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Rehabilitation International
M O N T H L Y NEWSLETTER
January/February 2014
Advancing the Rights and Inclusion of Persons with Disability Worldwide
Contact:
Rehabilitation International 41 Madison Avenue
Office 3141
New York, NY 10010, USA Tel.: +1-212-420-1500 Fax: +1-212-505-0871
E-Mail: newsletter@riglobal.org
For RI EC, RIF AND RI Members
Topics
Dates & venues for the upcoming RI meetings ... 3
RI News ... 3
Other News ... 7
CRPD Ratification Update ... 10
Upcoming Meetings and Events ... 11
Employment Opportunities ... 11
Dates & venues for the upcoming RI meetings
Dates Meeting Place
March 12, 2014 RI Europe Meeting Helsinki, Finland
April 12-15, 2014 EC Meeting Auckland, New Zealand
April 16, 2014 Other Meetings Wellington, New Zealand
April 22-23, 2014 Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy Meeting (Held in partnership with UN ESCAP and Nippon Foundation)
Sendai, Japan
October 4, 2014 EC Meeting (whole day) Warsaw, Poland October 5, 2014 EC Meeting (morning)
Commission/RIF Board meetings (afternoon)
Warsaw, Poland
October 6, 2014 2014 RI General Assembly Warsaw, Poland October 7-9, 2014 RI European Conference on Rehabilitation
For further information on the conference, please visit the website www.ecri2014.eu.
Warsaw, Poland
For more information please see our website www.riglobal.org
RI News
1. The RI office has moved!
The new information for the office is:
Rehabilitation International 41 Madison Avenue
Office 3141
New York, NY 10010, USA Tel.: +1-212-420-1500
2. RI has hired two new staff members in the New York office
Two new staff members will come on board to assist with work at the RI Secretariat in New York. Kelsey Parsons will work 3 days a week as RI’s Communications Officer and Sangay Dolma Sharpa will do 2.5 days per week as administrative assistant. Both start working with RI in March 2014.
3. RI, along with the Norwegian Women’s Public Health Association and the Women’s Health Association of Ethiopia, is hosting a side event during the 58th session of the Commission on the Status Women at the UN.
The event titled “Mainstreaming Women with Disabilities in Women’s Associations: An Important Tool for Inclusion is scheduled for 12:30-2:30 p.m. on March 10, 2014 at the UN Church Center in New York. Speakers include Venus Ilagan, Secretary-General of RI, Jan Monsbakken, President of RI, and Ms. Birikit Terefe Tiruneh, Executive Director of Women’s Health Association of Ethiopia. The event will be moderated by Ms. Anne-Karin Nygaard Larsen, Secretary General of Norwegian Women’s Public Health Association.
4. ASIA-PACIFIC REGIONAL AUDIT – Epidemiology, Costs & Burdens of Osteoporosis in 2013
Pakistan Society for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled (PSRD) contributed to the Country overview section of the Asia-Pacific Regional Audit carried out by the International Osteoporosis Foundation to ascertain the impact that osteoporosis is having currently and will have in the future upon older people and healthcare systems in the Asia-Pacific region. The Audit, which was launched in Hong Kong in December, reveals the immense and growing burden of osteoporosis and fractures in this region.
For more details please go to www.iofbonehealth.org
CHILD HEALTH PROJECT
PSRD undertook a project in Burki, a village outside Lahore, to provide medical, surgical and rehabilitation services to children coming from the lower economic sector. 238 children benefitted under this project, from January – December 2013. They were treated entirely free of cost. Treatments included medical consultation, surgeries, physiotherapy, occupational and speech therapy and medicines as required. Transportation to and from PSRD was also provided. The project revealed that majority of the children suffered from nutritional
deficiencies resulting in stunted growth, low IQ and general weakness. More than 20% of them were suffering from Cerebral Palsy. An additional 15% suffered from musculoskeletal problems. Widespread intermarriage was prevalent among the families and there was a lack of awareness about management of health issues. The PSRD health initiative was greatly appreciated by the local community who have very limited access to
proper medical facilities. For many of the children it was the first time they were seeing a qualified doctor.
