BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES IN INDIA: Promoting the Right to Health and Employment

 In partnership with RI member Shanta Memorial Rehabilitation Centre (SMRC) and with the generous contribution of the Austrian Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs RI has been working in India since 2007 for the inclusion of women with disabilities into all social, political and economic development. The goal of this project is to build knowledge on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and create self advocates, to generate economic empowerment through vocational training and microenterprise, and to promote the right to health and basic health care practices among women with disabilities. This project is currently being undertaken in the four rural/indigenous Indian States of Orissa, Chhatisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.

 The project has assisted women with disabilities in India by 1) providing them with advocacy and leadership training; 2) conducting a needs assessments and skills training in the area of information and communications technology (ICT); 3) assisting them in obtaining loans and implementing initiatives under a Government micro-credit program that includes health micro-insurance; 4) integrating the women with disabilities into community structures through their participation in village self-help groups; 5) creating a virtual network in each state among women with disabilities to exchange information on health issues; and 6) promoting access to the Government’s Reproductive Health Care program through inclusion in health awareness programs.

   Women sell their goods at the market

 

   Women undergoing training

   Goods produced by the women

  Interviews

 

 

Global Advocacy Campaign (GAC)

Through this campaign RI works with its members and partners to build the capacity of disabled persons’ organizations, civil society organizations, parliamentarians, government officials, the legal community and other key stakeholders on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), as well as on how to work together and advocate for greater implementation of the CRPD worldwide.

The GAC facilitates greater global ratification and implementation of the CRPD through the following three step approach:

1. Information: Creating and disseminating resources on the CRPD and implementation; documenting good practices; conducting trainings; producing publications and newsletters; issuing press releases; and facilitating collaboration by creating common campaign platforms.

2. Advocacy: Promoting disability rights and inclusion as well as implementation on the global and regional level through advocacy and outreach to multilateral institutions, participation at the United Nations, and through mobilization of RI’s global membership network. Advocacy campaigns entailing letter writing, outreach strategies, promotion of self advocates and targeted petitioning methods are used throughout the campaign.

3. Reform: Conducting national level research and preparing recommendations on disability legislation, especially those laws related to access to justice and legal capacity, in order to facilitate brining national law in line with the CRPD. In addition, national conference, workshops, and trainings are held to promote the recommendations and develop a unified plan of action for greater implementation, monitoring and enforcement of the CRPD.

 National Conference in Mexico City, Mexico

 Group work activities in Costa Rica

 

RAISING THE VOICE OF THE AFRICAN DECADE OF THE DISABLED PERSONS:
Training Emerging Leaders in the Disability Community, Promoting Disability Rights and Developing HIV/AIDS Awareness and Prevention Programs for Adolescents and Young Adults with Disabilities in Africa

With the financial support of the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) RI, in partnership with the Disabled Organisation for Legal Affairs and Social Economic Development (DOLASED), Miracles in Mozambique (MIM) and Prof. Nora Groce of Yale University, carried out this proejct on HIV/AIDS, leadership and human rights education targeting adolescents and young adults with disabilities in Tanzania and Mozambique. The project produced three main outputs:

• increased enjoyment of disability rights for the full participation, equality and empowerment of persons with disabilities in Africa through more inclusive national legislation and partnerships among key actors;
• disability rights and HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention education materials and training manuels in accessible formats designed for adolescents and young adults with disabilities in Africa, with special emphasis on young women with disabilities; and
• disability rights and HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention training model for emerging adult leaders from the disability community and for HIV/AIDS outreach workers.

The main goal of this project was to build the capacity of emerging leaders from the disability community and of HIV/AIDS outreach workers in Tanzania and Mozambique through the development of aceesible educaitonal and training materials on disability rights and HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. Emphasis was placed on disability-specific human rights issues, as well as HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention materials that address the particular needs of adolescents and young adults with disabilities. The  primary beneficiaries of this project were adolescents and young adults with disabilities (ages 12 – 30) of both genders, collaborating HIV/AIDS outreach workers and emerging adult leaders from disability community in Tanzania and Mozambique. There was a particular focus on ensuring that at least 50% of participants in all activities were young women.

 Young leaders from the disability community

“It is high time for mainstream HIV/AIDS organisation like UMATI to mainstream disability issues and include persons with disabilities in their core functions and programmes.  All people – disabled and non disabled -  need to have access to information on HIV/AIDS. The manuals have provided clear guidance on how best to communicate with different disabled groups.”      - UMATI staff member, Tanzania