Consultation and Influence

Disability Awareness in Action
Resource Kit No. 2

Download the Consultation and Influence Kit as a PDF file (143 KB)

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5. Action Ideas

"Often, disabled persons have taken the lead in bringing about an improved understanding of the process of equalisation of opportunities. In this context, they have advocated their own integration into mainstream society." (WPA/61, 62)

General Action Plan

• Know your facts
• Work out what you want
• Focus on one issue
• Decide on solutions
• Plan your argument
• Publicise your issue
• Involve the community
• Work with decision-makers

Action Ideas

If you're not part of an organisation run by and for disabled people or their direct representatives, why not join or start one? Alone we're powerless. Together we can change the world!

Make use of any contacts that you or your friends and family have with important people.

If you don't know- ask. Don't be afraid of appearing ignorant. You can't be expected to know everything. People like to talk about their own work, so they will enjoy answering your questions.

Be very specific about what you want: ramps to make the local school or town hall accessible; teacher training courses that include disability awareness and the teaching of hearing and visually-impaired children; financial support for your organisation - to set up an income generation scheme or fund a campaign - from an international organisation or aid agency.

A good tactic at every level is to send a copy of a letter to a public official to people lower down the scale. So, for example, if you write to the prime minister or president protesting about something at local level, send a copy of your letter to the local official concerned.

Show how the changes you want will benefit all sections of the community.

Example 1

In April 1989, a large number of disabled people, who made their living by begging, were told by Kampala City Council in Uganda that they would no longer be able to beg on the streets of the city. The Council, after persuasion, decided to offer the disabled people an alternative to begging. It made a small plot of land next to the main Kampala bus park available to them.

Eighty disabled people formed the Kampala Disabled Business People's Association (KDBPA). In the last three years, the small plot of land has developed into a thriving "university of small business". KDBPA now leases plots to other business people, including a catering co-op which provides food as well as rent. The Association has over 200 members, is involved in sporting, theatre and disability rights activities, and runs a very successful rotating loan scheme. Members now pay tax and contribute to the community's economy in a number of other ways.

Example 2

Accessible transport benefits taxpayers as well as passengers. It means savings in the cost of congested roads and cities. In Europe, accessible transport often means that disabled and elderly people can stay in their own homes, rather than being moved into residential care. This can save between $8,000 and $60,000 a year.

Example 3

A national heritage association, which is responsible for historic houses and gardens and receives thousands of visitors a year, refused for a long time to make any of these places accessible to wheelchair users. Finally, the association did adopt a policy of making the sites accessible. It was expensive but, as a direct result, sales went up by 10 per cent and the costs were soon covered.

Accessible buildings and transport make things easier for older people and people carrying baggage or small children. If buildings and transport are accessible, disabled people find it easier to get jobs; fewer need to be supported by benefits or by friends and relatives; they are able to use shops and services and be more active economically.

If you are looking for help from a particular group of people, point out the specific advantages to that group.

Example

In Bogota, Colombia, the dropped kerbs are paid for by local businesses, who have their names on them. The dropped kerbs publicise their community participation, advertise the goods and services they sell, and allow disabled people to be clients and customers.



Local Level

"Disability policies should ensure the access of disabled people to all community services." (WPA/25)

Talk to people. As an individual, make sure that everyone you come into contact with - teacher, bus driver, doctor, employer, friend, relative - knows what you need and want.

Your organisation can ask the local authority to follow any national policies on disability or to deal with specific local problems in your village, town or district. The support of members of your organisation and their friends and families is important to public officials.

Your organisation can launch cheap but effective small-scale campaigns at local level - awareness days, a petition to increase accessibility or to improve training for disabled people. If you live in a rural area, invite members of your community to a short meeting to tell them about your needs and what your organisation is doing. If people are impressed by your activities, they are more likely to give you their support.

Attend local meetings of all sorts - cultural events, your local political party or town council meetings, etc. Get yourself seen and heard. It's very important for us to be present in community life wherever possible. Make sure disability issues are taken into consideration whenever decisions affecting the whole community are made.

If disabled people can demonstrate that they are effective members of a community, with ideas to improve conditions for everybody, other people will take notice.

Make as many members of the community as possible aware of your demands - through the media and through the individual members of your organisation. Publicise your campaigns. Produce some cheap posters and leaflets. Talk to people. Let them know about you. your organisation and what you want.



