Kiribati Protestant Church - KPCEkalesia Kerisiano Tuvalu - EKTNauru Congregation Church - NCCUnited Church of the Solomon Islands - UCSIUnited Church of Papua New Guinea - UCPNGCongregational Christian Church of Samoa - CCCSCongregational Christian Church of American Samoa - CCCASCongregational Union of New Zealand - CUNZPresbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand

Disability in the PacificAccording to UNESCAP, an estimated 17% of people in the Pacific have some form of disability. 

Persons with disabilities in the Pacific face many entrenched cultural and physical barriers to full participation, as well as exclusion from communities, education and the workplace. 

A lack of physical accessibility and social attitudes towards disability mean that persons with disability are often left out of community life.   Persons with a disability not only enjoy less human rights than others, they suffer from invisibility within their communities.

According to the International Labour Organization, lack of awareness in thecommunity and discrimination and “negative attitudes, prejudice, ignorance and apathy of policy-makers and the community” are other problems that persons withdisabilities in the Pacific face. The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat claims that the “effects of disability-based discrimination have been particularly severe in fields such as education, employment, housing, transport, cultural life and access to public places and services” 

Less than 10% of children with disabilities in the Asia Pacific region attend school, compared to 70% of children who do not have a disability. These low levels of educational attainment lead to high unemployment of persons with disabilities, which UNEnable estimates as double that of the general population. According to the International Labour Organization, the rate of unemployment for persons with a disability in the Asia Pacific Region ranges from 50% to 90%.UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

16 Pacific Island Countries have signed or ratified the CRPD. Signing of the convention means that a state gives preliminary endorsement to the convention, but does not a commit to ratification. States that sign the convention must refrain from acts that would defeat or undermine the treaty’s objective and purpose. Ratification means that the state agrees to be legally bound by the terms of the Convention.

RatifiedAustraliaCook IslandsKiribatiNauruNew ZealandPalauPapua New GuineaVanuatu

Signed but not RatifiedFijiFederated States of MicronesiaNiueRepublic of the Marshall IslandsSamoaSolomon IslandsTonga Tuvalu

More information on disability in the PacificYou can find information about disability in the Pacific at our research page.  For more information on disability organisations that work in the Pacific, visit our other resources page and members page. Information on government policies and legislation in Pacific Island Countries can be found on the policies and legislation page.   

UNITING CHURCH OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Presented by Mr. Nanai Varoka

Resource Documents: Strategic Plans: 1) Chesire Disability Services PNG 2011-2105

2) PNG Assembly of Disabled Persons 2010-2014Draft Constitution: People Living with Disabilities, Association of Central Province, Sept 2012 National Policy on Disability, Papua New Guinea, Department for Community Development.Pacific Island States & the Universal Periodic Review, SPC Secretariat of the Pacific Community.

NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US

SAMOA – Miss Tuluvao Timu

Nuanua o le Alofa

This is an organization of people with different abilities (disabilities) established in 2001 to advocate for access and equity if people with disabilities in all aspects of life. Their mission is to empower persons with disabilities to engage fully in all aspects of society.

Their goal is to raise public awareness of disability issues, advocate for the rights of children with special needs to quality education, to equal opportunities for people with disabilities to access employment and vocational training, promote research and technology that enhances the quality of life for people with disabilities and etc..

Another census conducted in 2002 by Nuanua o le ALofa in partnership with Inclusion International, revealed 2900 adults with disabilities from the age of 15 years and above. Nuanua through financial support of NZ Aid conducted a disability identification survey follow up in 2009 and identified approximately 5000 persons with disabilities of all ages.

Loto Taumafai and Fiamalamala are the two schools in Samoa, where young kids of Samoa are getting educated at for better lives. I think, most people especially the young ones in rural areas, in both Upolu and Savaii Island can’t sustain good careers and education due to poor advance of families.

SENESE Inclusive Education Support Services is a not – for – profit organization providing inclusive education services and support. They focused on empowering children with disabilities, their families and the communities they lived in and are educated within. Their service is to stimulate activities designed to engage both the child and their family. This approach ensures children with disabilities are supported in all elements of their life, and are able to participate in their local community.

