|rights| |rights|

“Equal Opportunities Rehabilitation

TO FULFIL their commitment to the provision of rehabilitation, governments
each of the Arab nations.
Sometimes the same members at-
tend, which is good because there

Make Economic Sense”

were required to respond on seven measures that form the core actions for is continuity. But also, new mem-
meeting the rehabilitation. bers are welcome, as the awareness
Adopting policies becomes more widespread.
Passing legislations We also invite experts and parlia-
Adopting programmes mentarians from outside the region
By Vani Saraswathi Allocating financial resources in order to have a healthy exchange

T
Training personnel of ideas and experiences.
HE OFFICE of the UN Spe- Making rehabilitation services accessible
cial Rapporteur on Disabil- Consulting organisations of persons with disabilities |q|How would you assess the
ity, headquartered in Doha, present state of legislations in the
released in January of this year the More than 50 percent have not taken action on all measures. Which region?
results of the Global Survey on Gov- means only 51 out of the 114 respondent countries met the seven require-
ernment Action on the Implementa- |a|Most Arab countries have leg-

HIGHLIGHT
ments. In 62 countries, there are no services available to persons with dis-
tion of the Standard Rules on the abilities. islations, and some have good ones

Equalisation of Opportunities for
Persons with Disabilities. The sur-
vey was sent out to one government
body and two disabled persons or-
ganisation in each country.
The Standard Rules were intro-
duced by the United Nations in
1993 and adopted by all 191 UN
Member States.
This clearly recognised the fact
that continued marginalisation of
persons with disability represented
a loss far greater than the cost of im-
plementing equalisation policies.
The Standard Rules, however, are
not legally binding, but merely rep-
resent a moral and political com-
mitment on the part of the govern-
ments.
While all 191 signatories were
contacted, 77 countries did not re-
spond to the survey. Interestingly
over 85 percent of the Arab coun-
tries responded.
UN Special Rapporteur Sheikha
Hissa bint Khalifa Al Thani speaks
to Qatar Today about the ground
realities in the region, in terms of
equalisation of opportunities for
persons with disabilities.
|q|How is your office influenc-
ing legislations in the region, and
making equal opportunities a pri-
ority amongst policy makers?
|a|We have launched a series of
14 Parliamentary Symposia, for
Arab legislators.
SURVEY
We started this process of parlia-
mentary capacity building in terms
of disability legislations in order to
deal with the lack of or weakness of
existing legislations.
With regard to community involvement in design, implementation and
delivery of services, only 46 countries responded positively.
The symposia are a step towards
preparing Arab Parliaments to
adopt the Convention on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities-(which
was adopted and signed by over 50
countries in March this year and
still needs to be ratified by signato-
ry governments) and adapt legisla-
tions based on the 50 articles of the
Convention. Eight Arab countries
have signed the Convention so far.
We are very concerned about
the implementation of the Stan-
dard Rules on the Equalisation of
Opportunities for Persons with
Disabilities.
My mandate is to monitor gov-
ernments’ implementation of
these rules. The 22 rules are not
legally binding. They represent
a moral obligation on part of the
government.
What the symposia aim to do is
a combination of using these moral
guidelines and using the articles
of the Convention that are binding
legally, in order to enhance and im-
prove existing legislations or draft
new ones.
We have already held symposia
in Jordan, Lebanon and Yemen. In
July, we will hold one in Morocco
and seven more by the end of the
mandate in December 2008. All the
Arab countries are invited to par-
ticipate in each of the meets.
The host country determines
which one of the Standard Rules
the symposium will focus on. In
Beirut, the discussion was on edu-
cation and employment, because
the organisations of people with
disabilities in Lebanon felt that this
was a need, a lack and a priority.
The Yemen meeting focussed on
accessibility while Morocco will be
focused on rehabilitation.
The parliament of the host coun-
try organises the symposium and
invites 2-3 parliamentarians from
“Civil society in general in the Arab
region is not that active. The disability
movement is also affected by this. But of
late now we do notice some progress.”
but not all of them have laws and
by-laws. The problem with these
legislations is that it either has not
been enacted or by-laws have not
been put, or the legislation is weak
and doesn’t use the human rights
approach, but more of a charitable
one.
|q|Even if legislations are in
place, persons with disabilities
themselves are not vocal in the re-
gion. How do you correct this?
|a|Civil society in general in the
Arab region is not that active. The
disability movement is also affect-
ed by this.
But of late now we do notice
some progress. People with dis-
abilities are coming together, and
establishing societies and unions.
They are initiating changes.
This move marks progress in the