National Level

"Everywhere...the ultimate responsibility for remedying the conditions that lead to impairment and for dealing with the consequences of disability rests with governments." (WPA/3)

Collect as much information as you can: national reports on disability policy, statistical material from national censuses or separate surveys, general legislation and legislation specific to disabled people, publications dealing with disability issues (the journals, handbooks, and newsletters of professionals or non-governmental organisations). Many government departments will send you information free. The more you know, the better your arguments will be.

Know your rights. What does the law in your country provide for you on employment, benefits, education, housing, transport, leisure and recreation?

Try to set up channels of communication with nationwide businesses and service-providers, and with the most appropriate people in government and administration. Some countries have ministries for disabled people; in others, responsibility is divided up among many departments.

Even if there is a ministry, you need to talk to other ministers - of transport, housing, education, and employment. Make formal contact with a minister through his or her civil servants. Any letter or suggestion will go to these people first, so it's important to gain their support.

In the same way, if you are asking your head of state or government something, talk with senior civil servants and ministers first, to get their support.

As soon as a bill is published, get hold of a copy. A sympathetic member of parliament or congress may be able to help and give it to you for free.

Use the documents in Section Two when you talk to your national government. For instance, if you want direct consultation with organisations of disabled people, then talk about the recommendations on this in the WPA.

Find out whether your country has ratified ILO Convention 159 Concerning Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons). Write to the Ministry of Labour or other appropriate government department to ask about their policy towards the Convention.

There are two types of parliamentary or congressional committee. The first kind is permanent and meets to discuss a particular issue; the second is temporary and examines specific legislation.

Find out about any parliamentary or congressional committees on disability or other issues (such as housing, transport or employment). If possible, set up a formal consultation with them, or get to know some of the people on the committee and speak to them informally. Ask committee members to consider disabled people's needs and disabled people's views.

The committee stage of a bill's progress through parliament or congress involves a very detailed look at all the clauses of the bill and it may take some time. Find out the names of the committee members as soon as possible. They are the main people to contact at this stage.



Regional Level

"The regional commissions of the United Nations and other regional bodies should encourage regional and sub-regional cooperation in the area of prevention of disability, rehabilitation of disabled persons and equalisation of opportunities." (WPA/177)

Each region of the world has wide-ranging and powerful administrative and legislative networks. Regional organisations and groupings of countries need to be told about disabled people's issues.

Find out what is being talked about at regional level. Brief reports appear in national newspapers and longer reports in official publications. The main library in your country's capital city may have useful reports and journals.

Contact your regional UN office, asking them about their plans for the World Programme of Action and the Society for All by the Year 2,000 initiative. Find out how to make formal contact with the regional systems. Can your organisation have observer or consultative status?

Send UN regional bodies a copy of your own plans. Tell them what you have asked your national authorities to do and about difficulties you have in getting better services for disabled people.

Consider cooperation or a joint campaign with other NGOs at the regional level.



International Level

"It is necessary to use every effort to prevent wars leading to devastation, catastrophe and poverty, hunger, suffering, diseases and mass disability of people, and therefore to adopt measures at all levels to strengthen international peace and security, to settle all international disputes by peaceful means and to eliminate all forms of racism and racial discrimination in countries where they still exist" (WPA/5)

International politics might seem remote and inflexible when what you need is a well at your home or a wheelchair that works. But disability is a global concern. There are more than 500 million of us whose rights are ignored every day. We can make a difference to our everyday lives through influence at the international level.

You can support the work of international disability organisations (Disabled Peoples' International, the World Blind Union, the World Federation of the Deaf, the International League of Societies for Persons with Mental Handicap, the International Federation on Ageing) by contacting expert members of human rights bodies, government representatives and officials of UN organisations from your country.

Every country has a mission - a group of people, based in New York, who attend the United Nations General Assembly and put forward their country's views.

If you contact these people, you can give them the views of disabled people in your country and can influence them - to have a resolution passed, get an item added to an agenda or gain a commitment to action that protects disabled people's rights.

Ask the United Nations office in your country for more information about the UN and for a copy of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons. They provide all this information free, either from the UN information office or from the UNDP office.

Put pressure on your national representatives to the UN to make sure your country takes part in discussions about disability. These take place at the Third Committee of the General Assembly each October. Make sure those involved are well-informed. Perhaps a leading member of your organisation could be part of the delegation, as requested by the Secretary-General of the UN?

