Cyber cafés now open to physically challenged

Cyber café across the country will be accessible for persons with disabilities for ensuring the rights of country's 10 percent population to Information Communication Technology.

To this effect, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed among Cyber Café Owners Association of Bangladesh (CCOAB), Centre for Services and Information on Disability (CSID) and Sightsavers yesterday.

Khandaker Jahurul Alam, Executive Director of CSID, Nazmul Karim Bhuiyan, President of CCOAB, and AFM Mayeen, Finance & Support Manager of Sightsavers, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations in a ceremony at Dhaka Reporters Unity.

As per the MoU, CSID, CCOAB and Sightsavers will work jointly to make accessible the mainstream cyber cafés for the persons with disabilities, which is a vital demand for them.

The persons with disabilities can also use the mainstream cyber cafés at a minimum cost.

Sources said, the facilities will pave the way for employment of the persons with disabilities.

Addressing the occasion, the speakers termed the signing of MoU as an 'epoch-making step', saying that it would ensure the rights of disabled people.

They called upon all to come forward to establish the rights of disabled people, who are part of our society.

Md Dabirul Islam, Chairman on Parliamentary Standing Committee of Ministry of Science and Information & Communication Technology and Md Hemayet Uddin Talukder, Chairman of Bangladesh Parjaton Corporation, among others, were present.

A number of disabled people were also present.

Air Travel Discriminations Continued

From the conclusion of a successful event, DPIAP staff unfortunately had a negative experience in flying back to Bangkok with AirAsia. Our team comprising of 13 persons including 6 wheelchair users were initially denied boarding on the basis that AirAsia only allows 4 wheelchair users per flight. In fact less than a week prior, the same 6 wheelchair users boarded an AirAsia aircraft from Bangkok to Jakarta with no issues, as the AirAsia website in Thailand allows up to 8 persons with reduced mobility to travel on one aircraft.(Please view attachment) Our team was eventually allowed to board the plane an hour after the aircraft should have departed, when a chief pilot made the decision to allow us on board.

Please

We are extremely disappointed with this discriminative experience. Firstly, that AirAsia places limitations on the numbers of persons with reduced mobility able to travel. This policy infringes on their rights with the impact of making one feel like an inferior or unwanted passenger.

Secondly, that AirAsia appears to lack consistency in their travel policy, meaning that good customer service or how many persons with reduced mobility can fly seems to depend on the point of embarkation.

A complaint letter has been written to AirAsia and we await a response from them regarding this matter.

Well friends, that’s all from DPIAP this week.

We hope you have found the following information useful. Please reply via email if you have any comments or feedback. Please let us also know if you receive this email twice and we will delete the duplicate entry of your email address from our database. 

All the best with your efforts to create meaningful and ameliorate change to the lives of persons with disability. 

Press Release: Human Rights Day 2010: “Against All Odds”

On 10 December this year, the Bar Council Human Rights Committee once again joins the rest of the world in celebrating Human Rights Day.

Our focus this year is on the rights of persons with disabilities.

Malaysia recently ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (“CRPD”). While the Malaysian Bar welcomes this move, there are still grave concerns on the Government’s reservations to Article 3 on general principles, Article 5 on equality and non-discrimination, Article 15 on freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Article 18 on liberty of movement and nationality, and Article 30 on participation in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport.

Malaysia has also not signed or ratified the Optional Protocols of CRPD, which grant specific rights to the citizens/residents of a country to refer their government to the international supervisory committee for non-compliance with any of the articles.

Locally, the Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 has yet to be amended to provide for any form of punishment or remedy for breaches.

These are fundamental issues that need to be addressed, to give full force and effect to the CRPD, without which the rights of persons with disabilities in this country are not even close to being fully acknowledged, what more protected.

Aimed at raising public awareness on rights of persons with disabilities, “Against All Odds” will feature a Public Forum on Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 that will take place on 12 December 2010 (Sunday) from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the Bar Council Auditorium, No 15, Leboh Pasar Besar, 50050 Kuala Lumpur.

Invited panellists, and the topics of discussion, are:

(a) Professor Dr Tiun Ling Ta, President, Persatuan Orang Cacat Anggota Malaysia: “Opportunities in education – early, primary, secondary and tertiary”;
(b) Zakaria b Yahaya, Teacher, Sekolah Menengah Pendidikan Khas Setapak, Kuala Lumpur: “Observation and expectation from the vocational and recreational perspectives”;
(c) Helen Chin, advocate and solicitor: “Malaysia’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and human rights for the disabled community in Malaysia”;
(d) A representative from the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) (TBC): “Commitments by the government ministries and agencies”; and
(e) A representative from the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (TBC): “Enjoying life from human rights perspectives”.

The forum will be conducted in both Bahasa Malaysia and English.

After a successful inaugural event in 2008, the Bar Council Human Rights Debate is now being featured again in conjunction with the Human Rights Day celebrations. It is a three-day event that will be held from 10-12 December 2010 (Friday to Sunday) at KDU University College, Section 13 Campus, No 76, Jalan Universiti, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Aimed at promoting free speech and creating greater awareness and education of human rights standards, while at the same time advocating important principles of international rights law, the theme for this year’s Human Rights Debate is “Against All Odds – Making a Difference for Human Rights”.

