Picture by norebbo.com
Rehabilitation International
M O N T H L Y NEWSLETTER June 2013
Advancing the Rights
and Inclusion of
Persons with Disability Worldwide
Contact:
Rehabilitation International
25 East 21st Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10010, USA
Tel.: +1-212-420-1500
Fax: +1-212-505-0871
E-Mail: [email protected]
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For RI EC, RIF AND RI Members
Topics
Dates & venues for the upcoming RI meetings .................................. 3
RI News ............................................................................................. 3
Upcoming Meetings and Events ....................................................... 13
CRPD Ratification Update ................................................................ 14
Resource Material ............................................................................ 15
Other News ..................................................................................... 16
Inspiration ...................................................................................... 17
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Dates & venues for the upcoming RI meetings
Dates Meeting Place
September 20-21, 2013 EC & Commission
Meetings
New York, U.S.A.
September 22, 2013 2013 RI GA New York, U.S.A.
October 6-10, 2014 RI European Conference on Rehabilitation
Poland (expected in Warsaw)
For more information please see our website www.riglobal.org
RI News
RI EC meeting in Oslo, Norway, May 16 – 19, 2013 Before the
start of their first meeting for 2013 in Oslo, Norway, members of the RI Executive Committee (EC) participated in the RI Norway International Conference on Disability and Rehabilitation on May
16, 2013. The theme was “Disability and Rehabilitation in a National and Global Perspective”. RI Norway President Knut
Magne Ellingsen (see picture extreme left with Venus Ilagan), opened the conference and welcomed the participants. He said that Norway is going to ratify the CRPD in two weeks (from May
16) and disclosed the Norwegian government’s support for disability organizations with some $20
million funding earmarked for the purpose. Christian Boe Kielland, Director at the Norwegian Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion gave an interesting overview of
disability in Norway. Then RI Secretary General Venus Ilagan shared recent developments in “Disability on the global level”.
Bente Moe, Director of Minority Health and Rehabilitation Department spoke about “Rehabilitation in Norway”. Cecilie Bjelland, State Secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Labor
(see picture right) reported on the “Work and Employment situation in Norway” as they relate to persons with disabilities,
by presenting Norway’s Jobs Strategy for People with Disabilities. Primary target group for the strategy are people under the age of 30, and also includes people with disabilities
who do not have a reduced capacity for work. She stated that the Norwegian government and the social partners have
increased their focus on raising labor market participation for people with disabilities. The importance of cooperating with the
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social partners has been a key element in the preparation of the Jobs Strategy and they share responsibility for its implementation with the
government. Ms. Bjelland said that labor is the most valued asset of the country so that everybody has the right to live economically independent.
She stressed “we do not only want to include persons with disabilities into the labor market – we need it!” The brochure “Jobs Strategy for People with Disabilities” from the Norwegian Ministry of Labor is available online at:
www.publikasjoner.dep.no with publication number A-0036E. Dr. Friedrich Mehrhoff (see picture above right), German Social Accident Insurance and
Vice Chair of the RI Commission on Work and Employment discussed “Rehabilitation as an Investment”. He said the reasons why governments do not invest in rehabilitation include: lack of awareness, aim is only on short-
term effects and there is no trust in the outcome. He appealed for an exchange of expertise “to make us all stronger for the
future”. Prof. Madan Kundu (see picture right), Chair of the RI Commission on Work and Employment, gave a presentation titled “Work and Employment – an
International Perspective”. He explained that productive employment does not only provide a wage but is also an
expression of self-fulfillment and dignity. He called for a career building for persons with disabilities and not only to
provide them with a job. After a well-participated round table discussion, the very interesting and informative conference was closed. Members of the EC thanked RI
Norway for hosting this conference and for all the work they have put into this and the preparations for a most
productive RI EC.
