Training to Strengthen Community-based Rehabilitation (CBR) through a Participatory Comprehensive Approach: Developing Change Agents APCD conducted “Training to Strengthen Community-based Rehabilitation (CBR) through a Participatory Comprehensive Approach” during October 11- November 3, 2005 at APCD Training Center, Bangkok. There were 23 participants from 5 different countries, 4 Oversea Resource Persons, 6 Thai Resource Persons as well as 1 Resource Person Assistant from Myanmar. This training course follows the same principles and concept of 2 previous training courses on CBR conducted by APCD which have been conducted in ChiengMai year 2003, and in KhonKaen year 2004. The mentioned principles and concept are 1. Participatory Approach 2. Experience Sharing and 3. Be Practical and Applicable. The training’s objectives were to strengthen an existing/ planned CBR program in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Viet Nam and Thailand by training the above target group to: 1) Share common fundamental values in CBR. 2) Understand a comprehensive approach to CBR. 3) Equip themselves with practical methods for enhancing community participation in CBR. 4) Develop CBR strategies according to each situation and the needs. The training curriculum was composed by 4 main modules as follows 1.Basic concept and information about disability and development. The topics which were included in this module were Basic Understanding of Disability, Basic Understand on Poverty and Development, Concept of Participatory Community Development, Evolution of PWDs movement, Biwako Framework, Concept of CBR, IL and SHG. 2.Experiences and Case Study by sharing of CBR experiences from different countries. Various experiences under this modules were composed by Implementing of CBR, Inclusive Education, Income GenerationActivities, Networking and Civil Society, Awareness Raising in the Community, Initiating and Strengthening of SHG and Advocacy in the Community. 3.Skills needed to develop and strengthen CBR projects. The skills that we have provided for our participants to learn were: Participatory Project Management, Participatory Training Process, Facilitating and Presentation Skills and Mobilization of Resources and Fund Raising. 4.Action Plan Formulation and Presentation. The Action Plan could be the tools for evaluation of how participants could learn and apply from this training, monitoring in the future by APCD as well as support also by APCD on the projects and activities which will be initiated by participants and their organizations. Some highlights of reflections on this training course were both good and weak points as follows: among the good points, there were: the participants considered that they could apply to manage SHG in their target areas by full participation of PWDs, the curriculum of workshop was included all essential topics for implementing of CBR project, most of the facilitators used participatory training methods and it was very good for participants to learn this approach. Some weak points has been mentioned as time for presentation of participants’ CBR implementation was very limited, and in some topics resource persons should facilitate participants to share their own experiences more so that they could learn among participants. According to results of evaluation by participants and resource persons, we believed that most of participants of every countries could learn and hopefully they could apply participatory comprehensive approach in their own projects. Most of them will play their roles as Change Agents for pushing effective holistic CBR movement in their community and countries. Training of the Information and Communication Technology for Visually Impaired Persons (ICT for VIPs) Training of the Information and Communication Technology for Visually Impaired Persons (ICT for VIPs) was held at APCD training building, Bangkok, 15 November -8 December 2005 with 16 participants from 8 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Fiji, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Participants are computer teachers or ICT training staff of organizations of/for VIPs, and expected to be able to 1) Teach computer operation to visually impaired persons with assistive devices/software, 2) design appropriate computer training for visually impaired persons, and 3) Understand the concept of information accessibility for persons with disabilities (PWDs) based on universal design principles. Screen reader: JAWS were taught in the training by Mr. Wiraman Niyomphol, a lecturer and researcher at Ratchasuda College, Thailand, and the taskforce leader, Mr. Silatul Rahim Dahman, Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB), a former ICT for All training participant, and Mr. Eakachai Charoenchaimonkon, Center for Educational Technology, Thailand. Participants learned basic operation of Windows, MS Office, Internet, and emails, etc, all were operated by JAWS. Mr. Toshiaki Aomatsu, JICA Expert and teacher at School for the Blind in Japan, taught Altair for Windows. This software is free and developed by Japanese Blind person, Mr. Jun Ishikawa. It has editing, emailing and browsing function, supported by self-voicing system. So if Altair were installed in a computer, the Blind can enjoy these 3 functions by free. Further information of Altair, please refer http://www.normanet.ne.jp/~altair/index_e.html. Mr. Monthian Bhuntan, President of Thailand Association for the Blind (TAB) provide lecture on information accessibility for PWDs, and Mr. Raksak Chairanjuansakun, teacher at Bangkok School for the Blind, supported Internet and email session of JAWS. Mr. Chalermporn Nuntaruen, teacher at Christian Foundation for the Blind Thailand (CFBT) and former ICT for VIP participant, provided full support to the participants especially Altair and Internet with JAWS. All resource persons and assistants are the Blind. APCD is fully promoting “empowered PWDs empower PWDs.” Among 16 participants and 1 observer, there are 9 bind persons and 2 partially sighted including 7 female. Mr. MD. Ihsan Fayaz, President, Afghanistan National Association for the Blind supported by UNDP Afghanistan, participated the training. Accessible ICT for VIPs is not yet well known and promoted in Afghanistan. APCD believe he will be one of the empowered PWDs promoting accessibility in Afghanistan. Five VIPs participated from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, where NGO emphasize ICT accessibility for PWDs. Mr MD Rasel, Bangladesh Protibandhi Kallyan Somity (BPKS), promised to fully promote ICT and train VIPs in Bangladesh. Ms Kishara Manique Gunaratne, Sri Lanka Federation of the Visually Impaired, were eager to learn everything in the training and willing to train more VIPs in Sri Lanka. Ms. Tsheing Lhamo, and Mr. Pema Gyeltshen from National Institute for the Disabled (NID) promised to boost ICT for VIPs in Bhutan. The NID is very remote place, 3 days away from the Capital by bus. But there are strong needs of ICT and Internet for PWDs. Mr. Fuata Faktaufon, United Blind Persons of Fiji, Mr. Fandy Dawenan, Indonesian Blind Union of South Sulawesi, and Mr. Furgel Lama, National Association for the Welfare of the Blind have made high commitment in the course. They did not leave the training room until very late night and keen to learn as much as possible during the training. There were nice mixture of culture, gender, and disability, as well as beginners and advanced. They supported each other, enjoyed together, and would love to work together for promotion of ICT for the Blind. APCD provided all training materials in Braille format, large print and digital format. Participants were able to access to the materials based on their needs. These training materials will be