Out of RM30,000.00 prize money allocated from registration fees and corporate sponsorships, RM25,000.00 will be donated equally to five institutions caring or advocating for persons with disabilities from all over the country, to be selected by the Bar Council Human Rights Committee. The remaining RM5,000.00 will be awarded as prize money to the champion of the tournament.

Teams from 18 institutions, including some from India, Bangladesh, Philippines and Singapore, as well as local universities such as Universiti Malaya and Universiti Putra Malaysia, have registered for the tournament.

This is a unique debating tournament, the first in the world to be hosted by a statutory body of legal professionals.

Admission to both the public forum and the human rights debate tournament is free, and open to the public. Due to limited space, pre-registration is required in order to attend the public forum. To register, please contact Adi Irman by telephone at 03-2031 3003 ext 105 or by email at adi@malaysianbar.org.my.

Ragunath Kesavan
President
Malaysian Bar

9 Dec 2010

The National Forum on Disability in Syria

• Posted by Nabil Eid on December 13, 2010 at 10:00am
• 
  

The national forum on disability, organized by the Syrian organization for the disabled (AAMAL),

and cooperation with the central council for the disabled Affairs and UN organizations operating in Syria,

the conference took place at al-Umawyeen conference palace from 11-12 December 2010.

The two-day Forum discussed the national plan for disability, legal issues, educational integration, services, social initiatives, awareness and mass media.

The aims of the conference establishing a national agency for disability affairs, buildings utilities and organizing programs for civil societies, encouraging social initiatives, expanding the national plan for disability, raising awareness among employers regarding the employ of the persons with disabilities

Minister of Social Affairs and Labor H.E. Dr. Diyala Haj Aref said that the council's work allows for group effort and partnership among government and private bodies regarding the issue of disability, stressing that no results can be achieved without a society that believes in what these bodies are working to achieve.

The resident representative of the UNDP in Syria Mr. Ismael Weld al-Sheikh Ahmad lauded Syria's efforts to integrated disabled individuals into society, mainly issuing the law for disabled care no. 34 for 2004, which stipulated for rehabilitating the disabled and providing job opportunities for them.

Weld al-Sheikh Ahmad noted that UN organizations operating in Syria gave priority to programs relayed to the participation of the persons with disabilities, stressing the importance of the participation of the private sector and civil associations in these programs.

Also, Executive Director of AAMAL Rami Khalil said the forum aims at forming a unified front and devising a national map for improving the situation of the persons with disabilities and achieve the goal of allowing the persons with disabilities to live a full life as active parts of society.

Representatives of civil, popular, governmental bodies and international organizations are participating in the two-day forum, in addition to several experts.

Album of event activities on the link:

http://ict4dpwd.ning.com/photo/album/show?id=4359325%3AAlbum%3A5642...

Inclusive Tourism is Affirmed by the US Department of Justice!

WASHINGTON - The Justice Department today sought the federal court's approval of a consent decree with Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) to resolve a lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on behalf of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, and individuals who use wheelchairs, who took NCL cruises of the Hawaiian Islands.


Under the proposed consent decree, NCL will ensure that individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing get the auxiliary aids and services they need, such as a sign language interpreter or a written transcript of the emergency drill, to fully participate in the activities on the ship and in the shore excursions. NCL will also ensure that individuals who use wheelchairs get accessible bus transportation between the airport, cruise ship and hotels, and on shore excursions. In addition, NCL will pay $100,000 in damages to nine individuals with disabilities and will also pay $40,000 in civil penalties to the United States.


"People with disabilities who need sign language interpreters or accessible ground transportation should be able to go on vacation and enjoy the activities of a cruise like everyone else," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division. "It is essential that NCL and the cruise industry comply with the ADA's requirements for auxiliary aids and services and accessible transportation."


"The ADA applies to cruise ships, just as it does to hotels and other entities that offer services to the public," said Wifredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. "Discrimination against people with disabilities, on land or at sea, will not be tolerated."


After an extensive investigation, the Justice Department determined that five deaf individuals on NCL cruises around Hawaii did not receive interpreters and other auxiliary aids, or a closed caption TV, and thus were unable to enjoy the activities on board the ship or the shore excursions because they could not understand what was going on and communicate effectively. The Justice Department also determined that four individuals who use wheelchairs did not get accessible buses between the airport, ship and hotel, and on shore excursions; had to wait hours for an accessible bus at times; were unable to go on shore excursions because of the lack of an accessible bus; were charged extra for accessible transportation; and/or were not allowed to get on and off the bus during a shore excursion even though the bus was accessible.