RI EC holds first meeting for 2013 in Oslo
Members of RI’s Executive Committee gathered in Oslo, Norway for their first
meeting for 2013. This activity was also the first official full meeting presided by Jan A. Monsbakken in his capacity as new RI President. Jan warmly
welcomed his colleagues as he underscored the historic importance of this meeting where very important decisions will be made that will have lasting implications in the future course and direction of the 90 year-old
organization. He noted that the successful 22nd World Congress held in Incheon, Republic of Korea in 2012 has lifted RI into new heights and had
enabled the organization to reinforce its position as an important player on disability in the world stage. It can be recalled that no less than UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and the former First Lady of Korea were special guests
at the opening ceremonies for the Congress participated by over 1,200 RI members, partners and friends from 73 countries. The EC meeting in Norway
was similarly a resounding success with very important decisions made that will ensure RI playing a significant role in the global arena in the continuing work to advance the rights of persons with disabilities and to ensure their
inclusion in the life and activities of their countries and communities.
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From left: Barbara Le Roy, Mark Webber, Venus Ilagan, Jan A. Monsbakken, Susan Parker, Iris Reiss, Siobhan Barron, Dr. Joachim Breuer
First meeting of the new members of the Finance Committee: Venus Ilagan,
Mark Webber, Barbara Le Roy, Susan Parker
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From left: Barbara Le Roy, Veijo Notkola, Dr. Mohammed Azman, Dr.
Friedrich Mehrhoff, Iris Reiss, Dr. Silke Brueggemann, Prof. Madan Kundu, Ekaete Umoh, Susan Parker, Mark Webber, Jan A. Monsbakken, front: Hashem Tagi, Venus Ilagan, Dr. Martin Grabois
RI Secretary General Venus M. Ilagan and UNICEF Adviser for Children with Disabilities Roseangela
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Berman-Bieler in a snapshot with Ambassadors Don MacKay (left, standing) of New Zealand and Luis-Alfonso de Alba of Mexico (far right,
standing), at the Reception to mark the 5th Anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Both
ambassadors who were leading figures in the negotiation of the CRPD spoke on the Convention's origins, its significance five years on, and key challenges ahead in securing the rights of persons with disabilities. The Reception held
at the Mission of New Zealand to the UN in New York, was jointly organized by H.E. Mr. Jim McLay, Permanent Representative of New Zealand and H.E.
Mrs. Yanerit Morgan, Charge d' Affaires ad interim, Permanent Mission of Mexico.
Post 2015 MDGs High Level Panel Report
Some 5,000 people, many of them from civil society, were consulted from around the world and their thoughts became the building blocks for the High
Level Panel Report described as “bold and practical” that was presented at the ECOSOC chamber of the United Nations on May 31, 2013. Rehabilitation International was among the members of civil society
which witnessed the event. Michael Anderson, Co-Chair of the Panel, in his remarks said the post-2015 MDGs has a universal agenda with five
transformative shifts to end poverty in 2030, as follows: (1) leaves no one behind (2) sustainable development (3) transform economies for jobs (4) accountable institutions (5) forge partnerships. Samuel Jackson from
Liberia and member of the Panel, stated that the post 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will adopt a radical approach to tackling
inequalities. One way to do this “is to effect economic transformation that goes beyond the classic definition of development. It has to be one that ensures promoting sustainable outcomes that take into consideration
environmental concerns and ensure sustainable patterns of production and consumption, including the building of a middle class in countries. Yanuar
Nugroho, member of the Panel from Indonesia, called for the international community to work towards inclusivity and inter-community partnerships that include listening to a large number of stakeholders and taking their
thoughts into account. Amina Mohammed, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General on the MDGs, stressed that the post 2015 agenda is no
longer just about the North and the South but about universality. It includes issues such as inequality, migration, conflict, lack of jobs and many others which were non-existent when the first MDGs were set in 2000. She said that
SG Ban Ki-Moon wants the Report to be a reference point for the “transformational journey”, a shift from North to South towards
“universality”. Questions to the members of the Panel were asked, moderated by Femi Oke of CNN. A representative of civil society underscored the need to ensure that SG Ban Ki-Moon’s report to the General Assembly in
September has to be stronger than the High Level Panel’s report – a statement that was applauded by the people in the chamber.