placed at APCD website as reference. In the end of the training, action plan on computer training for VIPs in their home countries were presented. All participants are expected to implement this action plan and APCD is looking forward to monitoring its activities. Activities after the training are much more important to promote ICT for the Blind. APCD is very much willing to work together with all participants and resource persons, and promote ICT accessibility for PWDs in the region APCD believe that all training participants will be an agent of change in promoting and advocating ICT for VIPs in their countries and the VIPs will be empowered by them through Accessible ICT. Resource Persons & Participants’ Interviews Mr. Toshiaki Aomatsu JICA Short-term Expert said that I was assigned to teach the software called “Altair” from November 28th to December 1st, 2005. Altair was developed in Japan and it is a self-voicing software. It has some of the core functions of ICT such as editing text, sending e-mail, and browsing Internet. It is free of charge and easy for VIPs to learn. I was most impressed by the attitudes and eagerness to learn about ICT for VIP shown by all the trainees. Although the levels of knowledge and skill of trainees were somewhat different they helped each other and each person tried his/her best to follow the curriculum. Even after each day’s session many of them stayed at least a couple of hours to do self-study. I am sure they will become a good ICT trainer for VIP in their original countries. Mr. Furgel Lama Nepal I am very much impressed by the instructors and the training conducted by APCD. I hope that I will get such opportunities in the future as well. Actually, training for VIPs is very essential for developing countries. I have gained a lot of experiences regarding ICT. So, I am very much impressed by this training. I will share my knowledge with the VIPs in my country. I am in the stage of learning. That’s why; I like to participate in such programmes. The training was APCD Mission Reports Mr. Wiraman Niyomphol Resource Person, Thailand Information and Communication Technology is becoming more and more important for visually impaired persons today. The key thing here is to gain access to information. The use of computers and connecting to the Internet (using email and visiting web sites) are very essential skills for the visually impaired to master. Accessing information via the use of computers is different between totally blind and low vision persons. The blind will mostly use speech and may have Braille access in addition. Low vision persons will need screen magnification and may use speech in addition. The training needs to be arranged properly. It is very important to train as many visually impaired persons as possible in many countries in Asia and Pacific region. This training is just one attempt to do that. The participants from this training need to go back to carry on further training in their respective countries. They also need to grow individually by networking with others in their countries and international level to collaborate in this ICT for VIP training efforts. Mr. Pema Gyeltshen Bhutan The training was very important for all the participants which will ensure better ICT access for the blind in the region of Asia. The participants were given lessons on various aspects of computer skills. The most challenging lesson we had was the Altair software program. It was new to all the participants and I am sure that it will play a very important role in making VIP more accessible to the Information, communication and technology. However, all other skills we learned during the course were equally important. I am not only impressed by the training course but also depressed very much by all other arrangements of programmers throughout the training. Further, I am very happy to mention that all Mr. Furgel Lama Nepal I am very much impressed by the instructors and the training conducted by APCD. I hope that I will get such opportunities in the future as well. Actually, training for VIPs is very essential for developing countries. I have gained a lot of experiences regarding ICT. So, I am very much impressed by this training. I will share my knowledge with the VIPs in my country. I am in the stage of learning. That’s why; I like to participate in such programmes. DET Training & Follow-up Mission to Malaysia Disability Equality Training (DET) seminar was held on 19th November 2005 at Hotel Grand Continental, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Dato’ Shamsiah binti Abdul Rahman, Director General, Department of Social Welfare Malaysia, addressed welcome speech. The seminar’s topics were divided into four sessions. The fist session was the introduction of DET that these courses have been developed by disabled people to address the need for information about reality disability and aims to help people understand the meaning of disability, identify changes in work practices, and plan strategies to implement change. The second session was about the definition and rights explaining the links between human and civil right. The third session was about Medical model and social model of disability that identify the difference between them. The fourth session was independence and action for change. APCD Mission Reports Follow-up Mission to Bangladesh During the APCD mission to Bangladesh from 2 to 5 October 2005, the mission team conducted the APCD Networking and Follow-up Seminar for FormerAPCD Trainees in Bangladesh on 3 October 2005 at the Ministry of Social Welfare, presided over by H.E. Mr. Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed, Minister of Social Welfare, along with high-ranking officials and also the ex-APCD trainees and representatives of Associate Organizations. Each ex-trainee presented his/ her implementation and outcome of the training. The mission team visited some of the Self-help Organizations and Self-help Groups, which have been developed in Bangladesh: The Action on Disability and Development (ADD) has developed 750 SHGs, who were collaborating with 62 disabled people’s organizations in 27 districts. Also, this Organization promotes awareness campaigns by using a track team in the village community, where dissemination of information especially to those who had no opportunity for education seemed to be most effective. The Bangladesh Protibandhi Kaliyan Somity (BPKS) has been developing their SHG programs in most of the regions in Bangladesh. They organized the National Alliance of People with Disabilities Organizations with about 50 disabled people’s organizations based on the caste disability groups, especially with a large number of people with visual and hearing impairments. The Center for Services and Information on Disability (CSID) has been developing research and development of disability and information service funded by the Handicap International (HI) Bangladesh. APCD also visited the Centre for Disability in Development (CDD), which had been developing research and development in the technical field, e.g., software for Braille translation into Bangladesh language and vice versa. They have also been developing Bangladesh sign-language with computer and produced two textbooks. The mission team also visited the Society for Education and Care of Hearing Impaired Children of Bangladesh (HICARE) training schools for hearing impaired children. It was important to promote SHGs and SHOs since mutual support for PWDs in the community would have a greater sustainability in the future. However, technical-oriented programs such as ICT research and development, and educational material were depending on external cooperation. Therefore, APCD may continue to promote community-based rehabilitation and