APCD at First Glance
Introduction
The "Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability" (APCD) is a regional center on disability established in Bangkok, Thailand as a legacy of the Asia and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons 1993-2002, under joint collaboration of the Government of Japan and the Royal Thai Government.APCD has been endorsed by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission of Asia and the Pacific as a regional cooperative base for its Biwako Millennium Framework for Action towards an Inclusive,Barrier-free and Rigths-based Society for Persons with Disabilities in the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons,2003-2012.
The APCD project was implemented in Bangkok on 1 August 2002 through the technical cooperation from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) with the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security,Thailand; the necessary infrastructure was provided by Japan's Grant Aid.
Overall goal
To promote the empowerment of people with disabilities and a barrier-free society in developing countries in the Asia and Pacific Region.
*Rural areas and towns in the countryside, as well as isolated and outer island communities are being fully considered.
Activities
- Networking and collaboration:
APCD will facilitate a regional network and collaboration among disability-related government and non government organizations (NGOs) by establishing focal points and associate organizations for strong collaboration and relationships in each country in the Region.
APCD is also developing network and collabaration to cooperate in relevant information sharing, recruit participants for APCD's training courses and then follow-up after training. NGOs for and of people with disabilities keen to cooperate can apply to be APCD's associate organizations.
- Training implementation:
APCD's training program is designed to directly empower young grass-root leaders with disabilities as well as sensitize non-disabled professionals and official concerning accessibility for citizens with disabilities in mainstream society.
APCD embraces community and rights-based approaches to empower people with disabilities along with promoting accessibilitily to information and communication technologies (ICT) and the physical environment through the following trainings;
- Capacity Building of Self-help Organizations of People with Disabilities (SHO)
- Community-based Rehabilitation (CBR)
- Independent Living (IL)
- Information and Communication Technology (ICT)/ assistive technologies for people with disabilities
- Non-handicapping/ barrier-free environment
- Human Rights Advocacy
APCD's training courses are practical and motivating since most trainers are well-experienced practitioners from developing countries, many of whom have disabilities themselves. The trainees will be required to be from a focal point and associate organizations to further develop collaboration of regional activities with APCD.
- Information support:
APCD will support the capacity-building of the focal point and associate organizations to network information especially grass-root organizations. This will encourage grass-root organizations to share and disseminate disability related information in an accessible way to all in the Region. APCD will provide information referral service and periodical information of its activities through the 1) APCD Empowerment Quarterly Newsletter, 2) APCD Website (www.apcdproject.org), which contains country profiles on disability, web links with relevant organizations and current events in the region and 3)the Information Resouce Room.
Believing "Information is power", APCD is attentive to the latest information and facilities and exchange of information among significant stakeholders.
Concept Chart
Enlarged concept chart(JPEG format, 35 KB)
Outputs
APCD will:
- facilitate networking and collaboration among relevant organizations in the Asia-Pacific Region.
- provide accessible information services through the homepage and newsletter by utilizing an accessible information system such as Braille, audio and multimedia products.
- develop disability-related human resources in cooperation with relevant organizations.
- take the necessary administrative measures to ensure its sustainability.