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Awareness
WHILE two-thirds of the respon-
dent countries have taken one or
more measures towards the aware-
HIGHLIGHT
|a|There is very low awareness
about the true meaning of accessibil-
ity. When people refer to accessibility,
they mean physical. But there is so
much more to it. It is accessibility to
It’s not about employment alone. It’s
about right to education, technology,
information, services, transportation,
rehabilitation, reasonable accommo-
dations, which help persons with dis-
It’s a kind of partnership that we
hope will have a ripple effect.
We are also trying to sow the idea
that employing persons with disabili-
ties makes economic sense. It is not

ness raising, a majority had failed technology, information, education, abilities, achieve their full potential. charity.
SURVEY

to draft guidelines for use by the
media in raising awareness about
persons with disabilities.
right direction.
They definitely have to play an
active role in integrating them-
selves. The experts, the players are
those with disabilities. They need
to defend their rights, highlight
their issues.
Also, there is the Arab Organisa-
tion for Disabled Persons (AODP).
The Arab League also has a section
on disabilities.
It was with the co-operation of
AODP and the Arab League that
the Arab Decade for Disabilities
was drafted. Based on that initia-
tive we decided to hold the parlia-
mentary symposia.
All these different non-govern-
mental initiatives should create a
ground swell of support.
|q|What according to you re-
quires immediate attention?
Sports and Recreation
CRUCIAL to both physical and psychological well being, governments are
services, social and cultural life, not
just spaces.
The Yemen symposium opened a
dialogue between the Arab legislators
and persons with disabilities about
their rights. It raised awareness that
accessibility does not mean physical
alone. We found out that those who
attended the Yemen meeting were
predominantly persons with physical
disabilities. We had to raise awareness
that blind persons require accessibili-
ty to information, for example, as well
as to the physical environment, in the
same way that deaf persons require
it in order to be able to communicate
and participate fully, and the same
goes for persons with intellectual dis-
abilities. We found that in many case
even people with physical disabilities
think that accessibility applies only to
them.
|q|Some countries have opted for a
‘Quota system’. Is this effective?
|a|The quota system goes against
the rights of persons with disabilities.
We are trying to put a clear mes-
sage about the right of people with
disabilities.
Even Qatar started with a quota
system of about 3-5 percent and they
were not even able to fill it.
I think it is fairer to approach this
issue as a matter of equal opportuni-
ties, which is a right for all, and not
as charity.
|q|But how do you rope in the pri-
vate sector, if there is no binding ob-
ligation on them?
|a|There has to be awareness
amongst both public and private sec-
tors. Not just to employ persons with
disabilities to fill a quota but to under-
stand it the larger picture.
The association with HSBC was
meant to encourage the private sec-
tor to be more active in ensuring the
rights of people with disabilities.
“What we focus
more on is the
culture of shame
that surrounds
You have educated people, in many
cases highly educated, even more
than those who have no disabilities.
In developing countries, they have
realised that the only way to make op-
portunities for themselves is by earn-
ing multiple degrees, to be highly ed-
ucated, yet they remain for the most
part unemployed, even though they
are highly employable.
There is a lot of potential in employ-
ing persons with disability.
And the costs of making reasonable
accommodations will only be a frac-
tion of what the return would be.
|q|In the region, are there enough
experts to help private sector in mak-
ing this accommodation? “The problem with these legislations
|a|That’s what companies keep say- (in the region) is that it either has not
been enacted or by-laws have not
ing. But the experts are everywhere.
The persons with disabilities them-
selves are the experts. Just go to them.
When you open your mind, your eyes
been put, or the legislation is weak
will open too, and you will find the
and doesn’t use the human rights
experts.
When we recruited a blind person approach, but more of a
at our office, we asked him what he
needed to do his job. Not to do his job charitable one.”
better, but to function and be as pro-
ductive as the next person.
Allow persons with disabilities to |a|In Asia, the family is so protec- man beings. This is especially true in

the disabled.
required to take measures to broaden the base of participation in sports identify their needs and tell us what tive of their disabled members that it the Arab Gulf region. It is the culture
and recreation to include persons with disabilities. they need in order to do their work. becomes counterproductive. and system.
In many countries athletes with disabilities are a major source of national
pride.
Where the fami- We can’t make those decisions for
them.
This is one of the challenging is-
sues. It is sometimes difficult to speak
We visited a rehabilitation centre in
Germany. The rehab process is a med-
More than a third of the countries that responded have not taken any
measures necessary to enable persons with disabilities to enjoy the right.
lies or the per- |q|In the region a greater challenge
of rights to employment, say, when
there are so many financial resources
ical and social one, it goes through
the whole spectrum – how to fend for
However, when it came to the participation of those with disability at sons themselves than legislations is the society itself
isn’t it? In the West the disabled per-
available to people with disabilities in
rich countries that they don’t see the
oneself, how to become self-reliant
and live independently... what they
HIGHLIGHT

different levels of sports, more countries answered positively.