empowerment of people with disabilities to sustain and empower persons with disabilities and promote a barrier-free society. DET Training & Follow-up Mission to Malaysia Disability Equality Training (DET) seminar was held on 19th November 2005 at Hotel Grand Continental, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Dato’ Shamsiah binti Abdul Rahman, Director General, Department of Social Welfare Malaysia, addressed welcome speech. The seminar’s topics were divided into four sessions. The first session was the introduction of DET that these courses have been developed by disabled people to address the need for information about reality disability and aims to help people understand the meaning of disability, identify changes in work practices, and plan strategies to implement change. The second session was about the definition and rights explaining the links between human and civil right. The third session was about Medical model and social model of disability that identify the difference between them. The fourth session was independence and action for change. On the 20-24 November 2005, Disability Equality Training (DET), Training of Trainers was organized at the same place. There were 22 participants from Malaysia both in governmental officer and Non governmental officer including 2 participants from APCD, Thailand. The purposes are to enable disabled people and non-disabled people to develop an understanding of disability that is based on the Social Model of Disability and to identify areas within their organization/venue they could be changed to promote the participation of disabled. The contents of the training comprised of 1. Famous people exercise 2. Disability Awareness and Disability Equality 3. Attitudes and Awareness exercise 4. Word Power exercise 5. Rights 6. Medical Model and Social Model 7. Action for Change 8. Day Plan and Session Plan Those courses are • To identify language which is offensive to disable people and to use more acceptable terms • To begin to question and challenge attitudes and levels of awareness regarding disability • To critically examine the medical model of disability • To introduce the social model of disability and to identify areas for change and to develop and action plan for implementation change. The course enables participants to identify and address discriminatory forms of practice towards disabled people. Through training, participants find ways to challenge the organizational behavior which reinforces negative myths and values and which prevents disabled people from gaining equality and achieving full participation in society. Furthermore, the method of the training encourages participants to share experiences and ideas on social discrimination by participatory approach as well as dividing them into groups’ discussion during each session. On the last day, participants were assigned to do groups session planning and present them to others. Mr. Kevin McLaughlin and Ms. Lucia McLaughlin delivered evaluation to those participants before certificated ceremony. Mission to Phillippines APCD dispatched a JICA Expert on ICT, Mr. Hisao Chiba, to Philippines from 18 to 22 October 2005, in order to follow up former ICT training participants’ activities, and develop further collaboration with National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons (NCWDP), APCD Focal point organization, and other APCD associate organizations in Philippines. Mr. Chiba participated the Workshop on Accessible ICT for PWDs - “Empowering PWDs through ICT” in Cebu city, Philippines, 17-20 October 2005, organized by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons (NCWDP) and other related NGOs in Philippines in collaboration with the Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD) Project. This is the 3rd workshop on accessible ICT for PWDs held in Philippines by NCWDP in last 3 years. The overall goal of the workshop is to give PWDs full access to programs and services of Government agencies and NGOs through accessible ICT. So that the objectives of the workshop are 1) to train webmasters and their equivalents from concerned Governmental organizations (GOs), NGOs and Public organizations (POs) in creating website accessible to PWDs, 2) to create and sustain a high-impact network of “accessible ICT advocates” in Visayas and Mindanao, and 3) to boost economic opportunities of and for PWDs through E-Commerce. 24 webmasters/representatives from GOs, NGOs and POs based in Mindanao and Visayas participated the workshop, and learned about ICT accessibility for PWDs. Main resource person of the workshop is Mr. Leopoldo N.Valdes, Vision Office, who has been developing and delivering hundreds of technical training sessions in South East Asia, Europe, Canada, and the Americas, since 1983. Mr. Chiba provided presentation on “Accessible ICT Challenges in Asia Pacific Region” and shared activities of APCD in promotion of ICT accessibility for PWDs. Especially, experience in Web-based Information Network (WBN) 2003 and 2004 was emphasized for further understanding of information accessibility for PWDs. Ms. Nelia R. De Jesus, Chief of the Technical Cooperation Center, NCWDP, and former participant of WBN 2004, greatly facilitated the workshop. She clearly emphasized importance of information accessibility, which is not only for PWDs but also others. NCWDP is planning to organize the National Workshop on Accessible ICT for PWDs in 2006 as outcome of the past three workshops. Mr. Chiba also visited a couple of key organizations in Philippines in terms of accessible ICT, such as the Resource for the Blind and Nova Foundation. Both organizations are promoting ICT in order to empower PWDs. Nova Foundation has been promoting ICT for employment of hearing as well as visual impairment. They provide ICT vocational as well as social training for PWDs, and expect all trainees to be able to work as full member of the society. They has just start operating a new ICT training. Diaster Recovery & Disability Workshop, Pakistan The APCD members undertook the mission to Pakistan from 10 to 17 December 2005. The main purpose was to develop the capacity of the former APCD Pakistani participants and their network for empowering persons with disabilities (PWDs) and promoting a barrier-free society in the earthquake-affected areas. APCD held the “Accessible Environment Seminar: Towards a Barrier-free Society for All in the Post-Earthquake Areas in Pakistan” in Islamabad on 15 December 2005, in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Welfare and Special Education and JICA Pakistan Office. The participants were mainly from the Government sectors, representatives of DPOs, as well as international donor organizations, including the World Bank, USAID, JICA and Handicap International. H.E. Ms. Zobaida Jalal, Minister of Social Welfare and Special Education, opened the Seminar. H.E. Mr. Hashmat Khan, Minister of Social Welfare of North-Western Frontier Province was a Speaker. The key speakers were: (1) Mr. Topong Kulkhanchit, Regional Development Officer, Disabled People’s International Asia-Pacific Regional Office, who had been working on the recovery and re-construction of the Tsunami-affected areas in Thailand in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO). (2) Ms. Yumiko Tanaka, Senior Regional Advisor (Gender & Monitoring/Evaluation), JICA Regional Support Office for Asia (Thailand), emphasized on the national disasters and the gender issues since three-quarters of the victims were female. (3) Dr. Asiah Abdul Rahim, Islamic University of Malaysia, spoke on the Barrier-free Architecture from Islamic Perspective and Basic Access Standards of Physical Environment. Local organizations of persons with disabilities, who have been working on the