- Katsui, H. (2008) Downside of the Human Rights-Based Approach to Disability in Development. Working Paper Series of IDS at Helsinki University 2/2008.
- Katsui, H. (2008) Mainstreaming Disability Issues in Japanese and Finnish Development Policies and Practices. Working Paper Series of IDS at Helsinki University 1/2008.
24.11.08
Two More Publications
Two more publications came out. The "Mainstreaming-" report is dedicated to late Taija Heinonen.
14.11.08
Hisayo in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan
By Hisayo Katsui
(-> Taken in front of the Ministry of Labour and Social Development in Kyrgyzstan with a Kyrgyz disability activist, Gulmira Kazakunova in her wheelchair, and my assistant Farkhat Yussupjanov who has visual impairment.)
Our team members of this project have been playing many roles, not only as researchers working on Ugandan disability issues. I’m not an exception. Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Central Asian countries for evaluating a development cooperation project between Finnish and Central Asian DPOs. (I would like to thank all the people who have supported my work!!) My last visit to Central Asia was five years ago for my PhD study. Uganda is somewhat known in the disability sphere, while Central Asia could be the other extreme. In this article, I would like to discuss fundamental failure of a human rights-based approach taking place in Central Asia. “Central Asia” refers to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, in this specific context.
These countries are still somewhat “difficult countries” for donors in many senses. Particularly Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan widely restrict non-governmental associational activities especially when they use “human rights” as a key concept. That is, “nothing about us, without us” cannot be fully implemented when DPO activities are restricted. Although Turkmenistan ratified the Convention as the first country in Central Asia, that has nothing to do with disability movement because it is non-existent. The development cooperation project that I was commissioned to evaluate included both Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, but its impacts to these countries remained extremely limited due to the severe political environment for any associational activities in general. Similar result was observed in my PhD study.
The Convention has the article of international cooperation (Article 32), which highlights international development cooperation to be inclusive of persons with disabilities. Non-discrimination and equality are important human rights principles. However, in reality, limited resources are allocated to persons with disabilities in “easier countries” earlier, if not first. Even within the countries, local power structure plays a role. That is to say, priority making is extremely difficult in reality. The most marginalised groups of people among persons with disabilities might be the last ones in the queue.
I will study more on this marginalisation in the on-going research project on Uganda by paying special attention to deaf women.
If you are interested in knowing more about disability in Central Asia, please take a look at my article published this year, or more in detail in my PhD thesis:
Katsui, H. (2008) “Human Rights-Based Approach and DPOs in Central Asia.” Journal of Disability and International Cooperation Vol.2/2008. P.21-26.
Katsui, H. (2005) Towards Equality ~Creation of the Disability Movement in Central Asia~. Helsinki University Press. Helsinki.
13.11.08
Our Article Was Published
Jukka's and Hisayo's co-authored article on our project was published in the Scandinavial Journal of Disability Research. If you are interested, please take a look at it!
Katsui, H. & Kumpuvuori, J. (2008) Human Rights-Based Approach to Disability in Development in Uganda: A Way to Fill the Gap between Political and Social Spaces? Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research. Volume 10 Issue 4. P.227-236.
Katsui, H. & Kumpuvuori, J. (2008) Human Rights-Based Approach to Disability in Development in Uganda: A Way to Fill the Gap between Political and Social Spaces? Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research. Volume 10 Issue 4. P.227-236.
23.10.08
In Memory of Taija Heinonen
By Hisayo Katsui
I heard the news yesterday that my friend, Taija Heinonen (Executive Director of Abilis Foundation), passed away during her trip in Tanzania. She left me many things and I would like to share some of those with you.
I learned to know her when I started my PhD study at Helsinki University in 2000. She always took her precious time for me whenever I wanted to meet her and interview her. She appreciated my study and encouraged me to continue it. When I was completing my PhD, I was concerned with my future as a researcher of disability and development in Finland. It is not one of the major themes that could attract much attention of research funders. In addition, I am a foreigner here. She then asked me to conduct an evaluation work for Abilis Foundation, where I learned many fundamental issues around the theme of disability and development. That experience has definitely led me to this Ugandan project.
Taija also invited me to become her personal assistant. By the way, her personal assistants were mostly those from Southern countries living in Finland. She was willing to employ those who have difficulty in finding a job in Finland. She is well known for her works in Southern countries, but she was making changes also in Finland starting from her personal level. I respect her so much in that, too.
