12 December, 2010

Human Rights day in South Africa and psychosocial disability

By: Annie Robb

From the 9-10 December, in recognition of 62 anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Human Rights Institute of South Africa invited human rights defenders from all over South Africa and held a conference in Kliptown, Soweto where our historic Freedom Charter was signed in 1955 that stated the "South Africa belonged to all that lived in it". Ubuntu was invited to speak on disability and LGBTI issues.
There is an alarming increase in homophobia on the African continent with 4 countries having the death penalty and 29 countries were legislation makes it illegal and punishments vary from floggings to life imprisonment. In South Africa, violent corrective rapes of lesbians is common place and throughout the continent the LGBTI community suffer discrimination, harassment, violent assaults, murder and live with immense stigma. The situation is dire and we, as people living with psychosocial disabilities must speak out against this. Here is the text of my presentation to the Human Rights Defenders Forum: .

we celebrate the 62nd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, an international treaty that laid the foundation for a dream of a world founded upon human rights, mutual respect and dignity for all that lived on this planet. It came in the aftermath of a genocide that decimated millions and caused untold misery and suffering. Peoples’ inalienable rights were to be recognized. This was believed to lay the foundation of freedom, justice and peace.

Much of the African continent continues to be afflicted by persistent economic stagnation, mounting human misery and deep political instability. People who identify as LGBTI are under threat worldwide and face increasing homophobia in the form of violence, harassment, discrimination, exclusion, stigmatization and prejudice. Much of this can be described as the practice of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment. Arbitrary arrest or detention and deprivation of economic, social and cultural rights occurs. These prejudices are directed against persons in all countries simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This undermines the integrity and dignity of persons that identify as LGBTI.

We are all familiar with the Ugandan government’s attempt to introduce the death penalty for homosexuality. Another country on the continent of Africa who wishes to condemn to death people for simply loving one another and expressing their sexuality or choosing which gender to identify with. Currently in Sudan, Mauritania, in the north of Nigeria and Somalia you risk a death sentence for the “crime” of homosexuality.

Currently in Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe homosexuality carries judicial penalties and sanctions ranging from floggings to life, imprisonment. In the remaining few African countries homosexuality is legal but same sex unions are not recognized. On the continent of Africa, only South Africa can be said to have a Constitution and some legislation that allows people that identify as gay and lesbian to attempt to actualize the full enjoyment and freedom of their rights.

But even this is not enough. We know that many lesbians in SA live under threat of corrective rape, assault or death. They are stigmatized and marginalized by their communities.

I attended 48th Session of African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights last month in Banjul as a representative of the African Disability Partners. On my return I reported on the persecution and discrimination of the LGBTI communities and individuals on the African continent. I also further reported to our members that the Coalition for African Lesbians had been consistently denied observer status at the ACHPR for the past 3 sessions.

This troubled us deeply as we know that the common threads that bind us all as human beings is that we have diverse multiple identities, beliefs and practices. Many persons that identify as living with a disability also identify as lesbian or gay, may identify as black or white, Somali or Twa, maybe male, intersex or female, Moslem, Jewish, Christian, Pagan or Atheist. They could be regarded as an albino, a person accused of witchcraft, a trafficked woman, man or child, an asylum seeker, a refugee, a displaced person or a person living with HIV/AIDS or even leprosy. All of these marginalized groups may live with a disability too.

So, for people living with a disability we do realize that our freedom and rights are not guaranteed for as long as groups and people are devalued for what they are. Marginalization increases the risk of vulnerability to acts of discrimination and gross human rights violations. And people remain silent because they regard these people are not worthy of consideration.

In our deliberations, we were reminded of the words of Pastor Niemoller uttered in 1948, the year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the aftermath of World War 11:

“First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a communist. Then, the socialists, trade unionists, Jews and other groups. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me.”

We are especially mindful as people living with psychosocial disabilities of having entered the same gas chambers as millions of Jews, homosexuals and others that had become objects of persecution. We know that for as long as human rights violations are tolerated by the silence and inaction of others, it is a short step towards the amplification and further dehumanization of other groups and individuals that are not regarded as full citizens or despised.

Thus it was with great distress that we heard on the 16 November of the exclusion of “sexual orientation” in a Resolution of the United Nations.[1] Even shocking was that SA during the debate called for a definition of “sexual orientation” – a clear ploy to gerrymander the proceedings and give reason to exclude because the definition was unclear. This we find both embarrassing and disconcerting of our representatives considering that they represent a country where it is firmly entrenched as a concept. We were further appalled by the news that South Africa had voted to remove this clause.