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Update from the UNICEF launch
UNICEF has launched on May 30 the 2013 State of the World’s Children
Report with focus on Children with Disabilities (see also the Resource Material Section of this Newsletter issue to get the link to the report). Twelve hours earlier, a global launch spearheaded by UNICEF Executive Director
Anthony Lake, the Vice President of Vietnam and the Director General of Australian Aid (AUSAID), was held in Danang, Vietnam. UNICEF Deputy
Director Martin Mogwanja at his opening statement said this is the first report in 23 years on children with disabilities ever made by UNICEF so that it is important to recognize the breakthrough. It reflects that transformation
in ways children with disabilities are viewed and treated. “Children with disabilities are finally seen as children first. The discrimination and stigma
attached to children with disabilities must stop”, Mr. Mogwanja stressed. He called on those at the launch to go for inclusive approaches such as inclusive
safety nets that embrace children with disabilities and ensure that they grow up with their families and communities, not in institutions. He also called for the promotion of a global research agenda on children with disabilities to
guide planning and allocation of resources. He cited the importance of children with disabilities being mentioned more clearly in the development
agenda of governments. The launch was highlighted by a panel discussion which included Ipul Powaseu, Chairperson of Papua New Guinea Assembly of Disabled Persons who spoke on the intersection of gender and disability;
Olga Montufar Contreras, President of Fundacion Paso a Paso of Mexico who discussed on the issues of indigenous peoples with disabilities; Emma Pearce,
Senior Program Officer on Disability of the Australian Women’s Refugee Commission and Gopal Mitra, UNICEF Program Specialist who spoke on adolescents and youth with disabilities. Rehabilitation International has
prominently participated and made one of only two interventions delivered at the 2013 State of the World’s Children launch.
Claes Tjäder, Research Director at Swedish Institute of Assistive Technology provided the RI Secretariat with the following report: Standards promoting disability
Standards affect all aspects of our lives, even though we may not be aware of it. Standards can be important instruments to promote e.g. access in society for
persons with disabilities. In addition standards are also important instruments to ensure good quality assistive
technology products. The primary objective of ISO/TC 173 is to produce standards on assistive products for persons with disability, including follow-up activities and
revisions. The major product categories that ISO/TC 173 presently deals with are wheelchairs, accessories to
wheelchairs, assistive products for walking as well as aids for ostomy and incontinence. ISO/TC 173 is also
continuously developing a classification and terminology
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standard for assistive products. New areas have recently been added, such as cognitive aspects in existing standards and there is also a growing concern
that assistive products with the aim to compensate for cognitive disabilities should be covered. Other areas included are products for personal hygiene
and accessible design. At the moment there is a work going on with the aim to produce the first ever standard on assistive products for personal hygiene that support users with disability. In addition the subject is on how to include
self evidence and easy to understand information addressing non professionals in the standards on how to safely use assistive products in the
ordinary home. This latter aspect is related to the fact that an increasing number of older persons will live in their ordinary home with the support of relatives. This is a challenge which ISO/TC 173 has to address. There is a
wide variety of assistive products/systems, many of which are technically advanced and of significant economic value. Some of the larger product
categories in the market are wheelchairs, beds, assistive products for walking, hoists and aids for incontinence and ostomy. Growth sectors are primarily products based on information and communication technologies
such as computer accessories, telecommunications equipment, special software and products for controlling and signaling. The committee
recognizes that due to the fast uptake of digital technology and the usage of services supplied via Internet there is an emerging grey zone in between the
traditional assistive products and products available on the ordinary consumer market. The major benefits expected of the standards developed by ISO/TC 173 are:
criteria for manufacturers when designing products;
decreased production costs for assistive products;
safe, reliable and functional products manufactured for purchasers and users;
increased quality of life for users;
improved cost-effectiveness for purchasers, both private and public;
enhanced compatibility between products;
standards in new emerging areas such as accessibility and cognitive devices;
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common testing methods leading to comparable, reliable test results, such as the methods developed and standardized for testing electrical
and manual wheelchairs.
Two important meetings will take place in Berlin on October 24 – 25; the
global committee, ISO/TC 173, as well as the European committee, CEN/TC 293, will meet.
