Campaigning for change
Some of the barriers faced by disabled people are:
Institutional
Schools not admitting disabled children; banks not accepting disabled customers; employers not hiring disabled applicants.
Environmental
A building has steps but no ramp; public transport is inaccessible; lack of information available in Braille, audio and Sign language.
Attitudinal
The negative way others perceive disabled people.
Legal
Where legislation does not recognise that disabled people have exactly the same rights as non-disabled people, i.e. disablism.
A term generally used for breaking down these barriers is ‘influence and advocacy’, in other words to work to bring about positive change. Within ADD this happens on two levels, internationally in the countries where ADD supports disabled people’s organisations to advocate and influence policy and in the UK where we influence policy. ADD’s support of advocacy work mainly happens at country program level.
For example:
In Cambodia small self-help groups of disabled people successfully lobbied their village councils to change a ruling that prohibited disabled people from standing for election as village chief.
In India ADD supported disabled people’s organisations as they successfully lobbied for disabled children’s admission into mainstream schools.
Subsidised fares, reservation of bus seats and identity cards were provided following a countrywide campaign for accessible transport in Bangladesh.
Successful campaigns in Zimbabwe and Mali resulted in many public buildings being made physically accessible.
In Ghana a daily-televised news summary was introduced with Sign language interpretation, while in Tanzania disability awareness issues were given a 30-minute slot on two TV channels.
In Bangladesh, five disabled people took part in a ten-day, 125 mile wheelchair-march to lobby the government successfully for a disability act. Disabled people also formed a human chain in front of the National Press Club to demand that ten parliamentary seats be reserved for disabled people.
Disabled people campaign hard for their rightful place in government and for a chance to influence policy and as a result Mali has recruited 25 disabled people into the civil service and in Bangladesh 80 disabled people stood as candidates in local elections.
Our extensive work in Ghana, Bangladesh and Zambia with election monitors and the introduction of the tactile ballot guide for blind and visually impaired voters.