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Rehabilitation International

M O N T H L Y NEWSLETTER May 2013

Advancing the Rights

and Inclusion of

Persons with Disability Worldwide

Contact:

Rehabilitation International

25 East 21st Street, 4th Floor

New York, NY 10010, USA

Tel.: +1-212-420-1500

Fax: +1-212-505-0871

E-Mail: newsletter@riglobal.org

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For RI EC, RIF AND RI Members

Topics

Dates & venues for the upcoming RI meetings .................................. 3

RI News ............................................................................................. 3

Upcoming Meetings and Events ....................................................... 10

CRPD Ratification Update ................................................................ 12

Resource Update ............................................................................. 13

Resource Material ............................................................................ 13

Other News ..................................................................................... 14

Inspiration ...................................................................................... 15

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Dates & venues for the upcoming RI meetings

Dates Meeting Place

September 20-21, 2013 EC & Commission

Meetings

New York, U.S.A.

September 22, 2013 2013 RI GA New York, U.S.A.

October 6-10, 2014 RI European Conference on Rehabilitation

Poland (expected in Warsaw)

For more information please see our website www.riglobal.org

RI News

IMPORTANT DECISIONS ON DISABILITY AT 66TH WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY (WHA) IN GENEVA

ON MAY 24, 2013

RI Global wrote a letter to the Director General of WHO in June 2012 asking her to ensure that the WHA in 2013

adopts a new Resolution on Disability. Ecuador came up with a concrete proposal on this issue which was debated

and adopted at the January 2013 meeting of WHO’s Executive Board in Geneva. RI’s President participated in the EB meeting and made a statement on this issue.

On May 24 this year, the World Heath Assembly adopted a new Resolution on Disability which is an important outcome

for persons with disabilities across the world. The resolution strongly urges Member States and similarly requests the Director General of WHO to ensure future actions for

persons with disabilities. One of the most important points in the Resolution is that WHO, in consultation with other

organizations and Member States, shall come up with a comprehensive Action Plan on how to achieve the goals spelled out in the Resolution on Disabilities that was

adopted by the WHA. RI Global is committed to provide inputs to WHO on the preparation of the Action Plan as indicated by the RI

President in his Statement to the WHA. The Resolution is available online at: http://apps.who.int/gb/e/e_wha66.html.

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MAY 23, 2013 WHO SIDE EVENT ON THE HIGH LEVEL MEETING ON DISABILITY: HEALTH SECTOR’S CONTRIBUTION

WHO organized a technical briefing in Geneva on 23 May where Director General Dr. Margaret Chan welcomed the participants. The event chaired by Peter Woolcott,

Ambassador of Australia to the UN in Geneva, featured a video presentation by Professor Stephen Hawking while

WHO’s Dr. Etienne Krug spoke on Disability and Health. The presentation was followed by a Panel Discussion which included a known philosopher with a disability from

Switzerland, the Ambassador of Spain, the Minister of Health from Nigeria, the Deputy Minister of Health from

South Africa and a representative from the US Government. The panelists’ presentations all focused on the importance of a concrete outcome from the

HLM as they relate to health issues of persons with disabilities. At the discussion that followed, several Member States took the floor and spoke about their work and commitment on Disability issues. RI President Jan A.

Monsbakken also made an intervention on behalf of RI where he cited the importance of creating inclusive societies and for health systems to ensure

universal coverage. He similarly stressed the importance of including habilitation and rehabilitation services in the outcome document from the HLM in September.

A snapshot from the RI Executive Committee meeting in Oslo, Norway, May 18-19, 2013.

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Executives of RI and staff from the Headquarters Office joined Norway’s National Day of Celebration which included a trip to the Royal Palace – a

respite before two days of meetings where important issues were discussed and decisions made. (More information in the June issue of the RI

Newsletter).

