UNESCAP Moving Forward Toward the Realization of An International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Posted on July 1, 2003 in Convention on Persons with Disabilities, Japanese Deaf News

from July 2003 Issue of Japanese Deaf News, JFD’s monthly newspaper:

“Bangkok Recommendations” Adopted

Expert Group Meeting and Seminar
(WFD Board Member Eiichi Takada on left)

Executive Committee Members of the
National Association of the Deaf in Thailand
attending the Expert Group Meeting and Seminar

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) hosted the “Expert Group Meeting and Seminar on an International Convention to Protect and Promote the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities” from June 2-4, 2003 at the UNESCAP Conference Center in Bangkok, Thailand. Eiichi Takada of Japan attended the meeting in his position as Board Member of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD).

The meeting opened with an address by Mr. Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary of UNESCAP and the presentation of a message sent by Ambassador Luis Gallegos of Ecuador, who is the Chairman of the UN Ad Hoc Committee on the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The conference was attended by about 130 people, including representatives of SHO of persons with disabilities, governments, UN agencies, related bodies, and resource persons. Among the attendees were Mr. Abdullah Wardak, Minister of Martyrs and Disabled of Afghanistan, Mr. Andrew Byrnes, Professor of the Faculty of Law of the Australian National University, Mr. Clinton Edward Rapley, and others. Discussions and presentations centered on the contents of the proposed International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. On the last day, the conference adopted the “Bangkok Recommendations on the Elaboration of a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention to Promote and Protect the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”. The conference itself and the Bangkok Recommendations reveal that UNESCAP is strongly committed to the realization of the convention.

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“Report from Japan” by WFD Board Member Eiichi Takada

Posted on June 10, 2003 in Convention on Persons with Disabilities, Online Resources

compiled for the Expert Group Meeting and Seminar on an International Convention to Protect and Promote the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities Bangkok, Thailand 2-4 June 2003

1. Introduction

The International Year of Disabled Persons in 1981 and the subsequent “United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons, 1983~1992” aroused the Japanese government, as well as persons with disabilities (PWDs) and their organizations to strive toward the achievement of “Full Participation and Equality”. This movement was further carried on into the “Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993~2002”, and by the end of this decade in 2002, Japan had made tremendous advances. Japan can be seen as a case in which the initiative of the United Nations and other international organizations effectively and positively influenced the country’s domestic development.

However, Japan started out with such meager infrastructures to protect the rights of PWDs that, in spite of movements by PWDs and their organizations, and efforts by the government to respond to these movements, it is still left with many problems and issues to be solved. These are challenges to be carried over into the “Second Asian and Pacific Decade, 2003~2012”.

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What Will Happen To Our Deaf Schools?

Posted on June 1, 2003 in education, Japanese Deaf News

from June 2003 Issue of Japanese Deaf News, JFD’s monthly newspaper:

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Draws Up the Final Report on “Special Needs Education”

On March 28, “The Meeting of Cooperators for Research and Studies on Special Needs Education” drafted its final report on the basic policies concerning education for children with disabilities. The theme of the final report is “(A shift in focus) from places offering education to educational contents to support diversified individual needs”. The report aims to increase educational opportunities within the community, in the context of normalization, giving due respect to the diversified needs arising from severe or combined disabilities and changing situations.

The report aims to maintain the functions of the former specialized education system, while at the same time recommends ways to enable more flexible measures such as the establishment of a consistent counseling system to support children with disabilities and their guardians from infancy until the children graduate from school, the revision of the level of disability for placing children in Deaf schools, etc., provision of a broad range of support to cater for children and students with learning disabilities (LD) and other diversified disabilities. Furthermore, the report stresses the need for education, social welfare, medical, and other related community institutions to offer appropriate support to enable children and students to live independently in the community.

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Support and Care To the Deaf

Posted on May 1, 2003 in Japanese Deaf News

from May 2003 Issue of Japanese Deaf News, JFD’s monthly newspaper:

In the Community… In A Well-equipped Facility with Trained Personnel

Deaf friends express joy over the opening
of the new Day Service Center in Yosa

In spite of the fact that there is still an acute lack of social infrastructures to support the lives of persons with disabilities in Japan, our government started the new support aid system for persons with disabilities in April, 2003.

