Report from Pakistan

Milestone Society for the Special Persons (R), a member of APNIL, is willing to share report of its successful project “Promoting Independent Living Amongst Persons with Disabilities,”
which was implemented with support from Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) for relief of victims of disastrous earthquake in 2005.

Promoting Independent Living Amongst Persons with Disabilities (*.doc file)

Activity Report of Capital Independent living Center (CILC) January-May 2009

Report from Pakistan

Activity Report of Capital Independent living Center (CILC)
January-May 2009,

Crisis Situation in Pakistan:
There are many aspects to the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Malakand
division in NWFP. The emergency response remains focused on bigger issues
benefiting vast majority of Persons. While the part of the basic and most
of the specific needs of vulnerable persons, persons with disabilities,
older persons, persons with Injuries and children with disability remain
unaddressed.

The focus of Capital Independent Living Center (CILC)’s future activities
now shifted to IDP’s and I urge all the Disabled Persons Organizations,
Independent Living Centers and other stakeholders to once again join
hands together to take the necessary measures to ensure full inclusion of
persons with disabilities in the mainstream services and to develop
suitable specific actions in order to respond and make their lives
Independent, either they are living in NWFP or shelters provided by Bailt
-ul- Mal and Ministry of Social Welfare.

Creating ways for IL Leaders to Act
On December, 13th in 2008, a team of CILC:
* Two Peer-Counselors,
* One Project Assistant-CILC,
* Personal Assistant
Done the first assessment of district Suhawa, and according to the need
of that area, they have started discussion with local community leaders,
families of persons with disabilities and their (Girga) representatives,
Focused point of the discussion was:
* overcome discrimination, including multiple discrimination, and
increasing integration of people with disabilities through Independent
Living * increasing their labor market participation * tackling
disadvantages in education, training and lifelong learning and poverty
throughout the equal access to education and support and enhancing
Personal Assistance to severely disabled persons * Ensuring decent housing
and improving access to quality services that are accessible and
affordable (health and care services, transport, lifelong learning, etc.)

“The great thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in what
direction we are going.”

Another assessment of Village Sawabi has been done by:
* Three representatives of Special Talent Exchange Program (STEP)
* Two Peer-Counselors with Project Assistant Capital Independent Living
Centre (CILC)

Which lies between the river Indus and river Kabul, in the North West
frontier (NWFP) of Pakistan, It is divided into two Tehsils, forty union
councils and 200 villages. The total area of Swabi is 1543 square
kilometers, out of which 78 percent is hilly and 21 percent is plain
land.

The district Swabi consists of about 1.2milion people comprising 82
percent rural area and 18 percent in urban. Among these 3.6 percent
people are disabled in which 49 percent are females and 51 percent are
males. The disabilities in the district are classified as visually,
physical, intellectual and hearing impairments.

In January, 2009, CILC have taken the initiative of establishment of
Independent Living Centre Suhawa, by formal selection of IL Leaders and
their training on introducing the concept of IL and philosophy of ILP.

CREATING LEADERS FOR THE FUTURE OF THE IL MOVEMENT
IL center commits to active advocacy for PWDs to realize society where
severely disabled persons can live comfortably based upon the belief that
such society is also comfortable to any person.

We want to introduce a movement of IL not just as a project, had long
discussions with Persons with Disabilities about the challenges they are
facing, and one of the representative of village Suhawa, raised the need
of self-advocacy, and said “We receive so many messages from the
non-disabled world that we are not wanted, that we are considered less
than human. The very physical environment tells us we do not belong. It
tells us that we are not wanted in the places that non-disabled people
spend their lives.”

