Title: Announcements

Author:

Section/SPIG: Mental Health

Issue Date:

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Americas’ regional seminar and workshop on norms and standards related to the rights of persons with disabilities. Quito, Ecuador, April 9-11, 2003

Twenty-five delegates, 40 guests, and 75 observers representing NGO's, met for three days to prepare for the June Ad Hoc Committee meeting in New York. Some delegates were people with visible disabilities from Columbia, Jamaica, Peru and Venezuela.

In his opening remarks, Meeting President and Ambassador Gallegos, of Ecuador, raised the question of what is a disability, suggested using both inductive and deductive definitions and wished for solutions to pervasive issues of living together. The Disabled People’s International (DPI) position paper recommends postponing the definition until the end of this long process, and DPI has a proposed definition. It became clear that the conflict is between the definition for the purpose of entitlement to human rights and the state definition used for benefit eligibility. Gallegos noted that stakeholders used to be governments, but now NGO's and the public at large are involved in significant ways.

Expert John Mathieson insisted that if we only focus on violations we will never get to a convention; that we should not define new rights, but argue for "no more no less" than in the existing international human rights documents; that we must continue within the existing framework; that the issue is not whether people with disabilities have rights but whether they
can enjoy those rights; and that convention language be based on elements which already have a consensus. He announced that the first step is to overcome four arguments against this convention: that the existing six human rights conventions are enough; that the standard rules are enough; that it is too difficult for States to implement; and that States won't sign, so why bother with a convention.

Fourteen countries then made 10 minute interventions, 10 NGO's gave five minute statements and the meeting adjourned. Twenty people from disabled people's organizations met during the lunch break. Landmines Survivors Network and DPI agreed to draft an overall statement which we reviewed, signed and submitted.

The second day was devoted to working in groups. Expert Cynthia Waddell helped our English-speaking group's vice president, Senator Moss from Jamaica, and led the group through a review of the Mexican submission. There was a great deal of commenting, suggesting, changing and confusion. The reporters from the three groups integrated the input and on the third day, a two-page President's Text was reviewed by the delegates in great detail, with careful attention to nuance. All present support a convention, except the United States and Canada won't join because they are currently "reviewing and formulating positions," though they support "selected elements."

-- Sylvia Caras, PhD, Section member

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A Guide For People with Disabilities and Other Activity Limitations

The Center for Disability Issues and the Health Professions (CDIHP) at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California, announces a new 36 page guide to help people with disabilities be better prepared for large or small-scale emergencies. This guide helps people take responsibility for their own safety during emergencies and evacuations and work effectively with first responders.

This Guide is available at no cost from <www.cdihp.org/pdf/finalv4brochure.pdf>, or to order a hard copy, send a check payable to CDIHP for $24 (includes shipping, handling and applicable tax) to CDIHP, 309 E. 2nd St., Pomona, CA 91766-1854. Contact CDIHP for pricing on bulk or international orders at Phone: (909) 469-5380, TTY (909) 469-5520, Fax: (909) 469-5407, Email: <evac@westernu.edu>.

-- Sylvia Caras, PhD, Section Member

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Convention.Yes

Convention.Yes was the bumper sticker on the backs of the wheelchairs. Convention.Yes was the goal. Convention.Yes was the Decision passed.

Three panels provided expert input to the Second Ad Hoc Committee to consider proposals for a comprehensive and integral international convention to promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. They emphasized both human rights and social development, noting that “the indivisibility, independence and interrelatedness of all human rights - civil, political, economic, social and cultural – are of equal importance and equal weight in both jurisprudence and practice.” Panel members also suggested methods of monitoring and addressing violations.

A third Ad Hoc Committee will convene next May/June 2004. In the meantime a Working Group - 27 states, 12 NGO’s of people with disabilities, and one representative from national human rights institutions accredited to the International Coordination Committee -- will meet in January to draft for the Committee’s consideration a compiled convention with bracketed options.

People with psychiatric disabilities hold one of the twelve slots. Tina Minkowitz, UN representative of the World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry, <www.wnusp.org>, provided a fact sheet of human rights violations based on psychiatric disability.

-- Sylvia Caras, PhD, Section Member