APCD Mission Reports
- Mission to Myanmar, 11 - 14 May 203
- Mission to Cambodia, 19 - 20 June 2003
- Close collaboration Confirmed with National Association of the Deaf in Thailand Bangkok, Thailand, 16 May 2003
- Thailand Association of the Blind Bangkok, Thailand, 27 May 2003
Mission to Myanmar, 11-14 May 2003
APCD mission at the Department of Social Welfare, Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief, and resettlement.
Part of the community-based rehabilitation services provided at the Eden Handicapped Service Center
The APCD mission to Myanmar was scheduled from 11 to 14 May 2003. The Team visited the Department of Social Welfare under the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement and was welcomed by Mr. Sit Myaing, the Director-General of the Department of Social welfare. This department was identified as the Government sector focal point for APCD.
The mission team visited the National Rehabilitation Hospital which has an orthopedics and prosthesis department, World Vision, the Myanmar Christian Council, the Christian Education Center for the Blind as well as Eden Handicapped Service Center which has just started implementing community-based development. Eden Handicapped Service Centre Provides a disability awareness campaign for the community as well as the training of teachers, parents and community people.
]Mission to Cambodia, 19 -20 June 2003
H.E.Mr.Ith Sam Heng, Minister of Social Affairs, Labour, Vocational Training, and Youth rehabilitation and the APCD mission team.
APCD team undertook a mission to Cambodia from 19 to 20 June 2003 and identified the Ministry of Social Affairs, Labour, Vocational Training and Youth Rehabilitation (MOSALVY) and the Disability Action Council (DAC) as a joint focal point for the Government/Non-Governmental Organizations.
The mission team visited two NGOs: The first NGO was the Trans-cultural Psycho-social Organization (TPO), which has been working on a trans-cultural and social approach for psychiatric and mentally challenged persons. TPO has a community-based development project, as well as an awareness campaign and community development with families and villagers.
The mission team also visited the Center for Child Mental Health of Cambodia, There was intensive discussion on how APCD could be involved with persons with mental and psychiatric disabilities. APCD shard their intention to conduct a workshop on the human right for psychiatric and mentally challenged persons in the future.
Close Collaboration Confirmed with National Association of the Deaf in Thailand Bangkok, Thailand, 16 May 2003
APCD representatives visited National Association for the Deaf in Thailand (NADT) on 16 May 2003, to exchange ideas/experiences to promote collaboration between APCD and NADT.
APCD representatives meetin with Mr. Surasak Chittasettakul(left) at NAT
Close collaboration and a friendly relationship was confirmed with Mr. Surasak Chittasettakul, Representative of NADT, Mr. Surasak stated "I was very happy to work together with APCD in order to empower persons with disabilities and promote a barrier-free society in the Asia-Pacific Region"
Since NADT has been implementing some international programs with Myanmar and Finland, and have collaborated with the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), NADT is willing to further promote a regional cooperation together with APCD
APCd needs a representative with a hearing disability who is able to comprehend the regional concern of persons with disabilities. NADT also promised to provide regional news of persons with hearing disabilities to be included in APCD's Newsletter and website. WFD is now planning to install a new management system for WFD Asia-Pacific so that more information on persons with hearing disabilities in Asia and the Pacific will be readily available.
NADT raised the issue of having a sing language interpreter for persons with hearing disabilities in the APCD training course. Mr. Surasak stated it is very important and requested that APCD do so. APCD representatives agreed to seek provision of an interpreter for APCD training course as well as related conferences and meetings.
Website of NAD: www.nadt.ksc.net
Thailand Association of the Blind Bangkok, Thailand 27 May 2003
representatives of the APCD visited the Thailand Association of the Blind (TAB) on 26 May 2003 to exchange ideas/working experiences for persons with visual impairments in Thailand and the Asia-Pacific Region. TAB showed a strong interest in becoming an associate organization of the APCD Project.
Thailand Association of the Blind Bangkok, Thailand 27 May 2003
Mr. Somchai Puneakwong, President of TAB, said that TAB is willing to work with the APCD Project, as APCD Deputy Director, Ms. Saranpat Anumatrajkij, expressed appreciation for TAB 's contribution to the APCD Project and had offered the association an application form to become an associate organization. In fact, the Vice-President of TAB, Mr. Monthian Buntan, has been, working as a member of the preparation committee for the APCD training course, the Regional Workshop on Web-based Networking, which will be held from 21 July to 1 August 2003 in Bangkok, Thailand.
TAB has been working for Thai persons with visual disabilities for 36 years, and now has 44 projects in 21 provinces throughout Thailand, The ultimate goal of TAB's activities is to encourage self-expression and self-determination of persons with visual impairements. A self-gathering project is a major project that TAB is currently working on. They ask persons with a visual disability living in rural areas who do not go out of home often , to get together somewhere in town where no facilities and equipment are generally available, and then provide a training course for them to become more empowered. The project has always looked for potential persons with visual disabilities and has actually found them. Through the project, TAB expects to double its membership nationwide, Mr. Monthian said.
APCD was impressed with this project since it could be a role model of a grassroot activity for not only persons wiht visual disabilities, but also persons with other types of disabilities in the Asia-Pacific region. TAB and APCD agreed to share this type of information, especially regional news and activities of persons who are visually impaired. APCD is willing to distribute information related to persons with visual disabilities through the APCD website and newsletter
Website: www.tab.or.th
