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Is "Nothing About Us, Without Us," just a jargon today? Mr. Javed Abidi - Chairperson of Disabled People's International

Photo of Mr. Javed Abidi

In the 1980s, a revolution took place in the lives of millions of people with disabilities across the world when they decided that they themselves will take decisions affecting their lives and thereby rejecting the hold that parents and professionals had on the disability sector and its policy and decision making until then. And thus was born the slogan "Nothing About Us, Without Us".

The 80s and the 90s saw a gradual rise in the organisations of people with disabilities, self-advocates who were the front-runners in all the discussions surrounding disability issues. Professionals, parents and NGOs had no choice but to take a back seat. Up until the passage of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

In my previous blog, I had argued that CRPD is not the gospel that has suddenly dropped down from the heavens. But even then, we do see a spurt of "CRPD professionals" who are now omnipresent. Their mandate is to "train" people with disabilities on implementing CRPD. Never mind the fact that people with disabilities can actually teach them a thing or two about disability and about the rights of people with disabilities! At all such trainings you will see academics and professionals who have made CRPD their new business. And it is this bunch of so-called CRPD experts who are turning the dynamics of the disability world upside down, taking people with disabilities back to the pre-80s era where we were mere bystanders.

Earlier, we were recipients of charity. Now, we are recipients of charity and their pearls of wisdom. But recipients we were and recipients we are!

This new found exodus of energy and efforts towards Geneva and New York is a direct result of these changes in the dynamics of world"s disability politics. Keeping the focus on New York and Geneva means that these CRPD professionals will decide the agenda, while national, regional, and local issues get relegated to the backburner.

What is very unfortunate is that, this ploy seems to be working. All the money and resources are now being pumped towards work of such CRPD professionals while poor DPOs and people with disabilities are left high and dry. In fact, money to DPOs is now being routed via these professionals. They control the flow of money and thus they control the agenda of the disabled community.

This is imperialism of yet another kind. And the slogan "Nothing About Us, Without Us" remains just that, a slogan. The average, mostly poor people with disabilities are left wondering as to when they let someone enter their life to play God, once again.

Note: This article was published as a blog on the Disability Rights Knowledge Network, hosted by the Commonwealth Connects Portal. http://www.commonwealthconnects.org/connects/.

And there is the message from Mr. Javed Abidi, Chairperson DPI posting at DPI website, please utilize the link below;

Information is Power: But are we hearing what the grassroots have to say? by Mr.Javed Abidi, April 2012. Please read the Information is Power: But are we hearing what the grassroots have to say? from: http://www.dpiap.org/resources/doc/Information_Power_But_what_grassroots_say _JavedAbidi_12_05_11.doc
Chairperson's Bulletin by Javed Abidi, pleases read from: http://www.dpi.org/lang-en/about/index?page=3

Report

Workshop on Peer counselor skill and Independent Living skill for the Independent Living of Deaf Persons 5 - 7 May 2012 at DPIAP office

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Workshop on Peer counselor skill and Independent Living skill for the Independent Living of Deaf Persons organized by Association of the Deaf of Chonburi funded by The National Health Security Office, Thailand. The workshop was held at Disabled Peoples' International Asia Pacific office during 5 - 7 May 2012.

The 3 days workshop aim to develop Deaf persons to be peer counselors to restore self esteem and self reliance to encourage persons with disability confidently living independently and also exchange the experience, involving with how to changing the perspective on disability and step over the barrier in society for Deaf Persons to learning the IL's philosophies that go forward to establish Chonburi's Deaf Independent Living Center.

Please read the report from: http://www.dpiap.org/reports/doc/Report_Workshop_IL_skill_for_Deaf_Chonburi_08_05_12.doc

Report: Mission to Nepal and DRPI National Disability Rights Monitoring Training in Nepal 18 - 24 April 2012,Kathmandu, Nepal

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18-24 April 2012, DPIAP mission team visit Nepal to attand DRPI DRPI National Disability Rights Monitoring Training. DRPI Country Monitoring Project Training Workshop in Nepal organized by National Federation of the Disabled-Nepal with the support of Disability Rights Promotion International (DRPI) and Disabled Peoples' International Asia Pacific. The workshop was held during 18 - 24 April 2012 at Grand Norling Resort and Spa, Kathmandu, Nepal.

On this accasion, the mission team Courtesy visit to Royal Thai Embassy, to relay the objective of the workshop and the situation of the movement and rights of PWDs in Nepal. And to propose the guidelines and concept of accessibility to utilize to the Lumbini (birthplace of Lord Buddha) and make some renovation projects.

The mission team has the good opportunity to meeting with leader of PWDs in Nepal and South Asian Women with Disabilities Network, and also have visit to:

Nepal Disabled Women Association (NDWA) NDWA is the organization to empower Women with Disabilities in Nepal to advocate and participate in policy relates to right of WWDs.
Visiting and meeting with Mr. Subedi, new president of Federation of the Disabled Nepal (NFDN).
Visiting Independent Living Center Kathmandu Nepal.

Please read the report from: http://www.dpiap.org/reports/doc/Report_Mission_Nepal-18-24_April_12_05_03.doc

Report of the Regional Conference on raising awareness of the ASEAN Disability Forum (ADF): A platform of engagement for DPOs and multi-stakeholders to promote and implement the ASEAN Decade of Persons with Disabilities.

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Cambodian Disabled People's Organization (CDPO) organized the Regional Conference on raising awareness of the ASEAN Disability Forum (ADF), coordinated by Disabled Peoples' International Asia Pacific (DPIAP).To promote the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) through ASEAN Decade of Persons with Disabilities. The Regional Conference of the ASEAN Disability Forum (ADF), funded by AusAid, The Abilis Foundation and Australian Red Cross.

Please download the report from: http://www.dpiap.org/reports/doc/Report_Regional_Conference_raising_awareness_ADF_12_05_03.doc

Australian Volunteers visited Disabled Peoples International-Asia Pacific (DPI/AP), 30th of April 2012

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This is a good oppoutunity of DPIAP to weclcome Seven volunteers from Australia from the AYAD (Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development) program came to visit Disabled Peoples' International-Asia Pacific Regional Office (DPI/AP) to receive Disability Equality Training (DET) on the 30th of April 2012.

On this accasion, the volunteers will learing the movement of disability in nation level and regional level as DPIAP activities and partiicpate to DET, raising awareness and shifting ideas from Medical to Social Model perspective.

Country: Thailand
Source: DPIAP