When I visited Uganda last time, people remembered Taija very much because she travelled Uganda with her husband. They saw Taija in her wheelchair cared and loved by her husband. Her visit encouraged many Ugandan women with disabilities to believe in their future. I’m sure many people in different countries were encouraged in a similar way.
Taija was modest and strong. Thank you Taija.
I heard the news yesterday that my friend, Taija Heinonen (Executive Director of Abilis Foundation), passed away during her trip in Tanzania. She left me many things and I would like to share some of those with you.
I learned to know her when I started my PhD study at Helsinki University in 2000. She always took her precious time for me whenever I wanted to meet her and interview her. She appreciated my study and encouraged me to continue it. When I was completing my PhD, I was concerned with my future as a researcher of disability and development in Finland. It is not one of the major themes that could attract much attention of research funders. In addition, I am a foreigner here. She then asked me to conduct an evaluation work for Abilis Foundation, where I learned many fundamental issues around the theme of disability and development. That experience has definitely led me to this Ugandan project.
Taija also invited me to become her personal assistant. By the way, her personal assistants were mostly those from Southern countries living in Finland. She was willing to employ those who have difficulty in finding a job in Finland. She is well known for her works in Southern countries, but she was making changes also in Finland starting from her personal level. I respect her so much in that, too.
When I visited Uganda last time, people remembered Taija very much because she travelled Uganda with her husband. They saw Taija in her wheelchair cared and loved by her husband. Her visit encouraged many Ugandan women with disabilities to believe in their future. I’m sure many people in different countries were encouraged in a similar way.
Taija was modest and strong. Thank you Taija.
1.10.08
Experience of a Research Assistant in Uganda
Jukka visited Uganda on September 2008. A report of this travel will follow soon. Meanwhile, we share with the blog readers the experience of Jukka's research assistant Kaddu Zachary, who did a great job during Jukka's visit and most likely we will be cooperating with him in the future too. Thank you Kaddu! Enjoy Kaddu's writing...
Jukka and Kaddu in the Parliament House in Kampala -->
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Personal Perspectives on Disability – Uganda
Written by Kaddu Zachary
Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in
The Government of Uganda attaches considerable importance to the situation of persons with disabilities in its policies and programmes. The Constitution of the
In Uganda, the estimated number of people with disabilities (PWDs) range between 7% and 10% that is ranging between 1, 540,000 and 2,200,000 people of the total population (UNHS, 2005/06). Empirical studies assert that disability in
Experience has taught me a lot. Being a PWD who has grown in a traumatizing situation were the community looks at you objectively, I have learnt that the road to a happy life is struggling the hard way to achieve what you want in life. As a disabled person, the fundamental issues we PWDs need to understand are; respecting our selves, self-worth, gaining self-confidence and above all ‘learning to accept who we are.’ We PWDs need to accept ourselves and the situations we go through, this will change the society’s perception of who we are thus became accepted by others .
On the part of development in disability, this may not be a one, two or five year plan to achieve rather a step by step issue. Drawing from one writer that ‘…. No need for hurry in Africa’, there should be a systematic way things should be done to benefit all PWDs or else a few will benefit and the majority will not share on such benefits arising out of the efforts made. Human rights of PWDs should be put on the forefront and people, governments and any one who impends and hinders the attainment of them should be held accountable and responsible thus justice apprehended.
I believe with the enforcement of disability legislations and holding our governments or people responsible for jeopardizing our human rights, this world will became a friendly place for all PWDs.
My experience with Jukka in Uganda
I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to Jukka for selecting me as his Research Assistant during his visit in September 2008 to Uganda. Well it was my grate pleasure to host him here in Uganda and I was able to learn a lot from him. As we shared experiences about our lives, I took note that it is always out of struggle, commitment and determination to hold on even in times when things get worse that we achieve our goals in life. During this period as we visited a number of Disabled people and their organisation, I came to learn that we the disabled people ought to work together like termites do when building there home in order to achieve our goals. If we continue to work in isolation, then we shall not be heard and the decision-makers will always make decisions for us. It’s the right time if we started participating and demand for those human rights that we ought to have.