Rehabilitation International is Category A-Liaison partner to global standardization on assistive products. Category A means an organization that
makes an effective contribution to the work of the technical committee or subcommittee for questions dealt with by this technical committee or subcommittee. Organizations like RI are given access to all documentation
and are invited to meetings. RI may i.e. nominate experts to participate in a working group or a project team. Any contribution is welcome. We would
welcome views on already running standardization activities, areas that should be covered by standardization, priorities etc. For more information please contact Claes Tjäder: [email protected]
RI member “Gambia Federation of Disabled (GFD)” on Wednesday, 22 May 2013, commenced the celebration of the first ever joint
Disabled and Epilepsy Week in Gambia The commemoration, with the theme “Promote the Employment of Persons with Disabilities”, aims to highlight the achievements made to improve on the difficult conditions of disabled people
in society. Madam Isatou Sanyang, GFD Chairperson, said GFD has set aside the 20th to 26th May of every year as a week for celebration in order to reflect
on the challenges they encounter and the successes made to stop the stigma and discrimination against people with disability in society. She said this has coincided with the International Epilepsy Week which, she added, makes it
interesting for them to have combined the two events for the first time in Gambia. Executive Director of the GFD, Mr. Anton Venus, disclosed that his
organization is making tireless efforts to see to it that Gambia adopts and ratifies the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons. He said Gambia
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is among the remaining 14 African states which have not yet ratified this UN Convention. For further information please read the whole article in the
Gambian Foroyaa Newspaper: http://www.foroyaa.gm/disability/13316-gfd-observes-the-first-joint-disability-and-epilepsy-week or check out their
website: http://gfdgambia.weebly.com/reports.html
Dr. Retty Irwan, RI National Secretary for Indonesia, provided us with the following report about RI Indonesia’s activities for the first
quarter of 2013. RI Indonesia is affiliated with the YPAC Nasional (The Indonesian Society for Children with Disabilities).
Talk-show on how to assist children with disabilities to become more
independent in realizing their dreams in life was held on 6 February 2013 at
the RNI Building, Jakarta. The event was held to also commemorate YPAC’s 60th year of services in assisting
children with disabilities in Indonesia. The importance of all concerned parties
to integrate efforts in providing assistance to children with disabilities, not only attending to their need for
medical rehabilitation, but also providing ways on how these children
could access higher education and be able to obtain suitable jobs, post school completion was emphasized. The audience was also entertained by five children on wheelchairs aged 7-14 years old who sang "I am a
special child" (see picture).
Formulation of the guideline on Autism in school.
A workshop to finalize the draft guideline on Autism in school was held 23 March 2013 at the office of the YPAC Nasional, Jakarta. Knowledge
on how to cope with autistic children and identifying the best ways for early detection, addressing specific problems, and how long the
needed treatment be provided to children with autism in school, was shared by experts. The guideline book on autism (based on YPAC’s experiences) is expected to provide a complete set of information not
only based on theories and cases found in the YPAC Special Schools located in 16 cities/provinces in Indonesia, but will also touch on lived
experiences from efforts to assist autistic children. Additionally, on a national scope, Indonesia has commemorated the World Autism Day on 2 April 2013 through various activities.
Three yearly meetings of YPAC to sharpening its goals, and
synchronizing programs and actions: For the purpose of
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maximizing provision of YPAC services to its target beneficiaries, the YPAC Nasional as the umbrella organization of 16 YPAC offices located
in 16 cities (14 provinces) in Indonesia, it invited its core board members of approximately 100 persons to a 3-day workshop in
Palembang, South of Sumatra from 25-27 April 2013. Dr. Retty Irwan, provided some information on developments related to the CRPD and also mentioning the result of the Rehabilitation
International's recent congress held in Incheohared with the participants about RI’s 22nd World Congress held in Incheon, Korea at
the end of 2012. One of the main activities was the launching of the Do-dream Incheon Program for Youth with Disabilities. During their group exercise, participants from the 16 YPAC offices agreed to
develop a work plan for the CRPD for 2013-2014.
YPAC Nasional is revitalizing its training centre in Solo (PPRBM Solo), Central Java, under a new team of employees tasked to monitor implementation of the centre’s training programs and to
ensure that these are conducted in a professional way to increase possibilities of mobilizing resources to cover the daily activities of the
training centre.
