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Updated through 8 April 2008.
Here, find links to all (or at least most of) the news and press-releases posted at We Can Do since this blog began. Not sure this page is up to date? Click on News under Categories in the right-hand navigation bar for the most recent items. You may also wish to subscribe to We Can Do so you won’t miss future We Can do news items, announcements, and resources. Consult the page entitled Conferences, Events, Call for papers, Training Opportunities for relevant items there (also includes education opportunities).
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April 2008; March 2008; February 2008; January 2008; December 2007; November 2007; October 2007; September 2007
- Participants at a recent international conference released the Bonn Declaration on Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Emergency situations, which lists recommendations on how to ensure that people with disabilities are included in preparation for disaster and in emergency responses.
- The Commonwealth Disabled Peoples Forum is Founded.
- The Bangladesh Disability Forum elects a new national executive council
- Ecuador becomes the 20th nation to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; this means that the CRPD will now enter into force on May 3 (i.e., 30 days later).
- Tunisia becomes the 19th country to ratify the international disability rights treaty, known as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
- International coalition launches groundbreaking Disability Rights Fund, which will give small grants to projects in developing countries targeted at implementing and monitoring the new international disability rights treaty (Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities).
- Jordan Ratifies the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Disability advocates urge the United Nations Social Development commission to make the development (anti-poverty) agenda disability-inclusive
- The International Deaf Children’s Society has now become Deaf Child Worldwide; it continues to offer a database of project case studies, resources, and exchange of knowledge related to deaf children in developing countries.
- A new initiative in the Philippines promotes ratification of the international disability rights treaty, more officially known as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
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- Pakistan now has a new school to train people to prepare artificial limbs; people who know more about the school are welcome to comment.
- The small, Southern European country of San Marino ratifies Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Reported first at ratifynow.org.
- Blind Thai Senator will represent disability community
- New Delhi, India, is working toward becoming more accessible to people with disabilities.
- The AIR Foundation has introduced an on-line service to make the web more accessible to people with visual impairments.
- A radio program for blind listeners in India has received an award.
- The World Federation for Mental Health endorses the international disability rights treaty.
- One South African disability advocate says the law oppresses people with psychosocial disabilities.
- Guinea ratifies the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Optional Protocol; Benin and United Arab Emirates sign the treaty, all on February 8, 2008.
- Kosovan people with intellectual disabilities were recently able to vote for the first time.
- The European Union and Africa are cooperating in support of disabled people living in poverty
- The Asian Festival of Inclusive Arts is held in February in Cambodia.
- Peru has ratified both the international Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the accompanying Optional Protocol.
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- The United Nations has launched a new, monthly newsletter about disability-related activities in the various United Nations agencies. You can either read it on-line or subscribe via email for free.
- Azerbaijan and the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic have signed the international disability rights treaty but have not yet ratified it.
- Nepal has now signed the international disability rights treaty but has not yet ratified it.
- The World Bank Doing Business Project is collecting stories about successful women entrepreneurs and the barriers they have overcome. Nominations should be submitted by January 22, 2008.
- The Christian Blind Mission has announced that they will now serve people with all disabilities, not only people with vision impairments.
- People who want to help brainstorm ways to make the XO laptop more accessible to children with disabilities in developing countries can now join a free on-line email discussion group.
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- Some funding is available for projects meant to increase democratic participation in society. The deadline for the 2007 funding round has come and gone, but follow the links and review guidelines carefully to prepare early for the next funding round.
- A Disability Awareness Week website was launched in India
- A book on universal design and visitability is available for free on-line
- A United Nations sponsored meeting has made recommendations on ways to empower persons with intellectual disabilities and their families in Asia and the Pacific
- Mugiho Takeshita at the UNDP’s Crisis Prevention and Recovery was seeking information on implementing the CRPD in relation to crisis prevention and recovery for disabilities caused by violence and natural disaster.
- A Report was issued from the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters Conference that was held in Spain in July 2007.
- Mental Disabilities Rights International (MDRI) reports on human rights abuses of disabled children and adults in Serbia.
- The Commonwealth Disabled People’s Conference issued a Memorandum calling for Commonwealth countries to support the CRPD.
- A Brazilian journalist and disability advocate received the International Service Human Rights Award for her defense of the human rights of people with disabilities.
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- A child-friendly version of the international Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is now available
- The United Nations has launched a new web site focused on the international Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
- A new handbook is meant to help parliamentarians understand the international Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD); this handbook may also be a useful tool for advocates, particularly advocates who work closely with parliamentarians and other government officials.
- The Global Fund for Health Research has launched a publicatioin on research capacity for mental health in low- and middle-income countries
- In October, We Can Do reported that Gabon and India ratified, and Cambodia signed, the International CRPD (Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities).
- The World Health Organization (WHO) has initiated a project improving access to services for people with psycho-social (psychiatric) disabilities.
- An activist, Mussa Chiwaula, has been lobbying the Malawi government for disability rights.
- Read a report on the first known African deaf HIV/AIDS workshop.
- Mental Disabilities Rights International (MDRI) reports severe abuse and human rights violations of people with mental disabilities in Argentina.
- A Report was issued on a disability forum held in Pakistan.
A polio immunization drive was launched in Sudan.
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September 2007
At one point in September, the international disability community prematurely thought we might be On the Verge of Making History by ratifying the disability rights community.
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News at Your Fingertips « We Can Do
30 December 2007