Disabled Peoples' International's Fifth World Assembly
As Reported by Two U. S. Participants
1999
by Kaye Beneke
Think globally
You hear that a lot in planning meetings and on television commercials
for everything from banks to Internet services. What does it really mean?
For those of us just trying to cope with demanding jobs, hectic schedules,
and people who need something "NOW" it's hard to think at all--much
less globally. We're lucky if we have the chance to know everything that's
going on in our own centers--much less the world!
A few months ago, two of our American colleagues got a unique opportunity
to study the disability movement from a global perspective. We're talking
really global--like the entire planet Earth. Luis Chew and Marco Antonio
Coronado traveled to Mexico City last December to participate in Disabled
Peoples' International's (DPI) 5th World Assembly. Now, six months later,
the two are still talking about how that glimpse at global reality has
changed the way they look at the world, their communities and their jobs.
Chew and Coronado made the trip thanks to a collaboration between the
Independent Research Utilization Unit (ILRU), Office of Special Education
and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) and Rehabilitation Services Administration
(RSA). In this article, we'll hear from both world travelers regarding
their respective observations and reactions to the gathering. But first,
some background on DPI.
Disabled Peoples' International
On its web site DPI describes itself as "a grassroots, cross-disability
network with member organizations in more than 120 countries--half of
which are in the developing world." DPI "promotes the human
rights of people with disabilities through full participation, equalization
of opportunity and development." The organization describes its main
functions as "development, human rights, communications, advocacy
and public education." Any country with its own national government
and an organization of disabled persons promoting the rights of disabled
persons can qualify for membership.
DPI has official observer status at the United Nations General Assembly
and consultative status with the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC),
U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World
Health Organization (WHO) and International Labour Organization (ILO).
Its headquarters are in Winnipeg, Canada. There are eight regional development
offices. (Contact information for each of these offices is included at
the end of this article.)
The 5th World Assembly
Chew and Coronado were among approximately 1,500 people from 76 countries
who gathered in Mexico City for the 5th World Assembly. The overall theme
of the assembly was Towards an Inclusive 21st Century. Participants were
exposed to a broad range of topics from developing basic advocacy skills
to organizing in opposition of landmines. Much of the nitty-gritty information
was passed along in Leadership Forum Sessions covering topics such as
"Disability and Civil Society," "Independent Living and
Community Access" and "Employment and Financial Independence."
Participants also had the opportunity to hear from world leaders on
the topic of disability rights. Among them, the Honorable David Kilgour,
Canadian Secretary of State (Latin America & S. Africa), whose presentation
A Job Unfinished served as a reminder of the millions of people around
the world who continue to be "frozen out of decision making processes
which affect their lives."
Before leaving Mexico City, the assembly passed a resolution expressing
its hopes and demands for the coming millennium. The text of the resolution
appears in the box on this page.
Personal Perspective: Luis Enrique Chew
Luis Enrique Chew is the executive director of Volar (Spanish for "to
fly") Center for Independent Living in El Paso, Texas. Living on
the Texas-Mééxico border, Chew has a long-standing relationship
with disability advocates in Mééxico. But he says the DPI
experience was an eye-opener, nonetheless.
First, there was the variety of participants. "They came from everywhere,"
Chew says, "from Mééxico, Japan, South Africa, Germany,
South America-just everywhere." As you might expect, the variety
of countries and cultures represented at the gathering posed some challenges,
such as language differences. But Chew says language barriers were rather
easily overcome with the use of interpreters.
Another cultural difference among assembly participants was how they
are viewed within their own cultures. "Everybody agreed on being
independent," Chew explains. "But 'independence' means different
things to people of different cultures. Some people see themselves as
charity objects and don't really have a problem with that. It's they way
they're used to being treated in their countries. They are grateful for
anything they get." Chew predicts that some of those people went
home with a different attitude about how they're treated in their own
countries. "Some people became angry as they learned what other people
had."
Along those lines, Chew's own power wheelchair, one of only a few there,
was the object of much attention. "Many of the people had never seen
a chair that 'moves on its own' before," Chew recalls. "They
were pretty fascinated by it."
The fact that Chew even has a wheelchair, he says, is impressive to people
from some countries. "I wanted to go to the conference to see how
advanced other countries are in terms of disability issues. I found there
was a stark contrast between what we have here and what people with disabilities
in other parts of the world have," Chew remarks. "In the U.S.,
we're focused on community issues like housing, transportation, telecommunications,
and independent living. People in many other countries are still trying
to get basic things like catheters and wheelchairs. They're struggling
to survive day-to-day."
It was this contrast that made perhaps the biggest impression on Chew.
"It made me aware of how much we have and how much we take for granted,"
Chew says. " It made me extremely aware of how much we stand to lose
if we don't continue to fight for our rights and have people working with
us. We're the most advanced country in the world in terms of disability
rights issues, and we have to keep on fighting."
His brief association with the global disability community seems to have
given Chew a new appreciation for the community in his own back yard.
"Since I've been back, I've been more aware of how important it is
that we work together. Our center is working more closely with other disability
organizations--even if they don't do exactly the same thing we do. We're
trying to do more collaboration and to support each other more."
Chew is happy to share more information about his experience at the assembly.
His contact information is:
Luis Enrique Chew, Executive Director
Volar Center for Independent Living
8929 Viscount Blvd., Suite 101
El Paso, TX 79925-5823
(915) 591-0800 V/TDD
Web site: www.volarcil.org
E-mail: volar1@whc.net
Personal Perspective: Marco Antonio Coronado
For Marco Antonio Coronado, one of the most interesting aspects of the
5th World Assembly was the interplay between politics and culture and
their impact on services to people with disabilities in various countries.