Issues around sexual orientation and psychosocial disability can find commonalities and intersections. Both groups have had aspects of their being subject to a medical interpretation Psychiatry routinely pathologizes our sexuality with the level of our sex drive being a symptom of our illness, with value judgments of whether we are doing it too much or too little, with too many of maybe even inappropriate partners. Not adhering to heterosexist norms of gender identity, and wishing to choose one’s gender is still referred to as Gender Identity disorder and persons seeking gender realignment surgery know the power of psychiatrists in determining this choice. Your body and mind is medicalized and pathologized in this process. Homosexuality until 1973 was classified as mental illness, a disease, in the DSM 4, the bible of psychiatry. Many homosexuals were locked in psychiatric institutions to cure them of this “affliction”. Torture and cruel and inhumane treatments such as painful shock therapy are used in the name of aversion therapy in attempt to eliminate all feelings and attraction to the same sex. This is cruel and inhumane treatment .

What I would like to underline is that we believe that vulnerable marginalized groups must seek their commonalities and moments of intersections. We must strive for a marginalized consensus in civil society and examine ways in which we can identify and act in solidarity with one another.

We should also keep in mind that Disability rights are perceived as inoffensive and non-political. How better to promote human rights in situations where human rights of marginalized groups are an anathema. Promoting the UN CRPD could be a powerful mechanism that will spread the principles of universal rights.

We, as in this UN Convention, are committed to the universality, indivisibility, interdependence and interrelatedness of all human rights and fundamental freedoms. It is with this background we decided we would not remain silent about LGBTI matters. We would take action and not be silent. We forwarded the following submission to the SAHRC.

The submission to the SAHRC read as follows:

“It is with great concern we note that South Africa on the 16th November 2010 at the 3rd Committee of the United Nations General Assembly voted to remove sexual orientation from the resolution on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions.

Mentioning sexual orientation as a basis on which people are targeted for killing highlights the extreme vulnerability of persons identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered or intersexed (LGBTI). This is an issue extremely relevant to much of the African continent where persons identifying as LGBTI are often subject to discrimination, crimes such as corrective rapes, violence, torture and even death.

We would like to remind the SAHRC that the South African Constitution 1996 (9.3) guarantees against discrimination based on sexual orientation and that you are mandated and obligated to ensure that the rights of all those that live in South Africa are protected. As persons living with psychosocial disabilities who include members that identify as LGBTI, we would like to highlight that South Africa has signed and ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2007 that clearly reaffirms South Africa’s commitment to the universality, indivisibility, interdependence and interrelatedness of all human rights and fundamental freedoms. Furthermore, it recalls the Charter of the United Nations that recognizes the inherent dignity and worth and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.

Thus, we urge the SAHRC to uphold the Paris Principles and speak out strongly against this decision of the South African government, to issue a statement condemning this decision and to clearly reaffirm the principles of our Constitution that guarantee freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation.

We urge you to recognize the inherent risk of the psychosocial trauma resulting from discriminatory practices. The message conveyed by the South African government by voting for the elimination of sexual orientation in this resolution in our opinion increases vulnerability, social isolation and exclusion of the LGBTI persons in Africa and thus exposes them to further emotional and physical violence. We interpret this as the blatant disregard and the violation of the inherent dignity of all those that identify with the LGBTI community in South Africa.”

End………….

We approached the South African Human Rights Commission with our concerns as we regard them as the custodians of our Constitution, a constitution that should never have allowed our Government representatives to have committed this act. With the ongoing killing and persecution of gay and lesbian persons on the Continent of African and many other parts of the world, it is necessary that “sexual orientation” is particularized in a United Nations Resolution that deals with this very subject.

It must have been common knowledge of our government representatives of the recent intensification of homophobia both here in South Africa. , as witnessed by the ongoing corrective rapes of lesbian women in SA, and continentally. A well publicized local campaign both by civil society and in the media was launched to oppose the Ugandan government from introducing the death penalty for those accused of homosexuality. Also, the recent Malawian sentencing of a married couple simply because of their love for one another. And especially Zimbabwe’s continued violent harassment of the gay community that has resulted in many gay Zimbabweans seeking refuge in South Africa. This has all been widely reported in the South African media.

So, we as Ubuntu expect that the SA government takes the concerns of civil society seriously. Some Civil Society organizations, under the leadership of Zackie Achmat has drafted a letter[2] to the South African Government that demands an apology and the recall of the SA representatives to apologize to South Africa for their actions. Beyond these expectations, Ubuntu believes that the SAHRC has the power to support civil society and the LGBTI community in the restoration of their dignity by issuing a statement that clearly articulates the affirmation of the right not to be discriminated against based on sexual orientation and a comment on the actions of the South African Government.