For further information about the activities please visit the YPAC’s website:
http://ypac-nasional.org
– We’d love to hear from you…
Please share with us project summaries/reports, articles and announcements on events which your organization is planning to hold or has conducted, and
other information which you may want to share with colleagues in the RI network, our partners and to the rest of the world. Send these to us at this email address: [email protected] and we will make sure that these
get included in future issues of the RI Newsletter.
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Upcoming Meetings and Events
2013, July 2 -3 Global Challenges and Local Solutions in
Inclusive Design in Hong Kong, China. For further information please go
to: http://www.hhc.rca.ac.uk/4989/all/1/include-2013.aspx
2013, July 24 – 27 2013 Annual Conference on Independent
Living in Washington, DC, USA. This year’s theme is regeneration. For
further information please see: http://www.ncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/2013ConferenceGuide.pdf
2013, September 11 – 14 12th Congress of European Forum for
Research in Rehabilitation in Istanbul, Turkey. The human health and
science-technology are continuous and dynamic due to the developments in socio-economic changes of societies. Professionals working in the field of
rehabilitation will provide shared knowledge to be used in human health, new scientific research, and for the improvement of educational efforts in rehabilitation. Dr. Friedrich Mehrhoff, of the German Social Accident
Insurance and Vice Chair of RI’s Work and Employment Commission will be one of the speakers at the Congress. For further information
please see: http://www.efrr2013.org/
2013, September 23 High-level meeting of the General
Assembly on disability and development at the UN in New York, USA. Theme: “The way forward: a disability inclusive development agenda
towards 2015 and beyond”.
2013, September 26 – 28 10th Autism-Europe International
Congress in Budapest, Hungary. The slogan of the congress is “New Dimensions for Autism”. For further information please visit:
http://www.autismcongress2013.eu/
2013, October 18 – 19 “The Next Chapter Book Club and
Beyond” in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It’s the first-ever conference on
literacy for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The purpose of this conference is to share insights, experiences, and strategies on literacy and lifelong learning for adults with intellectual and
developmental disabilities. For further information please go to: http://chaptersahead.org/conference/
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CRPD Ratification Update
Latest Developments
Palau ratified the Convention and the Optional Protocol on 11-6-2013 Norway ratified the Convention on 3-6-2013
Iraq acceded to the Convention on 20-3-2013 Barbados ratified the Convention on 27-2-2013
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
155 signatories
132 ratifications
Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities
91 signatories
77 ratifications
For more Information please visit following website: http://www.un.org/disabilities/
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UNICEF – 2nd Global Partnership on Children with Disabilities
(GPcwd) Forum
Plans are underway for the second meeting of the GPcwd to take place on 24 September 2013 immediately following the High-Level Meeting on Disability
and Development. This year’s event will be one full day at UNICEF House, followed by a reception. The event will cover the work of the Partnership’s
four task forces related to education, nutrition, humanitarian action, and assistive technology. For further information please visit: http://www.unicef.org/disabilities/index_65319.html
International Day of Persons with Disabilities, 3 December 2013
The theme of this year's International Day of Persons with Disabilities is: “Break barriers, open doors: for an inclusive society for all”. A major
focus of the Day is practical and concrete action to include disability in all aspects of development, as well as to further the participation of persons with disabilities in social life and development on the basis of equality. To
make the most of the Day, activities may highlight progress and obstacles in implementing disability-sensitive policies, as well as promote public
awareness to break barriers and open doors to realize an inclusive society for all. By 3 December 2013, at the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the outcome document of the HLMDD will be available and may
be used to provide a blueprint for action to help realize the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities in society and shape the future of
development for all. For further information please see: http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1607
Resource Material
Each year, UNICEF’s flagship publication, The State
of the World's Children, closely examines a key issue affecting children. This year it is “Children with Disabilities”. The report includes supporting data and
statistics and is also available in French and Spanish language versions. The report and additional online content
are available at: http://www.unicef.org/sowc2013/
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Report 2012
The OHCHR Report 2012 presents the annual report of the organization and shows a growing emphasis on human rights within the international discourse on peace and security and development. It provides information on treaty
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body strengthening; substantive input into the Rabat Plan of Action against incitement to discrimination, hostility or
