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ACCESS FOR ALL is a photo exhibition Marking the coming into force of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons

with Disabilities Shown at: European PARLIAMENT Brussels, December 1-5 World Bank European Office, ongoing
CBM is an International Christian development organisation, committed to improving the lives of persons with disabilities in the poorest countries of the world. This year CBM celebrates 100 years of commitment and expertise. Photo CBM/ Lohnes, graphic design plazier apart, responsible editor Catherine Naughton

Rights and participation


The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPWD) entered into force on May 3rd 2008, guaranteeing the rights of some 650 million Persons with Disabilities worldwide. It has been hailed as a powerful tool to eradicate the obstacles faced by persons with disabilities. What do equal rights including the right of access to public spaces, health services, education, employment and development programs, really mean for persons with disabilities? In practice, it should mean that the inclusive world shown here, where a person with an impairment is teaching a class of students becomes an everyday occurrence rather than an exception.

The Convention recalls the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations which recognise the inherent dignity and worth and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world (UN CRPD; 2008).
Photo: Malawi. CBM/ Malawi Council for the Handicapped

Work and employment


Recognising the established relationship between poverty and disability, and the prejudices and exclusion Persons with Disabilities can face in education, training and employment, Article 27 of the CRPD calls for considerable action to combat discrimination and equalise opportunities of persons with disabilities in work and employment. Photo CBM/ Phil Lam

Safe from harm


All children have the right to a safe and child-friendly environment. Yet children and adults with a disability are often more at risk from abuse and neglect and have less chance to voice their fears and experiences. Protecting children from abuse and neglect is non-negotiable. Women and girls with disabilities are 2-3 times more likely to be victims of physical and sexual abuse than those with no disabilities (DFID; 2000).

Photo CBM Thomas Einberger/ argum

Respect for difference and diversity


The general principles of the UN CRPD are (a) Respect for inherent dignity, individual autonomy including the freedom to make ones own choices, and independence of persons; (b) Non-discrimination; (c) Full and effective participation and inclusion in society; (d) Respect for difference and acceptance of persons with disabilities as part of human diversity and humanity; (e) Equality of opportunity; (f) Accessibility; (g) Equality between men and women; (h) Respect for the evolving capacities of children with disabilities and respect for the right of children with disabilities to preserve their identities. Photo: Tanzania, CBM/ Marie Hatzoudis

Freedom of expression
According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD), state governments shall recognise sign language as an official language in the Constitution and/or special legislation, ensure professional interpreter services and guarantee bilingual education to Deaf people. Solely this way the Deaf peoples Human Rights still so blatantly violated around the world - will be assured in the future.
World Federation of the Deaf Photos Sri Lanka CBM Thomas Lohnes

Most at risk in emergencies


Following a disaster, the WHO estimates 5-7% of people in camps or temporary shelters have a disability (WHO; 2005). Article 11 of the UN CRPD calls for all States Parties to take necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including situations of armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters. Following a disaster, the WHO estimates 5-7% of people in camps or temporary shelters have a disability (WHO; 2005).

CBM staff are working with partners in disaster and emergency situations and to try to ensure persons with disabilities are provided with relief and protection on an equal basis with other people.
Photo. Niger CBM/ Carl Becker

Right to Healthcare
Persons with disabilities have the same right to quality basic healthcare as everyone else. However, this is often denied due to physically inaccessible or remote health centers and a lack of health workers with appropriate training for treating persons with disabilities. In addition, healthcare information is usually not adapted to the needs of persons with disabilities (EC Guidance Note on Disability and Development, 2004). Women and girls with disabilities belong to the groups that are most affected from lack of adequate healthcare (Groce 2000). Article 25 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities specifies the right to the same range, quality and standard of free or affordable health care available to others, including sexual and reproductive health, health-related rehabilitation and population based public health programmes. Photos CBM/ Phil Lam

A matter of life and death


37 million people in the world are blind- most of them from cataracts, like this girl. Every five seconds someone somewhere in the world goes blind. Yet with the right education or healthcare, 80% of cataract blindness can be prevented or cured. . Article 10 of the CRPD states that every human being has the inherent right to life, and that States Parties should take all necessary measures to ensure its effective enjoyment by persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others. One child every minute goes blind. Almost half of children who go blind will die within two years of losing their sight (CBM: 2006). In developing countries, without support, four out of five children who are both deaf and blind die before their fifth birthday (Sense International).

Photo: Tanzania. CBM/ Evelyne Jacq

I am here too
Children with Disabilities are at greater risk of exclusion from school, of dying before the age of five, of being physically or sexually abused than their non-disabled peers.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child outlined that children with Disabilities have the same rights as any other children. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in Article 7, reinforces this, and clearly outlines the rights of children with disabilities to express their views freely on all matters that concern them.

Our ability to deal with children with disabilities is a yardstick of our ability to deal with all children. Peter Ustinov, UN Ambassador, 1995
Photo CBM/Thomas Einberger

Participation in political and public life


The right of Persons with Disabilities to participate in political and public life cannot be taken for granted. Article 29 of the CRPD calls on State Parties to ensure that Persons with Disabilities are free to stand for election, take part in political and public dialogue, exercise their vote by secret ballot and form organisations of Persons with Disabilities at local, regional national and international levels. Nothing about us without us Disabled Persons Organisations and networks will play a crucial role in the implementation and monitoring of the UN CRPD. Picture:Mr. Gastone Ruhisha, a member of the Rwandan National Decade Steering Committee, Rwanda, presenting the new disability law to district officials. The Secretariat of the African Decade supported the establishment and functioning of national decade steering committees and DPOs on the African continent.