The SA representatives at the UN must have baffled the world by and given the international community reasons for alternating between hope and discouragement of the status of human rights in Africa. They acted unconstitutionally in the eyes of the SA public and all those in the world that defend and uphold human rights. South Africa is obliged to “respect, protect, promote and fulfill” the rights in the Bill of Rights which clearly outlaws discrimination based on sexual orientation. Accordingly, the vote was unconstitutional and invalid in our law under section 2 of the Constitution. The courts in this country have the power to declare that this is so and to order the government to bring its policy informing the vote into line with section 7(2) and 9(3) of the Bill of Rights.

The options exist to litigate. Government of the Republic of South Africa would be the only Respondent in the application – they can decide among themselves who should take the blame for the decision to vote so offensively and unconstitutionally at the UN. We could consider replicating the complaint to the Office of the Public Protector. A parliamentarian our circle could also motivate a question in parliament aimed at exposing the unconstitutionality of the vote in the UN.

But we should not have to litigate around this. Civil society in concert with SAHRC should call the government to account for their action. But maybe we need to question and lobby around policies that inform how our foreign representatives behave in other countries. We should not forget the shenanigans around the issuing of a visa to the Dalai Lama and the behavior of our consular staff in India. But more importantly, LGBTI and Disability organizations should be joined by all sectors that represent diverse groupings and human rights issues and form a consensus and act in concert in issues of concern. For example, persons living with Albinism on the continent are also subject to persecution and death and intense stigma and discrimination. We regard their congenital condition that places barriers to their full enjoyment of life as a disability. They could greatly benefit from the protection of the CRPD afforded persons with disabilities. We should no longer operate in Silo’s and we need to find common ground. This will strengthen civil society and may snowball into meaningful change towards instilling a culture of human rights.

And
Just like, we persons with psychosocial disabilities will not be guaranteed all our rights until all discrimination is challenged, so too must SA actively engage in the promotion and protection of human rights on the continent. The aims and objectives of implementing universal human rights on the continent is SA’s responsibility as well. Our human rights here in SA cannot thrive and prosper while many countries in Africa face continued economic stagnation, mounting human misery and deep political instability. Development is dependent on a human rights framework.

The SAHRC could be one of the significant vehicles towards this social transformation to justice and the instilling of a culture of human rights on the African Continent. This is especially relevant as human rights defenders in many parts of Africa are coming under increased persecution, silencing, imprisonment and death. Country leaders in Africa are even known to expel UN representatives[3] when they speak out as when on 15 February 2010, UNICEF representative was declared persona non grata in Gambia and given 24 hours to leave the country because she dared to stand by a UNICEF report documenting child trafficking in Gambia and many other gross violations of human rights in Gambia. We need a strong and robust network of African Human Rights Institutions to challenge these violations and we look to you, the SAHRC with your international standing and credibility to lead when you soon assume the chair.

To sum up, we believe that:
In Africa, in the coming decades, our humanity will be judged by the measures taken to promote and protect the rights of those who are most socially isolated, suffering and are persecuted,

And

that for human rights to flourish and be actualized, we must urgently address the current violations and discrimination suffered by those marginalized groups evidenced by the current rising tide of homophobia in Africa and ongoing killings of Albino persons,


[1] http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/gashc3997.doc.htm
[2] http://writingrights.org/2010/11/24/sign-open-protest-letter-government-violates-constitution-at-un/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook
[3] http://www.thegambiaecho.com/Homepage/tabid/36/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/1826/Default.aspx



Annie Robb
+27 (0) 72 044 1024
theubuntucentre@gmail.com
http://ubuntucentre.wordpress.com/

Young with disability - ones can become assets and not liabilities

By: Chowdhury Md. Usman Ahmmady

"ASMA, mildly handicapped with a behavioral disorder reading in class one for two years and her younger sister Salma in class three were left in my hand while their mother went to a nearby shop for milk. At first, Asma had a shy look. But after a while she started beating her younger sister. I tickled her to change her mood to laughing, but she got scared, an opposite reaction to such an extent that she was very angry. Her mom saw that and beat her up badly breaking down in tears", said her next door neighbour.

This kind of negative punishment in response to an embarrassing situation created by Asmas is the outcome of overreaction from the frustration by the parents. It is said that more than two-thirds of families with disabled children feel that their issues are neglected and unaccepted by the local community. Their hopelessness spares no room for their disabled children to lead normal lives.

