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Apr. 24, 2007 It is estimated that there are 650,000,000 people in the world with disabilities. The United States enacted the Americans With Disabilities Act in 1990. Prior to that there was not consistent legal address if someone who could not walk could not get into a building or up onto the sidewalk. It was tough luck for those who could not get upstairs for a job interview. The rest of us can communicate with one another via the telephone when wanted or needed, such as to get emergency assistance. For the hearing impaired there was not TTD, the telephone communications system for the deaf. Now there is. And now the world, or at least the current 86 countries that have become signatories to the Convention, know that their government will be working to bring equal quality and accessibility to their people. Presently 95% of the world's disabled are uneducated. This will no longer be the case for many of them as their states work to bring computer and other technological educational aids to their disabled population. Many groups came to the United Nations to bring this Convention to fruition. It was the Mexican ambassador in General Assembly resolution 56/168, December 2001 that brought the document into being. The excitement is not just for the Convention;it is also for the fact that is a rights treaty; not one that calls for charity or is a further exclusionary statement. This convention is an agreement and promise to the disabled that not only are they not forgotten but they will be accorded the rights which most of the 'able' take for granted. "Countries that join in the Convention engage themselves to develop and carry out policies, laws and administrative measures for securing the rights recognized in the Convention and abolish laws, regulations, customs and practices that constitute discrimination (Article 4). As a change of perceptions is essential to improve the situation of persons with disabilities, ratifying countries are to combat stereotypes and prejudices and promote awareness of the capabilities of persons with disabilities (Article 8)." "States are to ensure equal access to primary and secondary education, vocational training, adult education and lifelong learning. ... to employ the appropriate materials, techniques and forms of communication. ... Education of persons with disabilities must foster their participation in society, their sense of dignity and self worth and the development of their personality, abilities and creativity (Article 24)." "Persons with disabilities must be able to live independently, to be included in the community, to choose where and with whom to live and to have access to in-home, residential and community support services (Article 19). Personal mobility and independence are to be fostered by facilitating ... access to mobility aids, devices, assistive technologies and live assistance (Article 20). " "They are to ensure access to justice on an equal basis with others (Article 13)." The convention is exciting to me as an individual because my disability, chronic pain, is one that is often disbelieved, by families, friends, even the medical community. A representative from the international; disability alliance and the disability caucus, in his introductory comments to the signage, said that this convention included "not just the visible but those disabilities that are invisible and not readily apparent." How astounding to me. Something that has often required those afflicted and lives brought to a halt by pain heard the clarion cry form the U.N. "You have a disability and we believe you. You have rights too as a disabled individual." Of course, chronic pain is not the only invisible disability. Others include intellectual impairment, psychiatric and physical disorders, such as asthma, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, for instance, that do not require crutches, wheelchair or prosthesis. I am a member and cofounder, with Linda Misek Falkoff, of PWPI; persons with pain International. Ms Falkoff, an attorney and disability rights activist, among many other hats she wears, is the person most responsible for bringing the issue of pain as a disability to the forefront and allowing it to be acknowledged and included in the conversation. Here in the U.S. we often have to fight to get our pain medications. The DEA considers all of us to be under suspicion when we get out narcotic medications because of the few who do try and fool their doctors. It is a sad state of affairs that a 'regular' person must wrangle with their doctors, because the DEA changed the rules. A person with pain, someone for whom it is often hard to get out and about, now has to see their doctors every 3 - 6 months to get their prescriptions in person. This change was somewhat recent, starting about 2-3 years ago. yet, most of us are not drug seekers nor do we doctor shop. Ironically those who have caused this state of affairs, the honest- to- goodness addicts and drug seekers, such as Rush Limbaugh, while making our lives harder, have gotten totally and completely away with their illegal and illicit behavior. It is my hope that the inclusion of pain as an acknowledged disability throughout the world will bring those here at home, in the DEA and other governmental offices, into league with their brethren. The slogan for many of the groups that joined forces to get pain and other disabilities under the general disability umbrella "Nothing about us without us.". This is true for the 86 countries who signed. It is true for the Convention. Jamaica ratified it. It requires 19 more countries for it to become a treaty and therefore international law. Sadly the U.S. has not signed the document as it now stands as a Convention. One can only hope the U.S. will ultimately decide to be included in the "us". But still the world has something great to celebrate. It is a terrific monument to the fact that when the peoples of the world find a need and want to do something about it they can come to the table and get it done. ------------ About the author: Ms. Levy is the author of A PAINED LIFE, a chronic pain journey. An excerpt can be found here. Email: leejcaroll@aol.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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