disABILITY FOCUS

Over the past few decades, many governments have introduced measures to promote a range of rights for persons with disabilities. In 2006, the UN adopted the International Convention on Rights of Disabled People (CRPD), and many governments and international development agencies are turning their attention to the goal of including persons with disabilities in development. In terms of domestication of the Convention, it is imperative to note that ratification of CRPD would not be meaningful if the Malawi Government fails to enact the long-awaited Disability Bill whose content we are going to analyse in detail starting from this week. The enactment of the Disability Bill will definitely be a milestone in the history of disability advocacy movement, as the legislation would promote the rights of persons with disabilities and allow them to play a participatory role in society in Malawi. The law will also ensure that persons with disabilities access the same fundamental rights and ha

This month, on December 10, Federation of Disability Organisations in Malawi (FEDOMA) in conjunction with key other stakeholders, including Government, joined the rest of the world in commemoration of the United Nations (UN) International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPWD) at the Upper Stadium in Blantyre. The event has been commemorated annually on December 3 since it was launched in 1992, but was strategically delayed by one week in Malawi. The IDPWD aims to increase the understanding of the issues around disabilities and attention to the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also aims to increase the awareness of the gains for everybody if disabled persons are integrated into all aspects of political, social, economic and cultural life and raising money for resources for persons with disabilities.   In this context, this year's event was held under the theme "Together for a better world for all; including persons with disabilities in

This week, we continue discussing and illustrating how Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) can contribute towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, with a focus on goal number seven and eight. Goal number seven is on environmental sustainability. Environmental risks, such as poor sanitation and water quality, and natural disasters can cause ill health and disability. Persons with disabilities often find it difficult to move around their homes and communities due to inaccessible buildings. They face barriers in accessing community facilities such as wells and latrines and they are often excluded from disaster management activities. CBR contributes to environmental sustainability by ensuring communities involve people with disabilities when designing safe water and sanitation facilities; making recommendations and modifications to ensure access to existing facilities; and ensuring disaster response training within communities considers the needs of

This week, we continue highlighting how Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) can contribute towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), with a focus on goal number four, five and six, which we did not discuss last week. Goal number four is on reducing child mortality. Mortality rates for children with disabilities are difficult to estimate. However, it has been suggested that they may be as high as 80 percent in countries where under-five mortality as a whole has decreased to below 20 percent. Children with disabilities are more at risk of dying, not only because of life threatening medical conditions or lack of access to health services, but also because in many cultures they are neglected or left to die. CBR programmes can contribute to reducing child mortality by ensuring early identification of children with impairments and referral of children to specialised medical and rehabilitation services where required; providing disability awareness training to

This week we highlight the role of Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) in achieving the millennium development goals for people with disabilities. We begin with goal number one which focuses on eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. Poverty is both a cause and consequence of disability. People with disabilities face stigma and discrimination in their communities and are frequently denied their basic rights such as food, education, employment and access to health services. People with disabilities may incur extra costs, such as those related to healthcare, and they are less likely to work. CBR promotes livelihoods and employment by identifying and overcoming barriers that prevent participation; exploring potential employment opportunities for people with disabilities in their communities; providing or ensuring access to skills training for income-generating activities and employment. One of the examples of the CBR programmes that saught to fight poverty among persons with disabil