According to the recent report of UN Development Program, crrently there are in total about 650 million people living with disability, which is 10 per cent of the world's population whereas World Bank says that the percentage is double in the poor and developing countries. Regretfully, we don't have any national data on the actual number of the disabled. If we take the estimation of World Bank, the number of disabled persons in Bangladesh is 32 million, which is equivalent to the number of children living in UK.

As per the total quantity and categories of the disabled people in Bangladesh, approximately 28% are physically disabled, 32% visually handicapped, 22% deaf-mutely impaired, 7% mentally retarded, and 11% multiply handicapped, says Action on Disability and Development.

Bangladesh is still fighting with poverty. Poor and illiterate parents don't even know that education is the birthright for their child. Access Bangladesh Foundation claims that presently 1.6 million disabled children are deprived of education in the country. As 1 in 5 people are living on less than a USD a day, how can they support their disabled child's growth and development? They often take them to the street to start their life in the profitable business of begging showing the handicapped part of their child.

There are 78 government-run special schools, only about 1500 are being taught, out of which 69 schools are for visually handicapped, and seven for deaf-mute children, one for intellectually retarded and only one for training and rehabilitation. In addition to government's inadequate effort, about 15000 children are under the educational programme of around 400 NGOs, says USAID report on "Assessment of educational needs of disabled children in Bangladesh".

To achieve the Millennium Development Goal of Universal Primary Education and the goal of education for all children by 2015, the government has urged all educational institutions to take immediate inclusive educational strategies for at least mildly disabled students. But most of the time, the disabled children face institutional discriminations before and after getting admission. And Rajibs are the victims.

Rajib diagnosed with mental disability is the only son of an army personnel and one of the luckiest to manage a mainstream school. But his intellectual disability, lower communicative competence and stubborn behavioral activities left him with no choice but to leave the school for good and his father has to go on keep changing his schools for the same class for 3 years with no fruitful outcome.

The discriminatory mindset of the school authorities remains unchanged. In fact, "inability to learn" is often confused with "stubbornness". If proper training and supports are available, perhaps they could learn and perform near a normal child.

So, inclusive education is regarded as the most effective means of combating discriminatory attitudes. Besides, the class room teaching should be student-centred, not teacher centred, where the child starts working designing next steps.

To ensure that children with disabilities can attend mainstream schools, the government should provide them with an allocation of reserved seats, apposite growth-based curriculum, skilled teachers, special teaching equipments, and other needful resources.

The present government is giving much attention to the most discriminatory concern for the most disadvantaged section by proper implementation of the Disability Welfare Act 2001 with ensuring equal rights of persons with disability. In FY 09-10 government earmarked TK 636 crore as insolvent disable allowance, reports Bangladesh Economic Review 2010. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina strictly ordered the concerned government officials to implement the 10% quota system to provide jobs for the disabled this year. Nursing training, technical training centers, Healthcare Aid Center, special schools, sports centres would be in place soon, she added.

The disabled are not a social burden. They can prove themselves to be gifted with their excellence. Their success can comment on our compassion, on our willingness to invest in the notion of growth, education, equity. They just need support and care. Since 1995 to date, they have achieved 45 gold, 28 silver, and 28 bronze medals in the Special Olympics World Summer Games.

Consider the story of Ali Hossain who fought for victory in his life and became proud to get chance in the Kha Unit of Dhaka University entrance exam last week. As the first visually handicapped student, he secured GPA-5 in his Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exam in Bangladesh.

Social disparity is the greatest barrier for the development of the disabled. Ali Hossain is one of the exceptions who became privileged enough to break social barriers.

The electronic and print media along with NGOs should come up with different mass awareness programmes to change the non-cooperative attitude towards disabled people. Even we can put more emphasis on creating awareness by providing chapters on disability in the text books. This will help normal children to feel sympathetic towards such less able children, resulting in the fruitful implementation of inclusive education system.

Persons with disability are not the social curse. Rather they are the gifts from God. Whenever we change our attitude towards the disabled people, thousands of the disabled like Asma, and Rajib would be able to play vital role in the development of the country.



The writer can be reached at jamdani85@yahoo.com

09 December, 2010

Disability Rights in India

Have you ever traveled alone in a bus? In a train? Have you ever read a book? Or browsed through several websites? Did you ever have the misfortune of using a public toilet in India? Can you get a driving license if you pass the set test? Do you get to choose where you want to work, so long as you fit the requirements of your chosen job? Do you think that most people reading this article would answer most of the above questions in the affirmative? Over 70 million people with disabilities in India will not.

