World Report on Disability

A landmark report on disability worldwide indicates that there are over one billion people with significant difficulties in functioning, who are facing substantial barriers in their daily lives.

Jointly published by the World Health Organization and the World Bank, this World Report on Disability launched at the UN in New York on 9th June 2011, is the first ever global report on disability. It indicates that the global prevalence of disability is higher than the 10% estimated in the 1970s, at around 15%. This Report contains chapters on health, rehabilitation, assistance and support, enabling environments, education and employment. It also covers the barriers persons with disabilities face such as stigma and discrimination, inaccessible transport and buildings, communications and information technologies, lack of adequate health care and often appropriate rehabilitation services.

The Report also makes recommendations for action to support the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was adopted by consensus by the UN General Assembly in December 2006, and which protects the rights and dignity of persons with impairments, and which has been signed by nearly 150 countries and regional organisations, and has more than 100 ratifications.

People with disabilities were involved in all stages of the production of this Report between 2007 and 2011, such as helping with its editing, reviewing, advising and drafting text. Some of them shared their personal stories, parts of which are included in the Report. Disabled People’s Organisations were consulted at the global level.
The collaboration of others involved in disability, rehabilitation and mainstreaming initiatives, included the International Disability and Development Consortium, of which ILEP is a member.

Link: World Report on Disability
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2011/9789240685215_eng.pdf(3.34 MB)

• The World Health Organization will be holding a Meeting of Partners Working in Disability and Rehabilitation in Geneva, 27th – 28th June 2011, among others to discuss implementing the World Report on Disability and related Guidelines over the next ten years.

From the UN and WHO Press Centres:

More than one billion people face some form of disability, landmark UN report finds:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=38666&Cr=disability&Cr1=

New world report shows more than 1 billion people with disabilities face substantial barriers in their daily lives
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2011/disabilities_20110609/en/index.html

Of further interest:

History of Disability and the United Nations
http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=121

The United Nations and Disabled Persons: The First 50 Years
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/dis50y00.htm

Official website for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: http://www.un.org/disabilities/

What's in a Name?

HOUSE BILL No. 4631

Republic of the Philippines

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Quezon City

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 4631

______________________________________________________________________________

Introduced by Reps. TEDDY A. CASIÑO, NERI JAVIER COLMENARES, LUZVIMINDA C. ILAGAN, RAFAEL V. MARIANO, RAYMOND V. PALATINO, ANTONIO L. TINIO and EMMI A. DE JESUS

EXPLANATORY NOTE

For most people, the importance of communication is usually taken for granted. But for individuals constrained by hearing or faced with audiological impairment, the insufficiency of communication systems and the lack of support can cause great injustice and disparity.

For instance, data from the Philippine Deaf Resource Center (PDRC) show that one out of three deaf women is a victim of rape while 65 to 70% of deaf children are molested. Of the 82 cases they monitored, 67% of deaf complainants lodged rape complaints while 32% of deaf respondents were accused of theft.

With the high incidence of criminal cases involving deaf persons, there is an unquestionable need for interpreters during investigative and judicial proceedings. Unfortunately, the current system does not have a clear procedure for such. Oftentimes, the deaf individual is left to find and pay a suitable interpreter. Without a proper system, finding an interpreter may also delay proceedings.

The proposed bill addresses all of these problems. It is the responsibility of the State to provide for interpreters during any government proceeding, be it for police investigations, court or public hearings. Hired interpreters are also entitled to sufficient payment and rest.

In view of the foregoing, immediate approval thereof is highly recommended.

Approved,

TEDDY A. CASIÑO NERI JAVIER COLMENARES

Bayan Muna Party-list Bayan Muna Party-list

LUZVIMINDA C. ILAGAN RAFAEL V. MARIANO

Gabriela Women’s Party Anakpawis Party-list

RAYMOND V. PALATINO ANTONIO L. TINIO
Kabataan Party-list ACT Teachers Party-list

EMMI A. DE JESUS

Gabriela Women’s Party

Republic of the Philippines

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Quezon City

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 4631

______________________________________________________________________________

Introduced by Reps. TEDDY A. CASIÑO, NERI JAVIER COLMENARES, LUZVIMINDA C. ILAGAN, RAFAEL V. MARIANO, RAYMOND V. PALATINO, ANTONIO L. TINIO and EMMI A. DE JESUS

AN ACT

PROVIDING FOR INTERPRETERS in all judicial,

quasi-judicial, investigative proceedings AND PUBLIC HEARINGS

involving DEAF individuals

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Court Interpreters for Persons with Disabilities Act.”