RI Europe meeting in Ljubljana, Slovenia on April 18, 2013

RI National Secretaries from Germany, Finland, Great Britain, Norway, Austria, Poland, Sweden, Slovenia and the Czech Republic were hosted by Mr. Robert Cugelj,

Institute/Hospital for Rehabilitation and RI National Secretary of Slovenia, for RI-Europe’s first regional

meeting in 2013. RI Europe is an important and active part of the RI Global network. In their bi-annual meetings

RI National Secretaries exchanged actual developments in the field of rehabilitation in the European countries and gave new inputs for the worldwide work of RI.

RI President Jan Arne Monsbakken discussed about the great success of the 22nd RI World Congress held 30

October to 2 November 2012 in Incheon, South Korea which significantly increased the level of awareness on RI. RI’s growing influence has become clearly noticeable,

especially on its collaboration with various UN agencies.

RI Vice President, Dr. Joachim Breuer, Regional President

for Europe, informed that there are considerations to develop standards for rehabilitation in Europe. Therefore the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV), the Austrian and Swiss equivalent (AUVA and SUVA) developed

together a position paper to advance this idea on more than the country level. This position paper will be presented to the public at the European

Forum on Accident insurance to be held in Helsinki June 17-19, 2013.

The following topics were discussed:

WHO Guidelines on Rehabilitation

WHO has started to develop International Guidelines on Rehabilitation. RI

Europe called for a very close co-operation between WHO and RI as the main expert organization in rehabilitation. The RI Secretariat in New York will continue to be involved in this subject.

RI and the European Council

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RI’s Liaison Officer at the European Council, Dr. Regina Ernst, provided information on the conference of International NGO’s and announced the

“World Forum for Democracy” that will be held November 27 -29, 2013 in Strasbourg to discuss how social networks and the internet could influence

the social work of society.

European RI Congress 2014

The Polish RI National Member Organization (PFRON) presented a first draft of the European RI Congress planned for October (6-10), 2014 in Warsaw,

Poland. The main focus will be on holistic rehabilitation, especially “Return to work”, Implementation of the UN Convention and ICF in Europe. Details about the Congress will soon be made available.

The next RI Europe meeting will take place in Warsaw, Poland on

September 3, 2013.

Saija Kivimäki, web journalist, Rehabilitation Foundation provided us with the following report:

Finnish National Rehabilitation Conference held April 10-11, 2013 in Helsinki, Finland

In April, more than 300 practitioners, decision and policy makers, leaders and administrators of rehabilitation gathered for the annual conference in Helsinki to discuss current issues in rehabilitation. This year the conference

was held for the 41st time and it was organized by the Rehabilitation Foundation. One of the main topics for this year’s conference was how to

reintroduce people with partial work ability into the labor force. In Finland, aging population has become a worrying phenomenon in recent years, and the political will is to enact measures that lengthen careers. The most

common grounds for claiming partial work ability are musculoskeletal diseases and mental disorders, which could be treated by the variety of

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measures offered by rehabilitation. The conference received greetings from RI President Jan Monsbakken who introduced the organization’s new strategy

for promoting the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities. Monsbakken also attended the workshop on community-based rehabilitation (CBR).

Monsbakken shared examples of CBR practices in his homeland Norway and pointed out that CBR is in fact practiced in more developed countries although the term community-based rehabilitation is rarely used.

“CBR is a worldwide issue”, Monsbakken argued.

Veijo Notkola (General Manager of Rehabilitation Foundation and Chairman of RI’s Policy and Services Commission) exchanged pleasantries with RI

President Jan Monsbakken.

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The RI President conveyed greetings to the Finnish National Rehabilitation Conference in April and congratulated them for their various initiatives in

realizing the right to rehabilitation and similar services of people with disabilities.

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The Finnish National Rehabilitation Conference brought together over 300 professionals in the field of rehabilitation.

