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Implementation Measures
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III. Implementation Measures
States assume the ultimate responsibility for the collection and dissemination of
information on the living conditions of persons with disabilities and promote
comprehensive research on all aspects, including obstacles that affect the lives of
persons with disabilities.
- States should, at regular intervals, collect gender-specific statistics and other
information concerning the living conditions of persons with disabilities. Such data
collection could be conducted in conjunction with national censuses and household surveys
and could be undertaken in close collaboration, inter alia, with universities, research
institutes and organizations of persons with disabilities. The data collection should
include questions on programmes and services and their use.
- States should consider establishing a data bank on disability, which would include
statistics on available services and programmes as well as on the different groups of
persons with disabilities. They should bear in mind the need to protect individual privacy
and personal integrity.
- States should initiate and support programmes of research on social, economic and
participation issues that affect the lives of persons with disabilities and their
families. Such research should include studies on the causes, types and frequencies of
disabilities, the availability and efficacy of existing programmes and the need for
development and evaluation of services and support measures.
- States should develop and adopt terminology and criteria for the conduct of national
surveys, in cooperation with organizations of persons with disabilities.
- States should facilitate the participation of persons with disabilities in data
collection and research. To undertake such research States should particularly encourage
the recruitment of qualified persons with disabilities.
- States should support the exchange of research findings and experiences.
- States should take measures to disseminate information and knowledge on disability to
all political and administration levels within national, regional and local spheres.
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States will ensure that disability aspects are included in all relevant policy-making
and national planning.
- States should initiate and plan adequate policies for persons with disabilities at the
national level, and stimulate and support action at regional and local levels.
- States should involve organizations of persons with disabilities in all decision-making
relating to plans and programmes concerning persons with disabilities or affecting their
economic and social status.
- The needs and concerns of persons with disabilities should be incorporated into general
development plans and not be treated separately.
- The ultimate responsibility of States for the situation of persons with disabilities
does not relieve others of their responsibility. Anyone in charge of services, activities
or the provision of information in society should be encouraged to accept responsibility
for making such programmes available to persons with disabilities.
- States should facilitate the development by local communities of programmes and measures
for persons with disabilities. One way of doing this could be to develop manuals or
check-lists and provide training programmes for local staff.
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States have a responsibility to create the legal bases for measures to achieve the
objectives of full participation and equality for persons with disabilities.
- National legislation, embodying the rights and obligations of citizens, should include
the rights and obligations of persons with disabilities. States are under an obligation to
enable persons with disabilities to exercise their rights, including their human, civil
and political rights, on an equal basis with other citizens. States must ensure that
organizations of persons with disabilities are involved in the development of national
legislation concerning the rights of persons with disabilities, as well as in the ongoing
evaluation of that legislation.
- Legislative action may be needed to remove conditions that may adversely affect the
lives of persons with disabilities, including harassment and victimization. Any
discriminatory provisions against persons with disabilities must be eliminated. National
legislation should provide for appropriate sanctions in case of violations of the
principles of non-discrimination.
- National legislation concerning persons with disabilities may appear in two different
forms. The rights and obligations may be incorporated in general legislation or contained
in special legislation. Special legislation for persons with disabilities may be
established in several ways:
- By enacting separate legislation, dealing exclusively with disability matters;
- By including disability matters within legislation on particular topics;
- By mentioning persons with disabilities specifically in the texts that serve to
interpret existing legislation.
- A combination of those different approaches might be desirable. Affirmative action
provisions may also be considered.
- States may consider establishing formal statutory complaints mechanisms in order to
protect the interests of persons with disabilities.
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States have the financial responsibility for national programmes and measures to create
equal opportunities for persons with disabilities.
- States should include disability matters in the regular budgets of all national,
regional and local government bodies.
- States, non-governmental organizations and other interested bodies should interact to
determine the most effective ways of supporting projects and measures relevant to persons
with disabilities.
- States should consider the use of economic measures (loans, tax exemptions, earmarked
grants, special funds, and so on) to stimulate and support equal participation by persons
with disabilities in society.
- In many States it may be advisable to establish a disability development fund, which
could support various pilot projects and self-help programmes at the grass-roots level.
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States are responsible for the establishment and strengthening of national coordinating
committees, or similar bodies, to serve as a national focal point on disability matters.
- The national coordinating committee or similar bodies should be permanent and based on
legal as well as appropriate administrative regulation.
- A combination of representatives of private and public organizations is most likely to
achieve an intersectoral and multidisciplinary composition. Representatives could be drawn
from concerned government ministries, organizations of persons with disabilities and
non-governmental organizations.
- Organizations of persons with disabilities should have considerable influence in the
national coordinating committee in order to ensure proper feedback of their concerns.
- The national coordinating committee should be provided with sufficient autonomy and
resources to fulfil its responsibilities in relation to its decision-making capacities. It
should report to the highest governmental level.