Photo: Rwanda. CBM/ Judith Van Der Veen

Right to Education
In its Education for All Global Monitoring Report, 2007, UNESCO estimated that of all school-age children worldwide, over a third was made up of children with Disabilities. Both the the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Article 24) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child state explicitly that children with disabilities have a right to education, and that provisions should be made so that Persons with disabilities can access an inclusive, quality and free primary education and secondary education on an equal basis with others in the communities in which they live. These photos show an inclusive classroom in PNG where children with Disabilities are educated side-by-side with their non-disabled peers. In line with the UN CRPD, and with the support of Callen Services, a CBM partner, the government of PNG has made inclusive education part of the National Education Policy.

Photos: PNG CBM/ Siegfried Herrmann

Right to personal mobility


Article 20 of the UN CRPD calls on State parties to take effective measures to ensure the greatest possible independence of personal mobility for Persons with Disabilities. This includes providing affordable mobility aids and assistive devices. Poverty not only leads to disability, but also allows few concessions for the needs and aspirations of people with a disability. In many rural areas, where up to 80 per cent of the general population lives, disability prevention and rehabilitation are rare -Disabled Persons International, 2004
Photo: CBM/ Phil Lam

Social protection
The relationship between poverty and disability is commonly referred to as a vicious circle. It is a two way relationship disability adds to the risk of poverty and conditions of poverty increase the risk of disability (Elwan, 1999). The result of the cycle of poverty and disability is that people with disabilities are usually amongst the poorest of the poor (DFID (2000; p.2)) Article 28 of the CRPD recognizes the rights of person with disability to an adequate standard of living and social protection. Social protection is key to poverty reduction and ensuring equal opportunities. Photo: Tanzania, Marie Hatzoudis, CBM

Breaking the Fulani stick


Often, when a grandparent is blind, a child becomes their eyes, leading them at the end of a Fulani stick. The adult loses independence; the child loses their childhood and their chance at education. By preventing or treating blindness, the person with a disability and their whole family has a chance to play active parts in community life. For every person with an impairment or disability, 4 to 5 other family members are affected, making it essential to include families of disabled persons in development program activities (DFID; 2000) Photo: Country and photographer unknown, CBM

Inclusion, Equity, Access


Article 32 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities specifically demands the inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in International Cooperation. The World Bank (1) defines inclusive development as the result of a combination of principles and processes: Inclusion: persons with disabilities should be accepted as equal partners in development and included as full participants in all development activities Equity: persons with disabilities should enjoy equitable access to the benefits resulting from development activities. In addition, development activities should promote non-discrimination and equal opportunities for persons with disabilities to participate in every facet of life - civil, political, economic, social and cultural Access: persons with disabilities should enjoy access to the built environment, transportation, information, and communications infrastructure, so that they can participate in all aspects of life and thus enjoy the full range of human rights. Photo CBM /Thomas Einberger/ argum

Participation in cultural life recreation and sport


Article 30 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities demands that States Parties take action to ensure equal access for persons with disabilities to culture, recreation and sports activities. This article also includes the inclusion of children with disabilities in play activities.

Photos Kenya- income generation projects/ fashion show. CBM / Siegfried Herrmann Rwanda- basketball. CBM/ Keith Mc Allister

Right to habilitation and rehabilitation


Rehabilitation services can play a vital role in a persons development and limit the impact of impairment on daily life. The right to habilitation and rehabilitation is defined in Article 26, and is aimed at enabling persons with disabilities to attain and maintain maximum independence, full physical, mental, social and vocational ability, and full inclusion and participation in all aspects of life. According to the WHO, only 1-2% of disabled people in low-income communities receive the rehabilitative services they need (May- Teerink; 1999). Photos Ethiopia. CBM/ Nahum Ayliffe

Waterclean and accessible?


Safe, affordable and accessible water services are a prerequisite to health. Article 28 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities explicitly sets out the rights of Persons with Disabilities to safe, affordable, accessible water services as part of an adequate standard of living and Social Protection. For the majority of persons with disabilities in low-income communities, their human rights to life, food, water and shelter are a daily struggle (WEDC; 2005). Prevention of disability Compared with medical intervention, improving water and sanitation services is a cost efficient and sustainable way to tackle the root causes of some forms of preventable diseases that can lead to impairment and disability. Photo: County unknown, Wolfgang Jochum, CBM

Attitudes and beliefs are often disabling


Which is more disabling, An impairment or societys attitude to it?
Challenging disabling attitudes and policies are as important as addressing the physical or mental impairment (CBM; 2006). Article 8 of the UN CRPD calls on States Parties to adopt immediate measures to combat stereotypes, prejudices and harmful practices relating to persons with disabilities.

Photo: Bolivia CBM/ Keith Mc Allister

Multiple discrimination
Article 6 of the UN CRPD recognises that women and girls face multiple discrimination. It calls on States parties to ensure the full development advancement and empowerment of women. Despite their significant numbers, women and girls with disabilities, especially in the developing countries, remain hidden and silent, their concerns unknown and their rights unrecognized; Throughout the developing world, in urban and rural communities alike, they face triple discrimination - because of their disabilities, being female and poor; UNICEF has reported that women and children receive less than 20 percent of rehabilitation services Statement by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Disability on the occasion of International Womens Day, March 8, 2005 CBM Thomas Einberger /argum

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