Women with Disabilities
The 2nd Regional Leadership Training Seminar of Women with Disabilities
Certificate presentation by Mrs.Surapee Vasinonta, Director-General of the office of Welfare Promotion, Protection and Empowerment of Vulnerable Groups
On 24 April 2003, 18 participants from the 2nd Regional Leadership Training Seminar of Women with Disabilities visited APCD as part of their field visits. This training course was organized by the Disabled Peoples International (DPI) Asia- Pacific at the Eastin Lakeside Hotel, Nonthaburi Province, Thailand from the 21-25 April 2003. The objectives of this training are the followings:
- To develop leadership skills of women with disabilities.
- To provide knowledge on how to strenghten and empower self-help organization of women with disabilities.
- To advocate for every woman with a disability to have the opportunities for true involvement at all levels.
- To change social activities and power relationship which discriminate against women with disabilities.
- To develop and maintain a network of women with disabilities in the Asian- Pacific region.
Key facilitators of this training course were Dr. Padmani Mendis, Consultant in Disability, and Rehabilitation, Sri Lanka and Ms. Maulani Rotinsulu, DPI-Indonesia. Otherresource persons included, Ms. Kornvipa Boonsue, Eliminate Violence Against Women (EVAW) Program Manager, Ms. Aiko Akiyama, Project Expert on Disability UNESCAP, Ms. Penelope Price, Consultant Disability Program UNESCAP, Ms. Suppattraporn Tanatikom, and Mr. Topong Kulkhanchit, Regional Development Officer, DPI- Asia-Pacific Region. Participants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Viet Nam.
Participants of the 2nd Regional Leadership Training Seminar of Women with Disabilities during their visitation to APCD
According to the Second Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons: Biwako Millennium Framework for Action: Towards an Inclusive, Barrier-free and Rights-based Society for PWDs in Asia and the Pacific, "Women with disabilities" is one of the 7 priority areas for action. Targets for this priority are the followings:
- To create and provide anti-discrimination measures by 2005.
- To encourage the promotion and empowerment of women with disabilities by self-help organizations by 2005.
- To push for the inclusion of women with disabilities in mainstream women associations by 2005.
Strategies to meet these targets are:
- To promote and launch equal access and non-discrimination campaigns.
- To increase public awareness and publicize information on women with disabilities.
- To engage representation of women with disabilities
- To encourage training, leadership, self-help and capacity-building for women with disabilities
This regional training shows the commitment to empower and promote a barrier-free and rights-based society for women with disabilities. APCD also sees the importance on this issue and fully supports women with disabilities in the Asia and the Pacific region.
