[page 1] Blind Future Leaders’ Dialogue : Building a Better Asia Beyond the Blind Community 21 to 24 July 2008 APCD, Bangkok, Thailand The Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability Foundation (APCD Foundation) collaborated with the Nippon Foundation to conduct the “Blind Future Leaders’ Dialogue for Building a Better Asia Beyond the Blind Community”, from 21 to 24 July 2008 at the APCD Training Building, Bangkok, Thailand. The objectives were to bring young blind leaders from Asia together to learn about new visions and missions from each other as well as from a variety of resource persons; to develop a new and effective strategy for building a better Asia for all; and to establish a platform to exchange information and have collaboration among young blind leaders, resource persons, the Nippon Foundation and APCD Foundation with knowledgeable and experienced resource persons from Germany, Japan and Thailand. The 19 delegates came from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand. The first day of the dialogue was inaugurated by H.E. Mr. Tanin Kraivixian, President of the APCD Foundation and Mr.Takejyu Ogata, President of the Nippon Foundation. The first day focused on advice and guidance for young blind leaders. Ms. Sabriye Tenberken, Co-Founder of Braille Without Borders challenged the participants with a thought provoking presentation on developing and nurturing leadership. Ms. Tenberken drew on her own extensive experience and addressed the question: “Does a person need vision to be a leader”? The final session of the first day was a presentation on “The Future of Asia” by Mr. Kavi Chongkittavon, Assistant Group Editor, Nation Multimedia Group. He began with a seemingly simple but remarkably complex question, “How do you define Asia?” [page 2] He talked about the many faces of Asia addressing the changing social, economic, political and cultural climate of Asia today and the future. The second day began with a review of the first day followed by a presentation by Mr. Monthian Buntan, Senator and President of the Thailand Association of the Blind. He shared his own personal development and the use of power to affect political change and develop effective strategies for creating change through governments. The final session focused on ICT for visually impaired persons with two presenters. Mr. Hiroshi Kawamura, President of the DAISY Consortium stimulated thinking through a presentation that looked at future policies and strategies in the area of ICT that will impact persons with disabilities in the decades ahead; Prof. Jun Ishikawa, Sociologist, International Relations Dept., University of Shizuoka took the participants on a personal journey tracing his own experience as a user and developer of access technology solutions and where that will lead in the future. The third day began with a review of the previous day facilitated by Mr. Hisao Chiba after which the young blind leaders were divided into three groups for discussion on: 1. How do blind persons envision the future of Asia in the next two decades? 2. How can blind persons contribute to the future of Asia? 3. How can blind persons act now for the future of Asia? This opportunity to exchange and share knowledge and information that had been utilized and applied in the blind leaders’ countries was enhanced by the resource persons’ input. Group discussion followed on developing a framework and outline for a Declaration and selecting a Draft Committee for the Declaration. The Draft Committee worked to include the most important issues in the final Declaration. The last day again began with a review of the previous day; the Draft Committee presented their draft of the Declaration. There was a general consensus that additional time was needed to finalize the issues and revise the Declaration. The Final Declaration was adopted by Delegates; Certificates were then presented to the young blind leaders at a closing ceremony and resource persons and facilitators were thanked by the Executive Director and Chief Advisor of APCD Foundation for their significant contributions. The Blind Future Leaders’ Dialogue was successful in promoting new visions and missions, developing a new and effective strategy for building a better Asia for all and in establishing a platform to exchange information and for young blind leaders to collaborate. [page 3] INTERVIEW CORNER Mr. Chalermporn Nuntaruan (Thailand) Before the training on ICT for Visually Impaired Persons at APCD, I had no confidence. There was no training in any specific topic, and I relied on my own knowledge only. After the training, I felt self-confident to transfer knowledge to all. At the present time, I am keen on my work with JAWS. I write JAWS script, provide training on JAWS for Windows, and share web accessibiity guidelines. I’d like to work on JAWS more because it is accessible not only for visually impaired persons but also persons with other types of disabilities. Ms. Padasas Rustica Barrun (Philippines) My current focus is to support visually impaired persons, their families and children in all parts of the Philippines. We have been actively working with provincial and regional offices of our government because my office in Cebu is located far from the central office in Manila. My passion is originally from the gift as a visually impaired person. I would like to mobilize my unique experiences which can be helpful for other visually impaired people. Mr. Dang Hoai Phuc (Viet Nam) As the Executive Director of the Sao Mai Computer Centre for the Blind, my responsibility is to coordinate and manage all activities of the Centre. The activities