The Secretary-General has also asked member states to review their achievements during the UN Decade of Disabled Persons. Ask if your organisation can look at your country's responses or contribute to your government's report on the situation of disabled people in your country.



6. How Government Works



Local government

Local government is for local concerns. At the same time, its policies and resources are usually directly affected by decisions made at the national level.

Local authorities often use money collected locally plus money from national funds. Although they may have some choice about where the money goes, they also have to follow national policies. Usually there is little choice about how much money is available. As a result, difficult decisions often need to be made.

In towns and districts, local government is often divided up into separate departments for education, health, policing, finance, social welfare and housing.

Much of the decision-making process at local level is more open to community involvement than it is at national level. There are more chances to influence powerful local people, formally and informally. They live and work close to you. You might see them at a shop, club, cooperative, or church. You might know someone who knows them. Many local representatives provide regular opportunities to meet and listen to the people they represent.



National Government

Government

The government of a country is its prime minister, chancellor or president and his or her cabinet and other ministers. Each of the ministers has responsibility for a particular area of political, economic or social provision, such as housing, transport, social services and finance.

Assembly

An assembly (parliament, congress, Knesset, etc.) consists of elected or appointed representatives of the people. It is responsible for making laws and has an influence on the government in forming policies. Most countries have two legislative chambers and a bill has to pass through both of these chambers before it becomes an act of parliament or congress and binding in law.

Civil Service

The policies decided by the assembly are put into action by the civil service. In most countries, the civil service is appointed rather than elected and civil servants sometimes stay in their posts longer than politicians.

Civil servants do much of the early research on new legislation. We need to influence them as much as the ministers and other officials they work for, as it is they who advise the politicians.

Judges

The judiciary of a country consists of the system of courts in a country. It is concerned with the administration of justice - the making and keeping of laws.

Apart from trying people for criminal offences, courts also promote and protect political. civil. social. economic and cultural rights. The American Supreme Court, for example, did important work in the 1950s and 1960s to define civil rights for black people. The rulings it made on segregation in the southern states led to the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Complaints

A special officer, the ombudsman or parliamentary commissioner, has been introduced in some countries to look at complaints about the way laws and policies are put into practice. These people have supervisory powers over the administration and in some cases report back to parliament or congress.

If you have a complaint, about medical treatment, a pension or social security payments, for example, send a written account to the ombudsman concerned with that type of service. A ruling in your favour can affect the way a particular law is interpreted in the future. (This is called setting a precedent.)

Pressure Groups

A pressure group is a group with a common concern, such as an organisation of business, labour, religious or military people, which tries to have some influence on the political process. It can be concerned with one issue, such as the building of a nuclear power station, or with a far broader set of issues, such as civil rights and equalisation of opportunities.

Pressure groups seek influence in many ways - by speaking to politicians, direct action (such as strikes or public demonstrations) or campaigns. Some disabled people's organisations are pressure groups in this sense and must choose the most appropriate way to have influence.

Committees

The government and assembly usually have a number of committees to look at various policy issues. Committees are useful because they can come to decisions quickly, are less formal and are not dominated by party rivalry in the way that assemblies often are. Also, people outside the formal political system can take part and give their views.

Cooperation between governments and organised groups is often made formal through a variety of permanent advisory committees on which group representatives sit alongside civil servants. This is an important thing for disabled people's organisations to aim for.



Regional Cooperation

As with national politics, much of what happens at the regional level is about looking at laws, policies and budgets. Many common problems cross national boundaries and demand common solutions. Countries organise for many reasons, such as being close together geographically, having a common religion or political philosophy, or common trade interests.

The Main Regional Alliances and their Headquarters

Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Jakarta, Indonesia

Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Georgetown, Guyana

Colombo Plan, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France

Danube Commission, Budapest, Hungary

European Community (EC), Brussels (Belgium); Strasbourg (France); Luxembourg

European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Geneva, Switzerland

European Trade Union Conference (ETUC), Brussels, Belgium

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Brussels, Belgium

Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC), Paris, France

Organisation of African Unity (OAU), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Organisation of American States (OAS), Washington DC, USA

South Pacific Commission (SPC), Noumea, New Caledonia

Western European Union (WEU), London, England

Some of these in more detail:

ASEAN

The Association of South East Asian Nations was formed in 1967 to .encourage political, economic, social and cultural cooperation among the non-communist states of South East Asia and to increase trade between ASEAN countries and the rest of the world.