The 2012 RI Australia third annual forum, ‘Taking the Roof off Housing’, was held in Canberra on 27 November last year. The Forum was designed to bring together a range of stakeholders in order to stimulate

discussion about the diverse factors which need to be considered by policy makers and planners in order that housing accessibility and affordability is

maximized for both people with disabilities and for the ageing population. The full report is now available at: http://www.riaustralia.org/

Ms. Ghazala Hameed, National Secretary for RI in Pakistan

and Vice President of RI member organization, The Pakistan Society for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled (PSRD) said a “STATE OF THE ART

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY CENTRE JUST OPENED IN PAKISTAN”, specifically at the PSRD rehabilitation complex in Lahore. The new unit includes treatment rooms, play- and learn-areas for daily living and work

skills, sensory room and speech and language therapy room. An activity room has also been provided where adults and children receive hands on

training in making arts and crafts, and cooking. Currently 1600 patients use the facility. With the growing awareness of the importance of occupational therapy which is now available at affordable costs, however, the number of

those who would avail of the services being offered including therapies, is expected to grow. Participants in the hands-on trainings appreciate the

clean, bright and spacious environment and the quality treatment provided by caring and experienced therapists. The project has been completed with the support of local donors, The PSRD Foundation (TPF) and the World

Rehabilitation Fund." For further information about the organization please visit their website: http://www.psrd.org.pk/

On 25th March, 2013, RI member in Chinese Taipei, Taiwan, Eden Social Welfare Foundation conducted a Workshop on International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health ICF). Professionals from

various fields were invited from Japan, Canada, and Taiwan to share their experience in the implementation of ICF approved by the World Health Organization. Patrick Fougeyrollas (extreme left in the picture below), RI

Regional Vice President for North America, was one of the speakers.

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To read the full report please visit: http://engweb.eden.org.tw/modules/news/article.php?storyid=170

– We’d love to hear from you…

Please share with us project summaries/reports, articles and announcements on events which your organization is planning to hold or has conducted, and

other information which you may want to share with colleagues in the RI network, our partners and to the rest of the world. Send these to us at this

email address: newsletter@riglobal.org and we will make sure that these get included in future issues of the RI Newsletter.

Upcoming Meetings and Events

2013, September 4 – 5 SEDUCE - Space-x-Exchange Forum in

Vienna, Austria. The forum titled “How Design Morphs Visual Impairment"

investigates how smart design solutions can persuade rather than lecture and lead to an intuitive understanding, acceptance of and support for visual impairment. Not only through legal regulations, but by appealing design

solutions for the general public shall make visual impaired people’s environment easier to experience and enjoy. For further information please

see: http://www.space-x-vie.net/?pg=3

2013, September 11 – 14 12th Congress of European Forum for

Research in Rehabilitation in Istanbul, Turkey. The human health and science-technology are continuous and dynamic due to the developments in

socio-economic changes of societies. Professionals working in the field of rehabilitation will provide shared knowledge to be used in human health, new

scientific research, and for the improvement of educational efforts in rehabilitation. Dr. Friedrich Mehrhoff, German Social Accident Insurance and Vice Chair of the RI Work and Employment

Commission will speak in the congress. For further information please see: http://www.efrr2013.org/

2013, September 23 High-level meeting of the General Assembly on disability and development at the UN in New York,

USA. Theme: “The way forward: a disability inclusive development agenda towards 2015 and beyond”.

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2013, September 26 – 28 10th Autism-Europe International

Congress in Budapest, Hungary. The slogan of the congress is “New Dimensions for Autism”. It focuses on the most recent developments across

the field of autism, including causes, genetics, diagnosis, early intervention, treatments, education, support, employment, rights and policies, among

many more. For further information please see: http://www.autismcongress2013.eu/

2013, October 4 – 6 International Istanbul Initiative on Ageing

2013 in Istanbul, Turkey. Full papers and abstracts are being sought –

Due date is May 31st 2013. For further information please visit: http://www.ifa-fiv.org/

2013, October 16 – 18 2nd International Conference of the

World Federation of the Deaf in Sydney, Australia. The Conference is

hosted by the Deaf Society of New South Wales, Australia and is themed “Equality for Deaf People”. For further information please visit:

http://www.wfdsydney2013.com.

