International

  • Petition supporting EC proposal for new anti-discrimination directive

    • A petition has been started to support the proposal for a comprehensive new directive, extending protection against discrimination in the provision of goods and services to cover all areas presently excluded, including disability, age, sexual orientation and religion. Click the link to put your name down and show your support.

        http://www.signtostopdiscrimination.org/
  • Call for End to Leprosy Stigma
    • Nine NGOs have urged the global community to halt discrimination against people affected by leprosy and demanded the restoration of their basic human rights. The NGOs were supporting the third Global Appeal to End Stigma and Discrimination against People Affected by Leprosy, launched on 28 January at the Royal Society of Medicine in London. Although leprosy is entirely curable, millions of people around the world are subjected to discrimination and social exclusion because they, or members of their families, have had the disease; their opportunities for education, employment and marriage are severely curtailed. The word ‘leper’ is still widely used as a derogatory term to describe a tainted person or an outcast from society. The NGOs supporting the Global Appeal are Amnesty International, the International Commission of Jurists, Leonard Cheshire Disability, Disabled Peoples’ International, International Movement ATD Fourth World, the Women’s World Summit Foundation, HelpAge International, the International Save the Children Alliance and the World Council of Churches.
  • RNC Builds Links in China
    • The Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) attended the Fourth China Information Accessibility Conference at the invitation of the China Braille Press. The College was represented by Shirley Evans, Director of Business Enterprise and Development, who delivered a key speech on the Quality Improvement Agency (QIA) funded Beacon Projects that involve RNC. The projects aims are to support people with disabilities in the transition to employment and the use of new technologies.
  • Surcharge Cut on Canadian Airlines
    • By the end of 2008, disabled passengers flying on Canadian airlines will no longer have to pay for extra seats needed to accommodate them. The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) has ruled that Canadian scheduled carriers must offer a single fare under a "one-person, one-fare" policy. This includes the seat of a second person if he or she is a “medical attendant”. There are some limitations. Specifically, individuals who are obese and require two seats for comfortable air travel, but are not disabled, are not covered and disabled people travelling with a companion for non-medical reasons will not be granted any free seats. The CTA's ruling does not yet apply to charter carriers.
  • Progress on UN Convention

    • In launching the Annual Report of the Office for Disability Issues on 6 December, Anne McGuire, Minister for Disabled People said that she had asked officials to secure ratification by the UK of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by the end of the year.

      By 3 December 2007, International Day of Disabled Persons, 118 nations had signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In addition it had been ratified by the following 10 states – Jamaica, Hungary, Panama, Croatia, Cuba, Gabon, India, Bangladesh, South Africa and Spain.

       

  • WHO's Guide to Building Age Friendly Cities
    • The World Health Organisation has issued the first guide on age-friendly cities, which is based on consultations with older people in 33 cities in 22 countries, including Istanbul, London, Melbourne, Mexico City, Moscow, Nairobi, New Delhi, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai, and Tokyo. The guide is mainly aimed at urban planners, but older citizens can use it to monitor progress towards more age-friendly cities. At its heart is a checklist of age-friendly features. For example, public benches that are well-situated, well-maintained and safe, and public toilets that are clean, secure, accessible by people with disabilities and well-indicated. ‘Global Age Friendly Cities’ and related material can be downloaded from www.who.int/ageing/age_friendly_cities/en/index.html  
  • 26 Million Disabled Children Denied Education in Developing World
    • Disabled children make up a third of the 77 million children worldwide who are excluded from education according to a new report published by leading development agency World Vision. The report, ‘Education’s Missing Millions…’, warns the international community is failing to ensure disabled children are included in efforts to provide universal primary education to all children by 2015. World Vision and the Global Partnership for Disability and Development are urging governments to ensure quality education is accessible to the 26 million primary school aged disabled children currently out of school in developing countries. See www.worldvision.org.uk