On 21st February 2009, team visited Bagyal, Alipur Farassh, The third
intervention area for the establishment Independent Living Centre. Rizwan
and his sister have attended training on Independent Living in March 2008
and have conducted PC sessions and invited our team to their village to
start IL Center

APCD Mission in Pakistan,
Trainings
Sessions on Independent Living, from Jan 2009 till date CILC have
conducted several sessions: On 9th April 2009, STEP has organized
training of 60 executive members of Telenor, corporate sector, cellular
company in two slots on Disability Awareness.
* In which Abia Akram, Project Manager – CILC, conducted a session on
History and Role of Independent Living in Disability Movement, * Session
on Independent Living Program was conducted by Mr. Abdul Manan on 16th
February in Pakistan’s First Media Sensitization workshop, * One day IL
Skill training was organized for 7 persons with disabilities with keeping
in mind the concept of training is must be enabling so that people are not
just being trained to react and solve their problems but to gain insight
to their situation, anticipate and cope with difficulties, choose the best
action, and better manage their resources.

Peer-Counseling
Had organized 4 PC sessions:
The best way to protect the IL movement the team of CILC worked so hard
to create is to encourage and maintain the active participation of young
leaders with disabilities. Because currently we are not succeeded in
starting Personal Assistant Services but main contribution is Young
people from our community offer unique perspectives on the contemporary
disability experience and life in general. They can and should have a
vocal presence as consumers, volunteers, staff, and board members.
One-to-one peer counseling allows you the opportunity to work
individually with a peer counselor on your unique independent living
goals. Beyond providing concrete help, a peer counselor can assist you in
addressing personal growth needs by working with you individually on:
* Identifying your strengths
* Acknowledging limitations
* Discovering your abilities
* Adapting to new circumstances and expectations that result from a
disability; and * Gaining awareness of how societal attitudes and
stereotypes about disability affect our own self-image. * Enhance your
ability as a self-advocate.

Coordination Meeting
In most situations, local DPOs are not as visible as the large
international NGOs or UN organizations focusing on disability. To avoid
this, local organizations need to make them more visible through making
their internal coordination:
* Coordination meeting of women with disabilities on 16th April, 2009,
chaired by Ms. Abia Akram, Women Coordinator DPI Pakistan (NFWWD) *
Coordination meeting with Disabled Persons Organizations representatives,
with Directorate General of Social Welfare and Special Education on 9th
April, 2009 * Meeting with the representative of JICA on 19th March, 2009

Livelihoods
Card making training

Abia Akram,
92-321-5278021

Activity Report from Philippines

Activity Report from Philippines

Life Haven’s Activity Report
APNIL Meeting
June 17, 2009

Last April, Life Haven assisted Mr. Edwin De Villa in organizing the
first Independent Living and Peer Counseling Seminar Workshop at San
Juan, province of Batangas. The workshop is the first major activity in
the municipality to organize and mobilize persons with disabilities. The
seminar workshop provides a venue for the participants to talk about
their own life experience and to learn from their fellows as well. For
the first time, persons with disabilities in San Juan assembled together
for the purpose of organizing them into a self-help group. On the same
month, Mr. Abner Manlapaz flew to Norway to study the personal assistant
system in ULOBA. The study trip is both informative and fun as I travel
with my personal assistant to visit the peer counselors of ULOBA at
their home office. The IL center model in Norway is very much different
compared to the Japanese model. In Norway, there is only one center
(ULOBA) who provides the personal assistant services throughout the
country. ULOBA’s services, which is based on the philosophy of IL is
limited in providing assistance services to persons with disabilities.
Their cooperative cannot provide the full range of services of an IL
center because their by-laws prohibit them to do more than what is
written in the by-laws. More information will be provided after Mr.
Manlapaz finished his report. In collaboration with APCD and SCIF, we
translated the DVD video about Nakhonpathom IL Center into Tagalog
version so that Filipinos can understand the video more easily. Last May
30, 2009 Life Haven and the Association of People with Disabilities of
Santa Rosa organized the fund raising concert dubbed “Live Free” with
collaboration of the Beautiful Gate Foundation for the Disabled in
Malaysia. The Beautiful Gate Performance Art Troupe is the main
performer of the event. The concert itself was great. Unfortunately, we
fall short of the target funds to be raised. Nonetheless, the media
mileage is great by itself. Aside from promotion and plugging of the
concert by different TV and radio stations, Life Haven’s activities and
services was highlighted by a major talk show program (Mel & Joey.) The
project “Empowering Persons with Disabilities thru Community Organizing”
has started. The funds for the project came from APNIL. Life Haven
printed its brochures. We started the survey to identify persons with
disabilities in four barangays. We have identified 158 persons with
different types of disabilities. Most of the persons with disabilities
we have identified are interested to be visited by our organization. The
next step now is to visit them to formally introduce Life Haven.

