Disability is not Inability

::DISABILITY MANIFESTO 2007 TO BE LAUNCHED OCTOBER 18TH 2007:

After a Disability community workshop on the disability and electoral process recommended the development of a Disability Manifesto. A Taskforce was selected with coordination of the UNDP come up with the Disability Manifesto to facilitate engagement of the political process in the coming general elections and the five year period to 2012.

The document which comes at a crucial time in which the disability community is at crossroads both in terms of participation in the national development and the need to present specific strategies to effect this. It comes with a background in which quite lot has been done but remains on paper.

The Disability ACT 2003 was enacted as law over four years ago, yet the implementation has been lacking if not outright forgotten. This is despite the increase in population of people with disabilities.

The disability community through a workshop held at a Nairobi facility selected the Taskforce of 13 person representing various groups in the community. This included the four main disabilities: Deafness, Blind, Intellectual Disabilities and Physical Disabilities. The organisations were also selected to represent various age groups and gender including organisations with cross disabilities and those with representing women.

They edited the draft Manifesto with the guide of a UNDP hired consultant.

The final document put together efforts that has been seen in the disability community within the last few years, both locally and internationally. These included the African Decade for persons with disabilities and the International Convention of person with disabilities.

DISABILITYKENYA