The relief in the consent decree specifically includes:


* An access desk to handle requests for reasonable accommodations from guests with disabilities pre-cruise;

* Access officers on board the ship to handle requests for reasonable accommodations from guests with disabilities during the cruise;

* NCL shall respond in writing to a request for a reasonable accommodation within one week, when the request is made at least three weeks prior to sailing;

* ADA training for NCL staff;

* Pagers for guests who are deaf or hard of hearing to use while on the cruise, through which safety and other important announcements will be transmitted;

* TTY communication devices for guests;

* Visual tactile alert systems in staterooms for guests who are deaf or hard of hearing (i.e., visual or tactile alert to door knock, telephone ringing, alarm ringing and smoke detection);

* Closed caption televisions in staterooms and common areas;

* Written transcripts of the emergency drill; and

* Accessible over-the-road buses, shuttle buses, and vans for transportation between the airport, ship, and hotels and on shore excursions, with no extra wait times for accessible transportation.

Title III of the ADA prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities by public accommodations and private entities offering specified public transportation. It requires that public accommodations offer their programs and services in a manner that does not discriminate against people with disabilities. The Justice Department may bring lawsuits to enforce Title III seeking as relief injunctive remedies, monetary damages for complainants, and civil penalties.

People interested in finding out more about the ADA or this Consent Decree can call the toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD), or access the ADA website at www.ada.gov.

Fighting for disabled rights in Bangladesh

American expat Matthew 'Hezzy' Smith in Bangladesh, where he is working to improve disabled people's rights.

It took some time for American expat Matthew Smith to get adjusted to the constant power cuts in Dhaka, Bangladesh - that, and its "crazy" traffic rules. But despite life in Bangladesh being vastly different to the life he knew in the US, Mr Smith can't help but find it attractive.

“The people in Bangladesh just invite you into their lives. Of course I miss America but the Bangladeshi people offer immense hospitality. They make your stay worthwhile,” he says.

Mr Smith has been living in Bangladesh since early 2009. Knowing the language of the locals well has made a major difference to his stay, because it has helped him get to know the people of Dhaka better and not restrict himself only to the expat community.

“I learnt reading, writing and speaking in Bengali from the South Asia Summer Language Institute at the University of Wisconsin, while completing my Bachelors in English Literature from Harvard University. It was a two-month intensive course. Knowing Bengali has really helped me understand the Bangladeshi culture well. A lot of foreigners do crash courses in spoken Bengali once they get to Bangladesh but knowing how to read and write too makes you far more competent,” he says.

Having visited Calcutta in India for six months as an "extern" for the Harvard Law School Disability Project in 2008, Mr Smith had planned to move on to Dhaka in Bangladesh with the project for four months and then return to the US to join law school. But instead, he decided to stay in Dhaka, after realising realised that his work on disability laws could actually help bring about constitutional changes for people with disabilities in Bangladesh.

“I was advocating the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in Bangladesh. It has already been ratified in India. There is only one law for people with disabilities in Bangladesh and that is quite toothless. There is no procedure punishment for discrimination, no mechanism to deliver legal remedies.

“Towards the end of my first trip to Bangladesh, I ended up working with a group of people who were trying to develop a new disability law and they were keen on using my inputs. When I came back to the US after that I was so excited about the work I was doing that I had to return soon,” says Mr Smith.

Currently back home in New Jersey while he is renewing his visa, Mr Smith plans to return to Dhaka for another spell of nine months on October 11. He has now the director of the Disability Project and has pushed back his plans of joining law school till autumn next year.

“A lot of changes are needed in Bangladesh when it comes to propagating awareness about the rights of people with disabilities and the laws that are needed for them. In March I formed a group that has 10 to 12 lawyers and an assistant professor from Dhaka University. We have been meeting every month to discuss disability issues and a lot of effective work has been happening since,” says Mr Smith.

“The people that work with me do it on a voluntary basis. There is no funding. The natural curiosity and openness among people is what makes these collaborations possible. I don’t think it would be possible in the US,” he adds.

Though there are times when that “curiosity and openness” can invade one’s personal space, Mr Smith says he finds life in Bangladesh enjoyable. “I only get too much attention when I’m sitting at a tea stall and speaking in fluent Bengali with the locals because people just don’t expect that from a white guy,” he says.

Before he makes his way back to the US next July, Mr Smith hopes to formalise the group he has formed so that it can continue running in Bangladesh even in his absence.

“Important issues are being taken up by this group and the members are extremely dedicated," he says. "Even when I join law school, I will be involved with every project I am part of now - and I’ll be spending all my holidays in Dhaka!"

Ed Roberts Day - another milestone of Independent Living

Ed Roberts, a Berkeley quadriplegic who began the disability rights movement 40 years ago, now has his own California day.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, famous Hollywood actor and US politician signed a bill on Monday creating Ed Roberts Day, encouraging schools and other institutions to educate the public about the disability-rights and Independent Living pioneer every year on his birthday, January 23 each year. The commemoration does not include time off for state employees.
"Ed Roberts was a great example that whatever life hands you, you can be a success," said State Senator Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, a former next-door neighbor of Roberts' on Ward Street in Berkeley. "California should be very proud."
Roberts, who had polio as a teenager and relied on an iron lung, was among the first  student with severe disability to attend UC Berkeley, and went on to found the First Center for Independent Living. He died in 1995.

