Part 2
of 2
Critical Issues
People with disabilities
in the Asian and Pacific region have a very limited range
of training and employment opportunities. Moreover,
existing vocational training programmes are usually not
linked to the demands of the job market. Once in a job,
people with disabilities have less opportunity for
further learning and career development. Few incentives
exist for encouraging employers to hire people with
disabilities or to compensate them for the eventual costs
of making a workplace accessible. Women with disabilities
are further disadvantaged as traditional role models
hinder their entry into the job market.
In developing countries of
the ESCAP region, whose labour markets are characterized
by the dominance of the informal sector, people with
disabilities suffer from limited access to credit. Thus
they face additional obstacles to making a living.
Furthermore, existing support services for informal
sector operators or rural areas are often unaware of and
therefore not responsive to the needs of people with
disabilities.
In the rapidly changing
economic scenario of the ESCAP region, there is a danger
that employment opportunities for people with
disabilities will further be limited if steps are not
taken to match vocational training with job markets.
Targets
7.1 Strengthening,
by 1997, of modalities identified by the
Asia-Pacific Skills Development Programme to promote the
integration of persons with disabilities, with due
attention to gender equity, into mainstream vocational
training schemes.
7.2 Development
and strengthening, by 1998, of curricula and
support services (physically accessible training sites
and equipment, Braille texts for blind persons, and sign
language interpreters for deaf persons) to enable persons
with disabilities to participate fully in regular
pre-vocational and vocational training programmes leading
to gainful employment.
7.3 Formulation,
by 1997, of a Government policy to promote
achievement of the national targets set for the placement
and promotion of persons with disabilities in the public
sector, such as through a quota system.
7.4 Setting up, by
1996, of a mechanism for phased and ongoing
identification of new employment opportunities in the
formal and informal sectors, and training to use those
opportunities for paid and self-employment of people with
diverse disabilities.
7.5 Establishment,
by 1997, of annual training and job placement
targets that are gender-equitable for people with
disabilities, for joint action by ministries responsible
for employment, human resources development, rural
employment and development, urban development and other
relevant areas, as well as employers' and workers'
organizations.
7.6 Establishment,
by 1998, of production centres that employ
people with extensive disabilities and those who require
a supportive environment.
7.7 Full
participation, by 2000, of persons with
disabilities in all schemes of assistance to engage in
informal income-generation and self-employment in the
rural and urban sectors.
7.8 Provision, by
2000, of appropriate training and employment
opportunities for people with extensive disabilities.
7.9 Introduction,
by 1997, of a national scheme for giving soft
loans and support services for marketing, including
entrepreneurial skills development, to low-income persons
with disabilities to assist them in competing in the open
market.
Recommendations
Governments may:
(1) Establish a NCC
working group composed of relevant ministries and
agencies, organizations of and for people with
disabilities, as well as workers' and employers'
organizations, to identify obstacles that people with
disabilities face in vocational training and employment
and to recommend appropriate tools to equalize their
opportunities in the job market.
(2) Examine existing
training schemes to identify the extent to which they are
geared towards the present and future demands of the
labour market.
(3) Introduce a scheme of
annual national awards to give public recognition to the
achievements of employers, NGOs and other relevant
organizations in providing quality vocational training
and employment for people with disabilities.
(4) Develop individualized
vocational guidance services to enable persons with
disabilities to make informed choices from among several
training and/or employment options which are in line with
their personal interests, and to facilitate their
transition from school to adult life.
(5) Develop or strengthen
existing placement services which, together with the
above-mentioned guidance services, will create links
between job applicants with disabilities and potential
employers.
(6) Establish a regular
exchange of information of vocational training and
employment of people with disabilities, with particular
focus on appropriate adaptations of job-sites; the
exchange may include, but not be limited to, government
agencies and organizations of and for people with
disabilities.
(7) Consider ratification
of ILO Convention No. 159; Convention Concerning
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled
Persons) and review national law and practice to examine
compliance with the Convention.
(8) Issue directives to
all their departments, agencies, institutions and
corporations to develop and strengthen measures aimed at
promoting the employment of persons with disabilities in
the public sector.