Edwin De Villa’s Report
Spinal Cord Injury Foundation and Life Haven, Inc. conducted a 3 day
Independent Living and Peer Counseling Workshop at Village Plaza Hotel,
Barangay Maraykit, Municipality of San Juan, a first class municipality
located in the Province of Batangas last April 2-4, 2009 for the United
Disabled Citizens of San Juan, an organization of people with
disability. This was approved and supported by Mayor Danilo S. Mindanao
through the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office. It was
attended by 17 participants. Most of the participants are not severely
disabled but they are having their own struggles. After seeing severely
disabled people leading such an activity, most of them realized their
potentials, increased hope for a better life and learned the possibility
of severely disabled people to live in the community. The United
Disabled Citizens of San Juan intends to share the Philosophy of
Independent Living to the other people with disability in the
municipality and expand their membership.
Community Based Rehabilitation has been present in San Juan, Batangas
since 2007. Volunteer doctors and therapists from the University of the
Philippines regularly conduct activities in the area. They learned
about our activities in the area and they had a representative attend
the First day of the previous IL workshop. They have expressed their
interest in collaborating with the NGOs and the Municipal Social
Welfare and Development Office to improve the quality of life in San
Juan, Batangas.
I will be working for the Municipal Social Welfare Development Office of
San Juan, Batangas soon. Some of my objectives will be research and
proposal of programs and services for People with Disabilities. Through
the cooperation of local people with disabilities and the existing
organization, it will be an advantage to promote IL and provide the
services, though the economic status of the town may still set issues.
The Association of People with Disabilities ? Santa Rosa, An associate
organization of SCIF and Life Haven, Inc. in collaboration with
Beautiful Gate Foundation for the Disabled from Malaysia held a fund
raising and an IL awareness concert titled “Live Free” on May 30. Main
performers were from Beautiful Gate Performance Art Troupe. The
performers were great though we did not reach our expectations in terms
of audience and income. It triggered the interest of the people present
during the concert, and earned positive comments from friends and
relatives.

Report from Malaysia – Report & Activities Jan-May 2009

Report from Malaysia

Report & Activities Jan-May 2009
Society of Independent Living Selangor
Of Beautiful Gate Foundation For The Disabled

A. Activities
1. Hospital Visitation & Peer Counseling

Date Name Disabilities Caused
25/03/09 L Amputee Industrial Accident
15/04/09 S Spinal Injury Industrial Accident
13/05/09 M Spinal Injury Traffic Accident

2. Attending Meetings & Activities
19/5/09 KTM train LIFT LAUNCHING in Subang station

3. Volunteer training
April 19th telematch with disabled
May 1-3 VOLUNTEER TRAINING

4. Receive Visitor
25/2/2009 JICA

5. Organised IL Seminars and Workshops
Feb 28 invited by Welfare Department to talk on IL for staffs from CBR
centre March 30, organised IL seminar for PWDs in kuching = 22persons
April 4th, organized IL seminar for PWDs in sibu = 31 persons
August10-13th, will organised Peer Counseling workshop in Beautiful Gate
Seremban Centre, still looking for funding

B. Weekly Independent Living Program
Received Funding of RM 14,000 (382,363.06 JPY) from Welfare Department to
run IL Program. Details of Trainers: No Name Gender
Disabilities 1 Hee Yong Wah Male Quadriplegic 2 Seow
Boon Chan Male Quadriplegic 3 Yeoh Kee Soon Male
Muscular Dystrophy 4 Chan Ming Lai Male Cerebral Palsy