relief for the victims, also presented their experiences. After the presentations, the participants were divided into five groups: (1) Accessibility in the North-Western Frontier Province; (2) Accessibility in Azad Jamu and Kashmir Provinces; (3) Accessibility and Gender Issues; (4) Accessibility and Communication; and (5) Accessibility and Physical Environment by Architecture Aspects. The groups’ presentations were summarized as follows: (1) Promotion of accessibility for the built environment in all affected areas. (2) Accessibility to service system for the victims, particularly for health, social welfare, and job opportunity services. (3) Access to the communication system, particularly for the deaf and the blind people in the affected areas. (4) Accessibility to policy making on re-construction and rehabilitation in the affected areas, emphasizing participation of PWDs. (5) The two Provinces were encouraged to set up the Code of Legislation on accessibility for the built environment. (6) All the re-construction and rehabilitation should be reflected on the voices of PWDs. APCD ex-trainees of the Peer Counseling and Independent Living Program were conducting peer counseling especially for acute stress disorders, hygiene management, mobilization management in terms of wheelchairs and also acceptance of disability. 8th Asia Pacific Wataboshi Music Festival 2005, Shanghai, China From 9 – 13 November 2005, Shanghai Disabled Persons’ Federation in auspices from TanPoPo-no-ye Foundation of Japan hosted the 8th Asia Pacific Wataboshi Music Festi-val in Shanghai, China. There were more than 70 delegates including disabled artists from 11 countries namely Australia (6 delegates), Hong Kong (3 delegates), Japan (21 delegates), Malaysia (17 delegates), Philippines (4 delegates), Singapore (4 delegates), South Korea (2 delegates), Taiwan (4 delegates), Thailand (5 delegates), Viet Nam (4 delegates) and China (4 delegates) participating in this honorable event. The theme of the music festival was “Peace, Friendship, Equality and Participation”. As for Thailand, Mr. Sawang Srisom, an information support staff at APCD, was selected by the Foundation for Children with Disability (FCD), who held a music contest during July – October 2005 especially for this event, to be the represen-tative of Thailand and perform his song called “We have the same hearts”, the song that won the contest, in the festival. The first two days (9 and 10 November 2005), all disabled artists from different countries rehearsed their performances while other delegates had a meeting on networking and collaboration to strengthen this music festival for persons with disabilities. 11 November 2005 at Shanghai Concert Hall, the 8th Asia Pacific Wataboshi Music Festival APCD Project Activities Project Activities APCD Activities in Brief (October-December 2005) During the last quarter of the year 2005, APCD has been continuously working to empower and create a barrier-free society for persons with disabilities in the Asia and Pacific region. Starting with a visitation of Ms. Judy Heumann, World Bank Advisor on Disability and Development, in October, which she shared her experiences in the area of Independent Living with APCD staffs, stakeholders, and trainees. APCD was gracious to welcome her and acknowledge her expertise in the disability-related areas considering being very beneficial to the development of the APCD activities. Another potential activity is APCD’s participation in the Public Seminar on “Disability and Global Development Issues” co-organized by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs – FASID/NGO Forum on Disability, and the World Bank, which was a TV conference held in 4 countries namely; Japan, Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand. APCD received the honor of H.E. Mr. Tanin Kraivixien, Chairperson of the Foundation for the APCD to be APCD’s head of representative. APCD Networking and Collaboration has been working hard on building and following –up networks and partnerships in the region starting with a follow-up mission to Bangladesh and Malaysia with APCD’s focal and associate organizations along with ex-trainees. In this quarter, APCD has been very active in the earthquake recovery process in Pakistan by holding the Disaster Recovery & Disability Workshop in Pakistan. APCD Human Resources Development program successfully held the Regional Workshop on Community-based Rehabilitation and the Regional Training on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Visually Impaired Persons. Not onlyAPCD providing training to our stakeholders but in this quarterAPCD’s staff has been joining and participating in several training courses; 1) the Disability Equality Training held in Malaysia and 2) the Community-Based Training in the Rural Areas held in Bangalore, India. In addition to this, APCD has also provided assistant and APCD activities in the next 6 months consists of the followings: January Newsletter Volume 14 19-20 Mission to Lao PDR 24-28 Mission to Philippines 31-17 February APCD ICT for All: Training of Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) for Persons with Print Disability February 6-11 Mission to Uzbekistan & Tajikistan 21-25 Mission to Papua New Guinea 28-7 March APCD Training of Managerial Personnel of Independent Living Centers for People with Disabilities (PWDs) March 9-17 Refresher Training Course in Peer-Counseling for PWDs April 5-7 APCD Follow-up for Thai Ex-trainees 15 Newsletter Volume 15 22-28 APCD Follow-up Mission to Pakistan (Earthquake Recovery) May 7-9 APCD Follow-up Mission to Malaysia International Day of Disabled Persons 3 December 2005 United Nations Headquarters, United States of America Panel discussion on disability rights on Friday, 2 December, marked the observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons 2005 at United Nations Headquarters. The panel discussion hold from 1:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. in Conference Room 4. Bill Albert of the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the International Disability Equality Agency (IDEA) spoke on “A Rights-based Approach to Disability and Development”. Linda Mastandrea, of the International Paralympic Committee addressed “Disability, Sports and Development”. Johan Scholvinck, Director of the Division for Social Policy and Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, made opening remarks. The theme of this year’s International Day is “Rights of Persons with disabilities: action in development”. Also marking the International Day, the award-winning documentary Murderball (http:/www.murderballmovie.com) was screened on Thursday, 1 December at 6 p.m. in the UN Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium, with co-director Dana Adam Shapiro in attendance. The Observance at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) The theme for observance of the Day in 2005 is “Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Action in Development” aimed to promote understanding of disability issues and mobilized support for dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeked to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. The panel discussion organized by UNESCAP focuses on roles media play in portraying persons with disabilities. They might be reinforcing certain stereotypes of persons with disabilities, but they might be contributing to raising awareness on rights and lives of persons with disabilities and dispelling stereotypes about them as well. The panel discussion aims at providing both regional and global situation analysis of media portrayal of persons with disabilities and forward-looking efforts done in media which contributes to change negative perceptions of persons with