Colombia: Development of Disability Public Policy
By Hernando Ayala Melgarejo (disnetco@yahoo.com)
The Colombian Disability Policy has been discussed during the previous 20 months within a structural framework provided by the National Groups of Inter-Area Linkage, formed by representatives from government institutions and members of national non-governmental organizations of and for people with disabilities. The disability policy considerations can be broken down into five components: prevention, rehabilitation/habilitation, education, employment and societal integration, and accessibility to the physical environment, transport, information, sports and culture.
At the same time, the group coordinators form the National Technical Committee where all topics are discussed and where a work style that includes all sectors has been set up and is being coordinated by the President's Council for Social Policy in a joint effort with the Technical Secretariat from the Advisory Committee chaired by the Ministry of Health.
Under development is a " Sustainable Social Development Policy to Address the At Risk Groups with an Emphasis on the Population with Disabilities." This project was developed during January and February 2001, led by the Presidential Counsel for Social Policy.
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