The International Conference on Digital Information Processing and Communications (ICDIPC),

VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, Czech Republic
July 7-9, 2011
www.sdiwc.net/cz

All the papers will be reviewed and the accepted papers in the conference will be published in the “Communications in Computer and Information Science” (CCIS) of Springer Lecture Notes Series (www.springer.com/series/7899), and will be indexed in many global databases including ISI Proceedings and Scopus. In addition, selected papers after complete modification and revision will be published in the special issues journals.
========================================================================

The proposed conference on the above theme will be held at the VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic from July 7-9, 2011 which aims to enable researchers build connections between different digital applications.

The information processing still the base for most new technology applications. This includes the processing of the information on the web, mobile phones, networking information, and many other applications.The conference aims to show the cutting edge technology on the fields of information processing and its real applications in the field of Digital Information Technology. The conference covers the following topics, but it is not limited to them. They are:



Information and Data Management
Data Compression
E-Technology
E-Government
E-Learning
Wireless Communications
Mobile Networking, Mobility and Nomadicity Ubiquitous Computing, Services and Applications Data Mining Computational Intelligence Biometrics Technologies Forensics, Recognition Technologies and Applications Information Ethics Fuzzy and Neural Network Systems Signal Processing, Pattern Recognition and Applications Image Processing Distributed and parallel applications Internet Modeling User Interfaces,Visualization and Modeling XML-Based Languages Network Security Social Networks Information Content Security Mobile, Ad Hoc and Sensor Network Management Web Services Architecture, Modeling and Design Semantic Web, Ontologies Web Services Security Quality of Service, Scalability and Performance Self-Organizing Networks and Networked Systems Data Management in Mobile Peer-to-Peer Networks Data Stream Processing in Mobile/Sensor Networks Indexing and Query Processing for Moving Objects User Interfaces and Usability Issues form Mobile Applications Mobile Social Networks Peer-to-Peer Social Networks Sensor Networks and Social Sensing Social Search Embedded Systems and Software Real-Time Systems Multimedia Computing Software Engineeing Information Propagation on Social Networks Resource and Knowledge Discovery Using Social Networks Cloud Computing Grid Computing Green Computing Researchers are encouraged to submit their work electronically. Submitted paper should not exceed 15 pages, including illustrations. Papers should be submitted electronically. All papers will be fully refereed by a minimum of two specialized referees. Before final acceptance, all referees comments must be considered.


Important Dates
==============

Submission Date : Feb 25, 2011
Notification of acceptance: April 10, 2011
Camera Ready submission : April 30, 2011
Registration : April 30, 2011
Conference dates : July 7-9, 2011

A Message from the Honorable Tony Coelho on the Occasion of the ADA's 20th Birthday

On this 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we have much to be proud of as a community.  A little more than twenty years ago, we embarked on a historic journey in advancing civil rights for Americans with disabilities.  We came together with one voice, putting aside our political and other differences, to work toward this cause, and we were joined by our partners in Congress, who put aside their differences to do the same.  And this unity and bipartisan spirit both within our community and in Congress led to our success.  We could not fully imagine then the profound impact our civil rights struggle and work to pass the ADA would have for people with disabilities around the world.  Today, inspired by the ADA, our brothers and sisters in scores of countries have worked to pass their own pioneering legislation to protect and promote their inherent human and civil rights. What's more, the world community came together at the United Nations at the start of this century and did something that is changing the world.  They worked to create international law recognizing, protecting, and promoting the rights of all people with disabilities-the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.  Americans with disabilities joined them in this effort, sharing our experience with the ADA to strengthen the provisions of this human rights legislation.  The disability rights movement now encompasses a global community. But our work to strengthen and implement the promise of equal rights for people with disabilities at home and abroad remains unfinished.  We have no doubt created a pillar of domestic law, but we must now work to ensure that the United States remains a global leader in the disability rights arena by ratifying the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which President Obama signed last July.  Ratifying this landmark treaty will not only advance the promise of the ADA at home, it will give the disability rights movement a new vigor abroad with the clear message that the United States affirms the inherent dignity and human rights of all people with disabilities. I am excited by the energy and enthusiasm of USICD in working toward CRPD ratification.  I want to thank USICD President, Marca Bristo, and our Executive Director, David Morrissey, for their leadership in this effort.  I ask you to join with me in supporting USICD in the important effort of making CRPD ratification in the United States a reality.  When the Obama Administration completes its review and submits the CRPD to the U.S. Senate for its consent for ratification, we must come together as the American disability community and proclaim "Yes to Ratification."  Today, 88 countries have already ratified the CRPD.  By joining in this community, we can share our great expertise and leadership in furtherance of the democratic values enshrined in the CRPD.  The CRPD is good for people with disabilities, good for America, and good for the world. Let us take this opportunity to deliver our unified message to the U.S. Senate.  Please sign on to a letter prepared by USICD to Senators Kerry and Lugar of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to indicate your support for the CRPD.  Please follow this link to sign on.          Sincerely,                  Tony Coelho

International VSA Festival highlights

"What is disability?"