CARICOM

Formed in 1973 to encourage economic cooperation through the Caribbean Community, CARICOM coordinates the foreign policy of member countries and cooperation in areas such as education, health and tax administration.

Colombo Plan

The Colombo Plan for Economic and Social Development in Asia and the Pacific was formed in 1950 to promote development of member countries in Asia; to review economic and social programmes and to help speed this up through cooperative effort, encouraging development aid both to and within the area.

Council of Europe

Formed in 1949 to achieve greater unity among members and to safeguard and bring about the deals and principles which are their common heritage, particularly in the area of social and economic progress. The Council now has 21 member states.

The scope of the Council of Europe's Statute is huge; only defence is left out. The Council makes recommendations and resolutions to its member states and forms conventions and agreements between them. If a number of states want to take some action not agreed on by the Council as a whole, they can have a "partial agreement", binding on those who join.

In 1984, the Council's Committee on the Rehabilitation and Resettlement of the Disabled drew up Resolution AP (84) 3, A Coherent Policy for the Rehabilitation of Disabled People. The policy covers assessment of skills and technical and transport needs, pupil and vocational guidance, schooling, training, employment, training of rehabilitation staff and health education.

The Introduction to the Policy states: "The principle of full participation and equality...has given a new dimension to the concept of rehabilitation.... By accepting these new trends, society can only benefit from the active role that disabled people themselves can play."

European Community

The EC is a group of 12 nation states committed to economic, social and political integration. Its aims, set out in its founding treaties, are essentially economic, but recent years have seen "an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe" in a political sense as well.

Through the various treaties setting up the Community, the member states have given to the Community's institutions the power to act, and to legislate (make laws), at European level in certain economic, social and other areas.

The European Community has four governing institutions: the Council of Ministers, the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Court of Justice.

The Council of Ministers is the major decision-making body, made up of one minister from each of the member states. The ministers who take part vary according to the topic under discussion. The Council's headquarters is in Brussels.

The European Parliament is made up of 518 members (MEPs), grouped not by nationality but by party membership. Most of the Parliament's activities take place in Strasbourg, though the meetings of its 19 committees are held in Brussels. Its secretariat is based in Luxembourg.

The European Commission, with its headquarters in Brussels, draws up proposals for Community legislation. The Commission is the Community's executive body and its main civil service. The basic process of law-making is that the Council takes a decision on a Commission proposal after it has been examined and changed in Parliament.

The European Court of justice, which sits in Luxembourg, consists of 13 judges, one from each member state, plus one more, assisted by advocates-general. Its rulings are final on matters of European law, which take precedence over (are more important than) national law.

The European Convention, signed in 1950 by members of the Council of Europe, guarantees the following rights: to life, liberty, security of person and due process of law; protection against torture, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment; freedom from slavery; freedom from ex post facto laws and punishment (a past action cannot later be described as criminal by a law made after the action); private and family life; freedom of thought, conscience and religion; freedom of expression and peaceful assembly; right to marry and start a family; and non-discrimination in the enjoyment of rights given in the Convention (but not a general non discrimination clause).

Two bodies, the European Commission of Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights, deal with human rights complaints against individual nations brought by individuals and organisations within these nations. A large number of complaints have been made and the Commission and the Court have developed an important amount of case law, which has influenced the approach of the United Nations Human Rights Commission. For instance, the European Court of Human Rights has been used successfully to safeguard rights to disability benefits in the UK.

Organisation of African Unity

Formed in 1963 to further unity and solidarity, to coordinate members' political, economic, cultural, health, scientific and defence policies, and to get rid of colonialism in Africa.

The African Charter on Human and People's Rights (ACHPR) was adopted in 1981 by the Organisation of African Unity.

Based on international statements about human rights, the ACHPR also includes African ideas about the individual and the law. As a result, it puts special emphasis on the importance of the community and the duties of the individual towards it, as well as on reconciliation, rather than legal proceedings, for enforcing rights.

It also gives great importance to the right to development (without which, it argues, civil and political rights can't be enjoyed), recognising the central role of the state in the administration of African societies. As a result, the Charter provides a less secure system of individual or group rights than either the European or the American Conventions on Human Rights.

Organisation of American States

Formed in 1948 to gain peace and justice, to promote American solidarity and to strengthen cooperation among members.