Critical issues
The majority of people
with disabilities living in the rural areas and slums of
the Asian and Pacific region do not have access to any
form of rehabilitation services, particularly when access
is considered in terms of time, cost and availability.
Good data are required if
disability issues are to be accorded high priority by
governments for resource allocation and programme
development. However, data on disability are limited
largely because the problems concerning the collection of
data have not yet been resolved.
There is also a lack of
information materials, as well as training tools and
programmes on disability issues for personnel involved in
diverse development sectors, e.g., health, social
development, education, rural development, urban
management and NGOs. This seriously limits the
development of service provision, including through
community-based rehabilitation.
Policies and programmes in
diverse sectors need to be strengthened to support
community-based rehabilitation as an approach to the
delivery of appropriate health, educational, vocational
and social services involving the combined efforts of
people with disabilities, as well as their families and
communities.
Targets
8 Prevention of causes of
disability
8.1
Identification, by 1996, of the major factors,
including gender-sensitive demographic data, associated
with the five most prevalent preventable causes of
disability.
8.2 Initiation, by
1997, of public education campaigns directed at
the prevention of the five most prevalent preventable
causes of disability, which reduce negative perceptions
of people with disabilities and undermine their right to
live.
8.3 Elimination,
by 2000, of iodine deficiency, vitamin A
deficiency and leprosy as major public health problems.
8.4 Achievement,
by 2002, of a minimum 50 per cent reduction in
the incidence of three other preventable causes of
disability, without neglecting good disability prevention
efforts that may already be under way.
8.5 Formally join,
by 1997, the international campaign to ban the
production, use and sale of anti-personnel land mines.
8.6 Mount an
immediate campaign to prohibit the manufacture
and sale of laser weapons whose sole purpose is to cause
total blindness.
8.7 Immediate
recognition that good and safe design and use of
the built environment and equipment, as well as the
compulsory use of personal protective equipment, are
major factors in the reduction of injury-caused
disabilities.
9 Rehabilitation services
(community-based rehabilitation)
9.1 Inclusion, by
1996, of persons with disabilities and their
families, in particular women, as active participants in
the formulation of CBR strategies and in the
implementation of government and NGO programmes and
projects on CBR.
9.2 Convene in
1996 a conference on CBR involving concerned
government ministries and departments, and NGOs,
including self-help organizations of people with
disabilities, to discuss a national CBR strategy.
9.3 Development,
by 1997, of a national CBR strategy which will
include training in CBR management so as to provide a
framework for action and support for programmes with a
special focus on rural and slum communities.
9.4 Inclusion, by
1997, of both men and women with disabilities in
CBR training, that includes gender-sensitive material, as
managers, trainers, supervisors, field workers and
volunteers.
9.5 Integration,
by 2000, of disability issues, including those
which specifically concern women with disabilities, into
mainstream programmes, especially those for health,
communications, housing, human resources development,
labour, transport and rural and urban development.
Health and social
development
9.6 Identification
and coordination, by 1997, of all government and
NGO rehabilitation services as a basis for action to
strengthen and develop these services as support for CBR
programmes.
9.7 Inclusion, by
2000, of disability, equalization of opportunity
issues, and positive attitudes towards people with
disabilities in the curricula and training of medical
doctors, social workers, nurses, teachers, as well as all
other personnel working in health and social development.
9.8 Inclusion, by
2000, of rehabilitation services in all primary
health care
programmes and projects,
as underlined in the Alma Ata Declaration on Primary
Health Care, 1978, for support of CBR programmes.
Recommendations
(1) A common CBR strategy
may be adopted throughout the Asian and Pacific region
that emphasizes the development of communities with the
participation of persons with disabilities, their
families and community members, so that the communities,
with government and NGO support, can assume
responsibility for the social, vocational, economic and
physical enablement of people with disabilities to reach
their optimal levels of functioning.
(2) Minimal levels of data
shall be collected by all countries using standard
terminology in accordance with the WHO International
Classification of Impairment, Disability and Handicap.
(3) All government
agencies and NGOs working on disability issues shall
collaborate and coordinate with each other to support the
development of entire communities.