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States should recognize the right of the organizations of persons with disabilities to
represent persons with disabilities at national, regional and local levels. States should
also recognize the advisory role of organizations of persons with disabilities in
decision-making on disability matters.
- States should encourage and support economically and in other ways the formation and
strengthening of organizations of persons with disabilities, family members and/or
advocates. States should recognize that those organizations have a role to play in the
development of disability policy.
- States should establish ongoing communication with organizations of persons with
disabilities and ensure their participation in the development of government policies.
- The role of organizations of persons with disabilities could be to identify needs and
priorities, to participate in the planning, implementation and evaluation of services and
measures concerning the lives of persons with disabilities, and to contribute to public
awareness and to advocate change.
- As instruments of self-help, organizations of persons with disabilities provide and
promote opportunities for the development of skills in various fields, mutual support
among members and information sharing.
- Organizations of persons with disabilities could perform their advisory role in many
different ways such as having permanent representation on boards of government-funded
agencies, serving on public commissions and providing expert knowledge on different
projects.
- The advisory role of organizations of persons with disabilities should be ongoing in
order to develop and deepen the exchange of views and information between the State and
the organizations.
- Organizations should be permanently represented on the national coordinating committee
or similar bodies.
- The role of local organizations of persons with disabilities should be developed and
strengthened to ensure that they influence matters at the community level.
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States are responsible for ensuring the adequate training of personnel, at all levels,
involved in the planning and provision of programmes and services concerning persons with
disabilities.
- States should ensure that all authorities providing services in the disability field
give adequate training to their personnel.
- In the training of professionals in the disability field, as well as in the provision of
information on disability in general training programmes, the principle of full
participation and equality should be appropriately reflected.
- States should develop training programmes in consultation with organizations of persons
with disabilities, and persons with disabilities should be involved as teachers,
instructors or advisers in staff training programmes.
- The training of community workers is of great strategic importance, particularly in
developing countries. It should involve persons with disabilities and include the
development of appropriate values, competence and technologies as well as skills which can
be practised by persons with disabilities, their parents, families and members of the
community.
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States are responsible for the continuous monitoring and evaluation of the
implementation of national programmes and services concerning the equalization of
opportunities for persons with disabilities.
- States should periodically and systematically evaluate national disability programmes
and disseminate both the bases and the results of the evaluations.
- States should develop and adopt terminology and criteria for the evaluation of
disability-related programmes and services.
- Such criteria and terminology should be developed in close cooperation with
organizations of persons with disabilities from the earliest conceptual and planning
stages.
- States should participate in international cooperation in order to develop common
standards for national evaluation in the disability field. States should encourage
national coordinating committees to participate also.
- The evaluation of various programmes in the disability field should be built in at the
planning stage, so that the overall efficacy in fulfilling their policy objectives can be
evaluated.
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States, both industrialized and developing, have the responsibility to cooperate in and
take measures for the improvement of the living conditions of persons with disabilities in
developing countries.
- Measures to achieve the equalization of opportunities of persons with disabilities,
including refugees with disabilities, should be integrated into general development
programmes.
- Such measures must be integrated into all forms of technical and economic cooperation,
bilateral and multilateral, governmental and non-governmental. States should bring up
disability issues in discussions on such cooperation with their counterparts.
- When planning and reviewing programmes of technical and economic cooperation, special
attention should be given to the effects of such programmes on the situation of persons
with disabilities. It is of the utmost importance that persons with disabilities and their
organizations are consulted on any development projects designed for persons with
disabilities. They should be directly involved in the development, implementation and
evaluation of such projects.
- Priority areas for technical and economic cooperation should include:
- The development of human resources through the development of skills, abilities and
potentials of persons with disabilities and the initiation of employment-generating
activities for and of persons with disabilities;
- The development and dissemination of appropriate disability-related technologies and
know-how.
- States are also encouraged to support the formation and strengthening of organizations
of persons with disabilities.
- States should take measures to improve the knowledge of disability issues among staff
involved at all levels in the administration of technical and economic cooperation
programmes.
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States will participate actively in international cooperation concerning policies for
the equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities.
- Within the United Nations, the specialized agencies and other concerned
intergovernmental organizations, States should participate in the development of
disability policy.
- Whenever appropriate, States should introduce disability aspects in general negotiations
concerning standards, information exchange, development programmes, etc.
- States should encourage and support the exchange of knowledge and experience among:
- Non-governmental organizations concerned with disability issues;
- Research institutions and individual researchers involved in disability issues;
- Representatives of field programmes and of professional groups in the disability field;
- Organizations of persons with disabilities;
- National coordinating committees.
- 4. States should ensure that the United Nations and the specialized agencies, as well as
all intergovernmental and interparliamentary bodies, at global and regional levels,
include in their work the global and regional organizations of persons with disabilities.
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