Disability is not Inability

:: Are there any benefits to political participation by disabled people?

An international, just released study of twenty leaders in a dozen countries has examined the impact on social policies and programs of having people with disabilities (PWDs) in high positions of governance.

Change from within: international overview of the impact of disabled politicians and disability policy bodies on governance concludes that having disabled individuals in positions of governance is clearly having impact.

Disabled people in government positions report that legislation and programmatic improvements have aided the situation of PWDs in their respective countries.

Moreover, though perhaps less quantifiable, they also list heightened awareness and increased understanding of disability issues among their non-disabled colleagues as another positive impact.

Many report that their non-disabled peers have begun to consider all issues through a new “disability lens” and as a result, they have developed new allies in the fight for equal access and inclusion.

Finally and perhaps most importantly, they see themselves as role models who could serve to inspire new generations of more individuals with disabilities to enter public service.

The study in which I was part of the authors was undertaken on behalf of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) of the United States Department of Education and is part of the just ended five year international Disability Exchanges and Studies (IDEAS) project conducted by the World Institute on Disability in collaboration with Rehabilitation International (RI).

The writer, a sociologist has a physical disability and is currently the international Advisor Disability-Rights & Advocacy for UNDP in Afghanistan.

:: Seek ye the political kingdom first and all else will follow”

:: PWDs need to understand politics.

:: Politics

:: Disabled people themselves should have the interest and passion to want to aspire for politics

:: What needs to be done for “Seek ye the political kingdom first and all else will follow”.

:: Are there any benefits to political participation by disabled people?

By Phitalis Were Masakhwe (mphitalis@yahoo.com, phitalis.masakhwe@undp.org), International Advisor Disability - Rights and Advocacy UNDP/NPAD