Last fall, VSA, the international organization on arts and disability once known as Very Special Arts, invited artists around the world to answer that question. 

Sunday at 7:30 p.m., Kennedy Center Concert Hall. The festival's opening program features actress Marlee Matlin, singer Patti LaBelle and the China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe.

More than 1,200 responses came in from more than 50 countries and in all creative forms: painting, drawing, collage, fabric art, poetry, musical composition. The responses will be on display next week in the Kennedy Center Hall of States as part of the week-long International VSA Festival, programming that explores the nature and creativity of what it means to be disabled -- and even whether "disabled" is the appropriate term.
"The diversity within disability is amazing," says VSA President Soula Antoniou. "Internationally there are 650 million people with disabilities around the world. . . . When you try to contextualize it in terms of physical disabilities, cognitive disabilities, mental-health issues, you really gain a sense of the enormity and complexity of disability."
VSA aims to erase labels -- disabled, special, challenged, handicapped -- to focus on talent, artistry and inclusiveness. And the festival's more than 50 performances and exhibits, Antoniou says, offer something for everyone. Highlights include:
Monday at 6 p.m., Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. The members of Australia's Rudely Interrupted indie-rock band have a range of physical and intellectual disabilities.
Wednesday at 8:30 p.m., DC Improv. Josh Blue has cerebral palsy, but that doesn't mean he can't laugh about it. The "Last Comic Standing" winner is joined by Brett Leake and Kathy Buckley. Age 18 and older.
Thursday at 10:15 and 11:30 a.m., Smithsonian Discovery Theater. Uganda Deaf Silent Theatre's "The Magic Seeds," a folk tale that is perfect for families.
Sunday through June 20, Kennedy Center. Artist Dale Chihuly will fill the center's front reflecting pool with spears of glass, while other artwork takes over the halls and walls.
For a complete schedule, visit http://www.vsarts.org.

DC Caribbean Filmfest and International Disability Film Festival at AFI Silver

Two film festivals kick off this week at the AFI Silver Theatre. The 10th annual DC Caribbean Filmfest, which runs Friday through Sunday, celebrates Caribbean American Heritage Month. Movies include "On the Verge of a Fever," John L'Ecuyer's 2004 film about a Haitian teenager who gets caught up in political intrigue and hides out in a brothel (Friday at 7 p.m.). The International Disability Film Festival begins Monday with "See What I'm Saying: The Deaf Entertainers Documentary," which covers a year in the lives of deaf comics and singers (7 and 9:30 p.m.). A discussion with director Hilari Scarl follows. The festival runs through June 11 and is part of the International VSA Festival.

See Web site for complete schedules. AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring. 301-495-6720. http://www.afi.com/silver. Caribbean Filmfest: $10, seniors $9. Disability Film Festival: Free; tickets available at the theater the day of each show starting at 1:30 p.m.

Student films focus on disabilities

Students at Highlander Way Middle School in Howell are preparing to walk the red carpet next week in support of disability awareness. fter a year of creating films related to the topic, the students will participate in the school's annual Academy Awards Night on Wednesday in which they will receive awards for their productions and host a silent auction to benefit Livingston County Special Olympics.

More than 50 films have been nominated for awards. The movies were made by students in the school's technology classes who researched a variety of disabilities, wrote scripts, and shot and edited their work.

"They take a lot away from this," said Carole Colburn, the school's film class teacher and coordinator of the awards event. "They learn about being a part of a team, they learn about their specific topic and they learn about the movie-making process."

She added: "Most importantly, it helps them understand that we're all created equal and brings awareness to what students with disabilities go through."

Throughout the school year, the middle schoolers worked in groups to produce short films on a variety of topics, including autism, depression, Down syndrome, eating disorders and several other conditions. The disability-awareness theme was selected by Colburn, who has taught the school's "Lights, Camera, Screen Education" class to eighth-graders for the past three years.

As part of the course, student Natalie Dunn's group produced a five-minute film on dwarfism. The movie was nominated for an award in the best editing category.

"The main focus of our video is that people with dwarfism are just like us," Dunn said. "We learned a lot, and I guess in more ways than one we are trying to stand up for the little guy."

Dunn's classmate Alyssa Franc worked on a film about diabetes. The production was nominated for an award in the best music and best film categories.

The film includes a variety of students telling what they believe diabetes is while providing information about the condition. The school's choir is also featured in the film.

"I liked working with my group, filming and acting," Franc said. "(The film) really helps to tell everybody that we all have differences but are equal."

She added: "We want everyone to know that disabilities are hard to deal with, and it's not fair to judge people for how they are."

For more information or to attend the Academy Awards Night, contact Colburn atcolburnc@howellschools.com.

World Wide Web Consortium for all

Mobility can also mean being able to seamlessly steer through and negotiate one’s way in a jungle of online information to get work done. Any good website should enable that.Yet, not many Indian ones do. At least not for those who can’t see or hear or operate the mouse with ease. For them, e-mobility or e-access remains as ignored an aspect as mobility in the physical space.