The project was funded by a private donor.
5. News from RI Indonesia
Consolidation Meeting of Rehabilitation International in Indonesia Approximately 30 representatives of social organizations for disabilities gathered in Jakarta on 12 October 2013.
Rehabilitation International – Indonesia with its affiliated organization, The Indonesian Society for the Care of Children with Disabilities (YPAC Nasional) initiated the meeting to further socialize the vision and mission of Rehabilitation International in Indonesia. The meeting was also meant to gather inputs from the participants on how to maximize preparation for Indonesia’s
participation in the 23rd RI World Congress which will be held in 2016. New initiatives might be commenced and/or continued and by 2016 RI Indonesia could gain some positive lessons learned to be shared at the RI World Congress.
The consolidation meeting revealed that participants would fully support to move to approach concerned stakeholders (local governments, private sectors, etc) to enhance the activities of RI-Indonesia and to enable everyone to contribute in the efforts to achieve the vision for the inclusion of persons with disabilities as a matter of right and for their full participation in the life of their communities in the country.
The meeting was opened by YPAC Nasional Chairwoman, Ms. Imbari Kusuma Sembada, followed by dr. Retty Irwan, MPH, who gave a recap through slide presentation about Rehabilitation International. A discussion, moderated by Mr. Siswadi, Vice Chairperson of DNIKS (an umbrella organization of all social organizations in Indonesia) ensued. Noted down were some positive feedback from the meeting participants. The participants appreciated the information shared on terminologies for disabilities, history-aims-vision- mission of Rehabilitation International, the correlation of RI and YPAC Nasional, role of the RI National Secretary, RI Indonesia activities, and suggested activities which may be conducted to achieve the aims.
The participants then agreed to conduct integrated activities which may benefit all in the efforts towards building a self-helped strategy for persons with disabilities to realize their rights. It is hoped that through a regular gathering held every four months, a working group could be formed to further monitor, evaluate, and report to the public, all activities related to disabilities in Indonesia as well as to the world community to gain wider attention and support for Indonesians with disabilities.
Concrete follow-up to the RI-Consolidation Meeting held on 12 October 2013:
A visit to the Minister of Health – conducted on 6 January 2014.
As to follow-up to the suggestions/recommendations of the RI Consolidation meeting held
on 12 October 2013, a meeting with the Minister of Health of Indonesia was held on 6 January 2014 with the aim to gain full support of the Minister for RI-Indonesia’s future activities. The Minister was also informed of RI activities pre and post the 22nd World Congress in Incheon, South Korea, including information on the 23rd RI World Congress in 2016. The Minister was very pleased with the information given to her and promised to provide assistance as required for the benefit of persons with disabilities in the country and worldwide.
RI-Indonesia with YPAC Nasional have been invited to contribute thoughts toward materializing several actions for the benefit of persons with disabilities, which among others, two representatives (dr. Retty Irwan and Judith Simbara) have participated:
a) Formulated instrument for Disability Surveys on Children/Persons with Disabilities conducted by the Indonesian National Statistics Institution (BPS).
The surveys refer to Washington group questions on disability.
A series of workshops, enumerator trainings and survey trials were conducted from August through December 2013 in the cities of Cibinong, Bekasi and Depok (the outskirt cities of Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia). It is hoped that from the result of the survey, concerned line ministries/institutions and/or other concerned parties would have some reference in providing assistance to children/persons with disabilites based
on the national survey data gathered. The inputs from approximately 20 selected invitees/participants, were provided to the draft questionnaires. In this regard, dr. Retty as a resource person, shared her thoughts of disabilities particularly on symthoms for early detection (first impression/visual appearance) relative to children/persons with disabilities. Both dr. Retty Irwan and Judith Simbara also acted as field and central supervisors for the trial implementation of the surveys to include actual framing of questions household members in the communities, feedback from interviewees, as well as feedback on the whole process. UNFPA and UNICEF as partners of BPS for the survey, would study and finalize the inputs for further recommendations.