Details of trainees group I : Every Tuesday, 2pm-4pm
No Name Gender Disabilities
1 T.Y Male Quadriplegic
2 A.P Male Cerebral Palsy
3 L.E Female Unknown
4 L.H Female Polio
5 N.K Female Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Details of trainees group II : Every Wednesday, 10am-12pm
No Name Gender Disabilities
1 O.S Male Spinal
2 L.S Female Spinocerebellar Atrophy
3 B.P Male Spinal
4 N.K Female Spinal Muscular Atrophy
5 T.L Female Cerebral Palsy
6 P.Y Female Cerebral Palsy
7 T.N Male Cerebral Palsy

Letter from Pakistan

Letter from Pakistan

Dear Leaders of disability movement

I would like to share you a horrible situation faced by the disabled persons Pakistan. It is worse then the earth quack in Pakistan 2005. More then 3 million people from the war areas transfer to other cities of Pakistan most of them hosted by the public and there relatives. And a huge number of people are living in the camps. In the camps we found only 256 physically impaired, 13 visually impaired, 11 hearing impaired and 3 intellectual disabled persons. 3 disabled persons who had spinal cord injury died due to the lake of infections. No toilet is accessible, no priority camps set up for disabled persons.

Why?
Because of discriminations
Because no many assistive devices disabled persons have.
Because transportation is not accessible
Because disable persons are poorest of the poor
Because disabled persons are not empowered enough to love their lives and they believe that they are burden on their families.
These are the reasons we found after the survey of 283 disabled persons. We asked national and international agencies to consider disabled persons as human.

Today is the second day of our biggest achievement of Milestone history. We got opportunity to get a building of a school disabled person which was not in use. We cleaned it and make it the camp residence of Dip’s (Internally displace persons) PWDs.

Now we have 197 disabled persons and there their families. Their food is arranging by Pakistan Bait ul mall, Ministry of welfare and special education. We are going to start the counseling sessions with disabled persons and their families so when the will be back in their homes they will be strong agent of change of society. This one of the unique projects my life as well.

What we need?
We need the support from you in the shape of advices. Also we need your support to full fill this project as we no money for these activities. We are using resources from our families and friends. Also if you can put some influence to the international support agencies please ask them to consider disabled persons as well in rescue or recover process.

Thanks a lot .

For any inquiry contact me
Shafiq Ur Rehman
President
MILESTONE
479-omer block Allama Iqbal Town Lahore, Pakistan
MILESTONE H8/4 street NO 7 Next to Pakistan Bait ul Mall, Islamabad
Pakistan mirzasahab@hotmail.com

Activity report from Philippines

Spinal Cord Injury Foundation and Life Haven, Inc. conducted a 3 day Independent Living and Peer Counseling Workshop at Village Plaza Hotel, Barangay Maraykit, Municipality of San Juan, a first class municipality located in the Province of Batangas last April 2 ? 4, 2009 for the United Disabled Citizens of San Juan, an organization of people with disability. This was approved and supported by Mayor Danilo S. Mindanao through the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office.

It was attended by 17 participants. Most of the participants are not severely disabled but they are having their own struggles. After seeing severely disabled people leading such an activity, most of them realized their potentials, increased hope for a better life and learned the possibility of severely disabled people to live in the community.

The United Disabled Citizens of San Juan intends to share the Philosophy of Independent Living to the other people with disability in the municipality and expand their membership.

Activity report from Nepal

Report Activities of Attendent Services
Submitted By: Independent Living Center Kathmandu
Submitted To: APNIL

Background:
In 2005 the political situation Nepal was not favourable to work in right based movement. The whole nation was suffering by the extreme phase of arm conflict and on the other hand there was direct ruling of King. In the leadership of seven party’s alliance the people of Nepal were in the preparation of peoples’ movement to liberate the country from the cruel claws of autocracy. In this situation CIL-Kathmandu also thought to show its solidarity with the physical involvement of persons with disabilities in the movement. In the April of 2006 all Nepalese came on the road for agitation against and CIL-Kathmandu also showed its adventurous contribution in the movement on behalf of civil society by involving PWDs in the great peoples’ movement. After the success of peoples’ movement this organization was legally registered in the district administration office, Kathmandu in August 2006 along with the changing political scenario.

