Regional Workshop on Disability and Development
ADB Headquarters, Manila, Philippines, 2-4 October 2002
Post Workshop Statement
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On 2-4 October 2002, the Regional Workshop on Disability and Development was held at the ADB Headquarters, in Manila, Philippines. High level representatives from the governments, regional development agencies, international disabled persons organizations (DPOs) and persons with disability participated in the workshop.
The participants discussed disability issues within the region. To assist people with disabilities integrate in society, the workshop recommendations focused on the following areas:
- Inclusion: People with disabilities must be visible. National censuses and surveys need strengthening to properly report disabilities in national statistics. Disability issues should be incorporated into the activities of government departments and international organizations. Public awareness campaigns should be conducted targeted to raise the profile of disability issues.
- Participation: People with disabilities must have a 'voice'. Dialogue should be strengthened between governments and disabled people's organizations (DPOs) - "Nothing about us without us", DPOs should be adequately represented in decision-making - their advocacy role has been essential for mainstreaming disability issues in public policy.
- Access: Removing barriers is essential for people with disabilities. Governments and donors or agencies should mainstream the use of universal design guidelines to ensure barrier free environments and establish an enabling environment for persons with disabilities. Also, ensuring access to interventions to prevent the causes of disabilities should be made accessible to all.
- Quality: People with disabilities deserve quality of life and dignity. Disabled people deserve the same rights and quality of services as any other citizen in any country of the world, as universally accepted under the UN Charter of Human Rights.
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This workshop is geared towards identifying issues and developing solutions for the disabled in the Asia and Pacific Region.
- Providing a forum for government, ADB, Disability Organizations, UN Agencies and donor agencies to identify needs and discuss disability issues related to the region
- Developing recommendations to include disability issues in development work
- Developing a coordinated partnerships approach to galvanize action to address disability issues in the region
- Promoting the development of a cross-cutting, intersectoral network related to disability issues within the Region
- Short term and long term goals for including disability issues in development work
- Regional action plan to address disability issues with its poverty reduction strategy
- Reports on mainstreaming disability issues into development policies
- Recommendations to the ADB based on workshop findings
- These issues were addressed in the workshop:
- Rehabilitation strategies which maximize the functional capabilities of people with disabilities
- Inclusion and empowerment strategies which facilitate their active participation in communities and economies
- Architectural and design strategies that remove and prevent unnecessary barriers to built environments
- Adoption of affirmative strategies to include people with disabilities in mainstream, educational, vocational, political and cultural activities
- Support for and constructive engagement with disabled people's organizations
- Strategies for the provision of cost-effective assistive technologies
- Identification and development on cross-cutting issues such as sustainability, short and long-term goals: coordination; building inter-sectoral partnerships; mainstreaming disability issues into development policies.
- Workshops comprised of keynote addresses, panel presentations, workshop groups and the presentation of reports.
Participants were invited from:
- Government Officials
- Multilateral Development Bank
- Disability Organizations
- United Nations Agencies
- Other Donor Agencies
View the list of participants.
- Eita Yashiro, Senator, Japanese Government; former World Council member of Disabled Peoples' International (DPI); Vice-chairperson of DPI, Asia-Pacific
- R. S. Zelius, ADB
- Brahm Prakash, ADB
- Judy Heumann, Disability advisor for the World Bank;
- Isabel Ortiz, ADB
- Debra Perry, ILO
- Hildegun Olsen, UNESCO
- Judy Wee, Singapore
- Venus Ilagan, Disabled People's International
- Akiie Ninomiya, JICA
- Yutaka Takamine, ESCAP
- Barbara Murray, ILO
- J.B. Munro, Inclusion International
- Kua Cheng Hock, World Blind Union
- Eiichi Takada, Japanese Federation of the Deaf
- R. Matsui, Rehabilitation International
- Md. Abdus Satter Dulal, Bangladesh Protibandhi Kallyan Somity
- Lorna Jean Edmonds, International Centre for Advancement of Community-Based Rehabilitation
Isabel Ortiz
Senior Social Economist
Asian Development Bank
Emilie Ballares
Workshop Secretariat
Asian Development Bank
Phone: + 632 632 4444
Fax: + 632 636 2444
Email: DisabilityWorkshop@adb.org |
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