Having a ‘disability’ puts a person in the largest minority in the world. A minority that has been denied its rights for years on end, with no justification whatsoever. Oh, wait! A 2007 study by the World Bankshows that an overwhelming majority of Indians consider disabilities to be a result of Karma or a curse of God and, therefore, ostracise people with disabilities. I believe that if you consider that to be a good enough justification, you are committing bad Karma. Beware.

Then there is another set of enlightened people. The charity folk. The ones who ‘give’ persons with disabilities what they need. Well, some food, a place to stay, clothing – that’s about it they require, right? If someone came to you and said, “Look, you’re disabled according to a number of us and so we’ve decided to take you on as our pet project. We’ll give you food, drink, a room in some institution and clothes as per requirement. Be happy, alright?” would you be happy? Would you agree to spend your life according to what others believe you require?

When we talk of women’s rights, do we consider women with disabilities? When the government publishes something for its people, is it published for all Indian citizens? When we design a building, do we ensure that everyone can get in? Is our public transport system really public? Are all jobs open for all people with the requisite qualifications? Well. NO. We discount a sizable population. Every single time.

It’s time we did a rethink. What is a disability? If you knew nothing about mathematics and were shoved into a room full of mathematicians who refused to talk about anything but math, wouldn’t you be disabled in conversation? If you were forced to study in Braille, wouldn’t you be disabled? Are you the person creating the disability or is the circumstance such that you find yourself disabled? Is it you, or is it your surrounding? It’s not the fault of a person who has to use a wheelchair that he can’t enter a building, it’s the fault of those who built it such that a person using a wheelchair can’t enter.

Which brings one to a pertinent question: on what grounds can a person with disabilities be denied access? If every child has a right to education, then why don’t educational institutions allow universal access? If a person has made it through an interview then how can he be denied a job on the grounds that he requires matter to be printed in larger font size or requires a screen reader? On what grounds can you deny a people with disabilities the right to use a public toilet without aid? What right do you have to publish books in a manner that actively denies all those who’re unable to read normal printed books the chance to peruse them? It’s a simple answer. We haven’t the right to deny access.
I believe it’s time we realized that pity isn’t an answer. Nobody wants pity. Give the 70 million people in India their rights. Else, remember the bad Karma threat.

Blogger Comments: Such situation prevails in whole developing world especially in South Asia

15 September, 2010

Claiming disability rights Justice has to come to the fore

In the academy award winning movie Slumdog Millionaire, criminals are shown inflicting physical disabilities on the abducted or homeless children to make them work as beggars. The fate of persons with disabilities often leads them to the streets and temples with no options but to beg for a living. This cruel and unjust traditional practice of disowning, chastising and marginalizing people for physical and mental conditions they did not choose to acquire will continue unless the disabled people empower themselves by knowing and claiming their rights. It is for everybody else to show solidarity, to recognize and respect the rights of the disabled people, and to create an enabling environment for people with disabilities to assert their rights with dignity and autonomy. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) endorses persons with disabilities with powerful rights. The Convention is an instrument of the United Nations (UN) geared toward protecting the rights and dignity of disabled people throughout the world. Some of the principles of the Convention include non-discrimination, full and active participation and inclusion in society, equality of opportunity, accessibility and equality between men and women. In addition, one of the general obligations of signing the CRPD is modification or abolishment of existing laws, regulations, customs and practices that are sources of discrimination against persons with disabilities. National level strategies driven by both governmental and non-governmental actors is required to create an enabling environment for disabled people to be aware of and assert their rights.

Although Nepal is one of the countries that have signed the CRDP in 2008 and recently ratified it, international conventions by themselves may not have the force of law unless the national legislature is amended to reflect those commitments. Even if discrimination is prohibited in the constitution or via other legal provisions, unless the laws are enacted and monitored, they become useless. It should be a concern for current lawmakers that international organizations repeatedly underscore Nepal’s lack of data on disabled people as well as ineffective implementation of existing legislation and programs. The data on persons with disabilities in both national and international levels are scarce and unreliable. Going by the World Health Organization (WHO) estimation of 10 percent of the world population suffering from some forms of disabilities, about 3 million people with some forms of disabilities should be living in Nepal.

The initial step is to ensure that people with disabilities, however severe, know their rights. Access to information and education, through parents, family members, teachers, friends and relatives and the mass media must be ensured. Developing critical consciousness, to borrow Paulo Freire’s concept, is imperative if disabled people are to overcome the age-old discrimination and repression, and to demand equality in terms of employment, education and participation. Increasing awareness among lawmakers, national and local leaders, planners, social activists and the general population about disability rights is important if we are to actuate the process of making what was readily signed on paper a reality in the ground.