disabilities. Four to five panelists from disability and journalist community, ESCAP secretariat are expected. Bangladesh 1. The 2005 International day of Disabled Persons was observed in Bangladesh with the joint initiatives of Ministry of Social Welfare, Department of Social Services, National Alliance of Disabled Peoples’ Organizations (NADPO), Jatiya Protibandhi Unnyan Foundation, Jatiya Protibandhi Forum and ActionAid-Bangladesh. The theme of the day is “Rights of Persons With Disabilities: Action in Development. The activities of the day was implemented is a colorful rally was organized where about 3000 disabled peoples participated with non disabled peoples at Manik Miah Avenue, Sher-E-Bangla nagar, dhaka in front of National Parliament Bhaban. After compilation of the rally discussion meeting was held on the days. In the day every district same type of activities, exhibition and fare were organized by many organization and agencies in the country. India 1. The organisations planned cultural and sports activities to mark the Day in a festive way; on the other hand, preparations was underway to organise seminars, workshops, awareness camps, discussion forums, conventions, rallies, and activities to highlight the issues of non-implementation of Disability Act. Apart from organising their own activities in State Capitals and Districts, National Disability Network Partners sent representatives to Delhi to participate in the World Disability Day activities that were organised by National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (N.C.P.E.D.P.), with the associate disability organisations, had been organised a one-hour cultural event followed by Walk to Freedom from India Gate to Rashtrapati Bhawan. AAMAD and disability theatre.com - a production house and Internet site promoting integrated art and culture for people with disabilities, organised World Disability Week - to be observed between December 1 and 7 - called “Possible”. This cultural festival showcased the works created by people with disabilities that would include plays, movies and painting exhibition. Disability organisations in Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Meghalaya and Tamil Nadu across India submitted 10-point demand to the Government so as to force the Government to accelerate the process of implementation of Disability Act, 1995. Action for Abilities Development and Inclusion, New Delhi, in association with F.I.C.C.I., organised a one and half day Career Development Forum Programme on 3 and 4 December. ActionAid India, in association with National Human Rights Commission, organised a daylong National Convention titled “Towards a New Paradigm: De-custodial Mental Health Care Services in India for People with Psychiatric Disability”. Pakistan 1. Special Talent Exchange Program (STEP) in collaboration with Handicap International conducted a seminar on 3 December 2005 of International Day of Disabled Persons in Islamabad. “Let’s not Leave Them halfway” is the theme of this years’ IDDP in Pakistan. About 100 Persons with Disabilities representing all three disabilities; Hearing, Visual, and Physical Impairments from different Performance of Students at the AlMakhtoom Center of VisualHandicapped Children walks of life along with other stakeholders attended the seminar. exhibitions concerning disabled persons: Thai Knowledge One of the most crucial aspects of disability movement is towards the Developments of Disabilities’ Well-Being, the inability to speak with government, policy maker, and demonstration to cooking and every kind of assistive civil society. devices, singing contest, and shows from prominent actors. 2. This year in 2005 on 3 December Society for 2. H.E. Mr. Wattana Muegnsuk, Minister of Social Disabled Women (SDW) raised general public awareness Development and Human Security, presided over the program. SDW published pamphlets in Urdu and English opening ceremony of International Day of Disabled Persons language on rights and recognition of disabled women and 2005 and presented a recognition award to announce the children on “International Disabled Day”. These pamphlets honour for person and organisation with supported disabled have been distributed in the general public in schools and persons as well as employment of a company to disabled offices related to human development. The purposes are such persons. In addition, there was a workshop on Rights of to involve general public in the awareness campaign for Persons with Disabilities: Action in Development. The disabled women and children rights and recognition and to ceremony was organised on 1 December 2005 at Prince make fell the ordinary persons about the importance of 3rd Palace Hotel, Bangkok. December “International Disabled Day”. 3. Pakistan Association of the Deaf (PAD) arranged a DPI walk and a program. The aim of this peaceful protest was to In the year 2005, the theme chosen by the United get attention of media and government towards rights of Nations for the International Day of Disabled Persons, “Rights persons with disability. of Persons with Disabilities: Action in Development”, 4. In Southern Pakistan Sindh Disability Forum (SDF) highlights the interdependence of disability, human rights, and All Sindh HandicapsAssociation (ASHA) jointly planned and development. Activities were planned all over the World to celebrate International Day of Disabled Persons (IDDP) for the International Day of Disabled Persons to raise jointly. In various cities/towns of Southern Pakistan walks awareness and to celebrate the accomplishments in assur-and rallies were organized by local Disabled Peoples’ ing rights of PWDS in the context of our governments’ de-Organizations (DPOs). In Karachi 1 st walk started from velopment strategies. A summary of some of the events in Shahra-e-Faisal to Mazar-e-Qaid at under the leadership of Asia and the Pacific are following: PAD. 2nd walk started from Safari Park to Gulistan-e-Johar 1. Bangladesh: The National Forum of Organizations with the Association of Physical Handicapped Adults (APHA) Working with the Disabled (NFOWD) organized International leading the walk. Disabled Welfare Association (DWA) sat Day of Disabled Persons activities this year in cooperation on hunger strike in front of Karachi press club. All organizations with the Ministry of Social Welfare of the Government of from rural area, towns, cities and from Karachi gathered at Bangladesh. On 3 December, a rally was held near the press club and march towards Governor of Sindh’s house Parliament House, led by the country’s Honorable Social and submitted Memorandum on the Rights of Person with Welfare Minister. The 2nd National Disability Fair was held Disabilities to the Governor of Sindh. In the evening a semi-5-9 December in Dhaka. nar on the theme “Rights of Person with Disabilities; Action 2. Cambodia: The Cambodian Disabled People’s in development” was organized by ASHA, at the conference Organization (CDPO) organized a marathon started from hall of social welfare training institute Gulshan-e-Iqbal. On 5 Siem Reap on the 26 November. They advocated along the December 2005 ASHA newspaper issued a special addition 340 km road and stop at 7 points. NGOs posted banners on covering all activities of celebration of IDDP and published their cars and distributed awareness tools along the special articles. marathon route. The 30 athletes ran with a flame called the 5. Mirpurkhas Special and Welfare Associate for a recreational tour i.e. fishing and picnic. Papua New Guinea 1. East Sepik Disabled Persons’ Association (ESDPA), a new self-help organization for people with disabilities in Papua New Guinea, celebrated the launch of their organization on 3rd December. They currently preparedactivity’s relating to the announced theme. Thailand 1.HRH Princess Soamsawali graciously presided over the opening ceremony of the 41th Day of Disabled Persons in 2005 which was organised by the National Council on Social Welfare of Thailand on 12 November 2005, Suan Am-Porn. On the day of the ceremony, there were exhibitions concerning disabled persons: Thai Knowledge towards the Developments of Disabilities’ Well-Being, demonstration to cooking and every kind of assistive devices, singing contest, and shows from prominent actors. 