People with Disabilities and Social Opportunity

　　 The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is the first international convention pact?of human rights that the United Nations (UN) has declared as a security for the rights, freedom, and human dignity for persons with disabilities equally to people in general. This supports 650 millions of the handicapped worldwide for their rights and freedom in doing things without discriminations. Thailand has pledged the allegiance to join the convention on 29th July 2008. This is effective for Thailand to follow the covenants of the convention on the rights of the persons with disabilities which have the material theme to be a tool for driving society to realize the importance of supports for the protection and　promotion　of human　rights of the persons with disabilities by emphasizing the deletion of their external obstacles and correction of social disadvantages. There are 2 areas below.
　　　　　　　　　　 1) Social development is the determination of measures aiming to improve services in various areas to allow the handicapped to render for the rights and benefits equally to public.

　　　　　　　　　　 2) Protection of human rights and basic freedoms of the persons with disabilities including elimination of discriminations and building all dimensions of equality. (Non-Discrimination and Equality)　
　　　　　　　　　　　 In addition, the convention mentions the principles of accessibility to public infrastructures and surroundings which consist of the following aspects.
　　　　　　　　　　 1. Adjustment of physical surroundings, premises, transportation, information technology and communications and services for the handicapped to gain access to these services equally to people in general with the universal design for all groups of population such as the design of restrooms for all groups of public including the wheeled-chair handicapped and the design of electronic information in the form that everyone can share and make use of it and so on.

　　　　　　　　　　 2. Provision of assistive technology for each group of persons with disabilities like hearing aids for the deaf, monitor-reading program for the blind or simple signs, etc

　　　　　　　　　　 3. Reasonable Accommodation to reduce disadvantages of each group of the handicapped, for example, hand language interpreter for the deaf, assistant for special-needed handicapped who cannot respond to normal means including accessibility to judiciary process and so on.

The rights of the handicapped according to the convention are as follows:　
　　　　　　　　　　 - Equality and Non-discriminations　
　　　　　　　　　　 - Liberal rights and individual security　
　　　　　　　　　　 - Rights of legal acceptability based on equality　
　　　　　　　　　　 - Freedom from Torture　
　　　　　　　　　　 - Freedom from Exploitations, Violence and Abuses　
　　　　　　　　　　 - Rights to Respect for both Mental and Physical Integrities　
　　　　　　　　　　 - Freedoms for Resettlement and Holding Nationality　
　　　　　　　　　　 - Rights to Live in Community　
　　　　　　　　　　 - Freedoms of Speech and Expressions　
　　　　　　　　　　 - Respect for Privacy　
　　　　　　　　　　 - Respect for Family Building and Family Unit　
　　　　　　　　　　 - Rights for Health　
　　　　　　　　　　 - Rights for Education　
　　　　　　　　　　 - Rights for Employment　
　　　　　　　　　　 - Rights for Standard of Living　Sufficiency
　　　　　　　　　　 - Rights for Political Participation and Public Affairs
　　　　　　　　　　 - Rights for Participations in Culture, Recreation, Sport and Leisure’s Activities

　　　　　　　　　Mr. Montien Buntan, a senator, a representative of the handicapped said “if Thailand strictly follows this convention, public will change their attitude towards the handicapped. Other people may take them for granted as a personal issue and destiny. They can live with sympathy and empathy. That is, a right-based society is ready for them to gain benefits according to the rights and freedom of actions without discriminations.”

　　　　　　　　　 Besides, there are amendments of laws to be in compliance with the convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) such as the constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand B.E. 2550, the Act of life Empowerment for the Handicapped B.E. 2550, the Act of National Health B.E. 2550, the Act of Education Allocation for the Handicapped B.E. 2551 and other 20 related laws which constitute the security of human rights and basic freedom of the handicapped in Thai laws.

　　　　　　　　　　“People with disabilities”　means individuals with limitations of performing daily activities or social participation thanks to the visual, hearing, motive, mental, emotional, behavioral, cognitive and learning inabilities or other defections together with obstacles and special needs for support in any aspect of life in order for them to spend their daily life or social participation as public do.

　　　　　　　　　 According to the ministerial orders of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security relating to types and criteria of handicapped B.E. 2552, 6 groups of disabilities are classified as follows.
　　　　　　　　　 - Visual disabilities
　　　　　　　　　 - Hearing or communicating disabilities　
　　　　　　　　　 - Motion or physical disabilities　
　　　　　　　　　 - Mental or behavioral or autistic disabilities　
　　　　　　　　　 - Cognitive disabilities　
　　　　　　　　　 - Learning disabilities

　　　　　　　　The Act of Life Empowerment for the Handicapped B.E. 2550 puts the emphasis on improving more appropriate methods of life empowerment for them and determines the covenants for benefits and protection of the handicapped to avoid unjust discriminations arising from physical or health deformities including the accessibility to public infrastructures and official support as well as welfare for their better off and self-sustainability.

Support the handicapped to be able to spend their life with freedom, humane dignity and equality as people in general as well as effectively and fully have social participation under the accessibilities and benefits eligible for them.
Impose tax reduction for the handicapped and their assistants and private sectors that provide benefits, welfare and empowerment fund for the handicapped.

The United Nations declared the 3rd of December every year to be the International Day persons with disabilities to emphasize the importance of them and to commemorate the anniversary of the UN resolution of the World Programme of Action concerning people with disabilities as well as to allow the member countries to collaborate with the organizations of activities to promote social understanding and acceptance for people with disabilities to join the activities.

…At the end of all existing opportunities lies the feasible outcomes and social equality. The wide, thorough and rigorous law enforcement is one of the tools. However, the more important thing is somehow the open-mindedness of people in society…

References

Development of Thai Disabled, Foundation. Rights according to Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. [Online] 2551; Available from URL:http://www.tddf.or.th/tddf/newsroom

Montien Buntan. Special Speech on What do Thai Disabled get from CRPD? Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. [Kom Chad Luek Online] 3 December 2008

Royal gazette. Announcement of Ministry of Social Development and Human Security on Types and Criteria for Disabilities. 2007; 126(77Ngor): 2

Royal gazette. Act of Life Empowerment for the Handicapped B.E. 2550. ; 124(61Gor): 8

Sirichai Subsiri. International Association of Persons with Motion Disabilities. Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities. [Online] 2008; Available from URL:　http://www.waddeeja.com