This is indicative of the discrepancy between what governments have or are ashamed of sons are expected to fend for them- need for being employed. But it is not found out was that people from this
SURVEY

selves. Here they are overly protect-

their disability.”
have not done, and conditions on the ground independently of govern- about being poor or rich, it is about region go there, acquire the necessary
ment actions. ed and therefore not allowed to be the right to participate in society fully skills, and then go back home, and
independent. as productive and contributing hu- are not allowed to exercise their inde-

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pendence. The mother, for example,
would probably not even allow her
son to lift a spoon to feed himself.
And he loses all his skills.
|q|Is there a full-fledged reha-
bilitation facility in the region that
tried to incorporate in our awareness
raising campaign. It is not about be-
ing there alone. Or taking care of the
child. It is about helping them be-
come independent. Preserving the
dignity of the person is important.
We should not infantilise or patro-
Enabling Diversity
than the culture of protection.
Until very recently, there was no
public face to persons with disabili-
ty. Especially in the region. The more
we see them out there, in the public,
at work places, in the malls, accep-
tance will grow naturally. By Radhika Talwar

also takes into account the cultural
dimensions?
|a|It is definitely important to in-
volve the family in rehabilitation.
There is no facility that is totally
fitted out. There are some centres
that provide rehab facilities to differ-
ent degrees.
This is one of the elements that we
“The quota system goes against the
rights of persons with
disabilities. I think it is fairer to
approach this issue as a matter of
nise them.
It is very difficult to deal with it,
as it’s a purely cultural issue, and it
means going into their homes.
What we focus more on is the cul-
ture of shame that surrounds the dis-
abled. Where the families or the per-
sons themselves are ashamed of their
disability. That is what we deal with.
This we feel is a bigger problem
There is a growing movement,
even in GCC, where people with dis-
abilities are more visible. They are
beginning to demand a public space
and role.
|q|What is the next step?
|a|There are 77 countries that did
not respond to the survey and whom
we are now approaching once again.
We are also working on a compara-
tive analysis of the responses of the
government bodies and the disabled
persons organizations.
|q|Why this hesitancy? Is it be-
cause they don’t want to open up to
scrutiny?
I
OFTEN tell people not to use me
as a reference point for Persons
with a Disability. I like that term
best – Persons with a Disability, for
the simple reason it states “Person”
first and “Disability” last. To my
advantage, it is now a widely ac-
ceptable term, especially in North
America, where I first began work-
ing. But, I digress. Back to my origi-
nal point, I cannot justifiably depict
Persons with a Disability as a popu-
lation. For one thing, my disability
is relatively minor and for another, I
am actually, in fact completely com-
fortable with it.
I am hard of hearing, as I like to
say; not hearing impaired, nor do I

equal opportunities, which is a right |a|The European countries that

have a hearing problem, I just don’t
hear as well as the average person.

for all and not as charity.” did not respond, did not want to re-
spond. UK, Cyprus, France. Despite
repeated requests, they said no.
Most of the countries that did not
Employment respond were from Asia. But it is not
about developed or undeveloped
ON INTEGRATION of persons with disabilities within the labour market, 17 countries.
countries have taken no measures. Part of the reason in Asia, is be-
In terms of rights, 47 countries have taken no action in the area of adop- cause we reached out to 44 countries.
tion of policies, while 43 have taken no action on legislations. So it would make sense the ratio of
The picture only gets bleaker. Below is the number of countries (out of those who didn’t respond would be
114) that have taken no action under different heads: high there.
49 - No measure on programme implementation Poverty was a challenge, where
51 - No resources into implementing integrated employment the organisations didn’t even have
38 - No training for employment for persons with disabilities means to mail back responses. So we
69 - No action to adapt the physical environment sent postage paid envelopes!
59 - No action to raise the awareness of management regarding the needs In poor countries, the poorest of
of persons with disabilities the poor are disabled, and that ap-
plies to their organisations as well.
HIGHLIGHT
I have a profound hearing loss, in
both ears, and my hearing threshold
(without aid that is) is a jackham-
mer. I was diagnosed early, and my
parents promptly got me a set of
hearing aids. Typical of all tempera-
mental and assertive six-year olds, I
threw a tantrum and refused to wear
them as often as I should have. But
for all intents and purposes, they
served as a training tool, and helped
me, to some extent with maintaining
my grasp of language and fitting into
the hearing world.
At the risk of spouting cliches, I must have been a terror! There may sons. “You have a brain, don’t you?
probably wouldn’t be half as confi- have been a shift in some of my fu- You can ask them if you didn’t hear,”
dent, assertive and (dare, I say it?) ture plans of becoming an actress, was my childhood mantra. Parents
successful, without my parents’ sup- singer or radio show host, but my have a nasty habit of being right
port. As an adult, I fully recognize parents still had the same academic – I did have a mind of my own, and

83 - No action on accessible transportation or work stations for persons

with disabilities We translated the survey in Eng- that Parenthood is possibly the most expectations from me. I don’t re- they encouraged me to use it.
SURVEY

57 - No action on co-operating with disabled persons organizations with lish, Arabic, French and Spanish in difficult role anyone can play. From member ever being allowed to get I am not shy about asking people
regard to employment. order to break the language barrier what I hear, I was already quite a away with excuses around not hear- to repeat themselves, and hence they
and facilitate responding n handful, but throw in a disability, I ing the teacher’s instructions, or les- do it without rancour. When I say I

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