about information technology are what I’m interested in and love to work on. I believe that information technology in general can empower blind people and visually impaired persons. That is why I really want to promote ICT for the blind. In my opinion, our life can be better if we support each other in education, employment and daily living. Ms. Tath Nigah (Cambodia) The starting point of my vocational career was when I got training for massage in 1995. After being a trainer for massage for some years, in 2004, I took a massage training course through JICA in Okinawa for six months. Various experiences as a blind person have motivated me to work very hard. My family and friends always encourage me to keep going. I also would like to inspire everybody in my country, especially families with blind children. Be hopeful for the future. Don’t feel hopeless!! [page 4] Blind Future Leaders’ Dialogue Declaration Bangkok PREAMBLE We, the delegates to the Blind Future Leaders’ Dialogue, from 10 countries in Asia: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, having listened to presentations made by regional and international resource persons on 1) leadership development, 2) the future of Asia, 3) disability policy and strategy, and 4) ICT development for persons with disabilities at the Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD) in collaboration with the Nippon Foundation, from 21-24th July 2008, have discussed: 1) How do we envision the future of Asia in the next two decades? 2) How can we contribute to the future of Asia? 3) What action should we as a blind community be taking to build a better Asia? We declare our vision, mission and strategies in the next 2 decades, as follows: VISION An Asia where self-confident and competitive blind persons live and fully participate in an inclusive, barrier-free, and rights-based society. MISSION The Blind Future Leaders’ Dialogue exists to review, discuss, debate and recommend the most critical strategies that will allow us to achieve our vision of Asia in which blind persons live in an inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based society. STRATEGIES 1. To promote inclusive educational systems • human resource development in the field of inclusive education systems for blind persons • develop accessible, high-quality and affordable educational materials • develop public awareness programs to promote the importance of education for blind persons • development of programs that foster the involvement of families and the blind themselves • development of support centers for persons with special needs 2. To open up decent job opportunities in both the formal and non-formal sectors • support operational research on the development of new employment opportunities for blind persons • develop the unique skills of the blind to allow them to be more competitive in the labor market • foster and develop opportunities for entrepreneurship • development support centers that foster the development of employees with special needs and requirements • create public awareness programs that promote the abilities and potentials of the blind to potential employers 3. To enhance the development of accessible ICT systems and products • foster and develop assistive technology within the Asian region • promote accessibility of information and ICT through use of universal design in combination with assistive technologies within Asia with special attention to localization • support training for both basic and professional levels of ICT • foster and support the development of free and open source software and open and non-proprietary standard based devices and systems 4. To promote accessible public services and facilities • public buildings • transportation and • public services 5. To develop and strengthen the implementation of national and international laws and policies that recognize, protect and promote the rights of persons with disabilities including CRPD, WSIS, and BMF. • collaborate with networks within the region to assure the development and implementation of laws and policies • more effort should be devoted to the matter of copyright law 6. To promote leadership roles of blind persons and their movement to allow full participation in society. • strengthen local, sub-regional and regional networks • promote effective leadership training initiatives [page 5] REGIONAL NEWS APCD Missions to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan Central Asia is a sub-region consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It has the United Nations Special Programme for Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) and also the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which includes Russia and China as well as other countries. Tajikistan society inherited its culture from Persia as have Afghanistan and Iran; four other countries have a background of Turkish culture. Russian is the international language in Central Asia. Uzbekistan Uzbekistan has the largest population in Central Asia with 27.3 million people. The APCD mission to Uzbekistan met H.E. Mr. Saidov Shuhrat Zafarovich, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, and Mr. Muminov Askar Ubaydullaevich, Chief of Inspection. They promised to collaborate with CDSHOD, which is scheduled for October in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. The mission team met Ms. Guljahon Makhmadkulova, Chairperson of MILLENNIUM, and Ms. Zora Rakhmatullayeva, Chairperson of the Association of Business Women with Disabilities. They also met Mr. Oybek Isakov, Chairperson of the National Association of Disabled Persons of Uzbekistan, who