Governance and Legislation briefly
(based on reports included in recent issues of the Disability Awareness in Action's Disability Tribune)
The Antigua & Barbuda Association of Persons with Disabilities has been working on a Draft National Policy on Disability for Antigua and Barbuda , identifying a number of areas for discussion related to the Antigua and Barbuda Constitution including the inaccessible format and language of the current Constitution, physical access, equal participation by disabled people in national life, and the inclusion of disability as grounds for protection from discrimination. The document has been presented to the Constitutional Review Commission but may take five years to fully implement, so the ABAPD has decided to work on a Disability Act, which would take less time to implement and would be more effective in the long run. A copy of the Draft National Policy on Disability in its entirety is available on the ABAPD website at http://www.abapd.org. To read the original report in the Disability Tribune, please visit http://www.daa.org.uk/e_tribune/e_2003_09.htm#7.
Sri Lanka made progress towards protecting the rights of disabled people when its Parliament passed the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Amendment) Bill
The Bill seeks to regulate the provision of better access to public buildings and common services, and those participating in discussions agreed that the Bill should ensure equal rights to disabled people and better support for educational and employment opportunities. To read the original report in the Disability Tribune, please visit http://www.daa.org.uk/e_tribune/e_2003_09.htm#4.
The National Family Secretariat of El Salvador recently presented the Technical Norms for Urban Accessibility, Architecture, Transportation, and Communications, an accessibility project for urban areas. The Technical Norms for Urban Accessibility, Architecture, Transportation, and Communications includes directives to improve access to public transportation, parks, buildings, pavements and communication, and if approved by the legislature, will benefit thousands of persons with disabilities living in El Salvador. To read the original report in the Disability Tribune, please visit http://www.daa.org.uk/e_tribune/e_2003_10_and_11.htm#8.
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