2013, November 27 – 29 2013 World Forum for Democracy

"Rewiring democracy - reconnecting citizens and democratic institutions in the information age" in Strasbourg, France. The forum

will be organized by the Council of Europe in partnership with the City of Strasbourg and a range of international organizations, think tanks,

foundations, and other partners from the public and private sectors. It will provide a platform for emerging leaders and grassroots initiatives that foster participation and re-connect citizens and democratic institutions. Participants

from the world of politics, academia, civil society, business, media and social networks will critically review these innovative initiatives, assess their

mainstreaming potential, inject new ideas into them, and identify the most promising ones for further promotion and dissemination. Participants, as well as the "global community" (via social networks and internet voting) will

select the most promising initiatives that will receive the Council of Europe recognition for democratic innovation. For further information please see:

http://www.coe.int/en/web/world-forum-democracy/home

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CRPD Ratification Update

Latest Developments

Iraq acceded to the Convention on 20-3-2013 Barbados ratified the Convention on 27-2-2013 Albania ratified the Convention on 11-2-2013

Cambodia ratified the Convention on 20-12-2012

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

155 signatories

130 ratifications

Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

91 signatories

76 ratifications

For more Information please visit following website: http://www.un.org/disabilities/

UNICEF – State of the World’s Children report 2013: Children

with Disabilities On 30 May, UNICEF launched the 2103 edition of its flagship publication, State of the World’s Children that focuses on children

with disabilities. The report covers children with disabilities in a varying worldwide landscape: how do they fare at home, in school, or at health care

centers? What happens to children with disabilities in emergencies or conflict? How do these situations fluctuate around the world? The Report argues for inclusive and equitable approaches in such areas as early

childhood development, education, health, nutrition, humanitarian response and protection. Based on documented experience and examples, the report

will recommend ways in which Governments, the private sector, international donors and agencies, and other stakeholders can help advance this agenda.

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The report also gives a voice to children to encourage their position as architects and agents of change in their towns, villages and cities, regardless

of ability. To this end, in addition to the main narrative and expert technical panels, the report features perspectives, or personal essays, by

policymakers, parents, care providers, celebrities and role models with disabilities and, most significantly, young people with disabilities that have accomplished personal or professional goals or are striving to do so. The

hope is that report will foster greater attention on these children’s global needs and remarkable potential. For further information please see:

http://www.unicef.org/sowc/

The 6th session of the Conference of States Parties (COSP6) will

be held from 17 - 19 July 2013. The theme for this session is: “Ensuring adequate standard of living: empowerment and participation of persons with disabilities within the framework of the CRPD”. The sub-themes are: 1.

Economic empowerment through inclusive social protection and poverty reduction strategies; 2. Disability-inclusive development in national, regional

and international processes; and 3. Community-based rehabilitation and habilitation for inclusive society. Prior to the Conference, a multi-stakeholder Civil Society Forum (CSF) will be organized by the International Disability

Alliance (IDA), Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI), Rehabilitation International (RI) and the Global Partnership for Disability and

Development (GPDD), with the usual support of DESA and sponsored by States Parties. For more information please visit: http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1606

Resource Update

International training courses in inclusive and rights based CBR Bangalore University is starting admissions for the academic year 2013-14

for its National Level Human Resource Development (HRD) Programs for Community Based Rehabilitation. Admission Mode: Online application submission; Admission Starts: 1st May 2013 closes on 30th June 2013.

International students are welcome. Please send an email to bucbr@hotmail.com or ideasianetwork2013@gmail.com for further details.

