The diversity and potential of people living with disabilities and how they fit into a global society.

1. Disability in a
global context
Rea Konttinen
Abilis Foundation sr.
DIAK 14.09.2017
People with Disabilities in
Society- the Diversity and
the Potential
www.abilis.fi

2. Agenda:
• Short introduction of Abilis Foundation
• Practical exercise related to disability
• Disability and disability in development
• The role of civil society: Disability organisations
• Inclusive development
• UNCRPD and Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA)
to development and disability
www.abilis.fi

3. Abilis Foundation
• Promotes equal rights and
opportunities for people with
disabilities (PWDs)
• Supports and empowers PWDs living in
developing countries to act as full
citizens in the society
• Assists this easily marginalized and
minority group to work for human rights
and improvements of living conditions
www.abilis.fi

4. Abilis Foundation
www.abilis.fi
• Funding for organisations that include persons with a
disability people (PWDs) in their leadership
• PWDs play the key role during the entire project cycle,
not only beneficiaries
• About 70 % of the projects are in Abilis Focus
Countries:
- Nepal, Thailand (North and N-E), Vietnam and Myanmar
- Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
- Ethiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda.
- A few fragile states: Somalia, Somaliland, DRC, Ukraine, Kosovo,
Palestine and Syrian refugees.
• All disability groups can get funding, including
parents of children with disabilities
- Special focus: Girls and women with disabilities
• Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA)

5. Abilis Foundation
www.abilis.fi
• Short video about Abilis work/funding
(around 5 min) from Uganda

6. Abilis Foundation
www.abilis.fi
• Income Generating Activities (IGA)
• Capacity building of Disabled People’s Organisations
(DPOs)
• Disability related awareness raising, human
rights/disability rights, UNCRPD
• Vocational training
• Abilis supports the groups through the process, for
many groups Abilis funding is the first. No previous
project management experience.

7. Free writing for 3 minutes:
What is disability?
• Keep writing for the whole 3
min. Do not let the pen stop.
• What you have written will
not be collected or shared.
So this is private!
www.abilis.fi

8. Exercise:
You wake up as a person
with a disability
• Think about your regular day from the
moment you wake up.
– What happens? What kind of challenges
do you run into?
– How does your disability affect your day?
• 2 min by yourself
• 5 min in with the person next to you: write
down the challenges, observations
• Deaf/hard of hearing, visual
impairment/blind, physical impairment,
Intellectual/Developmental disabilities
www.abilis.fi

9. Barriers
• Physical environment
• Attitudes
• Institutional
-> How disability is perceived?
-> What is disability?
www.abilis.fi

10. What is Disability?
• Impairment vs. Disability
• UNCRPD: ”Persons with disabilities include
those who have long-term physical, mental,
intellectual or sensory impairments which in
interaction with various barriers may hinder
their full and effective participation in
society on an equal basis with others”
(Article 1, Purpose)
www.abilis.fi

11. Disability in
Development
• 1 Billion persons with a disability
• 800 million in developing countries
• 15 % of all (WHO world report on
disability), 20 % of the poorest
• Poorer chances for:
– Employment, education, health services,
participation
• Disability causes poverty, poverty causes
disability
→ Persons with a disability are often a
neglected and discriminated group within
development.
www.abilis.fi

12. Disability in
development
• PWDs often live hidden in their own homes.
They don’t even exist officially.
• Negative attitudes towards disability are
strong, influence of religion
– Multiple discrimination e.g. women/girls with
a disability, PWD with HIV/AIDS, PWD of an
indigenous background or belonging to a
sexual minority.
• Difficult to get assistive devices
• No access to sign language
• Definitions of disability vary e.g. deafblindness
or autism is unknown in many countries. Deaf
are dumb etc.
www.abilis.fi

13. www.abilis.fi
The role of civil society:
Disability organisations
• Democracy = freedom of civil society?
• Space of civil society getting smaller in many
countries
• Disability organisations can often still work
freely
-> can play an important role in advocating for
disability rights
-> E.g. UN convention on the rights of persons with a
disability (UNCRPD)