violence; servicing the second cycle of the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review; and supporting Council-
mandated activities, including two new intergovernmental working groups and three new special procedures mandates. It also reports on technical assistance to implement
recommendations issued by the human rights mechanisms; training on human rights principles for the judiciary and law
enforcement agents; and advice to civil society to help rights-holders exercise their rights. Disability and persons with disabilities are covered throughout the publication, and
specifically included in a section under the chapter on Discrimination. The report is available at:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/ohchrreport2012/web_en/index.html
Other News
Telephone recycling funds to help make schools accessible in
Turkey The Telephone Recycling Campaign from the World Disability Foundation (WDF) will work to make schools accessible. Partnerships were agreed to
between WDF and PTT (National Postal Institution) to collect old phones from all around Turkey, as well as with the recycling company to sell the old
phones. The proceeds of the sales would pay to improve the accessibility of schools. WDF will work with the National Education Ministry to determine target schools. Currently, the campaign is funding accessibility improvements
in seven schools around Turkey. For further information please visit: http://devturkiye.org/upload/files/world-disability-foundation-wdf-old-
phones-recycling.pdf
University of Leicester researchers have contributed to a landmark study which has revealed a new way to treat strokes caused by bleeding
inside the brain. The study found that intensive blood pressure lowering in patients with intracerebral haemorrhage, the most serious type of stroke, reduced the risk of major disability and improved chances of
recovery by as much as 20 per cent. The study, which involved more than 2800 patients from 140 hospitals around the world, was announced in
May at the European Stroke Conference in London, and published in The New England Journal of Medicine .For further information please see: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130529111248.htm
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Inspiration
Are sheltered workshops good or bad?
Sheltered workshops are places where people who have severe disabilities can work and get paid per piece rather than being paid minimum wage. Work
is usually simple and repetitive, such as shredding paper, putting labels on containers, or packing a certain number of items in a box. Often these workshops involve training in life skills and in what a person needs to do to
keep a job. Some people move from a sheltered workshop into a minimum wage job. But often those with severe disabilities, especially intellectual
disabilities, do not advance to the point in which they could hold down a regular job. The ongoing debate is this: Some advocates for people with disabilities say that it is unfair for those in sheltered workshops to be “stuck”
with other people with disabilities all the time and to not make minimum wages. Also those who are against the idea of workshops do not believe that
disabled people should do repetitive work. Those who support sheltered workshops say that many people with disabilities love the repetitive nature of the jobs. Repetition helps them learn the work and does not confuse them.
Also they say that many are thrilled to come to the workshops, where they have support systems, can see friends, and can make some spending
money. Without the workshops, these folks would not be able to work due to the extent of their disabilities. Since the goals of programs like these are to prepare people to work if they are able and if they choose, it is hard to
understand advocates who say they are working to help people with disabilities by opposing such workshops. If the workshops close down, there
will be many people with disabilities who will be left to sit at home or to try to find day programs to attend so that they can socialize and be kept busy. It is not likely that suddenly businesses will create jobs so that those who
have minimal work abilities can earn minimum wages. Another aspect of this is that a certain number of people in workshop programs have mental health
diagnoses in addition to their main disability. The nature of the workshops is to offer strong support systems which help people with diagnoses such as those with autism, obsessive compulsive disorder, or intermittent explosive
disorder, to develop certain work skills while following a behavior modification plan set up by a behavioral specialist or therapist. This kind of
support structure is not possible at a regular business. In a workshop setting, a client who has an emotional outburst can be taken to a place to “cool down,” be reminded of the goals he or she is working on, and be reintegrated
back into the work area when ready. Certain structures can be put in place, such as using picture charts that show the day’s schedule and the routine to
follow in the job on which the client is working. It is my opinion that sheltered workshops are needed and benefit many people who would not be
able to work at all without them.
What do you think?
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We hope you enjoyed reading this issue of the RI Monthly Newsletter. Tell us about your activities and other stories so we can share it with RI members
and the world.
Jan Arne Monsbakken, RI President
Venus Ilagan, Secretary General
Iris Reiss, Rehabilitation Expert
Thank you for supporting RI Global and let’s make
change happen together
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