Disabled Peoples' International
Sapporo Platform
October 2002
A DPI call to disabled people throughout the world:
Peace
As disabled people we are opposed to wars, violence and forms of
oppression. Daily, men, women and children are being disabled by
anti-personnel landmines and forms of armed destruction and torture.
We must work for a world other where all people can live in peace
and express their diversity and their desires.
A Strong Voice of Our Own
Disabled Peoples' International must continue to grow in strength
and voice. We are the experts on our situation and we must be
consulted at all levels, on all initiatives concerning us. If we
are to achieve a strong voice we must be united in our work, we must
build a strong organization. We must share our knowledge, our
experiences and our resources and encourage youth leadership. We
must use technology as a vehicle to communicate, to discuss and to
promote our issues and concerns.
Human Rights
As a human rights organization, we must seek support for a
convention that will protect and respect our human rights. We must
educate our selves civil society as well as our government
representatives at all levels. We must learn from the strategies
and successes of others such as landmines survivors and women. Our
rights are violated on a daily basis, we must continue to gather the
evidence.
Diversity Within
In our work, our organization at all levels must ensure the
inclusion of women, youth and other minorities. We must ensure
participation through equality of language. We must strive to
uphold our commitment to our official languages of French, Spanish
and English and sign language. We are a cross disability
organization and we must ensure all materials are accessible in
format.
Bioethics
We must become part of the discussion on genetics and bioethics. We
must assert our right to be different. We must repudiate any
discussion that links the concept of "person" to a set of abilities.
We must promote disability studies to change the image of disability
in a positive way among academics.
Independent Living
Self-determination and independent livings is fundamental to our
human rights. We must undertake a program of people with
disabilities and civil society on the concept of independent living.
We must consider our cultural different in adapting independent
living in some counties.
Inclusive Education
Full participation starts in childhood in the classroom, in the play
areas and in programs and services. When children with disabilities
sit side by side with other children, our communities are enriched
by the awareness and acceptance of all children. We must urge
governments throughout the world to eradicate segregated education
and to establish an inclusive education policy.
International development
International Development organization must evaluate their policies,
programs and services to ensure the inclusion of disabled people.
We must encourage our governments who financially support these
agencies to include specific policies that ensure the full
participation of disabled peoples by the provision of accessible and
appropriate service delivery.
Public Awareness
Our issues are many - income generation, education, impact of
poverty etc. We must educate civil society as well as our political
representation on our concerns. We must use every opportunity to
seek publicity and awareness. We must seek to change negative
images of disabled people as equal participants in our society.
Share the Knowledge
As participants of this assembly, we are the fortunate few who have
come here to listen to each other, to discuss our views and opinions
and to reaffirm our communicate to our grass roots comrades what has
taken place here. While we feel empowered by this great assembly of
3000 people we must now empower other who could not attend.
This is our challenge. This is our task.
=====
NAGASE Osamu
University of Tokyo
(In Kluang, Malaysia at this time)
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