Efforts toward Pushing the Governor of the Capital City of Jakarta for the Issuance of the Governor’s Decree on Supporting the Implementation of Public Access for Persons with Disabilities.
Funded by the Disability Rights Advocacy Fund, HWDI (The Association of Women with Disabilities) and a few other organizations for disabilities, the YPAC Nasional through RI National Secretary for Indonesa (dr. Retty Irwan) and Second Secretary (Ms. Judith Simbara) participated in the coallition that has created a workplan for a year’s activities (2013/2014) to get support for disabilities. A one-day workshop participated by 50 concerned representatives of the local government office and other participants, was held in Jakarta in November 2013 where they exchanged views and suggestions on how the local government could better serve/provide services to
persons with disabilities by paying more attention to the need of public access for person with disabilities. In this workshop, Ms. Judith Simbara assisted as a moderator for the first session, and dr. Retty Irwan provided a recap/summary at the end of the final session on what is needed to be followed up. A follow-up workshop to include a visit to an example of a building which has access features, will be conducted in due course.
6. News from RI Korea
Recently, Dr. Il-Yung Lee stepped down as Chair of RI Korea and Mr.
Heung-Sik Jo took over this position. RI President Jan Monsbakken attended the turn over activity held in Seoul recently. Jan thanked Il-Yung for his most valuable support to RI Asia-Pacific and RI Global over the years. As one of the pioneering leaders of RI, Il-Yung has made many contributions over decades of his involvement in the organization. He has been there to help when things got rough and never missed the opportunity to celebrate our successes. He and his colleagues in RI-Korea mounted one, if not the most successful RI Congresses in decades, the 22nd RI World Congress held in Incheon, Korea in November 2012 with over 1,700 participants from across the world. The unprecedented success of this event is largely attributed to the hard work of Il-Yung Lee and his colleagues’ hard work. The global family of RI wish him the best in his retirement.
– We’d love to hear from you…
Please share with us project summaries/reports, articles and announcements on events which your organization is planning to hold or has conducted, and other information which you may want to share with colleagues in the RI network, our partners and to the rest of the world. Send these to us at this email address: newsletter@riglobal.org and we will make sure that these get included in future issues of the RI Newsletter.
Other News
Ban appoints former vice-president of Ecuador as envoy on disability, accessibility
19 December 2013 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment of Lenín Voltaire Moreno Garces, former Vice Pfresident of Ecuador, as his Special Envoy on Disability and Accessibility.
In his new post, Mr. Moreno will help promote the rights of people with disabilities, who number more than one billion, and to advocate for accessibility for all people.
Ban inaugurates accessibility centre at UN Headquarters
4 December 2013 – Hailing a new facility that enables greater participation of persons with disabilities in intergovernmental processes at Headquarters as “a model of the digital United Nations we are are trying to create,”
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today the initiative showed the Organization is making strides towards creating a disability-inclusive world.
“Yesterday was the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Today we prove that we care about this issue all year ‘round,” Mr. Ban said at a special event launching the Accessibility Centre, which will provide cutting edge tools for persons with visual, mobility and hearing impairments, enabling them to access documents and fully participate in UN meetings. RI President Jan Monsbakken, attended the launching ceremony together with RI SG Venus Ilagan.
Persons with disabilities must be able to reap benefits of development, UN officials stress
3 December 2013 – Marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the United Nations is calling for global efforts to ensure that the more than one billion people worldwide who live with some form of disability can reap the benefits of development and fully participate in society.
“We must remove all barriers that affect the inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities in society, including through changing attitudes that fuel stigma and institutionalize discrimination,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message for the Day, observed annually on 3rd December. “We need to work harder to ensure that infrastructure and services support inclusive, equitable and sustainable development for all.”