Introduction of the Organization:
Independent Living Center (CIL-Kathmandu) is completely non-profitable and non political self help organization entirely run by persons with disabilities. This is a non governmental organization established to work for the promotion and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities (PWDs) through the concept of independent living. The term eIndependent Livingf as defined by people with disabilities does not mean doing things for yourself, or living on your own. It means having choice and control over the assistance and/or equipment/assistive devices needed for daily life and having access to amenities that society has to offer such as housing, transport, health services, employment, as well as entertainment, education and training opportunities. Independent Living (IL) is a vision, a philosophy and a movement of persons with disabilities to promote and protect the human rights of PWDs. It interprets disability in social model and rights based approach. CIL-Kathmandu has been working basically in policy advocacy for increasing the participation of PWDs in the decision making
process, peer counseling to the disabled persons, personal assistant services (PAS), independent living program (ILP) in terms of training on daily living skills etc.

Project Attendants’ production and disability awareness programs for university students:
There was very strong and vital support of university students in IL movements of US and Japan. University students are always powerful agents to change the society. And, to include such a force in IL movements can be very rewarding and double advantages for the PWDs and PWDs movements. This concept was realized very early by CIL-Kathmandu but it did remain for a long time as unfulfilled dream. After a long time CIL-Kathmandu is proud to start this program. This dream became reality by very meaningful grant provided by APNIL. With the financial support of APNIL, CIL Kathmandu organized first terminal Attendants’ production and disability awareness programs for university students was successfully completed. The Project objectives are given below:-
1. To produced trained Attended
2. To give the direct benefit from the attendants service programs by helping them to their daily living activities and decision making process.
3. To establish the attendant’s services programs as the part of social security system of nation by which both society as well as IL centre would be benefit.
4. To aware about the disability issues in college level students so as to make the issues as concern as general public.
5. To expand IL philosophy and to intervene in its core activities differencing its vision and philosophy
than others.

Activity 1-
Orientation for the students at Patan Multiple College:
The first term of the program was conducted at Patan Multiple Campus on date 26 February, 2009. There were all about 70 students who actively take part in the programs. The resources persons from CIL-Kathmandu are Mr. Tek Bahadur Gurung, Mr. Bhoj Raj Shrestha, Krishna Cahudhary, Deepak K.C and attendant coordinator Mr. Ramesh Neupane. In the program Mr. Bhoj Raj Shrestha gave his well-come speech and share different aspects of disabilities issues like who is disabled, what is disability, different kind of disability and situation of disability in our own society. Mr. Tek Bahadur Gurung explained the purpose of the programs and explained the activities of CIL-Kathmandu and Mr. Deepak K.C explained the IL philosophy and his experiences of Japan. On the other hand Mr. Ramesh Neupane shared his own experience as attendants very skillfully-like what was his first experience by seeing the person seating in wheelchair, his gradual friendship with disabled people and what motivated him to be attendant. The program was conducted all about 2 hours and finished with tea and snacks break. Some of new things we found after the programs were;
1. So many students said that it was their first experience to have face to face interaction with disabled people.
2. The programs became very good platform to link student union body, University administration and IL that is every helpful to conduct programs in future.
3. Many students showed their keen interest to work with disability.
4. The program made easy environments to start barrier-free campaign in university compound with
help of different student union body.

Activity 2-
Interviewed of the Potential Candidates:
In the second part of the program, there were about 9 selected students out of 70 students after screening. The program was conducted on date 5th March, 2009. The resources people were Mr. Krishna Gautam, Mr. Krishna Chudhary and Ramesh Neupane.