2. H.E. Mr. Wattana Muegnsuk, Minister of Social Development and Human Security, presided over the opening ceremony of International Day of Disabled Persons 2005 and presented a recognition award to announce the honour for person and organisation with supported disabled persons as well as employment of a company to disabled persons. In addition, there was a workshop on Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Action in Development. The ceremony was organised on 1 December 2005 at Prince Palace Hotel, Bangkok. DPI In the year 2005, the theme chosen by the United Nations for the International Day of Disabled Persons, “Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Action in Development”, highlights the interdependence of disability, human rights, and development. Activities were planned all over the World for the International Day of Disabled Persons to raise awareness and to celebrate the accomplishments in assuring rights of PWDS in the context of our governments’ development strategies. A summary of some of the events in Asia and the Pacific are following: 1. Bangladesh: The National Forum of Organizations Working with the Disabled (NFOWD) organized International Day of Disabled Persons activities this year in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Welfare of the Government of Bangladesh. On 3 December, a rally was held near Parliament House, led by the country’s Honorable Social Welfare Minister. The 2nd National Disability Fair was held 5-9 December in Dhaka. 2. Cambodia: The Cambodian Disabled People’s Organization (CDPO) organized a marathon started from Siem Reap on the 26 November. They advocated along the 340 km road and stop at 7 points. NGOs posted banners on their cars and distributed awareness tools along the marathon route. The 30 athletes ran with a flame called the “Flame of Hope” and they finished on 3 December in time for the ceremony, where they spoke. More then 1000 people with disability from different areas and organizations participated. 3. Fiji: The 2005 national celebration of the International Day of Disabled Persons was held in the second largest city in Fiji called Lautoka on 11 November 2005. The event was organized by the Fiji National Council for Disabled Persons (FNCDP), which is the national coordinating mechanism on disability established by the Fiji Government in 1994. The day’s events began with an awareness raising march through the city involving students with disabilities from five special schools in the Western Division. The Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources was the chief guest for the day and was invited for the purpose of mainstreaming disability into the activities of his Ministry as well as to sensitize him to the needs, concerns and aspirations of persons with disabilities in the country. About 500 people took part in the day’s event which also included entertainment by students with disabilities, speak-ers bureau and lots of music and fun. On the 3 of December, the Fiji Disabled People’s Association conducted an access audit in the capital city CBD. Also, the Microfinance Group involving some unemployed persons with disabilities also held a fundraising event on the night of the International Day of Disabled Persons. 4. India: People with disabilities, their parents, organizations working for people with disabilities, media representatives, government officials, and members of academia invited to this public hearing. People with disabilities and their parents or organizations presented stories of their own experiences, as well as a case study on difficulties in appreciating their rights and participating in the development process. Research Academy for Rural Enrichment (RARE) prepared a report on the day’s activities to submit to various governmental and non-governmental agencies working on the issues of people with disabilities. 5. Nepal: On 3 December 2005, NFDN (National Federation of the Disabled-Nepal) planned various celebration activities at national and regional levels, in order to demonstrate the potential of persons with disabilities. The activities are One-day interaction meeting on ‘Positive Discrimination: need and importance’, Blood Donation program including Persons with Disabilities, Media Campaign (press conference, article, publication, interview, interaction programme), National and regional level procession, including relevant Government authorities, Self-help organizations (SHOs), Disabled Peoples’ Organizations (DPOs), and all other stakeholders, Docu-mentary building (Practice and Progress on Disabilities in Nepal at a glance), and Felicitation to the Persons for their exemplary work on disabilities. 6. New Zealand: An event was organised in by the Museum of New Zealand - Te Papa Tongarewa, in partnership with the Assembly of People with Disabilities (DPA) and the Wellington City Council. 7. Pakistan: Association of Physical Handicap Adults (APHA) celebrated International Day of Disabled Persons 2005 on 3 December and decided to launch “Walk-a-Cause”. The aim of “Walk-a-Cause” is to highlight the problems and difficulties faced by the disabled/physically handicapped as well as awareness of the disability community. 8. Samoa: The National Council of People with Disabilities in Samoa held their International Day of Disabled Persons celebrations on the main island of Savaii on 2 December. The day’s activities included a march, a short ceremony, entertainment, and refreshments. People with disabilities from around the country were in attendance, as well as representatives of the Samoan government. 9. Thailand: Many activities took place this year on 26 November, including a march on the subject of accessibility (organized by the Association of the Physically Handicapped Thailand), which took place in Nonthaburi. In cooperation with several government offices, two national seminars were organized for 1 and 2 December. The first, hosted by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, was on the subject of this year’s International Day of Disabled Persons theme. The second, organized by the Senate Commission on Social Development and Human Security, was a National Seminar on a Barrier-free Environment for Persons with Disabilities. In addition, the Thailand Association of the Blind (TAB) organized a peaceful protest rally on Friday, 2 December. They were calling for “change in the government policy on lottery, which has treated disabled and poor people like slave labor,” according to TAB President, Monthian Buntan. When there was no response from the government after their request for negotiations, the protestors decided to block the railway. The government’s next reaction was to have many of the protestors arrested, and many of them now face criminal charges. 