The Organisation is made up of almost all countries in South, Central and North America. It adopted the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man in 1948.

There are two schemes of human rights within the Inter-American system. The Inter-American Commission of Human Rights has the main responsibility for the enforcement of both.

The first and older scheme is based on the Charter of the Organisation of American States, signed in 1948. It applies to all members of the Organisation. The other is the American Convention on Human Rights, adopted in 1969.

The Charter proclaims the fundamental rights of the individual. Among the duties are those towards society, to parents and children, to receive instruction, to vote, to obey the law, to serve the community and the nation, to pay taxes and to work.

South Pacific Commission

The SPC was formed in 1947 to talk about regional issues and to give training and assistance in economic, social and cultural development to countries in the region.

The United Nations at Regional Level

The UN has a number of regional offices, known as Economic and Social Commissions. The addresses for these Commissions are at the end of the resource kit and you can request free information about their disability policies.

Economic Commission for Europe (ECE)

Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)

Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)

Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)

International Cooperation

The Main International Administrative Systems and their Headquarters

The Arab League, Tunis, Tunisia

The Commonwealth, London, England

Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA), Moscow, Russia

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), Brussels, Belgium

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Paris, France

Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Vienna, Austria

Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

United Nations Organisation, New York, USA

World Bank, Washington DC, USA

World Confederation of Labour (WCL), Brussels, Belgium

World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), Prague, Czechoslovakia

A few of these in more detail:

The Commonwealth Foundation

Formed in 1931, the Commonwealth, with the UK's Queen as its Head, is an association of over 50 independent nations who have agreed to consult and to cooperate to improve human development, international understanding and peace. The populations of the countries concerned number more than 1,000 million people, over a quarter of the world's total population, and live in every continent.

The Commonwealth includes many races, religions and languages. It brings together developed and developing countries from across the globe and its members include some of the world's richest nations as well as many of its poorest.

The Commonwealth draws its strength from partnership, equality and multi-racialism, which reflect the Foundation's origins in the movement for decolonisation. The legal, educational and administrative systems of the countries are broadly similar and the common working language of English makes communication easy.

The heads of government of Commonwealth countries often meet to discuss world problems. Ministers of finance, education, health and law also come together regularly and there are meetings of officials and specialists in many fields of work.

The Commonwealth Association for Mental Handicap and Developmental Disabilities, set up in 1983, concerns itself with prevention, intervention and the exchange of professional information and skills.

The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) was set up in 1989 by five non-governmental organisations: the Commonwealth Journalists Association, the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, the Commonwealth Legal Education Association, the Commonwealth Medical Association and the Commonwealth Trade Union Council. It concentrates on gathering information about human rights in Commonwealth Countries, promoting the need for improved standards and assessing the steps to be taken to make sure that human rights are respected and upheld.

The Commonwealth Secretariat, in London, is the central point for consultation and information exchange. Check whether there is a Commonwealth office in your country.

Organisation of the Islamic Conference

Formed in 1971 to cooperate in economic, social, cultural, scientific and other areas and to get rid of racism and colonialism in all their forms.

United Nations

The UN was created to seek and keep international peace and security and to solve the world's economic, social and humanitarian problems. It's most important organs (active parts) are:

the General Assembly, the thinking, discussing and decision-making organ

the Security Council, responsible for keeping international peace and security

the Secretariat, which administers the work of the UN

the Economic and Social Council, which coordinates the UN's economic and social work

the International Court of Justice

the Trusteeship Council

The UN system also includes other organs, such as the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Economic, Social and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), and specialised inter-governmental agencies, which deal with problems in such fields as health, agriculture, economic development and education.

The UN and its various bodies work closely with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on global concerns. The main INGOs of and for disabled people are invited to attend inter-agency meetings of all the UN organisations working in the field of disability (WHO, UNESCO, ILO, UNICEF and many others). These meetings take place in Vienna in December of each year.

Disability at the UN

1971 UN Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons

1975 UN Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons

1981 The International Year of Disabled Persons

1982 The World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons

1983-1992 The UN Decade of Disabled Persons

1990 A Working Group to elaborate Standard Rules on the Equalisation of Opportunities for Disabled Persons was set up, to report to the General Assembly in 1993. The international instrument provides a set of rules for states in the disability field. It is not compulsory, although they comply a strong moral and political commitment on behalf of governments to take action for the equalisation of opportunities.