Coronado is the Community Development and Outreach Coordinator at Access
Living in Chicago, Illinois. One of the reasons he wanted to attend the
assembly, he says, was to learn how DPI deals with such diverse situations.
"The cultural differences were significant," he reports. "There
was such diversity in beliefs and faiths. There were so many theories
about how people should think about people with disabilities."
"It's clear that independence means different things in different
cultures," Coronado says. "In some countries, people believe
that they are being punished if they have a family member with a disability.
The have definite beliefs about their role in caring for people with disabilities.
Independence is hard for them to understand."
The political side, he says, was evident in how people talked about disability
services in their own countries. In some cases, according to Coronado,
it was clear that people were speaking for the government and "not
necessarily the disability community" in their countries.
That's something Americans aren't used to, he observes. "Here in
the independent living movement, we're rebels. We can be out on the streets
and say what we want." That kind of freedom, he says, just doesn't
exist in many places.
Politics of different countries were also evident, he reports, as groups
of participants attempted to work out resolutions to be considered by
the full assembly. "People may have the same view about how people
with disabilities should be treated," he says. "But their countries
may have very different views about how to get there."
Another thing that struck Coronado was the degree to which people from
other countries must be concerned with things like wars--and bombings--and
landmines. "It's hard to imagine living with that day after day,"
he remarks.
"We don't really have a concept of it here, but it's something people
elsewhere have think about all the time. These things are creating more
people with disabilities every day." Which is why, he says, DPI focuses
on human rights issues like the abolition of landmines and the treatment
of women and children.
Coronado noted that there was not a strong U.S. presence among participants
at the assembly. "Maybe it's because we have our own issues and are
working hard on them, but we tend to neglect the world wide community."
"People are hungry for information from us," he says. "They
want to know what services we have, how they can get them. They would
like guidance and help."
Like Chew, Coronado says the experience gave him a greater appreciation
for what's available in the U.S. "I think a little differently as
a result of attending the assembly," he reflects. "I think 'Wow,
I've got it made.' We shouldn't stop working for what we want and need
in this country. But we should be aware of what we do have."
Coronado, too, is pleased to share more about his experience with anyone
who's interested. His contact information is:
Marco Antonio Coronado
Access Living of Metro Chicago
310 South Peoria, Suite 201
Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: 312-226-5900
E-mail: marcoantonio@accessliving.org
For More Information
If you're interested in learning more about the 5th World Assembly, look
for the current issue of DPI's news magazine, Disability International.
Or check out their web site at the address listed below. The following
contact information for DPI headquarters and regional development offices
comes from the DPI web site.
Disabled Peoples' International
101-7 Evergreen Place
Winnipeg, Manitoba CANADA R3L 2T3
Phone: (204) 287-8010 Fax: (204) 453-1367
TTY: (204) 284-2598
Email: dpi@dpi.org
Web site: http://www.dpi.org
DPI Asia/Pacific Regional Development Office
Senator Narong Patibatsarakich
15/223 M. 2 Soi Nilpanich
Tivanond Rd., Thasai
Muang, Nonthaburi, 11000
THAILAND
Phone: 662-580-2439 Fax: 662-591-5649
Email: dpiapro@mail.cscoms.com
DPI Europe Regional Development Office
11 Belgrave Road
London SW1V 1RB
UNITED KINGDOM
Phone: (44)-171-834-0477
Fax: (44)-171-821-9539
Santiago Velazquez Duarte
Congreso 20
Colonia Tlalpan
Delegaion Tlalpan
Mexico, D.F. CP 14000
MEXICO
Phone: 52-5-573-1540 ext 221,222,223, or 234
Fax: 525-655-5003
Email: asamblea@data.net.mx
DPI West Africa Regional Development Office
FOAPH
B.P. 2609
Bamako
MALI
Phone: (223) 22-43-91
Fax: (223) 22-76-35 or 22-19-72
DPI Southern Africa Regional Development Office
SAFOD (Southern Africa Federation of the Disabled)
P.O. Box 2247
Bulawayo ZIMBABWE
Phone: (263)-9-69356
Fax: (263)-9-74398
Email: safod@telconet.co.za
Eastern Africa Federation of the Disabled
P.O. Box 563
Zanzibar TANZANIA
Phone: (255)-54-33719 (W)
Fax: (255)-54-31730 (W) or (255)-54-31883
Phone: (255)-54-32533 (H)
Email: Khalfan@cats-net.com
DPI North America/Caribbean Regional Development Office
P.O. Box 220
Liguanea
Kingston 6
JAMAICA, W.I.
Phone: (876)-931-6155
Fax: (876)-924-6766
Information from resolution box on previous page:
Disabled Peoples' International
5th World Assembly
Mexico, December 1998
Resolution
The World Assembly of 1500 disabled people from 76 countries declares
that the next millennium must see the integration of disabled people in
their societies with full respect of their human rights.
DPI as a human rights organization wants to stress the following:
- We want a society for all that is based on peace and respects the
diversity of people. All measures should be taken to ensure that all
wars and internal conflicts within countries are resolved. To achieve
this we demand abolition of landmines.
- We must build alliances with governments, United Nations and all international
agencies to eradicate poverty so that people with disabilities enjoy
a good quality of life along with their communities.
- The Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for people
with disabilities must be implemented in all countries.
- We disabled women demand the full respect and recognition of our human
rights
- We demand equal opportunities for disabled children in all spheres
of life.
- We demand the necessary resources for the realization of self-determined
living.
- We must make sure that disabled persons' human rights are not violated
in respect to bioethics in the UNESCO declaration regarding the human
genome.
- We strongly oppose the prenatal deselection of disabled children.
- We disabled people are the experts of matters concerning our well-being;
we demand respect to our decisions and our rights.
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