The Following objectives were accepted from the programs:
-To give the detail information about IL philosophy and to increase their
interest about IL Concept.
- To give the orientation about IL activities and to show them the office environments.
- To make familiar about other office staffs and the official system. Mr. Gautam was main resources
person of that program. He explained IL Philosophy, IL activities, attendant’s services and the activities of IL center’s work by giving more vivid and practical examples matching to our society and culture. On the other hand Krishna Chaudhary explained the disabled movement history, the role played by disabled people in majors’ democratic movement of nation and the acceptation from young student to change the society for all. At last all the participants visited office and introduced with other office staffs of CIL-Kathmandu.

Activity 3-
Attendents Training:
27th March, 2009. The aim of the third part of program was to give the live and practical examples and experience about the attendants services. CIL-Kathmandu felt very lucky to say that we got a very good resources person from Japan, Mr. Tanaka, attendant of Partner Association of Japan during his private visit of Nepal. All the 5 attendants got a very good opportunity to learn the various skill like
?how to bedding, toileting clothing, different mobility training with wheelchair, cooking etc. During the programs Mr. Tanaka did not only teach the skill but also shared his experience of his experience in attendants service carrier, his felling and explained about different interesting event of IL movement of Japan like BUS JACK in Japanese Disability movement history. Similarly, Krishna Gautam explained about the importance of attendent services in the daily living of PWDs. The role module of the training was Mr. Dependra Shakya, persons with severe disability by Cerebral Palsy.

Activity 4-
Mobilization of the Attendants:
The final part of the program was all about to employ all the qualified and trained candidates as attendants. Now they are performing their duties as part time basics in different events. Their present
performances are good. The attendant’s services coordinating and quality maintaining committee is continuously watching their performance and trying to give them the right direction and parallel skill-up programs for consumers. Ther are 5 part time attendents are used to give direct services to the persons with severe disabilities. About 7 PWDs are getting attendents for the daily living activities such as recreation, shopping, toileting and office activities. Severe Persons with Disabilities are enjoying their daily life some how. They are raising their voice to have full time attendent services and demanding the government for fulfillment of their voice.

Conclusion:
The programs can be considered as very good and effective to realize the true aspect of IL activities. But on the other hand there are still rooms for improvement while doing the programs in University. The time factors are very important while doing the orientation programs so it is wise to find out the good time so that more students could participate. As there is still not any government system, policy or grand for the attendants services a very big challenges is just in front of CIL-Kathmandu for the sustainability of attendant’s services programs and to find the other alternative ways.

Prepared by:
CIL Kathmandu

Activity Report from Philippines, August 2008

Activity Report from Philippines, August 2008
(From Regular PCIL On-line Meeting on August 1, 2008)

PCIL Report for August
Date: August 1, 2008

Attendance:
Dr. Ike Ampo – Haci de Oro
Johnny Cacanindin – HACI Cebu
Edwin de Villa – SCIF
Mark Espesor – ADP – Iloilo
Sheryl Jane Uy – Iloilo
Virginia Montilla – Tahanan Walang Hagdanan (TWH Home without Stairs)

We had 3 new members who joined this meeting, Virginia Montilla is from TWH who joined the Advanced Philippine IL workshop, Mark Espesor, a Daskin trainee and Sheryl Jane Uy, a former military officer who got across IL in Hawaii. Most of the organizations were busy for the 30th National Disability Prevention and rehabilitation week.

Report from Haci de Oro:
We have Identified a PWD in need of a PA and the City Federation of PWDs in Cagayan de Oro submitted a Php100,000.00 budget proposal for the remaining months to be used in their trainings for IL and PA honorarium.

Report from HACI:
We will have an orientation in IL for the Association of the Deaf in Cebu on August 10, other activities are to be discussed further.

