disABILITY FOCUS

This week, we continue to expound the general principles that govern the effective implementation the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). One of the principles which we did not discuss last week is equality. The principle of equality means creating societal conditions that respect difference, address disadvantages and ensure that all women, men, girls and boys participate fully on equal terms. Equality is denied when a girl with a disability is taken out of school by her parents. Despite her good grades, her parents decide that it is useless to spend money on her education because of her disability. Achieving equality sometimes requires additional measures such as the provision of assistance to persons with psychosocial or intellectual disabilities in order to support them in making decisions and in exercising their legal capacity on an equal basis with others. Another principle is participation and inclusion. Full and effective participation as well as i

Just like many other international legal instruments, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has general principles that govern its implementation. The principles are outlined as follows: inherent dignity; individual autonomy; discrimination; equality; participation and inclusion; and respect for difference . These general principles are at the core of the Convention and are central to monitoring the rights of persons with disabilities. The principle of inherent dignity refers to the worth of every person. When the dignity of persons with disabilities is respected, their experiences and opinions are valued and are formed without fear of physical, psychological or emotional harm. Respect for dignity is denied when, for example, workers who are blind are forced by their employer to wear a shirt with the word “blind” printed on the back. The principle of individual autonomy means to be in charge of one’s own life and to have the freedom to make one’s own choice

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is the response of the international community to the long history of discrimination, exclusion and dehumanization of persons with disabilities. It is historic and groundbreaking in many ways, being the fastest negotiated human rights treaty ever and the first of the twenty-first century. The Convention is the result of three years of negotiations involving civil society, Governments, national human rights institutions and international organizations. After adopting the Convention in the United Nations General Assembly in December 2006, a record number of countries demonstrated their commitment to respecting the rights of persons with disabilities by signing the Convention and Optional Protocol when they opened for signature in March 2007. The Convention is long overdue. It is over 25 years since the 1981 International Year of Disabled Persons brought global attention to the issues affecting persons with disabilities. The Con

How do different cultural communities and religious faith explain and respond to disability? “Universally, societies have explanations for why some individuals (and not others) are disabled, how individuals with disabilities are to be treated, what roles are appropriate (and inappropriate) for such individuals and what rights and responsibilities individuals with disability are either entitled to or denied” (Scheer and Groce, 1988). In many countries, having a disability is attributed to having sinned or offended the spirits. This might have occurred through sins committed by ancestors or by the person with the disability themselves in this or a previous life. The idea that disabilities can be “caught” is quite common across the world. This results mostly in actions to protect pregnant women from seeing, hearing or touching people with disability or even their technical aids. Examples of this explanation of disability can be found all over the world, including even the United States

Generally, the majority of the persons with disabilities continue to face problems in terms of access to public services as well as to various forms of opportunities, including education, information, employment, just to mention a few. Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) in Malawi are doing everything possible to advocate for increased rights of persons with disabilities so that they are able to enjoy their rights and meaningfully participate in mainstream social life, and live with dignity in a society where there are no barriers. However, the main stumbling block remains the societal attitude originating from our deep-rooted religious and cultural norms and beliefs. Culture and religion have been used as weapons (often sub-consciously) since time immemorial to violate the rights of women, children, persons with disabilities, and many other vulnerable groups. And the sad thing is that such violations are still being perpetrated in the name of culture and religion even today. But b

In 2000, more than 1000 participants from 164 countries gathered in Dakar, Senegal, for the World Education FOCUS where the participants – ranging from teachers to prime ministers, academics to policymakers, non-governmental bodies to the heads of major international organisations – adopted the 2000-word “Dakar Framework for Action, Education for All [EFA].” One of the six EFA goals that were agreed upon is the expansion and improvement of comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children. Achieving the right to education for persons with disabilities in basic education is a challenging task, but entirely necessary to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of education for all by the target date of 2015, according to the EFA Flagship document entitled, “The Right to Education for Persons with Disabilities: Towards Inclusion”. Yet ten years down the line, many children with disabilities are still going through tormenting