It is extremely meaningful, therefore, that on April 1, the Kyoto Social Welfare Association for the Deaf and the Osaka Social Welfare Association for the Deaf newly opened the “Day Service Center for the Deaf” and the “Care Service Center for Persons with Disabilities” respectively, as social infrastructures to support the lives of the Deaf.

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Survey and Research Consigned by the National Police Agency on the Relationship Between Safe Driving and Hearing Ability

Posted on April 1, 2003 in survey and research, Japanese Deaf News

from April 2003 Issue of Japanese Deaf News, JFD’s monthly newspaper:

Full of Discriminative and Biased Views

“Hearing-Impaired Drivers Are Dangerous to Both People and Cars”

Article 88 of the Road Traffic Law contained a clause saying, “Those who cannot hear are not eligible to receive a drivers’ license”. This clause, disqualifying hearing-impaired persons from acquiring a drivers’ license, was finally abolished in 2001. However, the aptitude test for drivers still requires a hearing test, so that in actual practice, the situation has seen little improvement, even after the revision of the Law. The only ray of hope was the Diet resolution accompanying the enactment of the Law stating that, “(Authorities) should ensure that (actual practices) do not become disqualifying factors”.

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Four Disability Organizations Join Hands in Protest

Posted on March 1, 2003 in other, Japanese Deaf News

from March 2003 Issue of Japanese Deaf News, JFD’s monthly newspaper:

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Withdraws Its Plan to Set An Upper Limit to Financial Aid for Home Help Services for Disabled Persons

Support Given Until Now Will Be Maintained in Full

Over 1000 people gathered at the Ministry of Health,
Labour and Welfare for protest action which continued
until late at night (Jan. 16)

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s decision to restrict the provision of financial aid for home help services for disabled persons from FY 2003 (starting April 1, 2003), met with strong opposition from organizations of disabled persons. On January 27, the Ministry finally conceded to alter the plan so as to maintain the level of services which had been provided until now, by introducing an “adjustment subsidy” system as an interim measure.

On January 16, over 1000 persons with disabilities gathered at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for a large-scale protest demonstration saying that “fixing regulations for the provision of financial aid will, in effect, set an upper limit to the amount of services which can be received”. On January 24, the Cabinet Office and the Special Committee on Disability of the Liberal Democratic Party held a joint meeting to discuss this issue. At this meeting, the representative of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare commented that the regulations for the provision of financial aid are not meant to fix an upper limit, that the former subsidy will be maintained 100% by introducing an adjustment subsidy, and that these measures will be explained at the conference of the prefectural directors to be held on the 28th. The adjustment subsidy system was explained to be an interim measure.

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OSAKA FORUM – “Partnerships for Disability Rights”

Posted on November 15, 2002 in meetings and events, Japanese Deaf News

from Nov. 15 2002 Issue of Japanese Deaf News, JFD’s monthly newspaper:

Attended by 2,400 People from 55 Countries

Panel to discuss the Asian and Pacific Decade
(October 23rd 2002, Big-I)

Following the 6th World Assembly of DPI, the Osaka Forum was held for 3 days from October 21 to 23. The Osaka Forum was one of the main events to mark the end year of the “Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993~2002”. The Osaka Forum meetings were held in 3 venues: the Osaka International Convention Center, the Osaka City Maishima Sports Center for Persons with Disabilities (Amity Maishima), and the International Communication Center for Persons with Disabilities (BiG-i) in Sakai-shi.

Under the main theme, “Partnerships for Disability Rights”, 4 large conferences were held as part of the Osaka Forum: the 12th Rehabilitation International (RI) Asia and the Pacific Regional Conference, the Campaign 2002 to Promote the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons (RNN), the 25th National Rehabilitation Conference, the International Research Meeting on Vocational Rehabilitation. The Osaka Forum was attended by about 2,400 people from 55 countries, including persons with disabilities, rehabilitation specialists, and others. The participants evaluated the experiences and achievements accumulated by the countries of the region during the Decade, and discussed the issues which still remain to be solved. The polices for the second A/P Decade were also discussed, as well as the regional involvement for the realization of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

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High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to Conclude the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002