The CRDP clearly defines employment as one of the fundamental rights of disabled people. As long as the government does not provide incentives to private sector businesses or impose quotas, people with disabilities who want to be employed will continue to find jobs out of their reach.

The process of organizing the disabled population will enhance their visibility and voice. When disabled people organize themselves, they are better equipped to demand change and advocate for their own rights.

Existing human rights organizations can play a catalytic role in facilitating the organization of people with disabilities from all walks of life. Building capacity of leaders and activists in promoting disability rights is essential to bridge the gap between international standards and its application on the ground. Capacity building exercises can include granting material and funds, training and development, and supporting collaboration with other organizations.

Local leaders must begin to recognize persons with disabilities as citizens with rights as everyone else and local communities be accommodating of their difference. Visibility of disabled people in the media, not as exceptions making news but as a norm will help this group secure its rightful position in the society.

Although at least ten percent of the population is affected by some form of disability, the disabled population is not proportionately represented in the media. It is unfortunate that government action in Nepal is now becoming possible only if groups exert pressure, especially in the forms of strikes and other desperate measures.

Scattered and hardly visible, the disabled people need better information, organization, visibility and voice to lay claims on rights they already have.

22 July, 2010

San Diego Business - San Diego Nonprofit Manages Workplace Disability



DMEC helps companies get people back to work
By Eilene Zimmerman
Posted on Thu, Jul 22nd, 2010
Last updated Tue, Jul 20th, 2010
PHOTO CAPTION: Marcia Curruthers, CEO of the Disability Management Employer Coalition
New research from the San Diego-based Disability Management Employer Coalition shows that more and more companies are taking an interest in something known as “behavioral risk management.”
Marcia Carruthers.
Courtesy photo
It’s a term coined by DMEC’s president Marcia Carruthers and it is, basically, the things companies can do to lower the number of people who take time off because of disability (from injuries both at work and outside of work) and, for those that do take leave, getting those employees back to work sooner. It’s also a way to manage risk—the risk that certain employees are likely to miss more days on the job than others and stay out longer, because their disability problems aren’t resolved as quickly as they could be. That's because many times what appears to be a physical problem is, at least partly, psychological.
Carruthers says research shows that upwards of 60-70 percent of back claims, for example, a common injury that often results in an extended absence from work, have an underlying psychological component.
“Claims that come in as back problems or a cardiac problem, often it helps to look and see if there’s something else going on with the employee,” she says. “Depression, for example.”
As a nonprofit, the DMEC provides strategies and resources to help companies improve the productivity of their workers. Its recent survey looked at best practices of 114 employers nationwide, with regard to their behavioral risk management. Carruthers says her organization learned that almost all companies believe they need to put into place strategies, programs or practices to help with disability claims. But they also found that there are many barriers to getting employees to look at what might be behind their extended claim of disability. Are they really taking a long time to heal from a workplace injury, or is it that they are stressed and anxious because of a troubled teen at home, the care of an aging parent or marital problems—all of which can make it hard to face work again.
One strategy companies can put in place is to have everyone out on disability see a mental health counselor—just to make sure there isn’t an underlying mental health component to their physical problems.
“The awareness of this is growing,” says Carruthers. “Three-quarters of upper management we surveyed were aware they need to pay attention to this. Although right now it’s hard to implement new practice that will cost money, because of the recession. And the irony in that is that people are more stressed than ever now, so there is more need for this than ever before.”
Having workers out of the office on disability leave—whether it’s related to a workplace injury or otherwise—can really affect a company’s bottom line. Workers out frequently have higher medical costs and use more medical care than other workers. In addition to the productivity loss that comes from their absence, there’s also the problem of workers who are at work, but can’t function well and aren’t as productive as they could be.
“These are poor performers, and they are often difficult to deal with,” says Carruthers. “Several medical associations have come out and said work is curative, so it’s actually important for people’s well-being to get back to work.”
DMEC’s annual international conference will be held here from August 1-4.
Business SectorEmployment
KeywordsSan Diego Business Disability Management DMEC

Eilene Zimmerman
About the author: Eilene Zimmerman is a journalist based in San Diego who writes about a variety of topics, including business, social and political issues and family life. Her work has been published in national magazines and newspapers including The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Christian Science Monitor, FORTUNE Small Business, CNNMoney.com, CBS MoneyWatch.com, Wired, Harper’s, Salon.com, Slate.com, Psychology Today and others. She blogs at www.trueslant.com. More by this author

20 July, 2010

Voice of Heart - Importance of Personal Attendent

Letter to my dear friend:

Thank you from the depths of my heart for the help you have given me. During one of my darkest moments, you were there reassuring me. When I was most frightened, you figured out what needed to be done and did it. When I just couldn't manage, you found a solution.