The 21st Century A Society for All by 2,000. (Society must adapt to the needs of disabled people, rather than disabled people adapting to society.)

General Assembly

The General Assembly is the collective voice of its government representatives: if national delegates don't contribute to, or even attend, discussions on disability matters, the UN has no authority and no money to take any action.

Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs

The social and economic work of the UN is the responsibility of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), with whom many disability non-governmental organisations have consultative status. During the Decade of Disabled Persons, most of the UN's work on disability took place in Vienna, at the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs. The Centre has many concerns, including disability, ageing, the family and gender issues.

The Disabled Persons Unit is part of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs. It has responsibility for:

• studying how the World Programme of Action is put into action at national, regional and international levels, through contact with governments, UN agencies, non-governmental organisations and national disability committees
• research on trends and issues: a series of manuals and guidelines have been prepared - on accessibility, information, equality of opportunities legislation, human resources development, organisations of disabled people
• information exchange, including preparation of the Disabled Persons Bulletin
• technical cooperation activities, advisory services to governments and management of the Voluntary Fund for the UN Decade of Disabled Persons.

Statistical Division

The Division works with government statistical offices worldwide to coordinate statistical research and to provide technical advice and information. During the Decade of Disabled Persons, it compiled the International Disability Statistics Database, which it supplied to over 130 government offices and research centres worldwide.

The Division also responds to requests from governments and research centres preparing national databases on disability-related topics, and supplies statistical information on disability to journalists, film producers and organisations.

Department of Public Information

The Department of Public Information develops information strategies and promotes international awareness of UN activities through media campaigns. There is one person with special responsibility for disability issues.

Centre for Human Rights

Located in Geneva, the Centre is concerned with human rights issues. It puts into practice the work of the Commission on Human Rights, the UN policy-making body on human rights. The Committee on Human Rights monitors and evaluates member states activities.

Regional Commissions

The UN has a number of regional offices, known as Economic and Social Commissions.

UNESCO

Most countries have a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Commission, usually found through the Ministry of Education. There are also a number of regional offices

One of UNESCO's goals is to include disabled children in community schools. It runs a project to train teachers and administrators to work with disabled students.

The UNESCO Co-Action Programme supports small-scale, low-cost local projects to benefit organisations providing services to disabled people. These include educational materials and equipment, bicycles, ramps, sports equipment, typewriters and blankets. The amounts are usually between US$500 and $ 1,000.

You can get more information about the Co-Action Fund from the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. UNESCO has a large publication list. Get hold of a copy from the Paris headquarters as well. (Many of these publications are free.)

UNICEF

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) works with disabled children throughout the world. It concentrates on identification and intervention, full social and educational integration of disabled children into the community and support for families.

UNICEF has a well-developed programme for working with NGOs and has published a booklet summarising this work, Partnership in Action (1991), available from UNICEF headquarters in New York or from national and regional offices.

International Labour Organisation

The ILO has taken an interest in the vocational training and employment of disabled people for a long time. It cooperates with governments and with workers' and employers' organisations in 40 countries. It also works closely with disabled people's organisations. Its budget for technical cooperation activities has increased tenfold since 1979 and now stands at US$7 million. Eastern Europe is one of its newer areas of work. The Organisation has recently started a special programme for disabled women in Eastern and Southern Africa, including Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, Swaziland and Lesotho.

In 1983, the ILO adopted a Convention on Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of Disabled Persons. This Convention says that a national policy on vocational rehabilitation and employment of disabled persons should be decided, put into action and regularly reviewed; that vocational rehabilitation should be available to all disabled persons and that job opportunities in the open labour market should be promoted. If a government ratifies the Convention (confirms formally that it will do what the Convention says), then it must follow the Convention's rules. About 40 countries have ratified the Convention.

World Health Organisation

The WHO was set up in 1948 to achieve the highest possible level of health for all people. Several of its divisions have an interest in disability, especially prevention. The Organisation was responsible for the international classification of impairment, disability and handicap and has promoted community based rehabilitation for a number of years.

UNDP

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) funds technical cooperation programmes. One of its aims is to make sure that all the relevant UN agencies and NGOs take part in projects for disabled people at national and regional levels. There is a UNDP office in every developing country and this can be a source of information and contacts for your organisation.