Posted on November 15, 2002 in international activities, Japanese Deaf News

from Nov. 15 2002 Issue of Japanese Deaf News, JFD’s monthly newspaper:

Amendments to the Proposed BIWAKO MILLENNIUM FRAMEWORK

Language and Communication Are Basic Human Rights

Opening of the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to Conclude
the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons

The High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to Conclude the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002 was held for 4 days, from October 25 to 28 in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The meeting was attended by government representatives of 24 UN member states in the Asian and Pacific Region, including Afghanistan, Australia, Japan, and 2 associate member states, the Cook Islands and Hong Kong, China. Also present at the meeting were representatives from such UN bodies and specialized agencies as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the International Labour Organization (ILO), as well as representatives from international NGOs such as the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), World Blind Union (WBU), Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI), Rehabilitation International (RI), and Inclusion International (II). WFD was represented by Board Member Mr. Eiichi Takada, Director Takeo Ogura of WFD Regional Secretariat in Asia/Pacific (RSA/P), and Dr. Yutaka Osugi of the Japanese Federation of the Deaf. Trainees from different parts of the A/P region who are studying in Japan under the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)’s “Leadership Training of Asian and Oceanian Deaf Persons” also attended the meeting as observers.

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14th World Federation of the Deaf Regional Secretariat in Asia/Pacific (WFD RSA/P) Representatives Meeting

Posted on November 1, 2002 in international activities, Japanese Deaf News

from Nov. 1 2002 Issue of Japanese Deaf News, JFD’s monthly newspaper:

Key Words of the Meeting: “Human Rights”

WFD RSA/P Director Takeo Ogura, making his opening address

The 14th WFD RSA/P Representatives Meeting, held on Oct. 17, was chaired by RSA/P Director Takeo Ogura. The Meeting opened with a welcome address by President Toyoki Ando of the Japanese Federation of the Deaf (JFD), presented in International Sign.

Introductions of the special guests attending the Meeting, including WFD President Liisa Kauppinen and WFD Board Members, were followed by introductions of representatives from member countries. Guests from three non-member countries, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Fiji, were invited to observe this year’s RSA/P Meeting. These guests were also introduced.

Dr. Yutaka Osugi, representing the Japanese Federation of the Deaf, explained the scheduled program. This explanation was followed by commemorative keynote speeches.

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Solidarity and Movements of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Asia by Eiichi Takada (Japanese Federation of the Deaf)

Posted on January 1, 2001 in international activities, Online Resources

originally published in the year 2000 in the magazine “Disability Research vol. 28 issue 1”

OUTLINE: The central force in achieving full participation and equality for people with disabilities is the organizations and movements of people with disabilities themselves. The Japanese Federation of the Deaf (JFD) made great progress in the advancement of welfare for Deaf people in Japan through Deaf rights movements conducted after World War II. Based on these experiences, JFD hosted the 9th World Congress of the Deaf in 1991 in Tokyo. The “Asian Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002” presented another opportunity for advance. As a member of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), JFD has been playing an active role in helping to establish and develop Deaf organizations in Asia. One of our major projects is the “Leadership Training of Asian and Oceanian Deaf Persons”, commissioned by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The training program was initiated in 1995, and a total of 39 persons have been trained in the 5 courses completed so far.

Furthermore, JFD utilized the Japan Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications Postal Savings for International Voluntary Aid to help establish a common national Sign Language in Thailand through the publication of a Thai Sign Language book. JFD also established the “Asian Deaf Friendship Fund” to pool donations from JFD member associations and other organizations, to be used for such purposes as supporting the annual WFD Regional Secretariat in Asia/Pacific Representatives Meeting, which is hosted in turn by one of the member countries, providing scholarships to students in schools for the Deaf, providing funds to expand the facilities of the Deaf school in Nepal, etc. These projects are carried out with consideration of the specific requests and needs of the organizations receiving support, and with the objective of strengthening and developing the self-reliance of those bodies.

KEY WORDS: independent and autonomous organizations of disabled persons, Deaf society or Deaf community, WFD Regional Secretariat in Asia/Pacific (WFD RSA/P), Leadership Training of Asian and Oceanian Deaf Persons, Asian Deaf Friendship Fund, nationwide unification of the Sign Language.

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