There is no denying the fact in this age of technology, there is a steady increase of people who use computers and Internet frequently in their workplaces, public places, or homes, but there are still many individuals who do no have access to these technologies. Some may not access them because they cannot afford to do so financially. But others have failed because of disability, in spite of having access to computer. This is why adaptive technologies have been developed.    Many computers in libraries, public information centres, government institution, still do have the adaptive technologies because they are still new in Malawi. We must, therefore, list down some examples of these technologies. However, before we do so, we must first describe different categories of disabilities that make it difficult for people to access information. The major categories of disability types are as follows: •       Visual blindness: This may include blindness, low vision, and colour-blindness. One

Having discussed last week some of the challenges that persons with disabilities face when it comes to accessing information affecting their lives, it is important to explore this week some of the interventions we can make to ensure that they are able to enjoy their right to information. Whether we are Government, policy makers, rights advocates, chiefs, or just ordinary citizens, there are surely certain things that can be done. Government, which is probably the principal duty bearer, has obviously the biggest role to play, especially in creating a conducive policy and legislative environment to enhance both protection and participation of persons with disabilities in social life. For example, besides enacting the long-awaited Disability Bill, Government, Parliamentarians and policy makers, must also undertake to ensure that the needs of persons with disabilities are addressed in another long-awaited draft piece of legislation, the Access to Information Bill, before it is enacted

Although there are no specific provisions protecting rights ofpersons with disabilities in the Republican Constitution of Malawi, these are protected by other provisions nevertheless. The provision on equality in Section 20, for instance, demands that there shall be no discrimination on any grounds including disability. In Section 13(g) of the Constitution, the state makes a commitment to support the disabled through (a) greater access to public places, (b) fair opportunities in employment and (c) the fullest possible participation in all spheres of Malawian society. The 1998 Population and Housing Census conducted by National Statistics Office (NSO) revealed that the country’s total population with disabilities is 4.2 percent.   It further revealed that 54 percent are males while females make up 46 percent.   The rural-urban distribution of the disabled population is 3 percent for rural areas and 2 percent for urban.   The disability population was distributed as follows: 18.2 per

According to a handbook for Parliamentarians on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities entitled “From Exclusion to Equality: Realizing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,” over 650 million persons around the world live with disabilities. Add to that their extended families, and a staggering two billion people daily live with disabilities. The handbook – developed by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) – further says Persons with disabilities make up the world’s largest and most disadvantaged minority. The numbers are damning: an estimated 20 percent of the world’s poorest persons are those with disabilities; 98 percent of children with disabilities in developing countries do not attend school; an estimated 30 percent of the world’s street children live with disabilities; and the literacy rate for adults with disabilities is

This week, we continue from where we left last week; listing down examples of preferred terminology concerning persons with disabilities. Please note, however, that these guidelines are not exhaustive and that some language which is considered appropriate by one person may not be considered appropriate by another. If you are unsure about the language you are using, then ask the disabled person what they feel most comfortable with and continue to use this language whilst in their presence. Here are more examples of the preferred terminologies: •       Most disabilities are not a disease. Do not call person with a disability a "patient" unless referring to a hospital setting. In an occupational and physical therapy context, "client" or "customer" is preferred. •       Some diseases by legal definition are considered disabilities. Victimization imagery ("AIDS victims") or defining the person by the disease ("she is a diabetic") is inappr

Language reflects the social context in which it is developed and used. It reflects the values and attitudes of that context, and plays an important role in reinforcing values and attitudes that lead to discrimination and segregation of particular groups in society. Language can, therefore, be used as a powerful tool to facilitate change and bring about new values, attitudes and social integration. However, there is a great deal of disagreement as to what should be considered offensive. Views vary with geography and culture, over time, and among individuals. Some of the terms, such as "retard" and "lame," are deliberate insults; others, such as "wheelchair-bound," are inherently negative; still others, such as "Mongolism," are based on stereotypical ideas of certain groups of individuals with disabilities. Some people believe that terms should be avoided if they might offend people; others hold the listener responsible for misinterpreting terms