Report from TWH:
I am now preparing a proposal for an IL workshop to be conducted this coming December for the residents of TWH, and seek the support of resource persons namely Abner, Edwin, Jun and Joon. I am also looking forward into having a meeting with the Barangay Captain to have a dialogue with the owners of the apartments within the vicinity of TWH to be accessible for PWDs

Report from SCIF:
July 30, I went to the Barangay Hall and the Barangay Captain personally identified 21 PWDs in the area. We are also seeking help from the Barangay to conduct an orientation in IL and our basic rights and privileges.

Update August 20, 2008
We intended to visit one PWD, 54 years old, male. We found out that his house is not accessible for us at the moment since road improvements are on going near of his place. We will have to pass a single plank about 12 inches wide and 2 meters long and it was raining. Though I was able to talk to his wife, he can still walk with an assistive device for short distances.

I also found out that majority on the list given by the Barangay Captain are also senior citizens, but we are starting to reach out to the younger ones.

The proposal I sent (please see attachment) to the Barangay will be approved if the majority of the PWDs within the community are interested.

Activity Report from Japan

Activity Report from Japan

Lawsuit against a reduction of service hours in transition from System to Provide Supportive Costs to Law to Support Independence of the Disabled

1. Case in Ota-ku in Tokyo
Mr. M of Ota-ku in Tokyo had received 124 hours of weekly public support on personal assistance service under the System to Provide Supportive Costs (Shien hi seido). In transition to Law to Support Independence of the Disabled (Jiritsu shien ho), however, Ota-ku public office reduced its support for personal assistance service for outing to 42 hours per week despite there was no difference in his physical condition. Court pointed out unfairness regarding to this reduction, and Mr. M substantially gained a case. Then, public support for PA service for Mr. M, even though it was not enough, recovered to 90 hours per month.

2. Case in F city in Iwate prefecture
Ms. A has disability from cerebral palsy and cannot use her both hands. She had received public support from F city office for 165-hour personal assistance service per month. F city office, however, suddenly noticed her reduction of support as excess to standard hours.
Ms. A with her lawyer sued the city office and one year and half later won recovery of public support to previous level. After the loss to this case, F city office stopped sending notification of reduction of support to other service users.

Both cases imply that we can basically win lawsuit for recovery of public support to the level to which determined before the establishment of the System to Provide Supportive Costs. We also learnt that team action is very important in lawsuit. Excellent lawyers gathered information and prepared difficult texts for legal action. Many members of independent living centers and other PWD organizations supported the cases in fund-raise and participated into courtroom as audience to gain impression from judge.
We can assume that winning case in Ota-ku also influenced following cases in F city and others. Several city offices now make decision on amount of support with respect for PWDs’ needs on personal assistance service to avoid the risk of losing lawsuit.

Shoji Nakanishi
Human Care Association

Milestone national network of DPOs has achieved a big target

News from Pakistan

Dear Leaders of disability movement,

Milestone national network of DPOs has achieved a big target.
1- Disabled persons of Pakistan can get 1000Rs every month directly from the provincial government.
2- Severe disabled persons can get 2000Rs as BENAZIR SOCIAL SECUTRITY FUND FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING, So its mean that now the severe disabled persons could use Personal attendant services.
3- Disabled persons of Pakistan can get their own wheelchair due to their requirement of disability from government (first 120 wheelchairs already distributed on 14th August by the Zumard Khan Sahab and Dr. Israr Shah Sahab with collaboration of Milestone. Hearing Aid also available free of coast by the federal Government. 500 white can also distributed on 14th August. All assistive devices are by the Pakistan Bait ul Mall and the federal government. For devices you can send the application in milestone office or in Pakistan Bait ul Mall. An application with the copy of Nation ID card.
4- If a family have 2 or more the 2 disabled persons in a same family that family will declared a special respected family and will supported by the government.

Dear friend we did this and implementation is also started and if you will not take responsibility to make it social movement it will be fail. Share this information with your colleague organizations and members with disabilities.

Lot of Love
Shafiq Ur Rehman
President
MILESTONE
479-omer block Allama Iqbal Town Lahore, Pakistan
MILESTONE H8/4 street NO 7 Next to Pakistan Bait ul Mall, Islamabad Pakistan