News from UN DESA
Genuine and durable partnerships for Small Island Developing States
2014 will be a big year for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Both the United Nations Conference on SIDS taking place in Apia, Samoa, from 1 to 4 September, and the International Year of SIDS, to be launched on 24 February, will draw the world's attention to these states and promote actions aimed at achieving their sustainable
development. Read More at
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/newsletter/desanews/feature/2014/02/index.ht ml#9691
Promoting the well-being of indigenous peoples
Higher maternal and infant mortality rates, poorer access to health services, increased vulnerability to contract HIV/AIDS and to being subjected to sexual violence and discrimination - this is part of the stark reality facing many of the world's 370 million indigenous peoples. In its continuous efforts to promote the rights and well-being of indigenous peoples worldwide, the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is working
to change this. Read More at
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/newsletter/desanews/feature/2014/02/index.ht ml#9707
The NGO Committee for Social Development: Civil Society Declaration 2014
The NGO Committee for Social Development and its Subcommittee for the Eradication of Poverty at the United Nations, New York, is a network of more than 60 member organizations accredited by ECOSOC and representing vast constituencies in over 160 countries. Some of our member organizations have been in existence for over 300 years and continue to deliver services all over the world, with a focus on education, health, social problems, and social services, especially among the most vulnerable.
As direct service providers, NGOs and other grassroots organizations live and work on a daily basis with people living in poverty. They seek to partner with them in overcoming inequality, and support their efforts to move out of poverty, acquire decent work and create/ live in an inclusive society.
We have listened, participated, and contributed to the many consultations and conversations among UN Member States, UN Agencies, Major Groups, and other stakeholders seeking to put in place a transformative post-2015 development agenda, and to assure that such an agenda is seen as a moral imperative, based on core principles of justice and equity for people and planet. It is in that spirit that we offer these recommendations:
To read the rest, please see: http://www.fes-globalization.org/new_york/wp- content/uploads/2014/02/Civil-Society-Declaration-2014-FINAL-1.pdf
NGO CSW/NY Announces 2013 NGO CSW Woman of Distinction Awardee
Sharon Bhagwan Rolls, Fiji Islander, was recognized for her dedication to enable and empower community media production in print, digital story- telling, online/social media and television to increase visibility of women and young women’s viewpoints and realities.
For more information: http://us1.campaign-
archive2.com/?u=eb520eecfe82a5bf0d814ea1f&id=a989c0c6f6&e=338725c7e1
A newly released national survey conducted by the Center for Social Development and Education highlights the challenges those with Special Needs face as they try to find employment in the hopes of supporting themselves.
To read more about the survey, go to
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/02/prweb11598746.htm.
CRPD Ratification Update
Latest Developments
Japan ratified the Convention on 20-1-2014
Cote d Ivoire ratified the Convention on 10-1-2014
Tuvalu ratified the Convention on 18-12-2013
Bahamas signed the Convention on 24-9-2013 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Ratifications/Accessions: 141 Signatories*: 158
Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Ratifications/Accessions: 79
Signatories: 92
(* Signatories include countries or regional integration organizations that have either ratified, acceded or signed the Convention and its Optional Protocol)
For more Information please visit following website: http://www.un.org/disabilities/
Upcoming Meetings and Events
March 31-April 11, 2014: 11th session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
The 11th session will take place in Geneva and include the consideration of State reports for Azerbaijan, Costa Rica, and Sweden, and the adoption of Germany’s report.
(http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID
=909&Lang=en)
April 7–8, 2014: ICAVITECH 2014 in Valencia, Spain It is the 1st International Conference on Artificial Vision Technologies for Disabled People. The conference is focused on information and communication technology application and especially on the artificial vision and industrial and manufacturing and application of electronics, controls and computational intelligence and domotic technologies for disabled people. For further information please visit: http://www.icavitech.com/
June 9-10, 2014: M-Enabling Summit, Call for Presentations: Applications, New Services & Case Studies. Presenters at the M-Enabling Summit are individuals, companies, education or non-profit organizations who participate in the Summit and wish to share their solutions for seniors and users of all abilities with key players of the mobile accessibility eco-system. Email submissions to m-enablingdemos@g3ict.org. For more information, go to www.m-enabling.com. .
