World Leaders and NGOs Commit to Tackle Disability Discrimination
27 July 2018 at 4:46 pm
World leaders and NGOs have made 170 “ambitious commitments” to address stigma and discrimination against people with disabilities at a Global Disability Summit in London.
More than 700 delegates from governments, NGOs and private sector organisations attended Tuesday’s summit, which examined issues affecting the estimated one billion people globally who live with disability.
Delegates made 170 commitments during the event, including pledges to pass new laws protecting the rights of people with disabilities and to develop action plans on disability inclusion.
Commitments were also made to give people with disabilities greater affordability and access to life changing devices and basic technology, like wheelchairs and glasses.
UK International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said it was fantastic to see such “ambitious commitments” made from countries and organisations around the world.
But she warned the commitments would mean little if they did not lead to action.
“That’s why we need to hold ourselves and our partners to account and make sure these commitments produce genuinely transformative results for people with disabilities worldwide,” Mordaunt said.
The summit focused on the plight of those in developing countries, with 33 governments and other organisations pledging to specifically support more people with disabilities affected by humanitarian crises.
This included the Australian government, which promised $16.4 million to support disability inclusive action in response to the crisis in Syria.
Australian Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, attended the summit and praised Australia’s “continued commitment to disability inclusion”.
“Disability inclusion is a priority across Australia’s international engagement, particularly our work on human rights, development assistance and humanitarian action,” Fierravanti-Wells said.
The summit was jointly hosted by the UK Department for International Development, the Kenyan government and the International Disability Alliance.
The full list of commitments can be viewed here.
With regard to a specific situation in one of my services, I believe we still have some way to go respecting people with intellectual disability and their rights. When caring for a person with a mild intellectual disability, I’ve experienced (vicariously as well as personally) frustration when a client’s views and needs were ignored with regard to choices and or statements she has made. People were consulted disrespectfully about a complex matter involving the client (think “dobbed in”), for instance, without her permission and in an unprofessional and judgemental manner. This is naturally not an isolated case.
Maybe some federal funding can be diverted towards addressing what is clearly a training need industry wide, granting carers/support workers the skills and confidence to do the right thing for this category of client. (I recognise the irony/inappropriateness of grouping clients ‘in a box.’)