were hosts to the APCD mission; they introduced their self-help organizations and income generation activities which have 114 units with 120,000 members. Mr. Madatrulov Hisbanboy attended as a representative of Tashkent Regional NGO. World Vision Japan was about to start a CBR Project supported by JICA with 10 mahallas (communities) in Tashkent. APCD plans to collaborate with them on CBR training and to provide resource persons, as well as invite them to the First Asia-Pacific CBR Congress in Bangkok in December 2008. JICA Uzbekistan plans to translate the APCD newsletter contents into Russian and support Russian language countries by distributing its news. Tajikistan Tajikistan is a rather small mountainous country with 7.2 million people. The mission to Tajikistan visited H.E. Mr. Shukurjon Zuhurov, Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, and Mr. Yahyojon Vahobov, Chairman of the Department of International Relations and Public Relations. According to the Ministry, there are 130,000 persons with disabilities, including 40,000 children with disabilities. One thousand four hundred (1,400) persons with disabilities are in institutions; the Government provides job placement, as well as a social pension. Tajikistan became independent in 1991 after long civil conflicts, resulting in a delay of the economic and social development. APCD and the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population had a Memorandum of Meeting to collaborate in disability and development, including CDSHOD and an exchange of information. Five organizations were present at the APCD Workshop: (1) National Union of Disabled People of Tajikistan is the largest organization for persons with a mobility disability with 59 branches. (2) Society of the Blind of Tajikistan has 38 branches and 4 boarding schools run by the Government. (3) Society of Deaf People of Tajikistan has 7,000 members and 4 branches, and are conducting sign language training courses. (4) Society of Disabled People of Dushanbe; and (5) Disabled Women’s League. Mr. Asadullo Zikrikhudoyev, APCD ex-participant, and Chairperson of the Society of Disabled People of Dushanbe organized a workshop on CRPD in September 2008, which was funded by the Abilis Foundation. The participants were from Afghanistan, Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Since the National Association of Disabled People in Iran has a close relationship with Tajikistan DPOs, they will donate 100 wheelchairs to the Disabled People’s Organizations (DPOs) in Tajikistan. The mission team visited the Society of the Blind of Dushanbe, which had a Braille printing workshop, a computer training school and tape library. APCD interviewed and recruited participants for CDSHOD in both countries. UNESCAP is also inviting Government policy-makers for CDSHOD. [page 6] Workshop on Intellectual Disabilities Conducted in Viet Nam and Lao PDR APCD conducted workshops on intellectual disabilities in collaboration with our Focal Points and Associate Organizations in Viet Nam and Laos. Self-advocates, family members and supporters joined these workshops and shared their experiences and ideas with resource persons from Japan and Thailand. APCD would like to thank all who helped organize the workshops and contributed to them as participants! Workshop in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City In Viet Nam, workshops were held in Hanoi (19 August) and Ho Chi Minh City (21 August). In total, 19 self-advocates and 37 supporters (mainly family members) attended. APCD resource persons, Mr. Tetsuya Sugisawa (self-advocate from Japan) and Ms. Keiko Sodeyama (Inclusion Japan), Ms. Payanart Sookcharearn (self-advocate from Thailand) and Ms. Daranee Thanabhumi (President, Association for Persons with Intellectual Disability of Thailand) shared their experiences. Let us start with what we can do! Let us ask others for support! Mr. Sugisawa emphasized that self-advocates should not feel that they have to do everything by themselves. Instead, they can ask others around them for support. Self-advocates should get together, think about what they want to do, start with what they can do and ask others for help if there is anything they can’t do on their own. Working together with others is an important principle in self-advocacy. Ms. Payanart shared her experiences in Thailand. She has been helping the work of the Association for Persons with Intellectual Disability by assisting children in their daily activities. She has also learned Thai massage and now has regular clients in the neighborhood. From her presentation, we learned that persons with intellectual disabilities have much potential. We can do many things by ourselves! We want to try new things! Self-advocates in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, inspired by the experiences of Mr. Sugisawa and Ms. Payanart, expressed their interest in having more opportunities to get together and think about what they can do as a group. They were also keen on finding stable employment so that they can be independent. They also said that they would like their parents to ask their opinions first when trying to help them. Forming a stronger network among parents’ groups The Thai and Japanese experiences in setting up self-help groups of family members were also shared by Ms. Sodeyama and Ms. Daranee. For persons with intellectual disabilities, it is essential that family members, in collaboration with community members, create an enabling environment where they can develop and demonstrate their full potential. There are some parents’ groups in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, most