14. www.abilis.fi
Disability organisations globally
• European Disability Forum (EDF): network of DPOs,
independent NGO. http://www.edf-feph.org/
• International Disability Alliance (IDA): an alliance of 8
global and 6 regional organisations of persons with
disabilities. Active in UN.
http://www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org/
• The International Disability and Development
Consortium (IDDC). Global consortium of 25 disability
and development NGOs, mainstream development
NGOs and disabled people's organisations (DPOs)
https://www.iddcconsortium.net/

15. www.abilis.fi
Disability organisations –
Regional platforms
• ASEAN Disability Forum (ADF): a network composed
by DPOs of the ASEAN region. It is a platform, where
DPOs coordinate actions to advocate for disability
inclusive policy formulation and implementation.
Member of IDA
http://aseandisabilityforum.org/digaleri/
• African Disability Forum (ADF): a network composed
by DPOs of Africa. Member of IDA.
https://www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org/african-disability-
forum

16. www.abilis.fi
Inclusive Development
Challenges:
• Disability is not mainstream so far
• Positive elements much dependent on positive
individuals
• Persons with a disability not involved properly
Way forward:
• Inclusion of persons with a disability in all actions:
planning and implementing teams to include PWDs
• Twin track approach: Disability specific actions and
mainstream activities to include a disability component
• More money allocated on disability
• Disability inclusion into structures
Kalle Könkkölä, 2014

17. www.abilis.fi
UNCRPD-
A Paradigm Shift
• The UNCRPD marks a ‘paradigm shift’ in
attitudes and approaches to persons with
disabilities.
• Persons with disabilities are not viewed as
"objects" of charity, medical treatment and social
protection; rather as "subjects" with rights, who
are capable of claiming those rights and making
decisions for their lives based on their free and
informed consent as well as being active
members of society.
• The Convention gives universal recognition to
the dignity of persons with disabilities.
Pirkko Mahlamäki, 21 Sept 2014

18. Human Rights Based
Approach to development
• All people have an equal right to influence and
participate in the definition and implementation of
development.
– Persons taking part in development are active actors
instead of passive receivers of help.
• Special emphasis on the rights of vulnerable
groups e.g. persons with a disability
• Aim is that everyone, including the poorest people
know their rights and are able act for them.
www.abilis.fi

19. HRBA to development
• In practice means the conscious and systematic
application of international human rights norms
and principles at all stages of development
programmes.
– Situational analysis and stakeholder analysis (planning
stage) especially important
– What rights are being fulfilled? What capacity is missing?
– It is a process!
• Identifies right-holders and their rights as well as
duty-bearers and their rights and responsibilities
→ strengthen rights-holders’ ability to demand and stand up
for their rights
→ strengthen duty-bearers’ ability to fullfill their
responsibilities
www.abilis.fi

20. Strengths of Human Rights-Based
Approach to Disability
• Mainstreaming persons with disabilities
• Rights, not charity
• National obligation
• Transnational obligation
Downside
• Existing local power structure matters
www.abilis.fi
(Katsui & Kumpuvuori, 2008)

21. HRBA in Abilis’ work
• Human rights as the basis of Abilis’ work
• Works with one of the most vulnerable persons
• Empowerment
• Participation
• Ownership and trust
• Transparency, openness and accessibility
e.g. disability groups/ PWDs are given the opportunity to
run a project according to their capacity → Fast Track
grants
www.abilis.fi

22. Whose rights matter?
www.abilis.fi
• Who are included in the discourse related to
human rights?
• Who benefits?
• HBRA → the most marginalized groups are the
priority! Should start activities so that
inequality is reduced, start from the grassroot.
If haven’t got funding for everything, start first
with the groups of people that are in the most
vulnerable situation…

23. Thank you!
www.abilis.fi