Resource Material

A new comprehensive booklet on individualized educational

program (IEP) for children with deaf blindness and multi sensory impairments by SENSE INTERNATIONAL (INDIA) is now available

online. This booklet provides a step by step guide to understand, develop and write effective IEP’ s for children with deaf blindness. This booklet is useful to

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special educators and families working with deaf blind children. It is available here:

http://www.senseintindia.org/pdf/A%20comprehensive%20book%20on%20Individualised%20Educational%20Programme%20for%20Children%20with%

20Deafblindness%20and%20Multi%20Sensory%20Impairments.pdf

The Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA)

has launched a new web portal (as a pilot project) called United Nations Social Development Network (UNSDN) to share knowledge and good practices among social development professionals worldwide on ageing, civil

society, cooperatives, disability, employment, family, indigenous peoples, poverty, social integration, technology and youth. UNSDN is also uniquely

positioned to disseminate information and knowledge produced by the United Nations system in the area of social development, particularly on the three

core issues of poverty eradication, employment generation and social integration. UNSDN will act as a major interface between DESA and its partners working in the areas of social development. DESA intends to

strengthen its relationships with its partners involved in advancing the global social development agenda. We, therefore, invite you to visit the portal and

explore how you can contribute to it and engage effectively with DSPD-DESA and the United Nations system as a whole at: http://www.unsdn.org.

Other News

The 2012 European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations raised awareness

on the contributions older people make to society and encouraging stakeholders at all levels to take action by creating opportunities for active

ageing and strengthening solidarity between generations. The European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Active and Healthy Ageing (AHA) was established to increase the average healthy lifespan in the EU by 2 years

by 2020. This innovative partnership has a special focus on active and healthy ageing by providing new innovative solutions and addressing the

challenges of ageing. This is critical as the number of people aged 60 and over will increase by 2 million every year in Europe. This Partnership pursues a triple win for Europe: (1) improving the health and quality of life of

Europeans with a focus on older people; (2) supporting the long-term sustainability and efficiency of health and social care systems; (3) enhancing

the competitiveness of EU industry through business and expansion in new

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markets. For more information please visit: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/eipaha/

A new gene associated with a form of congenital heart disease in newborn babies -- known as "a hole in the heart" has been discovered by researchers. British Heart Foundation (BHF) Professor Bernard Keavney, from

The University of Manchester and Newcastle University, led the research which saw investigators from Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford and Leicester

universities in the UK, together with colleagues in Europe, Australia and Canada pool resources. The discovery, published in Nature Genetics today, will help lead to better understanding of why some patients are born with the

disorder. Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common form of congenital malformation, occurring in seven in 1000 babies born and is one

of the major causes of childhood death and illness. Most patients born with CHD now survive to adulthood, so identifying the responsible genes is

important as experts attempt to provide individual-specific genetic counseling for these people. For further information please visit: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130527100532.ht

Inspiration

Living with disability on display in rare art exhibit

Dozens of artists’ interpretations of living with and experiencing disability are now part of a rare art exhibit in

Chicago, USA. The Woman Made Gallery, in conjunction with the

Chicago Festival of Disability Arts and Culture, has launched their summer exhibition “Humans Being II” to

give professional artists living with disability an opportunity to push a frank discussion about what it means to be disabled. There are about 40 artists featured

in the current exhibit. And noticeably, women artists make up most of the exhibition’s roster. Humans Being II

is an exhibit that focuses on the experience of disability as explored through contemporary art. Included are painting, drawing, sculpture, mixed media, and

photography works. “Humans Being II” runs through June 20.

For further information please visit: http://womanmade.org/

Picture above: Artist Madelyn Covey's "Pam's Bed" was inspired by the woman she assists.

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We hope you enjoyed reading this issue of the RI Monthly Newsletter. Tell us about your activities and other stories so we can share it with RI members

and the world.

Jan Arne Monsbakken, RI President

Venus Ilagan, Secretary General

Iris Reiss, Rehabilitation Expert

Thank you for supporting RI Global and let’s make change happen together

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