country.
Mr. Bounvien LOUAN GNOT
- Vice President of LDPA and Head of the Secretariat Section of NCDP
Phonkheng Rd. 13 South
PO Box 6751
Tel: (856) 21 - 45 1578
Fax: (856) 21- 41 5054
Email: ldpa@laotel.com
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