It was great having you – Jukka here in Uganda and our friendship as well as information sharing shall keep us together. I hope and pray that together with others became the leading ‘disability Activists’ with a vision of ensuring that ‘even for the most unheard or marginalized disabled person in the world is granted his/her human rights though by state, political or opinion leaders, and our sisters and brothers the non-disabled.’
Mr. Kaddu Zachary
Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration (Candidate)
Faculty of Social Science,
Makerere University, Kampala - Uganda
Email: kadduzachary (@) yahoo.com
5.9.08
Jukka and Hisayo in the 4th Biennial Disability Studies Conference at Lancaster University, 2-4 September 2008
By Hisayo Katsui
In UK, the disability movement and Disability Studies as an academic discipline are inseparable. Many scholars are both academics and activists. It was very interesting for me to observe this strong activism in the conference which was organised by the Centre for Disability Research, Lancaster University. It was attended by 200 participants from more than 20 countries. I’d like to thank the organisers for their works for this conference to come true.
Arguments throughout the conference were centred around reaffirmation of the “social model” of disability and strong will to maintain the model in the future of Disability Studies in UK. This was a bit of a surprise to me, though I took my Master’s Degree in Disability Studies in England back in 1999. Now that I am based in Finland where human rights talk is perhaps stronger than the “social model”, I felt something is missing. I asked Professor Peter Beresford, who was one of the plenary speakers, how British Disability Studies deal with human rights. His answer was like this: the “social model” is touching human rights. As “social model” has been contested, some started to use human rights terminology. He thus implied that there are not so many who use human rights-based approach to disability in UK.
I also noticed a lot of accusation of post-modernistic approach. Some even named them as “crazy post-modernists” which was not questioned but welcomed. The latest book of Tom Shakespeare, one of the post-modernists, “Disability Rights and Wrongs” was inspiring for me. In this sense, I felt a distance to the mainstream participants. This distance is actually what I felt more strongly when I was taking my Master’s Degree. In the late 1990s, being disabled person was so integral part of both the disability movement and the Disability Studies in UK, which made me feel excluded. In his speech, Professor Colin Barnes, who is a social modelist, acknowledged both disabled and non-disabled academics’ achievements in this discipline. Thus, there has been a change over time. But I got the impression that this specific conference was attended mainly by conventional social modelists, if I could call them so. (Or they were the most vocal ones.) Having said that, I observed many participants with disabilities, which is not the case in Nordic disability conferences. I think it is important that Disability Studies as a discipline is accessible not only for (both disabled and non-disabled) academics but also for persons with disabilities.
Another experience I want to share is my quasi-personal assistant role. Jukka’s assistant cancelled her coming one day before, which gave me the opportunity to learn part of the regular responsibilities of personal assistant. It was a great learning experience for me. It heavily rained all three days (what else we should expect from English weather??), which made our days a bit more exciting (Please see the picture!).
Jukka had informed that he is a wheelchair user, but his accommodation was inaccessible for the first day “by accident” and he had to use the room. The conference organisers did not mean to discriminate Jukka with the first arrangement of the room. With Jukka, we discussed a lot about differences and similarities between direct and indirect discrimination. Does it matter or not, when you do not intend to discriminate persons with disabilities but the end result is discriminatory?
The conference has left many questions to elaborate further. I also met many interesting people, with some of whom we agreed to do some projects together in the near future. In many senses, it was a very interesting conference.
Conference website: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/events/disabilityconference/
In UK, the disability movement and Disability Studies as an academic discipline are inseparable. Many scholars are both academics and activists. It was very interesting for me to observe this strong activism in the conference which was organised by the Centre for Disability Research, Lancaster University. It was attended by 200 participants from more than 20 countries. I’d like to thank the organisers for their works for this conference to come true.
Arguments throughout the conference were centred around reaffirmation of the “social model” of disability and strong will to maintain the model in the future of Disability Studies in UK. This was a bit of a surprise to me, though I took my Master’s Degree in Disability Studies in England back in 1999. Now that I am based in Finland where human rights talk is perhaps stronger than the “social model”, I felt something is missing. I asked Professor Peter Beresford, who was one of the plenary speakers, how British Disability Studies deal with human rights. His answer was like this: the “social model” is touching human rights. As “social model” has been contested, some started to use human rights terminology. He thus implied that there are not so many who use human rights-based approach to disability in UK.