of which were organized by parents whose children go to the same school. At present, there is no network among these groups. The parents in Hanoi showed an interest in establishing a joint association of parents in the future. To reach this goal, they hope to begin working more closely with each other. In Ho Chi Minh City, family members are also interested in setting up a group. [page 7] Workshop in Vientiane On 26th-27th August, APCD organized a workshop targeting family members and supporters. A team of trainers from the Association of Parents for Thai Persons with Autism, led by its President, Mr. Chusak Janthayanond, conducted training on how to support autistic persons and how to make simple exercise tools to help their body functions. On the following day, APCD conducted another one-day workshop at the Lao Disabled People’s Association office with self-advocates. In total, 14 self-advocates and 28 supporters (including family members) participated. Need to work with wider stakeholders discussed by family members The family members and supporters actively took part in the training and expressed satisfaction with its contents. At the end of the training, future actions were discussed. Many of them showed interest in more training so that they can take better care of their children and help their development. Gaining understanding and support from more stakeholders were also raised as an important step towards creating a more enabling environment for persons with intellectual disabilities. When there is another workshop of this kind, it could be used as an opportunity to advocate for better understanding of intellectual disabilities by more partners, such as schools, rehabilitation centers and NGOs. Self-advocates interested in meeting more often Mr. Sirisak Wiwatana (self-advocate from Thailand) facilitated the group discussion. Just like their peers in Viet Nam, the self-advocates in Lao PDR expressed their interest in having more opportunities to meet each other so that they can start thinking about what they can do together. They also mentioned that they enjoy helping their families and would like to help them even more. The way forward APCD will continue working with its partners in supporting self-help groups of persons with intellectual disabilities and their family members. In the long run, APCD would like to see more persons with intellectual disabilities involved in cross-disability activities. Let us work together towards this goal! 1st Asia-Pacific Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Congress 9-11 December 2008, Bangkok 1st Asia-Pacific Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Congress which will be conducted from 9 -11 December 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand is a great opportunity to share many experiences of CBR from all over the Asia-Pacific region. For persons interested in this Congress, the key sessions of the Congress are as follows: - “United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities” - “CBR and Inclusive Development for People with Disabilities and Their Families” - “CBR and Alliance / Partnership Building” - “CBR, Empowerment and Disabled Peoples’ Organizations”. The following workshops will be organized by AIFO and DPI as Pre and Post - Congress at Prince Palace Mahanak Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand: Pre - Congress 4-5 December 2008 “CBR and Mental Health” 6-7 December 2008 “CBR and Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Implementing the UN Convention” Post – Congress 12-13 December 2008 “CBR and Persons Affected by Leprosy” Join the Congress and share your experiences and help improve the CBR network! For further information, please visit the Congress website www.cbr-asiapacific.org or email to secretariat@cbr-asiapacific.org [page 8] Follow up of Our Friends Innovative Initiative by the National Coordinating Council on Disability (Focal Point, Viet Nam) Since the approval of the National Action Plan for Persons with Disabilities by the Prime Minister in 2006, the National Coordinating Council on Disability (NCCD) has been promoting its implementation. In addition, a new law on persons with disabilities based on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is currently being drafted, and will be submitted to the National Assembly in 2009. Working with the Ministries concerned, NCCD is promoting the ratification of CRPD by the Vietnamese government. Furthermore, NCCD is to be upgraded to a National Committee which will be headed by the Deputy Prime Minister with Deputy Ministers as members. The establishment of a National Federation on Disability in Viet Nam is now in the process of being organized by NCCD. Members of the National Federation will be groups and associations of and for persons with different types of disabilities (blind, deaf, intellectual and physical disabilities), including parents’ associations. Networking SHGs in Danang and Hoi An (Mr. Truong Cong Nghiem, ex-participant, Viet Nam) Since our self-help group “Chi Hoi Thanh Nien Khuyet Tat” was established together with other persons with disabilities in Danang in 2005, it currently has 130 members. At the same time, there are various good CBR initiatives in Danang; the collaboration on CBR with public health practitioners including Danang Rehabilitation and Sanatorium Hospital is going well. Furthermore, “Chi Hoi Thanh Nien Khuyet Tat” has been in contact with other SHG in Hoi An through exchanging information and meetings. Actually, an event to raise awareness about persons with disabilities on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is