Government Implementation of the Standard Rules
As Seen By Member Organizations of
World Federation of the Deaf - WFD

Zimbabwe

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© Dimitris Michailakis 1997

Association of the Deaf, Zimbabwe
No reply was received from the Government of Zimbabwe.
Compare with the following Country Report(s): ILSMH, WBU (Zimbabwe National League of the Blind), WBU (The Council for the Blind)

General policy

The officially recognized disability policy is expressed in guidelines adopted by a national disability council. The emphasis in this policy - in descending scale - is on accessibility measures, anti-discrimination law, rehabilitation, prevention and individual support. 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 special legislation. The judicial mechanism adopted to protect the rights of persons with disabilities is due process (legal remedy through the courts). There is no non-judicial mechanism. No benefits are guaranteed by law to persons with disabilities. 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 responsible body exists to ensure accessibility in the built environment. The following measures have been promoted to ensure accessibility in the built environment: levelling off pavements, marking parking areas and improving accessibility in housing. There is no special transport for persons with disabilities. The most difficult obstacles, when building accessible environments, are attitudinal factors and lack of enforcement mechanism. There is a 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 government measures to encourage media to make their services accessible to persons with disabilities but no measures to encourage other forms of public information to make their services accessible. No services are provided in order to facilitate information or communication between persons with disabilities and others.

Organizations of persons with disabilities

There is a national umbrella organization in which the organizations of the physically disabled, the blind and the deaf, and those with Down¥s syndrome are represented. There are no legal provisions mandatÌng 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 (about 5% of the total budget of disabled persons organizations). Persons with disabilities participate to a very limited extent in government and 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, contribute to public awareness, provide services and promote/organize income generating activities.

Co-ordination of work

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

The adoption of the Rules has led to a rethinking of the approach to disability policy.

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Contents of the WFD Report | Compare with the following Country Report(s): ILSMH, WBU (Zimbabwe National League of the Blind), WBU (The Council for the Blind)