Julie Bishop address to Council 2010
Disability and development
Disability and Development Working Group
ACFID's Disability and Development Working Group now works out of the Australian Disability and Development Consortium (ADDC). 40 ACFID member agencies work on disability issues, mostly in Asia and the Pacific but also in Africa.
ADDC Executive Director: Christine Walton
Pacific Disability Forum Regional Conference 2009
Outcomes Statement
A communique emanating from the First Regional Conference on Disability in the Pacific, convened in Port Vila on 20-23 April 2009, reflects the views of representatives from 11 Pacific Island countries and from Timor Leste. It includes a range of recommendations relating to how best to address disability in the region.
Disability, Disadvantage and Development in the Pacific and Asia
This special issue of the Development Bulletin (No 73, April 2009) was produced as an outcome of the international conference of the same title held in Canberra on 29 and 30 September 2008 followed by a one-day Policy Roundtable on 1 October 2008. The papers and case studies begin to address the lack of information and understanding of the relationship between disability and development and in particular the inter-relationship between disability and poverty.
(The following document is in Microsoft Word format. If you do not have access to Microsoft Word, download Word Viewer.)
Disability, Disadvantage and Development in the Pacific and Asia (Word - 1.1mb)
Disability, Disadvantage and Development in the Pacific and Asia
Facts and figures
There is a strong relationship between disability and poverty.
- 20% of the world’s poorest people have a disability.
- 50% of the causes of disability are believed to be preventable.
- Only 2% of people with a disability are estimated to have access to basic services (health and education).
- 80% of people with disabilities are unemployed.
- 26,000 people per year are killed or disabled by landmines.
- In the Asia Pacific Region, it is estimated that over 40% of people with disabilities are living in poverty.
- Disabilities include physical, mental and sensory impairments.
- Females with a disability can be doubly disadvantaged due to discrimination based both on 'gender'; and 'person with disability' status. Refer to People with Disabilities (PWD) Australia's Gender and Disability (PowerPoint 63kb)
Disability and the MDGs
Consideration of the rights and needs of persons with disabilities, together with the prevention of the causes of disabilities, is essential if the overall aim of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), to halve absolute poverty is to be achieved by 2015.
Disability and the Millennium Development Goals, ACFID Issues Paper (pdf 119kb)
Disability and emergency situations
People with a disability are less able to flee to safety in a disaster situation. For instance, in the Indian Ocean earthquake and Tsunami in 2004, it is believed that people with a disability were disproportionately represented in the death toll. Tsunami & people with disabilities: Summary issues for consideration summarises some practical ways NGOs involved in a disaster response situation can mainstream disability into their relief, recovery, rehabilitation, reconstruction and development activities.
Disability terminology
Most of us disapprove of derogatory terms being used about people with a disability. However there are still some insidious terms being used in everyday conversations, and people are often unaware of the harm they can do to people's self esteem and many may not even be aware of the language people with a disability consider to be appropriate.
Disability language A–Z guide (pdf 100kb)
Women and disabilities on the Pacific agenda
Amongst recommendations - Workshop recommendations (pdf 84kb) - emanating from the 10th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women held in Noumea 27–31 May 2007, were three relating to women and disabilities. Specifically the meeting called for:
- the rights and issues of women with disabilities to be effectively mainstreamed in all national laws, policies and programs and that specific anti-discrimination laws, policies and programs that include references to disability be enacted in Pacific Island Countries and Territories;
- governments to undertake data collection on women with disabilities and promote the effective participation of women with disabilities all in future Triennial meeting; and
- under the heading of Young Women Leaders, acknowledgement of the contribution and rights of women with disabilities to be included in government and NGO programs.
Growing disability movement in the Pacific
Pacific Island countries are increasingly recognising the importance of disability issues. An NZAID commissioned review 'Free and Equal: A Review of NZAID Pacific Regional Disability Programme', documents the context for disability issues in the Pacific Islands region. This report, produced in October 2005, provides background to NZAID's strategic direction for assistance in the area of disabilities for the next five years.
Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR)
CBR promotes collaboration among community leaders, people with disabilities, their families, and other concerned citizens to provide equal opportunities for all people with disabilities in the community.
