more-action.org

Message from the CEO

PICO 5

Social justice is defined as “… promoting a just society by challenging injustice and valuing diversity.” It exists when “all people share a common humanity and therefore have a right to equitable treatment, support for their human rights, and a fair allocation of community resources.” In conditions of social justice, people are “not to be discriminated against, nor their welfare and wellbeing constrained or prejudiced on the basis of gender, sexuality, religion, political affiliations, age, race, belief, disability, location, social class, socioeconomic circumstances, or other characteristic of background or group membership” (Scherlen and Robinson, 2008).

Disability remains part of the human condition because almost every human being will suffer a temporal or a permanent impairment at some point in life, and even those who survive right up to old age will certainly experience some difficulties in functioning.Therefore, disability need not be an obstacle to success.

According to the World Report on Disability compiled by the World Bank and WHO published in 2011,more than 1 billion people in the world, that is about 15.6% of the world’s population experience some form of disability. 80% of this population is found in Low and Middle Income Countries. According to the Leonard Cheshire Disability and Inclusive Development Centre, the global literacy rate is as low as 3% for all adults with disabilities, and 1% for women with disabilities.Meanwhile, 20% of people living in poverty in developing countries have a disability. We can now see that disability and poverty form a vicious cycle. Persons with disabilities generally have poorer health, lower education achievements, fewer economic opportunities and higher rates of poverty than their non-disabled peers.The scenario is even worse in situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies where persons with disabilities are permanently excluded from humanitarian responses as a result of negative stereotypes and attitudes.

Following the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities(UNCRPD) in 2006,(the only human rights instrument that protects, promotes and ensures the dignity and respect of all persons with disabilities, it was expected that persons with disabilities would meaningfully gain access to basic health care, inclusive education, inclusive vocational training and employment opportunities and above all, enjoy full protection and safety in situations of risk, including situations of armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and the occurrence of natural disasters in their respective communities by virtue of articles 11, 24, 25 and 26 respectively and as it specifically stipulates in its preamble that there is need for equality of opportunities to all persons irrespective of any real or imagined disabilities.

Regrettably, about 80 per cent of persons with disabilities in Low Income Countries still experience poorer health conditions, lower education achievements, less economic participation and higher rates of poverty than non-disabled persons and above all, they face total exclusion from humanitarian responses following situations of risk, armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters. They continue to face barriers in accessing basic livelihood services in their communities as a result of negative stereotypes and attitudes, lack of policies protecting them, and a very unfriendly physical environment in which they find themselves.

Worthy of note is that the medical model of disability has negatively influenced the manner in which persons with disabilities are treated in their communities with all sorts of negative stereotypes. Because of this model, persons with disabilities are seen as a “problem” in the society and are permanently excluded from the development processes of their respective communities.

Today, equal access and opportunities for someone with a physical, mental, or sensory impairment is a human rights issue of major concern.

The onus is on the organizers of the event or activity to make sure that their activity is accessible and inclusive for ALL. For example, if a blind person cannot read written information then the solution is to provide it in an alternative format such as audio or braille.

Again, the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) are around the corner and to achieve these SDGs slated for 2030, ALL persons with disabilities MUST be included in every aspect of programmes designed for community development, without which the SDGs are bound to fail.

We all have a moral duty to love, care and show concern to those who do not have hands to hold and touch, legs to walk properly, eyes to see, ears to hear etc by removing all the barriers hindering them from reaching their full GOD-GIVEN potentials.

We hope you will join and support us in our path to inclusion; to reconstruct inclusive communities wherein ALL persons will have a say in the decision making processes that will change and impact their lives and well being positively, irrespective of their abilities or inabilities.

Thank you for your interest in, and your support for MORE ACTION.