10. Tonga: In the capital of Nuku’alofa, the Disability Self advocacy Group (NATA) and the disability service providers run by the Red Cross held a street Float Parade down the main street of the city. This parade was followed by a ceremony in a public park with speakers talking about why it is important for people with disabilities to be involved in society. That evening there was a film shown in the same public park, depicting people with disabilities as empowered and involved. Viet Nam Beauty in Diversity is a joint celebration in honour of World AIDS Day (Dec. 1), International Day of Disability (Dec. 3), and International Volunteer Day (Dec. 5). The day was dedicated to recognizing the diverse range of individuals living with or affected by disability and those living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. Moreover, the day is in recognition of the wide range of individuals that volunteer their time and energy to contribute to their community’s needs. The afternoon’s events began with opening remarks from a senior government official and Mr. Jordan Ryan, the UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam. Following the opening ceremony, there was a series of educational, fun, and entertaining activities taking place on stage. In addition, within the park grounds surrounding the stage, there were information booths, additional games and delicious refreshments. Regional News(October-December 2005) 1) Seminar on Independent Living and Women with Disabilities APCD, Bangkok, Thailand 16 October 2005 The Disabled Peoples’ International Asia-Pacific Regional Development Office in collaboration with the World Bank-Thailand andAPCD organized a Seminar on Independent Living and Women with Disabilities. Ms. Judith Heumann, World Bank Advisor on Disability and Development was the keynote speaker to share her experiences on the related issues with persons with disabilities in Thailand and participants from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Viet Nam. From this, Ms. Heumann shared her childhood-youth-current life experiences along with the situation of women with disabilities in the United States of America. In addition, she shared her experiences working with a diversity of women with disabilities from different countries mainly on the public awareness issues. 2) Regional Workshop on Comprehensive National Plan of Action on Disability - Towards the Mid-point Review of the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action towards an Inclusive, Barrier-free and Rights based Society for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific (BMF) Bangkok, Thailand, 19-21 October 2005 The current Workshop on action planning on disability and development was organized by UN ESCAP to provide a forum for an intensive exchange of knowledge and experience on (1) progress as well as obstacles in implementing the goals and commitments of BMF and (2) concepts and issues related to action planning, implementation management and participatory monitoring and evaluation from the disability perspective. The Workshop identified a practical checklist on trategic approaches to planning, implementation management, monitoring and evaluation of disability inclusive policies and plans. In accordance with Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific resolution 61/8 of 8 May 2005, on preparations for the “Mid-point review of the implementation of the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action towards an Inclusive, Barrier-free and Rights-based Society for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific,” the Workshop reviewed the first draft of the “Biwako plus 5: Forward looking Strategies for the Second Half of the Decade, ”concluding a Bangkok Declaration and Recommendation on National Action Planning and Disability-Inclusive Development a set of strategies for the second half of the Decade, which is to be ultimately reviewed and adopted at the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting. For further information please visit http://www.worldenable.net/bmf2005/. 3) Hanoi Transport Management Building Project Hanoi, Viet Nam 20 October 2005 Representatives from the Disability Forum and Hanoi Transport Department joined a field trip at some traffic light location and the lanes constructed for PWDs as part of the Hanoi Transport Management Building Project under the sponsorship of the World Bank, this trip provided the participants a lot of useful information such as PWDs can be good traffic-users on some conditions like the specialized signal system available, other users aware of following the traffic rules, no red light crossing, no wrong parking, and there should be enough ramps provided on the pavements to avoid any obstacles. The purpose of this project is to exercise the equal rights of PWDs and the right to use public traffic. Source: Disability Forum, Viet Nam 4) UNESCAP Workshop on Tsunami and Vulnerable Groups Bangkok, Thailand 27 October 2005 UNESCAP organized the National Workshop on the Impact of the Tsunami on Vulnerable Groups in Thailand with representatives from UN Agencies, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (Thailand), Ministry of Education, Ministry of Interior, Foundation for Women, National Human Rights Commission, Foundation for Children, Empower Foundation, Migrant Action Programme, Federation of Southern Fisherfolk, and Disabled Peoples’ International Asia-Pacific joined to share tsunami recovery project including gaps and challenges for the comprehensive planning. 5) Viet Nam Innovation Wins Disabled Project Contest Sao Mai, Viet Nam December 2005 A Vietnamese digitized audio book library with a screen display reading program for the visually impaired took first prize this week at regional contest on projects for the disable by Samsung electronics. Dang Hoai Phuc, Lecturer at the informatics center Sao Mai in Ho Chi Minh City, led his group to create the project, one among only eleven that awarded at the Samsung Digital Hope contest 2005. The contest drew hundreds of projects from six Southeast Asian countries and Australia and only eleven qualified for some $500,000 in total funding. This is the third annual Samsung DigitAll Hope 2005 contest in the region, with other winning project this year including a ‘Cyber Coach’ - a mobile multimedia unit for Tsunami disaster victims; an education technology centre for the blind; an e-skills development training program for disadvantaged youth; an e-street maps for vans. 6) Software Translates Braille to Normal Text Documents Chiangmai, Thailand December 2005 In order to bridge the communication gap between blind and sighted people in reading paper-based documents, a group of students at Maejo University in Chiang Mai has developed software to translate Braille documents into normal documents. It is called the Braille Document Translator and it has been developed using the C rogramming language. Wanpaya Thanpanit, 24, the team leader, said that he and two friends spent two months last year developing the software when they were fourth-year computer science students at Maejo’s science faculty, with the hope of giving the blind and severely visually impaired a broader view of the world, as well as to help sighted people. The software requires only an entry-level scanner with at least 200-dots-per-inch capacity to scan Braille documents into digital form. The program then makes calculations and analyses the Braille alphabet to turn the characters into regular alphabet characters. It won second prize at the National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre’s 7th National Software Contest earlier this year. It also received a special prize from the Ratchasuda Foundation. It recently received second prize at the Thailand ICT Awards 2005, organised by the Association of Thailand Computer Industry and the Software Industry Promotion Agency. For more information, please check www.nationmultimedia.com/2005/12/02/byteline/index.php? news=byteline_19314207.html. 7) VDO Conference Between Hearing Impaired People of Uzbekistan and Japan JICA Uzbekistan Office & JICA Tokyo International Center 9 December 2005 Ten participants (5 from each side) participated in this even to discuss various