I also noticed a lot of accusation of post-modernistic approach. Some even named them as “crazy post-modernists” which was not questioned but welcomed. The latest book of Tom Shakespeare, one of the post-modernists, “Disability Rights and Wrongs” was inspiring for me. In this sense, I felt a distance to the mainstream participants. This distance is actually what I felt more strongly when I was taking my Master’s Degree. In the late 1990s, being disabled person was so integral part of both the disability movement and the Disability Studies in UK, which made me feel excluded. In his speech, Professor Colin Barnes, who is a social modelist, acknowledged both disabled and non-disabled academics’ achievements in this discipline. Thus, there has been a change over time. But I got the impression that this specific conference was attended mainly by conventional social modelists, if I could call them so. (Or they were the most vocal ones.) Having said that, I observed many participants with disabilities, which is not the case in Nordic disability conferences. I think it is important that Disability Studies as a discipline is accessible not only for (both disabled and non-disabled) academics but also for persons with disabilities.
Another experience I want to share is my quasi-personal assistant role. Jukka’s assistant cancelled her coming one day before, which gave me the opportunity to learn part of the regular responsibilities of personal assistant. It was a great learning experience for me. It heavily rained all three days (what else we should expect from English weather??), which made our days a bit more exciting (Please see the picture!).
Jukka had informed that he is a wheelchair user, but his accommodation was inaccessible for the first day “by accident” and he had to use the room. The conference organisers did not mean to discriminate Jukka with the first arrangement of the room. With Jukka, we discussed a lot about differences and similarities between direct and indirect discrimination. Does it matter or not, when you do not intend to discriminate persons with disabilities but the end result is discriminatory?
The conference has left many questions to elaborate further. I also met many interesting people, with some of whom we agreed to do some projects together in the near future. In many senses, it was a very interesting conference.
Conference website: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/events/disabilityconference/
25.8.08
Disability Laws and the Interlocking Regulations in Uganda
By Edson Ngirabakunzi
Uganda in line with its 1995 Constitutional obligation of respecting dignity and rights of PWDs enacted several disability friendly laws. This has been possible due to advocacy and policy influence initiatives of Disabled people’s organizations and their leaders. However, these laws have not been fully translated into practical outcomes towards disabled people. This has been partly due to absence of regulations to make them operational. Such laws geared towards promotion and protection of disability rights and needs of PWD in Uganda include, National Council on Disability Act 2003, the Disability Act of 2006 and the Equal Opportunities Commission Act 2006 and Local Government Act 1997.
Where as some of these laws have been in place for the last 5 years or so, there has been little positive impact of such laws in lives of PWDs. This has been partly due lack of enabling regulation to guide implementation among others. This was further echoed during the celebrations to maker the International Day of Disabled in 2007. The President, who was the guest of honour during the celebrations, noted it as an issue of concern too. He noted that there was need for a meeting with disability stakeholders to discuss and refine further on why such laws were no being implemented and remedy sought. Reasons earlier advanced for non implementation was that some technical people did not know how to manage and implement laws that had no guidance framework. This was later to be provided for in form of regulations. The other issues noted were lack of financial resources to ensure the laws were appropriately addressed.
Therefore, arising from the above, the line Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development has developed regulations on National council on Disability Act and on Disability Act. These regulations are an important landmark in promoting disability rights in development process in Uganda. Where as the parent laws were providing general frame works on a number of disability issues like employment among other, the regulations have defined and refined them further to guide planning and implementation by the technical people at all levels of government. Already, the regulations have been discussed by the disability stakeholders to ensure that disability concerns are well anchored in the regulations. In line with our project, the regulations have provided critical benchmarks for promoting employment and employability of PWDs in Uganda. Once implemented will ensure adequate service delivery to PWDs and hence improved standard of living. Additionally, they are well anchored in the CRPD section 27 on right to work and employment.