jointly organized by these SHGs every year. Networking, which led us to come confident, is the key for our activities. One approach to economic empowerment (Mr. Le Nguyen Binh, ex-participant, Viet Nam) We have been actively working to improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities, promote social participation and economic empowerment of persons with disabilities in Hoi An, a town of World Heritage. In practice, employment opportunities are provided at a leading retail outlet of handicrafts “Reaching Out Handicrafts”. The unique point of our practice is to offer a fine collection of handmade crafts by both persons with disabilities at our workshop and by talented disabled artisans from all over Viet Nam. Both off-line and on-line network have been utilized under the concept of “social business” which positions people and sustainable commerce ahead of profits. Thus, our operation addresses not only its good will but also its effectiveness as a business. I never hesitate to do what I can do (Ms.Phengmany Phengphomkong, ex-participant, Lao PDR) At the age of 7, I became disabled. I used to stay in the same place until I was 16 years old. Since I finished raising my children, I thought about how I could support other persons with disabilities through my life, including rural areas, based on my knowledge and experience as a person with a disability. In 2003, I set up a self-help group with 9 persons. Now there are more than 200 members. In addition to cooperating among different groups of persons with disabilities, Vientiane Capital Disabled People’s Association (VCDPA), a self-help organization, has been established to empower and network with persons with disabilities living in different communities. As president of this SHO, it is hoped that we can raise awareness about persons with disabilities and to empower as many persons with disabilities as possible in their communities. [page 9] APCD ACTIVITIES Tentative APCD activities for the next 6 months (October 2008 – March 2009) October 2008 - Newsletter Volume 25 21 – 24 - Regional Training Seminar on Capacity Development of Self-help Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (CDSHOD) in Central Asia November 2008 3-7 - Mission to Cambodia 9-14 - Mission to the Philippines December 2008 3 - International Day of Persons with Disabilities 9 – 11 - 1st Asia-Pacific Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Congress January 2009 - Newsletter Volume 26 12-23 - Mission to Viet Nam February 2009 2-6 - Mission to Myanmar 24-26 - South-to-South Cooperation Seminar 24 February- - Regional Training on Women with Disabilities 8 March March 2009 2-6 - Mission to Myanmar 9-13 - Mission to Cambodia [page 10] What is SbKM? “Knowledge” consists of two types of information. Explicit knowledge is information that can be described and written down, for example, in books and reports. Tacit knowledge is when somebody gains knowledge from personal experience and becomes familiar with it more subjectively. It is assumed that persons with disabilities have tacit knowledge according to their unique experience. Most important is the interaction between the two types of information which can create “new knowledge”. So we need Knowledge Management (KM) skills which includes Story-based Knowledge Management (SbKM). JICA AWARD 2008 !!! JICA Headquarters selected the APCD Project for the JICA Award 2008. As a model project, it is encouraged to disseminate the Project performance within Asia-Pacific, as well as all over the world in order to promote JICA’s effective Official Development Assistance. Currently there are several hundreds of JICA projects globally with approximately 20 projects selected for the JICA Award each year. Mrs. Kingkaew Inwang, Secretary General of National Office for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (NEP), Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, will receive the Award from Dr. Sadako Ogata, President of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) through the JICA Thailand Representative. [page 11] International Sign Language Sabaidee!! (Greetings in Lao) How are you doing? Wishing all readers are doing well. It’s time for Kana-chan and Juk to show the next letters of alphabet; K, L, M, and N. Please follow us! Let’s begin with K; Kana-chan opens her index and middle fingers and all others are closed facing the viewer as a V-sign, also called the victory and peace sign; she then moves her thumb in between the two raised fingers. To say N, Kana-chan shows the V-sign again and bends them down to the closed fingers. For M, Juk adds his ring finger in the V-sign and folds them down. L is the last one. Juk lifts up only his thumb and index finger with the others closed. This hand gesture is similar to the way of writing. [page 12] EDITORIAL MESSAGE Hello everyone!!! This newsletter is the last volume for 2008! Many activities by APCD such on networking and collaboration, workshops and training as well as Story-based Knowledge Management (SbKM) have been organised in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Viet Nam, and Thailand). In October, the Regional Training Seminar on Capacity Development of Self-help Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (CDSHOD) will be held in Kyrgyz Republic along with Central Asian countries; the progress of the seminar will be shared in the next volume. December the 3rd is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Let’s celebrate the day together with the theme: “Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Dignity and justice for all of us”. Empowerment APCD Newsletter Editorial Team