aspects of the life, work, leisure, and other related activities. In Uzbekistan more than 40 members of the Deaf Association witnessed the meeting as the observers. At the beginning one representative of each nation introduced the information about the respective country so that the other participants could receive the basic data for the forthcoming discussion. Then a quiz was given to all participants starting from objects given for the participants to guess the gesture, which had been shown by the other country’s people. Surprisingly the participants from different countries who had different cultures and languages were able to understand more than half of the gestures almost immediately. During the quiz the slight constraint feeling had completely vanished and the strong sense of unity appeared instead. The final session was a discussion on issues concerning the life, labor, creative works, and sport activities as well as about the laws confirming the rights of hearing impaired persons. The representatives of both countries enjoyed the talk and could have learnt a lot of new knowledge from each other. This is considered to be a unique challenge and successful attempt to organize a cross-cultural meeting between hearing impaired people by utilizing modern telecommunication technologies thus eliminating the distance and borders between two countries. Source: Mikhail V. Kushnir, Senior Systems Administrator & Computer Courses Coordinator, Uzbekistan-Japan Center 8) International Human Rights Day World Health Organizations 10 December 2005 The World Health Organizations (WHO) is dedicating the International Human Rights Day, 10 December to people with mental disorders and the all-too-prevalent violations of their basic human rights. People with mental disorders face an alarming range of human rights abuses in countries throughout the world, yet there are proven ways to dramatically improve the situation. To mark the International Human Rights Day, WHO is drawing attention to the problems and the solutions in a new online photo essay: “Denied Citizens: Mental Health and Human Rights”, which highlights some of these human rights violations, and gives examples of how they can and must be stopped. Source: www.who.in 9) Bangkok Human Rights Protection Network Bangkok, Thailand The Bangkok MetropolitanAuthority Consumer Protection Committee discussed with the Council of Disabled People of Thailand to reconsider building a non-handicapped environment for persons with disabilities. Accordingly to this, a street model will be build to provide a safety and accessibility to persons with disabilities. This is to promote the equal human rights of persons with disabilities. Source: www.tddf.or.th Regional News: Upcoming Events January-March 2006 1) 3rd International Conference on Special Education Bangkok, Thailand 8 - 11 January 2006 The Department of Special Education, Faculty of Education, Srinakharinwirot University will hold the 3rd International Conference on Special Education Moving Towards Promoting Divrsity in Education. The conference will cover the following topics: 1) Access to General Curriculum 2) Alternate Assessment 3) Assistive Technology 4) Early Childhood Intervention 5) Higher Education Collaboration 6) Inclusive Education 7) Administration 8)Legal Aspects 9) Parent Involvement 10) Non-formal & Home School Education 11) Cultural and Linguistic Diversity 12) Transition along the Lifespan. For more information, please check www.specialeducation2006.com. 2) 7th of the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities United Nations Headquarters, New York, United States of America 16 January - 3 February 2006 For more information, please check www.un.org/esa/ socdev/enable/rights/ahc7.htm. 3) International Training Working on Inclusion of Disability Issues into Development “The Implementation of Community Approaches to Handicap in Development in Bangladesh” Centre for Disaability in Development (CDD), Dhaka, Bangladesh 11 - 17 February 2006 This interactive training course has been designed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to develop their own model of CAHD or disability into development programs within their operating areas. The objectives of the courses are to understand concepts of development, disability, CBR, self-help & independent living, disability in development, disaster & disability, and CAHD, to describe the CAHD concept and framework, and to make a basic plan for implementation of disability in development programs in their contexts. Deadline for registration is 22 January 2006. 4) 8th International Training Course on Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) for Programme Managers Bangalore, India 14 - 23 February 2006 The course is designed to equip the participants with necessary knowledge and the basic skills to initiate, monitor, develop and strengthen CBR programmes. Apart from facilitating information exchange, prarticipants will also be oriented towards Information Dissemination, Networking and Advocacy related to Disability Rehabilitation and CBR. For more information, please check www.actionaidindia.org/ Sabla-Training.htm. 5) National Information Resource Guide on Disability Services in Viet Nam Spanish Red Cross, Viet Nam February, 2006 This guide will have national coverage and 6,000 copies of the first edition will be published. The resource guide aims to enhance the harmonization and maximization of service provision for people with disabilities and to facilitate dialogue and strengthen the information network amongst disability-related agencies in Viet Nam. For more information please contact cruzroja1@fpt.vn. Source: Disability Forum, Viet Nam 6) First Kuwait International Conference on the Role of People with Special Needs in Building the Information Society Afghanistan 11 - 13 March 2006 KISR’s initiative to hold this conference shows the need to manage national dialogue in an extended discussion of the national strategic aspects of the information society. Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD) 255 Rajvithi Rd., Rajthevi, Bangkok 10400 Thailand Tel : 66-(0)-2354-7505 Fax : 66-(0)-2354-7507 URL : http://www.apcdproject.org Email : info@apcdproject.org The conference’s including the participation of people with special needs in the information society is an important step in paving the way for the participation of this sector in today’s society. For more information, please check www.kisr.edu.kw/ conference_details.asp?ID=32. Editorial Message Season’s Greetings to All Readers, Happy New Year and best wishes to all readers throughout the year 2006! This quarter is filled with celebrations especially the International Day of Disabled Persons held on 3 December commemorated all over the world including countries in the Asia-Pacific region, showing the unity and strengths of the disability community. APCD would like to support the continuity of this potential event to go on and on. As it could be seen throughout our three and a half years working with the disability-related community, APCD is not only aiming to empower and create a barrier-free society internally but APCD also supports externally for instance aids given towards the nature catastrophe that struck our companion countries in the region as you can see from our activities reported in our newsletter. APCD would like to talk this small corner to once again wish you a wonderful and pleasant successful New Year. PORT PAYE POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 33/2545 RATCHAWITHI POST OFFICE Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD) 255 Rajvithi Rd., Rajthevi, Bangkok 10400 Thailand Tel : 66-(0)-2354-7505 Fax : 66-(0)-2354-7507 URL : http://www.apcdproject.org Email : info@apcdproject.org