You offered your time, love, energy and even your money to help me with my transition learning to be a person with a disability. I will always love you for all of your help.

Now I have a favor to ask. You've taken it a little too far. I need you to stop, breathe and realize that I will be okay.

I know you are worried about me. You've watched my physical condition deteriorate. You worry about whether I will be okay, about how I feel, and about what will happen to me. I've reached a point with my MS that I'm pretty sure I'll be okay. I need you to reach the point that you realize I will be okay. Even if I never walk again, I will be okay. Even if I keep spasming, I will be okay. Even if I frequently experience pain, I will be okay. I will be okay because I still have a life to live. I fully intend to live it.

This is what I need from you. When I tell you I've started an exciting new project, something that speaks to my heart but also will take some time and energy, please don't respond to me with worry. When I say, “I'm so excited I've started this project!” I want you to say, “I am so excited for you!” I don't want you to say “Are you sure you should be doing this? Are you sure you are going to be okay?”

Even if you don't actually say these words, but I can see your concern and worry in your eyes and hear it in your voice, you are telling me to stop living my life. You are telling me to quit living and sit out. I need your encouragement to live my life.

When we go out into the world together, I don't want you to go as my helper. I want you to go as my friend. I want you to laugh with me, smell the flowers with me, and be silly with me. Please don't come with me as my helper, always looking to help me with whatever I might need, always worrying about something going wrong and ready to save the day. If you do that, I know you don't see me as a friend anymore. You just see me as my disability, an obligation, a bother, a responsibility.

I might need help every now and then. If I do, I'll let you know. I just ask you help me quickly, and then let's set that aside. Please just be my friend again and laugh, dance and be silly with me. I need you to pretend I don't have a disability. Sometimes we have to acknowledge my disability, deal with it and work around it. Please, please don't get stuck in that.

Sometimes we can ignore my disability. I can just be me, you can just be you and we can be friends again. Inside of this body that doesn't work so well, I'm still me. Look in my eyes and you will find me inside of here. That's who I want you to talk to and play with.

I'm still me.


Note to reader: substitute “family member” for “friend” as appropriate.
 
Writer of this article is Ms. Sandy Lahmann, published at Summit Daily News

17 July, 2010

Bangladesh: 50 Percent Children with Disabilities sexually abused - Recent Study

Nearly 50 percent of country's disabled children reportedly fall victims of sexual abuse with 91.1 percent of them by their family members or close relatives, according to a recent study.

The study also confirmed that some 38.38 percent of the disabled children were sexually abused in absence of knowledge about body language. 

Bangladesh Protibondhi Foundation (BPF) and Save the Children Sweden-Denmark jointly conducted the study that showed the barbaric scenario about the condition of disabled children in Bangladesh.

During the six-month long study from October 2009 to March 2010, the parents of 216 disabled children (aged 7-18) were interviewed in six divisional headquarters - Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Barisal, Khulna and Sylhet - categorizing the disabled children as intellectually impaired, visually impaired, hearing impaired and physically impaired. 

The researchers also collected data from some 535 adult disabled people, their family members, teachers and NGO workers. 

The study reveals that most of the sexual offenders were male. Even teachers and therapists were found to be guilty in many cases. Of the victims of sexual abuse, 52 percent were girls and 48 percent boys - aged between 7 and 18 years.

According to the study, the rate of sexual abuse is even worse in case of mentally disabled children (intellectually impaired) due to their inability to express themselves or understanding the intention of the offender.

The study recommends increasing self-protection ability of the children with disability as well as making the concept of sexual abuse clear through specially designed counseling.

It also recommended counseling for the family members on how to better handle the issue and 

undertaking capacity building programmes for the NGO workers to address the problem.

Senior Researcher Dr Selim Chowdhury told UNB that parents of the victims are not willing to go for legal action as the disabled children cannot express them properly.

He stressed the need for involving physicians and psychologists to help realize the disable children's body language in getting justice.

Dr Chowdhury, a psychologist, said: "We seem to have no concern about the sexuality of a disabled child. When a disabled child becomes adolescent, he or she has some biological needs. So, they should be trained in this regard." 

He said the abuse happens due to the fact that the understanding of personal body parts, personal security and sexual abuse is unclear to the physically and mentally impaired children and to their family members.

"There is no adequate support, tools and structure in both public and private sectors to address the problems of disabled children in the country."

Dr Chowdhury suggested the authorities concerned to reserve ten percent seats in shelter homes for the victimized disabled children.