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. – The State shall give full support to the integration of persons with disabilities into mainstream society and “exert all efforts to remove all social, cultural, economic, environmental and attitudinal barriers that are prejudicial” to them, pursuant of Republic Act No. 7277 or the “Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities.” It is also a declared policy of the State that all persons shall be given equal opportunity, due process and speedy disposition of their cases before all judicial, quasi-judicial, or administrative bodies.

SECTION 3. Definition. For purposes of this Act, the following terms shall mean:

a. Person with disabilities – a person who has a restriction or limitation in personal mobility, communications, development and others resulting from the interaction between person with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinders his/her full and effective participation in society on equal basis with others;

b. Disability – an activity limitation or restriction as a result of the interaction between persons with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinders their full and effective participation in society on equal basis with others;

c. Impairment - any loss, diminution or aberration of psychological, physiological, or anatomical structure or function;

d. deaf- means a person who has an audiological impairment that makes him / her unable to hear, or experience difficulty in hearing. Deaf in uppercase D specifically refers to a person who uses the visual language of the community as his /her primary means of communication in daily life, and supports its goals and values as a linguistic and cultural minority. This Act primarily refers to individuals who acquired hearing loss in the early years of life, and not Senior Citizens;

f. Hard of hearing - means a person who can understand words only if spoken very loud or close to the ear and has severe difficulties if there are other sources of noise. People who are hard of hearing include those who can be helped with a hearing aid;

g. Linguistically isolated deaf - a deaf individual who has extremely poor overall communication skills. This individual usually has had minimal or no schooling and uses only home signs or gestures (i.e., uses signs different from the signs commonly used in the community); and, has extremely limited vocabulary and fingerspelling skills;

h. Deaf interpreter or Deaf relay interpreter - an interpreter who is deaf and relays information between a linguistically isolated deaf client and a hearing interpreter;

i. Consecutive interpreting - process of interpreting wherein the interpreter transmits information into the target language after the speaker / signer pauses upon completing one or more ideas from the source language;

j. Simultaneous interpreting - process of interpreting into the target language at the same time the source language is being delivered;

k. Manual communication – various forms of visual-spatial communication utilizing the hands, face and body. For the Philippines, this includes: the natural sign language, Filipino Sign Language; Manually Coded English systems, and nonstandard gestures.

SECTION 4. Hiring of interpreters. – All courts, quasi-judicial bodies, agencies and government institutions conducting investigations and public hearings shall hire interpreters for proceedings involving individuals ascertained to be deaf through accepted clinical standards and procedures. However, a deaf individual may waive the right to an interpreter. The concerned body that hired the services of the interpreter shall provide the budget for the prompt payment of interpreters which shall be on a per appearance basis, including travel, board/lodging as well as other expenses before the case is filed in court.

SECTION 5. Qualifications of interpreters. – Until an official and national testing mechanism and certification procedure is developed for interpreters and recognized by the government, a qualified interpreter shall be selected on the basis of the following:

a. Endorsement under oath by registered deaf organizations / federation that the interpreter has interpreting experience of at least four (4) years (for hearing interpreters), or one (1) year (for deaf interpreters);

b. Empirical demonstration of his/her language competencies and interpreting ability.

Supplementary documentation on language competency and interpretation ability of hearing interpreters includes interpreter training, work-related interpreting experience, sign language instruction and relationship to Deaf family members.

Selection of the appropriate qualified interpreter(s) should be based on language competency which matches that of the deaf client.

A person related within the third degree of affinity or consanguinity to any of the parties, witnesses, and other participants of the case cannot be appointed as the interpreter.

Deaf counselors who have previously worked with the deaf or the hard of hearing party, witness, or participant cannot be appointed as interpreter for the case.

SECTION 6. Guidelines. – To protect the rights of the deaf individual and the interpreter/s, the following guidelines shall be observed:

a. Appointed interpreters provide a service equally to the deaf clients and the hearing members of the court. Thus they shall interpret the entire proceeding and not only the testimony of the deaf party. For cases of sexual abuse, the interpreter/s should be the same gender as the offended party. Accommodations should be procedurally and age-appropriate, and also gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory;

b. For linguistically isolated deaf, the court shall appoint a hearing interpreter and a Deaf relay interpreter;

c. To address interpreting fatigue, the interpreter must be given adequate rest after 30 minutes of continuous interpreting, according to medically accepted standards for the prevention of Repetitive Strain Injury;

d. All interpreters are bound by the common duty to observe confidentiality and neutrality before, during, and after the proceedings;

e. In cases where there is more than one deaf party, witness or participant, and these deaf individuals have been ascertained to have different communication and interpreting needs, then separate interpreters with the required skills shall be appointed;

f. Consecutive interpreting shall be used when the deaf is linguistically isolated, or in other situations when this would be more effective than simultaneous interpreting;

g. Interpreting should also be provided during the administration of justice by police and prison staff.

