Yukiko Oka Nakanishi, Asia Disability Institute (ADI)
In Asia, only a small number of persons with disabilities are aware of Independent Living (IL) Movement and an IL center. They are leaders who have became sensitive to the worldwide movement by disabled persons, and, in other words, who belong to a national-level group affiliated to Disabled Peoples' International (DPI). It is the persons with disabilities in the most oppressed lower classes in Asia, who we want to learn IL movement. They are young people living without hope, because of poverty or gender, or severe disabilities which prevent them from moving alone. The population of Asia is more than a half of that on the earth, so the number those whom we would eagerly like them to know IL movement is enormous..
At the present, developing countries in Asia have many problems;
e.g. the menace of nature, a raise in prices and unemployment
rate, slum formation a
nd expansion caused by drastic urbanization, and poor education,
nutrition
and sanitation. Their political conditions came to be stable and
economics also grew in recent years. However the economic conditions
lose its momentum recently, so people with disabilities are placed
in a tense situation again.
They became disabled due to malnutrition, environmental destruction,
insufficient sanitary and medical service, accident, and disaster.
Even war is still the cause of disability. The cause of malnutrition
is not merely food shortage, but it is inadequate health care,
sanitation and ability of the government or family to foods which
are intricately intertwined each other.
There are still a lot of people with disabilities because of polio,
tuberculosis, Hansen's disease, rabies and trachoma in Asia. Owing
to drastic urbanization as well as ignorance of safety standard
of vehicles, traffic rules and respect human life, traffic accidents
keep increasing. Even if it is a slight accident, an injury part
became infected and amputation is sometimes only treatment. So
disability takes a turn for the worse. An industrial accident
is increasing as well. As China suffered from flood recently,
developing countries are vulnerable to disasters.
Since the disabled population becomes bigger, their living becomes big political issues for Asian countries. War veterans with disabilities can receive special services such as medical treatment, employment, and allowance. On the other hand, civilians including women and children who have been affected by war are not entitled of any services. Especially, people with disabilities who turned into refugees hardly earn their livelihood. However, even if people with disabilities are discriminated, almost all of them live vigorously without being discouraged by adversity.
Each Asian country has at least one rehabilitation center but people with disabilities in general cannot afford to go there. The health center which is expected to provide simple medical treatment does not fully function. Good news is that education for children with disabilities is mostly integrated. However it is very difficult for people with disabilities to find a job, as the unemployment rate is high, .
Self-help groups of disabled persons take an initiative to solve these problems now. Their activities range from job training establishment of workshop and micro credit system to recreation. In income creating project, they lend seed money for starting a small scale business such as retail shop, manufacturing industry and farming, and also teach management skills.
The groups are also politically active In Thailand, Narong Patibatsarakich was appointed as Senator. DPI-Thailand where he has served as the chairperson staged a large scale demonstration in 1996 in order to get the accessible sky-train to be constructed in Bangkok. Persons with disabilities in Malaysia also demonstrated to make monorail accessible in Kuala Lumpur.
Asian countries which have disability-related legislation are increasing. Self-help devices have been provided to people with disabilities little by little. Opportunities for higher education begin to be given. Infrastructures which forms the basis of IL for disabled persons is gradually established in large cities. It is difficult for us to predict how fast IL movement develops. However it seems that IL movement begins in Asia soon on the basis of the heightened awareness of disabled themselves towards their human rights.
IL movement spreads over Asia
by Yukiko Nakanishi
On 17-20 May 1998, the 1st IL seminar was conducted in Soul, Korea
jointly by the Chung Nip Polio Center in Korea and Human Care
Association (HCA) in Japan. The vigorous support provided by DPI-Korea
headed by Mr. Young Wook Song, the seminar could motivate the
Center to play an active role in developing IL movement in Korea.
The plenary session including presentations on the concept of
IL movement and the roll of the IL center was attended by more
than 100 PWDs and staff of disability-related organizations. On
the following four days the program focused on peer counseling
and IL skill training for 20 young leaders with disabilities selected
from all over Korea. Since the seminar was so successful, four
who were selected from the seminar participants were invited to
Tokyo for a week IL training program in May 99. Next year a lecture
tour of the Association staff is being planned.