And to think that all it takes to fix this is to conform to the accessibility standards laid down by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) at minimal extra cost. Any good web designer should follow that. And any good government must put a policy in place to ensure that it happens, especially when it is signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disability, which warrants such action.

Intent, however, isn’t the problem. But limited awareness about how information and services can be best delivered to persons with disabilities is. And for a country with close to 70 million people with disabilities, awareness can mean the difference between booking an e-ticket and buying one from the railways counter, between living independently and relying on others for things they can easily do for themselves.

Addressing this is the recently launched 125-article-rich wiki, being executed by the Centre of Internet and Society (CIS) Bangalore and funded by the National Internet Exchange of India, New Delhi. The wiki intends to be a comprehensive resource for users, caretakers, web developers, NGOs, teachers, and members of legal communities for information on what technology — hardware and software — and related legislations offer persons with disabilities.

Web standards prescribe that a description of a graphic or a visual be added for the benefit of visually impaired persons so that any screen-reader can read it. For someone with hearing disability, sound alerts should be accompanied by visual cues, and audios tagged. For those who cannot operate the mouse and hence rely on desk keyboards or onscreen keyboards, developers should incorporate built-in shortcut keys for efficient access.

“But the W3C standards are not binding; it is something countries adopt. In India, these guidelines have been made advisory for Government websites, not mandatory,” says Nirmita Narasimhan, programme manager, CIS, who is also working on drafting the accessibility policy for the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

Mumbai-based disability activist Nilesh Singlit, who has been working on access audits, accessibility and inclusive design, training and research for the past 12 years, says that the standards are simple enough to be used by anyone with basic grasp of HTML. “But some specialised website designers charge high amounts to make websites disabled-friendly. Yes, there are issues of extensive testing of websites to adhere to the standards required. However, there is no relation between the cost and the end product. More awareness needs to be created to break the myth that accessible websites are expensive,” he says.

The Government of India has made accessibility of its websites advisory. But as Singlit says, if they’re anything like the current railways website — which does little for persons with disability — then it remains to be seen how effective the implementation will be.

Furthermore, the government does not proactively share information with outsiders. “How is one to approach the government unless one knows about the incentives on procurement of assistive technologies, training and awareness camps and educational awareness. Unless this research is made available, you don’t have the base to build on,” says a researcher from the field.

Ensure rights of physically challenged'

Although Bangladesh has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the government is yet to ensure their rights due to lack of coordination among different ministries.

Speakers said this at a discussion styled 'Implementation of United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: The role of media' organised by Access Bangladesh Foundation in association with Disability Rights Fund at Biam auditorium in the city on Thursday.

They said the government has taken different initiatives for the welfare of the people with disabilities but a number of their vital rights remain far from implementation.

Former caretaker government adviser CM Shafi Sami presided over the meeting.

Addressing the discussion as chief guest, Editor of the daily Samakal Golam Sarwar stressed the need for creating social awareness for implementation of all the rights of physically challenged.

“We'll not get fruit through only formulation of laws. Rather we must emphasised creating social awareness for the implementation of the rights,” he said.

Sarwar called upon people to change their negative attitudes towards the physically challenged people.

Presenting the keynote paper, Access Bangladesh Advocacy Officer Hasbullah placed some recommendations for the media men to help implement the rights of the disabled.

The recommendations include publishing the rights of physically challenged people with much priority, producing films and dramas focusing the rights for the betterment of people with disabilities.

Access Bangladesh Foundation Executive Director Albert Mollah moderated the meeting while its Chairperson CM Tofail Sami and theatre personality Kazi Rozi were present.

GENDER JUSTICE SUMMIT

OXFAM CANADA: GENDER JUSTICE SUMMIT (GJS)

This energizing summit will bring together a diverse community of Oxfam supporters, academics, advocates, researchers, policy-makers, and activists from around the world to discuss poverty and development as it relates to women.

It is a unique opportunity to strengthen connections while collaborating on approaches to advancing women's rights, women's empowerment, and gender equality. The themes of the summit will include gender based violence, maternal health, poverty, security, climate change, food security and more.

The GJS is Oxfam Canada's tri-annual National Assembly, including members from across Canada to be part of a dialogue about Oxfam campaigns, program, strategic directions and role in a global movement for change.

It will be also be connected with the People's Summit, taking place at Ryerson University June 19/20.

For further information and to register, please visit Oxfam Canada

TRAINING COURSE ON FEMINIST LEADERSHIP, 2010

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: THE INSTITUTE OF PEACE, LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE (IPLG) AT AFRICA UNIVERSITY AND OSISA: TRAINING COURSE ON FEMINIST LEADERSHIP, 2010

This is a a course for young feminist advocates in NGOs, the public and private sectors. It will be held in Mutare, Zimbabwe from August 16-28, 2010. This training course on feminism and public policy provides a broad conceptual and practical understanding of feminism by locating it within in a pan-African discourse. Engaging in discursive debates and interactive analyses, it is envisioned that participants will be able to redefine the idea of feminism to symbolise young women coming together to share knowledge, skills and good practice, so that they may lead fulfilling lives with self-assurance and passion. Deadline for applications: July 09, 2010.

