Towards an Inclusive, Barrierfree and Rightsbased Society for Persons with Disabilities and All

1
Towards an Inclusive, Barrier-free and
Rights-based Society forPersons with
Disabilities and All
Roundtable Disability Mainstreaming in
Practice The Case of Inclusive Education4-6
May 2005, Sunway Hotel, Phnom Penh,Cambodia
Aiko Akiyama/Project Expert on Disability UNESCAP

2
Purpose of the presentation

• Give a normative context (regional, international
  ) on disability matters
• Particularly, The Biwako Millennium Framework
  for Action and the International Convention
• With a focus on early detection, intervention and
  education.

3
We know that, at the end of the day,

• We want to see
• Increased participation of persons with
  disabilities in all life areas
• Better and more pervasive service delivery
• Barrier-free information and environment
• No misconception, discrimination against them
• More dignified life of persons with disabilities.

4
Global reality
600 million persons with disabilities
100 million children out of school
40 are with disabilities
The number is on the rise
5
Regional reality
Less than 10 have access to school
160 million PWDs live in income poverty
400 million PWDs
3.9 billion
6
UNESCAP

• The regional arm of the United Nations
  Secretariat for the Asian and Pacific region with
  62 associate/member states.
• Promotes economic and social development by
  serving as the main economic and social
  development forum providing technical advisory
  services, sharing good practices in the region
  etc.,

7
2ndAsian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons
(2003-2012)

• Critical review of the 1srt Decade.
• Progress made but uneven.
• Particularly in the continuing and alarmingly
  low rate of access to education for children and
  youth with disabilities." (Para 8 of the BMF,
  page 2)

8
Conceptual tenets of the 2ndAsian and Pacific
Decade of Disabled Persons (2003-2012)

• Inclusive, Barrier-free and Rights-based Society
• Human -rights development based approach

9
Twin-track approach

• Disability-specific norms, practices
• Disability-inclusive norms, practices.

10
Biwako Millennium Framework

• A set of policy guidelines in line with the 2nd
  Decade concept.
• The regional mandate adopted by Government in the
  region.
• Non-legally binding , but moral commitment made

11
4 Training and employment,including
self-employment
BMF 7 priority areas
21 strategies in total
3 Early intervention and education
5 Access to physical environments and public
transport  

• 1 Self-help organizations of persons with
  disabilities

7 Poverty Alleviation through capacity-building,
social security and sustainable livelihood
programmes
2 Women with disabilities
6 Access to information and communications,
including information and communications
technology
Additional 17 cross-cutting strategies
12
BMF education targets

• Target 6. By 2015 all boys and girls with
  disabilities will complete a full course of
  primary schooling (MDG-related).
• Target 7. At least 75 per cent of children and
  youth with disabilities of school age will, by
  2010, be able to complete a full course of
  primary schooling.
• Target 8. By 2012, all infants and young children
  (birth to four years old) will have access to and
  receive community-based early intervention
  services, which ensure survival, with support and
  training for their families.
• Target 9. Governments should ensure detection of
  disabilities at as early an age as possible.

13

• How
• do we achieve
• these targets?

14
UNESCAP effort- BMF implementation questionnaire
conducted in 2004

• With an aim to establish base line data to
  measure existence of policies, service delivery
  and other instruments on the BMF areas and
  strategies
• 38 questions in the questionnaire.

15
UNESCAP effort- BMF implementation questionnaire
conducted in 2004

• 23 Governments and 18 NGOs responded.
• Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong
  Kong, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, India,
  Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Maldives,
  Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, Republic of Korea,
  Singapore, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor
  Leste, Turkey, Vietnam

16
2004 BMF questionnaire reveals

• 20 of the 23 responding Governments reported the
  existence of a national coordinating mechanism.
• 15 Governments report that a national plan for
  implementing the BMF exists (8) or is under
  development (7).
• 13 Governments reported that their national
  constitution included one or more articles
  related to persons with disabilities.

17
2004 BMF questionnaire reveals on twin track
approach

• 13 Governments mainstream disability concerns in
  national educational laws.
• 9 Governments have disability-specific education
  (including special education) sectoral law.
• 12 Governments have a comprehensive disability
  law, and 10 of them include early detection,
  intervention and education.

18
2004 BMF questionnaire reveals about the Early
Detection, Intervention and Education

• 20 Governments says that early detection/intervent
  ion services are available.
• 16 out of 21 Governments, which provided
  information, provides both inclusive education
  and education in separate, specialized
  institutions.

19
Limiting factors of this method

• Mainly measures existence of policies service
  delivery, based on 23 responses.
• Need to ensure implementation and monitoring.
• Need refined instrumental and performance
  indicators.
• Need measurement of quality of services and
  outcomes.
• Towards 2007 mid-point review

20
Indicator development exercise for early
detection, intervention and education

• Net enrollment ratio in primary education.
• Proportion of pupils starting grade 1 who reach
  grade 5 proportion who complete primary
  education .
• Literacy rate of 15-24 year olds.
• Availability of early detection, intervention
  services.
• Number of beneficiaries.
• Under-five mortality ratio
• Infant mortality ratio
• Proportion of 1 year olds immunized against
  measles

21
We need

• Core regional indicators
• National indicators in accordance with its own
  baseline data and situations and goals.

22
Elaboration and negotiation process towards the
international convention on disability

• Ad Hoc Committee started in 2002.
• 25 articles in the draft.
• 6th Ad Hoc Committee to be held 1-12 August 2005.
• http//www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/rights/adhocco
  m.htm

23
Significance of the Convention

• Once ratified, Governments are required to amend,
  establish or nullify laws and regulations.

24
Draft Article 17EDUCATION

• States Parties recognize the right of all persons
  with disabilities to education. With a view to
  achieving this right progressively and on the
  basis of equal opportunity, the education of
  children with disabilities shall be directed
• In realising this right, States Parties shall
  ensure that all persons with disabilities can
  choose inclusive and accessible education in
  their own community (including access to early
  childhood and pre-school education).
• States Parties shall ensure that where the
  general education system does not adequately meet
  the needs of persons with disabilities, special
  and alternative forms of learning should be made
  available.

25
Challenges
Assessing the physical rehabilitation needs of a
young girl by Chulalongkorn Physical therapy
students visiting a village in Phrae. The girl is
left alone all day while her grandmother works.
Eric Roeder picture/caption
26
Challenges
Receiving physical therapy. The girls disability
is due to a late term abortion technique (pushing
on the abdomen) used to cut off the oxygen supply
to the fetus instead created a physical
disability.
Eric Roeder picture/caption
27
Solution to problems
A Thai wheelchair man made an innovative
vehicle. Often he drives 8 hours to go to Chenmai.
28
Policies Actions are called for
29

• Thank you

http//www.unescap.org/esid/psis/disability/index.
asp