Also in Malaysia, the first IL workshop was organized in Kuala
Lumpur on 28-30 August this year. It was organized by a group
of active disabled leader in the country including Chrystyn Lee
in close collaboration with the Asia Disability Institute. HCA
kindly send a peer counselor to assist the program. 14 participants
with disabiities selected from various disability groups in Malaysia
were especially interested in peer counselling and role palying
in IL skill training program. The IL Skill Training Pprogram Manual
of HCA translated into Malay and the video tape on IL produced
in English were used. As a result of the workshop, the participants
discussed the possibility of establishing the first IL center.
The seminar on " THe Direction Of IL program in Thailand"
was organized. on16-17 Aug,1999 by the IL Unit of the Sirindhorn
National Medical Rehabilitation Center. Among the resouce persons
were Sen. Narong Patibasarakich, Regional Chairperson, Mr. Yutaka
Takamine, ESCAP disability expert, and Shoji Nakanishi, DPI Regional
Councillor.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has a plan to
built the Asia-Pacific Center on Disability in Bangkok in 2002.
The details of the plan is still at the stage of discussion between
the Thai and Japanese Governments. The DAIAP executives submitted
a proposal to JICA and passed it to JICA staff. It is expected
that disabled persons are included from the planing stage.
Chronological table of events concerning independent living movement in Asia
| December, 1981 | Singapore | Establishment of the Disabled Peoples' International (DPI) |
| 1982 | Nepal | Enactment of "Disabled Protection and Welfare Act" |
| 1982 | Philippines | Enactment of "Accessibility Law, BP 344" |
| 1983 | Thailand | Establishment of the Council of Disabled People of Thailand (DPI-Thailand) |
| 1989 | Singapore | Enforcement of "Accessibility Code" |
| 1989 | Korea | Enactment of "Law for Welfare of Disabled Persons" |
| July, 1990 | Philippines | Establishment of the Federation of Disabled Persons in the Philippines (DPI-Philippines) |
| August-September, 1990 | United States | Human Care Association invited representatives of DPI-Philippines and DPI-Thailand to the IL Study Program in Houston and St. Louis. |
| December, 1990 | China | Enactment of "Law for the Protection of Disabled Persons in People's Republic of China" |
| 1990 | Korea | Enactment of "Disabled Persons' Employment Promotion Law" |
| 1991 | Malaysia | Amendment of "Uniform Building By-Laws" |
| September, 1991 | Sweden | Human Care Association invited representatives of DPI-Philippines and DPI-Thailand to the IL study program in Stockholm |
| October, 1990 | Thailand" | Enactment of "Welfare and Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons Act" |
| March, 1992 | Philippines | Enactment of "Magna Carta for Disabled Persons, RA7277" |
| April, 1992 | Thailand | "Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons" was adopted by UN-ESCAP at its General Assembly, for which DPI member organizations in Asia have played vital role. |
| October, 1992 | Japan | The first IL Study Program in Japan was organized by the Catholic Association of Disabled Persons, and since then it is organized annually. |
| November, 1992 | China | A workshop on IL movement was included for the first time in the DPI Asia Pacific Regional Assembly. |
| 1993 | New ZeaLand | Human Care Association invited a representative of DPI-Thailand to the IL Study Program in Christchurch and Aukland. |
| January, 1994 | Philippines | The first Asia-Pacific Workshop on IL was organized in Bacolod. |
| 1994 | Malaysia | Malaysians with disabilities carried out a demonstration to demand accessible monorail running in Kuala Lumpur. |
| August, 1995 | Canada | Human Care Associations invited representatives of DPI-Philippines and DPI-Thailand to the IL Study Program in Winnipeg. |
| 1995 | Thailand | Thais with disabilities carried out a demonstration
to demand accessible sky-train running in Bangkok. |
| 1995 | India | Enactment of "Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act 1995" |
| September, 1996 | Sri Lanka | Enactment of Disability Rights Protection Law |
| 1996 | Thailand | Mr. Narong Patibatsarakich representing DPI-Thailand was appointed as Senator. |
| 1996 | Indonesia | Enactment of "Legislation for Disabilities Law" |
| October, 1996 | Vietnam | The first national workshop to develop self-help movement of disabled persons was held under the sponsorship of ESCAP |
| December, 1996 | India | A joint committee for disability rights started a demonstration to criticize a default of law and demand the distribution of the budget. |
| January, 1997 | India | A term "Independent Living" was first appeared in the resolution of the leadership training seminar organized by the DPI Asia-Pacific Regional Council. |
| 1997 | Korea | Legislation of a law to promote accommodation of building for about the aged, pregnant and disabled. |
| May, 1997 | Korea | The first Korea-Japan IL Seminar was organized. |