Critical issues
The lack of assistive
devices prevents the majority of people with disabilities
in rural areas from participating fully in community
activities. There is a great need for low-cost and
high-quality assistive devices that are suitable for
local conditions.
Persons with disabilities,
particularly those in the rural areas, are not aware of
the full range of assistive devices that are available,
their functions and costs, as well as the opportunities
that they open up. The limited supply of affordable
appropriate devices and the lack of awareness of the
devices means that few are able to benefit from the
devices. Furthermore, there is considerable duplication
of effort in terms of development of assistive devices,
as there is little communication among NGOs and the
public sector corporations which produce assistive
devices.
Duties and taxes on
assistive devices constitute a very small portion of the
income for Governments, but are a heavy burden on persons
with disabilities. The imposition of duty on assistive
devices hinders its cross-border distribution and the
expansion of the market for these devices. There are some
assistive devices for disabled persons which are also
useful for elderly persons and convenient for
non-disabled persons. At present, individuals and NGOs
experience great difficulty and delay in clearing such
goods through customs.
Targets
10.1
Establishment, by 1998, of national criteria and
a subsidy scheme to provide assistive devices as well as
repair and maintenance services to all disabled persons
who meet the criteria, with due attention to the needs of
women and girls with disabilities.
10.2 Exemption, by
1998, of customs and other duties on the import
of assistive devices, as well as components, materials
and equipment for their production, repair and
maintenance.
10.3
Simplification through preferential treatment, by 1998,
of customs clearance procedures for the import and export
of assistive devices, as well as components, materials
and equipment for their production, repair and
maintenance.
10.4 Increase of
availability, by 1998, of assistive devices, and
repair and maintenance services.
10.5 Introduction,
by 1998, of government schemes to actively
encourage NGOs and private entrepreneurs through tax
incentives and subsidies for indigenous production and
servicing of assistive devices.
Recommendations
(1) Resource centres may
be established to conduct research and development of
assistive devices and to display different models and
types of assistive devices, which persons with
disabilities may visit to test, try and choose those
which are suitable for them.
(2) Information in the
form of videotapes and pamphlets on assistive devices may
be widely disseminated.
(3) Channels for the
distribution of assistive devices may be established
through government agencies, NGOs and CBR programmes to
reach the maximum number of persons with disabilities.
(4) Relevant government
agencies and accredited NGOs may be granted exemption of
duty imposed on items for general and specific use which
are required by persons with disabilities.
(5) Encourage research and
advanced training institutions for technology,
engineering and allied sciences to collaborate with NGOs
and CBR programmes, to develop and improve upon assistive
devices that can broaden training and employment
opportunities for people with disabilities.
Critical Issues
In order torealize the
full participation and equality of persons with
disabilities, it is imperative that they themselves play
a key role in the formulation of national policy on all
issues that directly affect their lives. Self-help
organizations provide the means for persons with
disabilities to collectively voice their needs and
aspirations. Lack of coordination and consultation among
self-help organizations can reduce their effectiveness in
this role. National forums of self-help organizations can
facilitate the formation of common positions and thereby
strengthen their representation.
Some countries within the
ESCAP region do not as yet have self-help organizations
owing to lack of information and understanding of the
role of these organizations. Another issue is the low
level of organizational and management skills on the part
of persons with disabilities in those organizations. In
some instances, the absence of an environment that is
conducive to self-help and organization is a serious
obstacle to the establishment of self-help organizations
of people with disabilities.
Persons with disabilities
in the rural areas and disability groups, such as users
of psychiatric services, leprosy-affected persons,
HIV-positive persons and women and girls with
disabilities, have been neglected. There is a need for
existing cross-disability organizations to include the
participation of these marginalized groups as well as
take initiatives to encourage these groups to set up
their own organizations.
Effective leadership and
management development remain major concerns of self-help
organizations in the ESCAP region.
Targets
11.1
Establishment, by 1997, of a national forum of
self-help organizations of persons with disabilities to
include organizations from rural areas, as well as
organizations of marginalized groups such as women and
girls with disabilities, users of psychiatric services,
persons with intellectual disabilities, persons who are
HIV-positive and persons affected by leprosy.
