Council of Disabled People of Thailand (DPI-Thailand)
We established since 1982 to campaign for the better equalization and good opportunity for all persons with disabilities (PWDs). The councils of the members are from various walks of life; they are university lecturers, businessmen, school teachers, etc., representing five national associations of different disabilities.
DPI is made up of five self-help organizations: the Association of the Blind in Thailand, the Association of the Deaf in Thailand, The Association of the Physically Handicapped of Thailand, the Association for the Mentally Retarded of Thailand, and the Association of parents of children with Autism.
The current development of the national policy is addressing the rights and needs of PWDs, including children and youth with disabilties, women, to be certain of advocacy, establishment of PWD organizations throughout the country, support advocacy of parents of mentally retarded,children with autism, over the Kingdom of Thailand.
The Royal Thai government commitment to PWDs was made with the passage of the Rehabilitation Act 1991. This act enhances and protects the rights of PWDs in some areas and for identification of criteria institutes a registration process, and provides access to education and rehabilitation, meaning to receive basic education, occupational education, higher education in accordance with the national education plan.
The Thai disabled right was confirmed in the new constitution of 1997 and extended in the Education Act of 1999.
Looking back, the advocacy campaign started in 1982, after UN Declaration of the International Year of the Disabled. The campaign demanded all PWDs must be entitled to attend school, job training, employment, medical rehabilitation, including necessary accommodation.
Law and policy certainly look promising but for the action we still need to encourage the government sector to implement agenda for action in accordance with the Asia and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons 1993 - 2002 and the BIWACO Millenium Framework for Action, the Asia and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons 2003 - 2012 and UNESCO Guidelines on Education.
We have various plans related to human capacity building, social and economic participation or in accordance with the law and government policy, in four major areas:
1. Law and policy development, improving the existing laws, more than 50 of them being obstacles for the employment opportunity, including education law for the disabled, like an Anti-Discrimination Law, and improving the Disabled Act of 1991.
2. Political participation and political reform.
3. Education and rehabilitation organization-building.
4. Employment.
We aim at modernizing the lives of Thai persons with disabilities, and we commit ourselves to join international efforts for PWDs to exchange information, experience and ideas, to work in the challenging globalized world. We therefore seek your cooperation heading for the goal of a bright future of PWDs in Thailand, Asia and the Pacific Region and all over the world. We would appreciate to have your thoughts on on this draft idea.
With my sincere regards,
Prof. Wiriya Ngarmsiripongpun
Chairperson DPI
wiriya_nam@hotmail.com