By understanding the dynamics of gender inequality and crafting advocacy strategies aimed at promoting women’s rights, interests and issues it is hoped that the targeted advocates will embrace the vitality of being female and championing their cause through robust network connections to future generations.

Why is this course necessary?

Quite often women as radicals or reformers or as objects of reform have always differed over ideology and strategy. Feminists have also always vigorously contested the effects and policies aimed at ameliorating women’s oppression. This course therefore provides a forum to critically examine some of these differences by looking at the historical tenets of feminism and its evolutionary progression, feminist perspectives to politics, power and power relations, patriarchy, gender-based violence, sexuality, women’s rights and justice. The course further analyses the claim that public policy is gendered, implying that public policies affect men and women differently and that men and women participate differently in public policy making processes. The course takes public policy as both an important component in the construction of gender differences and as a site where gender is critiqued, resisted and renegotiated. Thus, the training course explores these claims through a feminist lens and engaging in the analyses of the impact of public policy on women’s issues.

Participants will examine feminist activism, a grass-roots movement approach that seeks to cross boundaries based on social class, race, culture and religion. Locating these issues in historical contexts will also help in de-mystifying the negative connotations attached to feminism and feminist advocates with a view of helping women claim their identity as feminists. Also by placing these issues in contexts of feminist theory and discourse, the course offers an analysis of women and public policy as contested and complex domain rather than offering simple recipes or formulas for the feminist policy makers and advocates.

Course Aim and Objectives

This innovative course is designed for young women who are motivated to play a critical role in promoting women’s issues through advocacy and lobbying. Using examples and experiences from their own lives, it is hoped that participants will gain a deeper understanding of a feminist analysis of issues affecting women in the SADC region. The aim of the course therefore, is to provide participants with knowledge and practical skills to engage with feminist discourses and feminist approaches for effective lobbying and advocacy on gender and women’s rights. The objectives of the training course are to:

1. Familiarise participants with key tenets of feminism and the most influential works in the evolution of feminist theories and ideologies.
2. Give the participants a sound grasp of a fundamental and central body of feminist philosophical thinking.
3. Engage with young women who are working with gender focused organisations and are at the forefront of best practice in the field;
4. Situate and examine the gender question in relation to emerging disciplines;
5. Help participants use feminist approaches to analyse, critique and participate in contemporary public policy debates on women issues;
6. Facilitate the development of feminist research skills to carry our policy oriented research on issues that impact on women’s lives.

Course Content

The training course consists of 12 modules, to be delivered by different facilitators over a 12-day period, and will use a variety of teaching styles, tools and methods, especially participatory and experiential learning models. The following thematic areas will provide a starting point for the discussions:

1. Feminist theory and history
2. Schools of thought and feminist ideologies
3. The politics of feminism and gender
4. Women, law and policy
5. Feminist public policy discourse and engagement
6. Feminist knowledge production and management
7. Feminist research and epistemology
8. Feminist youth empowerment models
9. Feminist leadership in practice
10. Civil society and feminist movement-building
11. Sexuality and sexual reproductive health rights
12. Governance and citizenship

In addition, there will be evening and side sessions, focused on coaching on key competencies such as self awareness, confidence-building, public speaking among many others.

Course Dates and Duration

The course will be offered over a 12-day period in Mutare, Zimbabwe. The training course will be hosted by OSISA and the Institute of Peace, Leadership and Governance at Africa University in Mutare beginning 16 August and ending on 28 August, 2010. Travel dates will be 15 and 29 August.

Certificate of Competence

Participants who successfully complete the course and fulfil the requirements which include attendance and active participation will receive a certificate of competence from Africa University and OSISA.

Cost and Sponsorship

OSISA will be fully sponsoring this training course. Sponsorship will cover tuition, course materials, airfare/transport, accommodation, teas and lunches and dinners during the course. Participants are however, advised to take out personal and health insurance as the organisers cannot take liabilities in this regard.

Admission requirements

Prospective participants are expected to meet the following criteria:

1. Possess an undergraduate degree in a relevant field;
2. Must be a young woman of between 18 and 30 years of age;
3. At least 1 year work experience in civil society and /or gender and women’s rights related area;
4. Currently employed, or working in an area where feminist or gender policy advocacy and lobbying is important;
5. English proficiency (as the course will be delivered in English);
6. Commitment to participate for the duration of the full course.
7. Be from any of the following SADC countries: Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Application Procedures

Young women who wish to apply for the training course are required to submit the following:

1. Completed application form (attached at the end of this document);
2. No more than one page motivation letter stating:
a. How your participation will add value to the course; and
b. How you envision using the training in your work, community and/or personal life.
3. Commitment form completed by employer (attached at the end of this document).