It is important to recall these regulations are a recent development this year 2008, yet their parent laws were developed in 2003 and 2006 respectively. Nonetheless, this is a new development in as far as regulations on disability laws are concerned where the employment and employability of PWDs is elaborately expounded. In line with human rights approaches to development, the regulations have been particularly informative. Where as the Disability Act has been broad in as sense, the regulations have defined in detail what it takes to guarantee employment of PWDs. The regulations provide for the line ministry to employ a person responsible for employment placement for PWDs, prohibits the employer from using screening methods that discriminate qualified disabled employee, responsibility to employer to provide assistive services required by employee to execute his or her duties under employment contract thereof, it also provides mitigating measures where disability occurs in the course of employment such as redeployment in line of fitting employment and re-aligning the employment contract without break in the period of service. The regulations also provide for tax exemptions on modification costs to employers. This is in line with CRPD principle of reasonable accommodation. The regulation further provide for consultations with DPOs in and during the process of recruitment and job placement of PWDs by employers.
We are yet to celebrate improved employment situation of PWDs in Uganda. Number factors still negatively influence employment of PWDs, such issues as attitudinal challenges inherent in community value system and economic development imbalances that is skewed against vulnerable communities of the disabled people. Macro economic policies that would rekindle PWDs accessing employment in both formal and informal sector still slow in visibly recognizing poor rural PWDs. It is apparently also not clear in the new regulations how PWDs employed in the informal sector will be catered for.
Uganda in line with its 1995 Constitutional obligation of respecting dignity and rights of PWDs enacted several disability friendly laws. This has been possible due to advocacy and policy influence initiatives of Disabled people’s organizations and their leaders. However, these laws have not been fully translated into practical outcomes towards disabled people. This has been partly due to absence of regulations to make them operational. Such laws geared towards promotion and protection of disability rights and needs of PWD in Uganda include, National Council on Disability Act 2003, the Disability Act of 2006 and the Equal Opportunities Commission Act 2006 and Local Government Act 1997.
Where as some of these laws have been in place for the last 5 years or so, there has been little positive impact of such laws in lives of PWDs. This has been partly due lack of enabling regulation to guide implementation among others. This was further echoed during the celebrations to maker the International Day of Disabled in 2007. The President, who was the guest of honour during the celebrations, noted it as an issue of concern too. He noted that there was need for a meeting with disability stakeholders to discuss and refine further on why such laws were no being implemented and remedy sought. Reasons earlier advanced for non implementation was that some technical people did not know how to manage and implement laws that had no guidance framework. This was later to be provided for in form of regulations. The other issues noted were lack of financial resources to ensure the laws were appropriately addressed.
Therefore, arising from the above, the line Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development has developed regulations on National council on Disability Act and on Disability Act. These regulations are an important landmark in promoting disability rights in development process in Uganda. Where as the parent laws were providing general frame works on a number of disability issues like employment among other, the regulations have defined and refined them further to guide planning and implementation by the technical people at all levels of government. Already, the regulations have been discussed by the disability stakeholders to ensure that disability concerns are well anchored in the regulations. In line with our project, the regulations have provided critical benchmarks for promoting employment and employability of PWDs in Uganda. Once implemented will ensure adequate service delivery to PWDs and hence improved standard of living. Additionally, they are well anchored in the CRPD section 27 on right to work and employment.
It is important to recall these regulations are a recent development this year 2008, yet their parent laws were developed in 2003 and 2006 respectively. Nonetheless, this is a new development in as far as regulations on disability laws are concerned where the employment and employability of PWDs is elaborately expounded. In line with human rights approaches to development, the regulations have been particularly informative. Where as the Disability Act has been broad in as sense, the regulations have defined in detail what it takes to guarantee employment of PWDs. The regulations provide for the line ministry to employ a person responsible for employment placement for PWDs, prohibits the employer from using screening methods that discriminate qualified disabled employee, responsibility to employer to provide assistive services required by employee to execute his or her duties under employment contract thereof, it also provides mitigating measures where disability occurs in the course of employment such as redeployment in line of fitting employment and re-aligning the employment contract without break in the period of service. The regulations also provide for tax exemptions on modification costs to employers. This is in line with CRPD principle of reasonable accommodation. The regulation further provide for consultations with DPOs in and during the process of recruitment and job placement of PWDs by employers.
We are yet to celebrate improved employment situation of PWDs in Uganda. Number factors still negatively influence employment of PWDs, such issues as attitudinal challenges inherent in community value system and economic development imbalances that is skewed against vulnerable communities of the disabled people. Macro economic policies that would rekindle PWDs accessing employment in both formal and informal sector still slow in visibly recognizing poor rural PWDs. It is apparently also not clear in the new regulations how PWDs employed in the informal sector will be catered for.
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