SECTION 7. Orientation of Interpreters. – Qualified interpreters shall be trained in ethical responsibilities, terms and legal concepts under a program to be established by the Supreme Court and the Department of Justice, in partnership with groups such as the Philippine Federation of the Deaf.

SECTION 8. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within sixty (60) days from the effectivity of this Act, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the National Council on Disability Affairs, the Department of Justice, the Supreme Court and other concerned government bodies and shall work together, in coordination with non-government organizations and schools concerned with the deaf and Deaf interpreting, and promulgate and issue the rules and regulations for the implementation of this Act.

SECTION 9. Constitutionality. – Should any provision of this Act be declared invalid or unconstitutional, the validity or constitutionality of the other provisions shall not be affected thereby.

SECTION 10. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, letters of instructions, resolutions, orders, ordinances or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, are hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.

SECTION 11. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,

HAPPY EASTER DAY!!!

Health Care System Access for Deaf Women Talk

 By: Ana Kristina Arce

On March 15 (2011), Executive Director Likhaan Center for Women Dr. Junice L. Demeterio-Melgar  gave Health Care System Access for Deaf Women talk at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Case Room during 5^th Women’s Week Celebration. It is her first time to see Deaf people. She hopes she gets to know more Deaf people’s needs.

Likhaan Center for Women was established in 1995. This organization advocacy aims to push for the health and rights of disadvantaged women and their communities. She has been working with a lot of community-based organizations for a long time and also working with a few women and children with disabilities.

She discussed that according to Ubido J., Huntington J. Warburton D. 2002: health staff are unaware how to communicate; few deaf women fully understand what doctors say to them; and few women use health services. These are problems in .accessibility for Deaf women.

She pointed out the importance of  breaking the lack of access in knowing common health problems of women such as communicable diseases, children’s diseases, reproductive health problems, gender-based violence, non-communicable diseases, trauma and other emergencies and mental health problems.

After the lecture, Ms. Weng Rivera, President of Filipino Deaf Women’s Health and Crisis Center (FDWHCC), shared her experiences with her deaf client* in front of the audience. Mental Health is a big problem because her deaf client probably  has Schizophrenia. She and her friend brought the deaf client to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila. The doctor checked her and gave her a prescription. It is not surprising that the medicines are very expensive. Ms. Rivera and her collegue  monitored the patient for a year. Unfortunately, her organization doesn’t have access funds to cover medicine expenses , so she referred said client to the National Center for Mental Health in Mandaluyong City. That’s how difficult it is in accessing fund for Deaf women’s needs.

Aside from the issues, Dr. Demeterio-Melgar recommends that doctors and nurses need to learn sign language in communicating with Deaf patients. The hospitals/clinics also should hire interpreters to help in interpreting between Deaf patients and doctors. Giselle Montero, Director of School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies Center for Partnership and Development reminds the audience that the Philippines signed the United Nation Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We need several Deaf leaders who must push the law to implement health services.

*The name of the client is withheld for safety and privacy.
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Ana Arce is a BAPDST graduate. She is presently working at the Center for Institutional Communications of the DLS-CSB

Rex Bernardo chosen by the World Economic Forum as one of the Young Global Leaders for 2011

ADS alumni Rex Bernardo (a person with disability), has been chosen by the World Economic Forum as one of the Young Global Leaders for 2011.  

http://www.younggloballeaders.org/ The World Economic Forum selected 190 Young Global Leaders from 65 countries.  

 “In the Philippines, a recently selected YGL is Rex Bernardo, a multi-awarded person with disability and an advocate on the rights of persons with disabilities sector has this to say: “It is a great opportunity to advance my advocacy of inclusivity in all the sphere of society. I expect my inclusion to the YGL as a springboard to make the said advocacy more pronounced and widespread. By being able to present them in a network of change makers, the potential to make these ideas come into fruition are astounding. It would be an honour to engage my fellow leaders in a dynamic discussion to gain their support and create a network that is critical to the success of any advocacy movement.”  

 Congratulations, Rex!