SENESE’s Deaf Services provide home visits and parent support to families who are deaf to help improve their communication using sign language. They also provide support to adults who are deaf – organizing social events, and education and work opportunities.

Fusi Alofa Association Tuvalu (FAA-Tuvalu) noted that the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was not recognized as a national Priority3 and called on Tuvalu to ratify it immediately.4

4. Persons with disabilities 19. FAA – Tuvalu saw, as a significant achievement, the establishment of the school for children with special needs in 2011.24

20. FAA – Tuvalu was, however, concerned with the exclusion of persons with disabilities from relevant key strategic areas in Tuvalu National Strategic Development Plan II Mid-term Review (Te Kakeega II Mid-term Review/TKII MTR): Action Plan 2015.

21. FAA-Tuvalu noted with growing concern the slow progress of the Government of Tuvalu in putting into place poverty reduction measures to cater for essential needs of persons with disabilities, similar to those implemented for senior citizens, above 70 years of age.

TUVALU

22. FAA-Tuvalu commended that the Climate Change policy was endorsed last year,

It recommended that Tuvalu urgently develop a policy on disability that would help offset the exclusion of persons with disabilities from certain key areas in its National Strategic Planning Framework, and to explore ways to fully mainstream development priorities of persons with disabilities into the TKII MTR: Action Plan 2015.

but stated that the consultations were not nationwide, as FAA-Tuvalu was not invited to participate in them, and so naturally, persons with disabilities are not taken into consideration in this very important document and in the nation’s climate change adaptation programmes.

23 It urged the Government to immediately allocate funds for persons with disabilities in the national budget as part of its poverty reduction measures and also to assist in the running of the FAA-Tuvalu School.

24 FAA-Tuvalu called on Tuvalu to establish policies to increase participation

The New ZealandDisability StrategyMaking a World of DifferenceWhakanui Oranga.Can be accessed on CWM Inclusive community website.

One in five New Zealanders has a long-term impairment.Many are unable to reach their potential or participate fully in the Community because of barriers they face doing things that most New Zealanders take for granted. The barriers range from the purely physical, such as access to facilities, to the attitudinal, due to poor awareness of disability issues.

Vision of a non-disabling society..........................................................5

Barriers ................................................................................................7

Delivering the Strategy .......................................................................10

The Government’s Objectives.............................................................11

Actions...............................................................................................14

Objective 1:Encourage and educate for a non-disabling society .............................. 14Objective 2:Ensure rights for disabled people.......................................................... 15Objective 3:Provide the best education for disabled people .................................... 16Objective 4:Provide opportunities in employment and economic development fordisabled people ................................................................................... 17Objective 5:Foster leadership by disabled people.................................................... 19

Objective 6:Foster an aware and responsive public service ..................................... 20Objective 7:Create long-term support systems centred on the individual................. 21Objective 8:Support quality living in the community for disabled people................ 22Objective 9:Support lifestyle choices, recreation and culture for disabled people ... 23Objective 10:Collect and use relevant information about disabled peopleand disability issues ............................................................................. 24Objective 11:Promote participation of disabled Ma¯ori .............................................. 25Objective 12:Promote participation of disabled Pacific peoples ................................ 26Objective 13:Enable disabled children and youth to lead full and active lives ........... 27Objective 14:Promote participation of disabled women in order toimprove their quality of life .................................................................. 28Objective 15:Value families, wha¯nau and people providing ongoing support ............ 29

New Zealand Legislation:

The attached Code Rights establishes the rights of consumers, and the obligations and duties of providers to comply with the Code. It is a regulation under the Health and Disability Commissioner Act. This is the summary of the Health and Disabilities Code.http://www.hdc.org.nz/the-act--code/the-code-of-rights/the-code-%28summary%29 it is quite a good brief summary giving the key points.  Go to desktop slide This is the link to the Health and Disability Act:  http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1994/0088/latest/DLM333584.html This is the link to CCS (Formerly known as Crippled Childrens Society): http://www.ccsdisabilityaction.org.nz/  Not known of any PCANZ church specifically working in the area of disabilities; but some of the TIM team were hosted in Christchurch by a chaplain for an organisation called Enrich, who offer ministry to the disabled.  It is in the latest TIM Newsletter, attached - Bottom of p.2, top p.3