7. Long-term Influence

"Disabled persons and their organisations should be consulted in the further development of the World Programme of Action and in its implementation. To this end, every effort should be made to encourage the formation of organisations of disabled persons at the local, national, regional and international levels. Their unique expertise, derived from their experience, can make significant contributions to the planning of programmes and services for disabled persons." (WPA/85)

Influence from the Inside

One of the aims of influence is to get disability issues talked about by influential people wherever important decisions are made - in political assemblies, on school boards, in business and town planning meetings. Another is to get direct access to the corridors of power - to try to get disabled people onto the advisory bodies which help to decide the policies that affect our lives. Use your contacts to promote consultation with disabled people and their organisations.

National Coordinating Committees

"Governments should establish a focal point (for example, a national commission, committee or similar body) to look into and follow the activities related to the World Programme of Action of various ministries, of other government agencies and of non-governmental organisations. Any mechanism set up should involve all parties concerned, including organisations of disabled persons. The body should have access to decision-makers at the highest level" (WPA/89)

The UN has said that every member state should revive or strengthen its national coordinating committee on disability. These committees bring together representatives of all the governmental and voluntary groups concerned with disability.

If there is no national coordinating committee in your country, ask your government if it has plans to set one up, as the UN has asked. Make sure that disabled people (as representatives of organisations, not as individuals) have equal representation on the committee. This is recommended by the WPA, and the UN General Assembly has repeatedly called for the setting up and strengthening of national committees as a priority.

Representation

"Mentally handicapped people are now beginning to demand a voice of their own and insisting on their right to take part in decision-making and discussion... This development should be encouraged." (WPA/29)

As the UN Experts Meeting in Stockholm in 1987 made clear, there are certain groups who deserve special attention. These include people with intellectual impairments, disabled women, people with hearing impairments, elderly disabled people and people with multiple impairments. One way to make sure that their needs are met is to include them on advisory committees.

In committees, try to ensure that:

• all ages. ethnic groups. impairments. geographical areas. and both sexes are represented
• people with intellectual and multiple impairments. or their direct representatives. are involved and supported

Guidelines for Setting Up and Developing a National Coordinating Committee on Disability

The Committee should:

• be an equal partnership of government officials and representatives of disabled people's organisations
• be attached to the office of the head of state or government, or the parliament, and have access to decision-makers at the highest level
• include representatives of all relevant government ministries covering planning, health, social affairs, education, culture, employment, housing, transport and communications, men and women with a range of impairments and representatives of the media
• appoint as chair a well-respected disabled person, with a commitment to disability issues, leadership skills and access to decision-makers at national level
• limit membership to a workable size, meet regularly, have its own budget, office and support staff, become a permanent body, with legal and administrative regulations
• look at and advise on the activities of all agencies and non-governmental organisations working in the field of disability
• help to prepare a national plan and to develop national policy and legislation on disability, leading to a network of services for disabled people in their communities
• set up links with the media, business, social, labour and political organisations, non-governmental organisations and research and survey offices, and with other national coordinating committees, at regional, sub-regional and international levels
• set up sub-committees or working groups on issues (education, employment, independent living, etc.) and/or on types of impairment
• encourage development and activity at the grassroots level

Strong Roots

"Through their discussion of issues [organisations of disabled people] present points of view most widely representative of all concerns of disabled persons." (WPA/85)

If you do gain representation on a committee, don't allow yourself to become the token disabled person in what is just a public relations exercise. Many bodies would like disabled people to take part as individuals, rather than as representatives of disabled people's organisations.

This isn't good enough. Discrimination is not simply against an individual with an impairment, it is against us all as disabled people - whatever our impairments, our needs and our skills. You must represent a group of disabled people and talk about what happens in committees with your organisation. This will put you in a stronger position. When you put your point of view on something, you can stress that it isn't just what you think but what the other 10 or 100 or 1,000 disabled people in your organisation think.

Support for Change

"It is essential that assessment of the situation relating to disabled persons should be carried out.... At the national level, an evaluation of programmes relating to disabled persons should be carried out periodically." (WPA/ 194, 197)

Laws and policies need administrative support, resources, systems to look at how well they are working (a commission or an advisory body), and systems to enforce them (such as penalties).

Conclusion

• At every level, organisations of disabled people and their direct representatives must:
• continue to seek representation for disabled people on advisory and policymaking bodies
• always look for action, not just statements of commitment
• make sure that any action is supported by resources and the administrative and evaluation systems needed for success

continue...Part Two. Documents

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Contents Consultation & Influence

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