11.2 Development,
by 1997, of self-help organizations of diverse
disability groups, which focus on rural people with
disabilities in the provision of mutual support, advocacy
and referrals to programmes and services, and which
collaborate actively with NGOs engaged in rural and urban
development issues.
11.3 Put in place,
by 1997, mechanisms under the direction of the
National Coordinating Committee, which will increase
consultations between self-help organizations of persons
with disabilities and diverse government ministries
covering the implementation of the Agenda for Action.
11.4
Establishment, by 1997, of a national policy
with the requisite resource allocations to support the
development and formation of self-help organizations of
persons with disabilities.
11.5 Development,
by 1998, of programmes for training persons with
disabilities, including women with disabilities, as
trainers in the leadership and management of self-help
organizations.
Recommendations
(1) Self-help
organizations of persons with disabilities may initiate
action plans for the establishment of national forums.
(2) National forums of
self-help organizations of people with disabilities shall
monitor regularly the progress made in the implementation
of the targets relating to self-help organizations.
(3) The national forums
may develop tools for monitoring and evaluating services
for people with disabilities and the effectiveness of
self-help organizations.
(4) Provide training to
people with disabilities on computer and electronic
networking skills to strengthen the self-help movement of
persons with disabilities through giving them greater
access to information and effective communication
technologies.
(5) Encourage people with
disabilities to play an active role in the national
political process.
Recommendations
(1) ESCAP, in close
co-operation with concerned members of the Asia-Pacific
Inter-organizational Task Force on Disability-related
Concerns, may collaborate in:
- Assisting Governments
in carrying out national sample surveys, by:
-
- Providing
technical expertise to facilitate
disability-related data collection;
- Provide
training to trainers of census
enumerators in the interpretation of
definitions of definitions for data
collection.
- Disseminating
the United Nations Handbook on
Development of Impairment, Disability and
Handicap Statistics and the International
Classification of Impairments,
Disabilities and Handicaps (edited by
WHO);
- Holding the first NCC
Convention in 1997, the mid-point of the Decade,
at which, inter alia, awards may be presented to
persons and organizations that have made
outstanding contributions to the promotion of the
Decade;
- Approaching UNDP to
consider the inclusion of a factor on development
and rehabilitation of disabled persons in the
UNDP Human Development Index;
- Laying a foundation
for regional cooperation and networking with
subnational linkages, so that collaborative
research and development in the production of
assistive devices may be undertaken and transfer
of technology to production workshops and NGOs
may be promoted;
- Training self-help
organizations of people with disabilities in
diverse skills required for effective
participation in their respective NCCs;
- Facilitating
exchanges and mutual help among self-help
organizations of people with disabilities in the
ESCAP region, including for the establishment of
national forums.
(2) The Asia-Pacific
Inter-organizational Task Force on Disability-related
Concerns may:
- Develop training
materials and programmes about disability for
personnel working in health, social welfare,
education, labour, rural and urban development,
and NGOs;
- Organize, at the
subregional level, multisectoral training
workshops on CBR management for personnel from
diverse ministries and NGOs, including self-help
organizations of people with disabilities.
(3) Regional NGOs, in
cooperation with Very Special Arts International, may
consider organizing a regional arts festival of persons
with disabilities to be hosted by a country in the
region.
(4) ESCAP members may:
- Develop training
modules and materials for the training of persons
with disabilities as trainers in
awareness-raising of issues affecting people with
disabilities.
- Contribute designs of
stamps to commemorate the Asian and Pacific
Decade for possible use by ESCAP members and
associate members.
- Support the convening
of subregional multisectoral training sessions on
CBR management for personnel responsible for
disability matters in the ministries of
education, health, labour, social development,
organizations of people with disabilities and
other NGOs;
- Develop information
materials and organize programmes on approaches
to the achievement of these targets for technical
cooperation among developing countries (TCDC);
- Strengthen regional
cooperation for the promotion of the Decade
through increased contributions of human and
financial resources to the secretariat.
Next:
Part 3
Click
here to return to the overview page about the Decade.
|