Please submit the completed application form, motivation letter and endorsement letter electronically or by fax, to both OSISA and IPLG at the following addresses:

Ms Tsitsi Mukamba
Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA)
Email: Tsitsim@osisa.org
Tel: +27 (0) 10 590 2600
Fax: +27 11 587 5099

AND

Mrs Susan Musiyiwa
Institute of Peace, Leadership and Governance (IPLG)
Africa University
Tel: +263 20 66788
Email: iplgsec@africau.ac.zw
Cc:susanvongayi22@yahoo.com

NB: Those who participated in the 2009 course need not apply.

Deadline for receipt of applications is Friday, 09 JULY 2010.

To apply, please download the following file

FEMINISM TRAINING COURSE CALL FOR APPLICATIONS. 2010.doc 349.50 kB

For further information, please visit OSISA

Article License: Copyright - Article License Holder: The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA)

Bangladesh moving to Disability not inability

The Prime Minister called upon all to be more careful to the disabled and the autistic children to flourish their latent talent. "They would be able to contribute more for the development of society if they get scope from society in this regard" The PM also 'called upon the private sector to appoint more disabled persons in private services'. She said 'the disabled students have to be provided scope so that they could take admission in the schools in their respective areas and taking higher education.' She called the attention of all concerned 'to keep space for them while constructing buildings and other establishments to smoothen their movements.'

The role of the state in the empowerment of the disables is clear-cut. The government of the state mulls steps to create conditions conducive to the empowerment of the disabled enabling them to fully use their creativity and talents. The PM directed the concerned administration to 'implement the 10 per cent quota reserved in recruiting disabled persons against class three and class four posts and one percent quota in class one category jobs in government services' As reveled by the PM 'a development project titled "Promotion of Services and Opportunities to the Disabled Persons in Bangladesh' is being implemented at a cost of Taka 155 crore under National Disabled Development Foundation'.

So the government seeks to address the issues of disability with specific programmes of action. The programes also include health and welfare components, education, and occupational skill development and computer facilities. A number of international conferences ( general assembly session 1982, ESCAP declaration 1993, UN Convention on Child Rights, 1993) mandated the government to organize all out efforts to help out the helpless as a mark of unequivocal commitment to international declarations and concerns about disables. Policy advocacy for the handicaps include among others: employment, recreation, amusement, transport and easy movement and other privileges for the disables. There are rehabilitation centers for the disables with specific promotional and humanitarian activities. 

The number of handicaps is about one crore and a half constituting about 10 per cent of the total population. This numerical growth in geometric progression is really a matter of grave concern for the government and non government development agencies. Among the disables many are mentally retarded. 42 per cent of the disability cases are sight-related, 20 per cent hearing-related, 18 per cent physically handicapped. A few unfortunates have been rendered disables due to accident, disease and vitamin A deficiency. Disability is a kind of mental/physical obsession. It may occur to any one in every family either by birth or by accident. To-day one is able even going strong with sound health and sound mind. To-morrow he or she may meet accident to become crippled. 

We should bear it in mind that disability is a state of disability not inability. A man or woman, being disabled, may live in hapless condition for some time. But community sympathy and co-operation help him/her a lot in meeting the challenge of stressful life. A disabled person has possessed incredible ability with firm determination to face heavy odds of every day life. 

The state of disability is not a handicap to participation in development. It does not deter professional development and career building. If the disabled persons are provided with a modicum of aid they can stage a come back to normal life. This is a heroic come back with enhanced ability to find way out of the knot of dependency. They can raise their skills like a normal person through training and logistic supports. After training they have shown much potential as assets rather than liabilities working hard with a good deal of devotion in any job calling for the use of their relative expertise and training. Once they take position in any service they do things with a sense of responsibility. They are not insincere workers not playing truant like many a job holder without disability. They think constructively avoiding any association with obnoxious activities. 

There are numerous reports about the astounding performance of the handicaps in service sector and socio-cultural functions. They cannot be expected to perform miracle. But they have been able to make it to our utter astonishment. They prove to be more sincere and efficient in public and social service than many normal persons. This is because of motivation and determination to leap forward despite numerous hazards and obstacles. They nourishes a definitely a pragmatic orientation to life with perseverance and self-confidence and will power. Amra karba joy (we will win, the slogan, is a source of inspiration to them.

So disability is not a curse. It is a blessing in disguise. It enables a person to nurture his dormant human potentials and hidden talents. He turns out to rise to scale with tenacity and self-confidence. Many among the persons either disables by birth or by accident have been able to make their marks in social service at the national and international levels. Some among them became famous reaching the height of prominence as real talents. In UK David Blanket, a home Minster during the incumbency of Prime Minister Tony Blair is a sight-related disabled person. . Also he was a successful education minister of Blair government. Another sight-related disabled person-33 years American citizen Erick Owen-won Everest. Mufti A. Azim Bin Abdullah Bin Baz, another disabled person wrote many research books on religion. He happened to become the Director General in the Ministry of religious affairs in Saudi Arabia. In Bangladesh the disables have set the glaring examples of being involved in electoral activities. Among the voters about 79 lakhs are disabled. Many of the disables took part as election observers. Some among them have the background of being the members of the parliament

So disability is not inability but 'differently ability'.