Referring to the sufferings of the disabled children living in rural areas, he feared that the scenario of sexual abuse of disabled children will be much worse in rural areas than in urban areas, as there is none to specifically look after the disabled children outside Dhaka.

Selina Ahmed, director of child protection, Save the Children Sweden-Denmark, said that the disabled children are exposed to a higher risk of sexual harassment because they cannot protect themselves. 

She said intellectually impaired children are more harassed than other disabled children because they do not understand the difference between good touch and bad touch.

"As the disabled children could not identify the relationship status properly, the offenders take advantage of this." 

Selina Ahmed noted that there is no specialized organization in both public and private sectors in Bangladesh to provide legal support to the sexually abused children.

She stressed creating awareness among the people to address the longstanding problem. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), persons with disability constitute about 10 percent of the country's total population.

There were nearly 12 million disabled people in the country, according to the 2001 census.

She said intellectually impaired children are more harassed than other disabled children because they do not understand the difference between good touch and bad touch.

"As the disabled children could not identify the relationship status properly, the offenders take advantage of this." 

Selina Ahmed noted that there is no specialized organization in both public and private sectors in Bangladesh to provide legal support to the sexually abused children.

She stressed creating awareness among the people to address the longstanding problem. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), persons with disability constitute about 10 percent of the country's total population.

There were nearly 12 million disabled people in the country, according to the 2001 census.

15 June, 2010

Inaccessible Pedestrian Environment in Delhi, India



Shivani Gupta
Director, AccessAbility

http://accessability.co.in




In the flurry of preparing Delhi for the upcoming Commonwealth Games, Delhi has been revamped. There is the new BRT Corridor, the low floor buses, huge overhead bridges, accessible pathways and the swanky metro. All of these have accessibility incorporated in them. I should feel fortunate being a wheelchair user that now public transport and the pedestrian environments is accessible to me. But the unfortunate reality is that none of these so called accessible facilities are really accessible to the disabled and hence have not brought the desired mobility. Money is being spent in the name of accessibility but what we have really got are ‘teasers’. ‘Teasers’ being my way of describing facilities that are signposted as being accessible but are not usable by disabled people in reality.

Usability is the first and the basic requirement of accessibility and it is here that all these fail. Usability goes beyond blindly putting on ground accessibility standards, it is about how a user will actually interface with the given service/facility/infrastructure etc. it may also vary based on the social context, therefore what may be a working design in a developed country may not be so in a developing country. To increase usability is also the crux of Universal Design.

Just yesterday I went out on my wheelchair and thought of crossing to the other side from the overhead foot bridges that have been built all over Delhi. The bridge is about seven meters high with a ramp 89 meters long of 1:12 gradient to get onto the bridge and the same ramp on the opposite side.

In India most people will say “arre there is a ramp na to get on and off the bridge and that to of1:12 gradient, then what more do you want?” What they fail to see is that a wheelchair user will need to wheel two hundred meters, that too up and down a ramp to cross just a 10 meter wide road. So its 10 meters verses 200 meters.

Major Design Flaws:

  • To provide a ramp to negotiate a level difference of more than 3 meters is impractical and not usable by the disabled and here it is more than double that height.
  • A ramp to negotiate a level difference of more than 3 meters must have a gradient no more than 1:18 here the gradient is 1:12
  • Landings must be provided after every five meters, here landing is provided after 40 meters. 
I am sure even athletes using wheelchairs will find negotiating this ramp difficult!

Here I will also like to point out that accessible parking is demanded & provided closest to the entrance to ensure that disabled car drivers and passengers do not need to walk extra, but when it comes to pedestrian environments adding 200 meters to the journey is reasonable. Why this disparity?

A resent press release by the Delhi metro said that there ‘Delhi Metro provides wheel chair facility to old and physically challenged commuters at all Metro stations. On an average, 149 physically challenged people and 78 blind commuters use the Metro system daily’ and ‘On an average, it is carrying about 800,000 commuters everyday.’ Just taking the figures published by them it is easy to calculate that there are only 0.02% people with disabilities who use this so called ‘accessible transport system’ to travel.

The pavements in Delhi are been refurbished and most with tactile guidance and ramps at the beginning and end. The amazing part is that the guidance breaks whenever there is an obstacle in the path like trees, poles etc., hence ensuring people with blindness bang into them and majority of the ramps are blocked by bollards, through which a wheelchair cannot pass.

I wonder when will people with disabilities stop compromising and accepting shoddy solutions to improve access. The UNCRPD talks about ‘Persons with disabilities to have access, on an equal basis with others’ its time we demanded it.