Government Implementation of the Standard Rules
As Seen By Member Organizations of
Inclusion International - ILSMH

Haiti

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© Dimitris Michailakis 1997 Centre d'Education Speciale, Haiti
No reply was received from the Government of Haiti.

General policy

The officially recognized disability policy is expressed in guidelines adopted by the government, and in policy adopted by political parties. The emphasis in this policy is on prevention, rehabilitation, anti-discrimination law, individual support and accessibility measures.

Since the adoption of the Rules the government has not done anything to convey the message of full participation.

Legislation

The rights of persons with disabilities are protected by general legislation. The judicial mechanism adopted to protect the rights of persons with disabilities is recourse procedure, by a special agency dealing with anti-discrimination issues. There is no administrative body for that purpose.

No new legislation concerning disability has been enacted since the adoption of the Rules.

Accessibility

There are no rules to ensure accessibility of the built environment. No measures have been promoted by the government in order to facilitate accessibility in the built environment. There are special transport arrangements for persons with disabilities (a special bus at the disposal of special institutions), which is available for recreational purpose. The most difficult obstacles, when planning to build accessible environments, are economic/budgetary factors, technical factors, lack of legislation and regulations, lack of planning and design capacity and lack of knowledge, research and information. There is no disability awareness component incorporated in the training of planners, architects and construction engineers.

Sign language has no officially recognized status, is not used as the first language in education of deaf people and is not recognized as the main means of communication between deaf persons and others. There are no government measures to encourage media and other forms of public information to make their services accessible to persons with disabilities. The following service is provided in order to facilitate information and communication between persons with disabilities and others: literature in Braille/tape.

Organizations of persons with disabilities

There is no national umbrella organisation. There are no legal provisions mandating the representatives of persons with disabilities to participate in policy-making or to work with governmental institutions. Organizations of persons with disabilities are sometimes consulted, when laws and regulations with a disability aspect are being prepared. Consultations occur at the local level. The government gives financial support to organizations of persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities participate to a very limited extent in government, legislatures, judicial authorities, political parties but to a great extent in NGOs. The role of organizations of persons with disabilities is to advocate rights and improved services, mobilize persons with disabilities, identify needs and priorities, participate in the planning, implementation and evaluation of services and measures concerning the lives of persons with disabilities, contribute to public awareness and provide services.

Co-ordination of work

There is no national co-ordinating committee or any similar body.

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