June 10 -12, 2014: Seventh session of the Conference of States Parties to
the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Official dates of the COP7 have been determined, with the session to be held the United
Nations Headquarters in New York. During this session, members of the CRPD Committee will be elected. The DESA Forum on Disability will be held in conjunction with the COP7.
June 16 – 18, 2014: International Conference on Universal Design in Lund, Sweden Universal design, design for all and inclusive design all aim at dismantling physical and social barriers to inclusion in all areas of life. This event will bring together a diverse group of practitioners and researchers in a broad conference that focuses on collectively exploring creative and desirable solution proposals that will shape the future of universal design products and practices. For further information please visit:
http://www.ud2014.se
July 12-15, 2014: International Summit on Accessibility in Ottawa, Canada Three primary streams will guide the conference proceedings:
innovation, technology and accessible communities. Speakers such as Paralympic medalist, innovator and leader, Rick Hansen, and accessible employment champion Randy Lewis will spark collaborative discussions. Expert speaker, communications strategist and designer, David Berman, and the European Commission’s Immaculada Placencia-Porrero, deputy head of unit, for Rights of Persons with Disabilities, will spark action toward accessible and inclusive communities.
For details see www.carleton.ca/accessibilitysummit/sponsorship-and-exhibits.
July 19 – 24, 2014: 16th Biennial Conference of International Society of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC) in Lisbon, Portugal For further information please see: https://www.isaac-online.org
June 22-25, 2015: International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics World Congress
ISPO International is pleased to announce that the guiding thematic for the ISPO 2015 World Congress will be “AIM - Assessment, Integration & Mobility”. AIM phrases ISPO’s drive on how to broaden and advance Prosthetic & Orthotic (P&O) services focused on the improvement of quality of life for users of P&O devices.
For more information: http://www.ispoint.org/news/ispo-2015-world-congress-
%E2%80%93-assessment-integration-mobility-aim
Employment Opportunities
Disability Rights Fund seeks Indonesia Grants Consultant
This consultancy position offers a unique opportunity to collaborate with a groundbreaking grantmaking initiative supporting the rights of persons with disabilities. The Grants Consultant will help the Disability Rights Fund (DRF) and its sister organization, the Disability Rights Advocacy Fund (DRAF), build relationships with current and prospective grantees in Indonesia. The main objectives of the position are to support DRF staff with expanding outreach at provincial levels, providing on-the-ground grantee communications and oversight, and reviewing and evaluating Bahasa-language grant applications. The Fund is looking for a candidate who is able to work in a fast paced environment, is flexible, takes initiative, and is independent, but team-oriented.
For more information, please visit: www.disabilityrightsfund.org and www.drafund.org
Plan Ireland is seeking a Disability Programme Coordinator
In 2012, the first ever Disability Inclusion Working Group was established by members of the Plan family, including Plan Ireland and Plan Finland, to promote greater and more
effective inclusion of Persons with Disabilities across Plan’s work. Initial activities included raising awareness within the organisation, facilitating learning and cooperation, developing tools and resources, supporting advocacy and facilitating research on disability such as the ‘Outside the Circle’ research in West Africa. The position of Disability Programme Coordinator will enhance the degree to which Plan includes people with disabilities in programming to improve the quality of life of vulnerable children.
For more information see www.plan.ie
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RI thanks Ms. Shira Arcus for her assistance in putting together the January-February issue of the RI e-Newsletter and for her continuing and consistent support to the RI Secretariat which is sincerely appreciated.
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We are pleased to announce that the RI headquarters office has moved to a new location. The address is:
41 Madison Avenue Office 3141
New York, NY 10010, U.S.A.
Tel. 1 (212) 420-1500 Fax: 1 (212) 505-0871
Please send all future communications to the above address.
We hope you enjoyed reading this issue of the RI Monthly Newsletter. Tell us about your activities and other stories so we can share it with RI members and the world.
Jan Arne Monsbakken
RI President Venus Ilagan
Secretary General
