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Reminder We invite submissions and more photos for our next issue of Disability International on the theme Indigenous Peoples with disabilities. If you attended the World Assembly, describe your experiences networking with other Indigenous groups. If not, then we still want your stories, your thoughts and ideas. Please mail contributions by 1 November 2007 to Dr. Cassandra Phillips at info@dpi.org. Invitation for Participation from the UN A link is provided below to the keynote address by Ms. Kyung-wha-Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN. In this address, she provides concrete examples of how groups of persons with disabilities can get involved in decision-making processes at the UN, including the Human Rights Council, Treaty monitoring bodies such as the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and other country monitoring bodies. The active representation of persons with disabilities on these committees is essential not only to making sure our voices are heard, but also to our future as equal members of society. Read document at http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/disability/index.htm Human Rights The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) is launching a second round of public consultations on the establishment of the Fundamental Rights Platform. Interested civil society organisations that did not taken part in the first round are invited to provide feedback by filling in a questionnaire and returning it to civil-society@fra.europa.eu. Responses, which can be filled out in English, German or French, are due by 3 November 2007. More information at http://fra.europa.eu/fra/index.php Persons with Disabilities Response to EU and AU Joint Strategy The European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU) have in the past years strengthened their relations and participated in a structured dialogue since the first EU-African Summit in Cairo in 2000. Africa is a priority of the European Union as stated in the EU strategy for Africa adopted in December 2005 by the European Council and now both continents are heading towards a second EU-Africa Summit that should take place in Lisbon at the end of 2007. The European Union and the African Union have thus decided to further strengthen the ties linking both continents by developing a co-owned Joint Strategy to reflect the needs and aspirations of the peoples of Africa and Europe. http://europafrica.org/2007/01/01/about-the-eu-africa-consultation-web-site/ For the response from persons with disabilities affiliated to the Secretariat of the African Decade of Persons with Disabilities please go to http://www.africandecade.org/document-repository/Letterto%20AU%20chair.pdf Discrimination and Physical Access for Persons with Disabilities and the Law In Malta in early October 2007, the Appeals Court overturned a judgement that found Michele Peresso Ltd guilty of discrimination against persons with a disability with regard to access to Europharma, which forms part of the Eurosport complex in Psaila Street, Birkirkara.
Referencing Malta’s Equal Opportunities Act, the First Hall 2005 sentence found in favour of the National Commission of Persons with Disabilities’ claim that access to the Medical Centre frequented by persons with disabilities was discriminatory. It was proved that an access ramp was too steep and that an alternative entrance, which was through a garage on the side of the building, was also discriminatory. A spokesperson for Michele Peresso said that “it was the court case that was discriminatory, since there must be thousands of inaccessible public places in Malta, so why was the company being targeted?” Joseph M. Camilleri, Chair, National Commission of Persons with Disability is seeking feedback from lawyers or Commissions on similar cases around the world. Full report available at http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=58186 Mr. Camilleri can be reached at Phone: (+00356) 2148-7789
TT: (+00356) 2144-6536Fax: (+00356) 2148-4609 Email: jmcamilleri@knpd.org Website: http://www.knpd.org/ Conferences and Training Seminars The Canadian Disabilities Studies Association invites Abstracts for its Annual Conference titled, “Thinking beyond Borders; Global Ideas: Global Values” to be held in Vancouver, Canada 4-5 June 2008. Deadline for submissions is 22 November 2007. There are no travel bursaries. For more information please go to http://www.cdsa-acei.ca/francaise.html or http://www.cdsa-acei.ca/english.html The Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC), Scotland, is putting together a series of workshops for managers and other interested parties on dementia. For more information on the workshops and to find out about Dementia Studies graduate programs, please go to |
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