PERSON WITH DISABILITIES (PWD RIGHTS)

Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, and developmental or some combination of these. A disability may be present from birth, or occur during a person's lifetime.

The WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION also defines disability as:

an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. Impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations. Thus disability is a complex phenomenon, reflecting an interaction between features of a persons body and features of the society in which he or she lives. It means that disability is not just a health problem. It is a complex phenomenon, reflecting the interaction between features of a persons body and features of the society in which he or she lives. Overcoming the difficulties faced by people with disabilities requires interventions to remove environmental and social barriers. People with disabilities have the same health needs as non-disabled people for immunization, cancer screening etc. They also may experience a narrower margin of health, both because of poverty and social exclusion, and also because they may be vulnerable to secondary conditions, such as pressure sores or urinary tract infections. Evidence suggests that people with disabilities face barriers in accessing the health and rehabilitation services they need in many settings.

Types of Disabilities
Types of disabilities include various physical and mental impairments that can hamper or reduce a person's ability to carry out his day to day activities. These impairments can be termed as disability of the person to do his or her day to day activities. These impairments can be termed as disability of the person to do his day to day activities as previously. "Disability" can be broken down into a number of broad subcategories, which include the following: a) Mobility and Physical Impairments This category of disability includes people with varying types of physical disabilities including:
Upper limb(s) disability. Lower limb(s) disability Manual dexterity. Disability in co-ordination with different organs of the body.

Disability in mobility can be either an in-born or acquired with age problem. It could also be the effect of a disease. People who have a broken bone also fall into this category of disability.

b) Spinal Cord Disability: Spinal cord injury (SCI) can sometimes lead to lifelong disabilities. This kind of injury mostly occurs due to severe accidents. The injury can be either complete or incomplete. In an incomplete injury, the messages conveyed by the spinal cord are not completely lost. Whereas a complete injury results in a total malfunctioning of the sensory organs. In some cases spinal cord disability can be a birth defect.

c) Head Injuries - Brain Disability A disability in the brain occurs due to a brain injury. The magnitude of the brain injury can range from mild, moderate and severe. There are two types of brain injuries: Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) ABI is not a hereditary type defect but is the degeneration that occurs after birth. The causes of such cases of injury are many and are mainly because of external forces applied to the body parts. TBI results in emotional malfunctioning and behavioral disturbance.

d) Vision Disability There are hundreds of thousands of people that suffer from minor to various serious vision disability or impairments. These injuries can also result into some serious problems or diseases like blindness and ocular trauma, to name a few. Some of the common vision impairment includes scratched cornea, scratches on the sclera, diabetes related eye conditions, dry eyes and corneal graft.

e) Hearing Disability Hearing disabilities includes people that are completely or partially deaf, (Deaf is the politically correct term for a person with hearing impairment). People who are partially deaf can often use hearing aids to assist their hearing. Deafness can be evident at birth or occur later in life from several biologic causes, for example Meningitis can damage the auditory nerve or the cochlea. Deaf people use sign language as a means of communication. Hundreds of sign languages are in use around the world. In linguistic terms, sign languages are as rich and complex as any oral language, despite the common misconception that they are not "real languages".

f) Cognitive or Learning Disabilities Cognitive Disabilities are kind of impairment present in people who are suffering from dyslexia and various other learning difficulties and includes speech disorders.

g) Psychological Disorders Affective Disorders: Disorders of mood or feeling states either short or long term. Mental Health Impairment is the term used to describe people who have experienced psychiatric problems or illness such as: Personality Disorders - Defined as deeply inadequate patterns of behavior and thought of sufficient severity to cause significant impairment to day-to-day activities. Schizophrenia: A mental disorder characterized by disturbances of thinking, mood, and behavior.

h) Invisible Disabilities Invisible Disabilities are disabilities that are not immediately apparent to others. It is estimated that 10% of people in the U.S. have a medical condition considered a type of invisible disability.

First Person Language

The correct way of addressing people with disabilities:

Instead of:
He's ADHD. He's a Down's kid. She's LD. A disabled program is in that building.

Use Statements Like These: John has ADHD. David has Down's syndrome. Susan is a child with a learning disability. That building houses a program for people who have disabilities.

And "Ray Charles was a blind musician" minimizes his accomplishments, and frames them as occurring in spite of his disability. "Ray Charles was a world-renowned musician who was blind" is a recognition of his individuality and talent, above the disability which he lived with. "Helen Keller was deaf and blind" defines her solely in terms of her disability, and entirely ignores her career as a human rights activist and writer. "Helen Keller was the author of 12 books, and was the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree" identifies her as a person who was intelligent and motivated, regardless of her sensory disabilities. "Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a disabled politician" seems an almost absurd description of a man who became one of the most respected Presidents of the United States. His accomplishments are so well known and regarded that they eclipse the fact that he spent much of his life in a wheelchair as a result of a battle with polio

Person with Disabilities in the Philippines

The Philippines has 942,098 persons with disabilities--473,332 of these were women and 468,766 were men. But these figures were based on a population count more than a decade before. They were cited by administrator Carmelita Ericta of the National Statistics Office during the 5th Annual Meeting of the Washington Group on Disability Statistics. Half of the PWDs in the Philippines are old people (60 years and over). The other half are below 49 years old. This could only mean that one in 20 households in the Philippines has at least one member with disability. Majority of them, however, remain confident that they could still work. In fact, one in three PWDs actually heads a household. Literacy rate among male PWDs was 70% and female PWDs 69%. Proportion of Persons with Disability to the Household Population (in percent) 1.57 1.41 1.63 1.64 1.72 1.38 1.53 1.85 1.85 1.95 1.60 1.75 1.35 1.56 1.60 1.43 1.07

Region

Household Population (in 1,000) 92,098 11,797 1,612 4,743 3,226 10,118 12,583 2,732 5,412 7,090 6,785 4,090 3,398 4,285 4,453 4,103 3,249

Household Population with Disability (in 1, 000) 1,443 167 26 78 56 139 193 50 100 138 109 72 46 67 71 59 35

Philippines National Capital Region (NCR) Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) Region I - Ilocos Region II - Cagayan Valley Region III - Central Luzon Region IV-A - CALABARZON Region IV-B - MIMAROPA Region V - Bicol Region VI - Western Visayas Region VII - Central Visayas Region VIII - Eastern Visayas Region IX - Zamaboanga Peninsula Region X - Northern Mindanao Region XI - Davao Region XII - SOCCSKSARGEN Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Region XIII - Caraga

There were more males than females among persons with disability

Of the total PWD in 2010, males accounted for 50.9 percent while females comprised 49.1 percent. These figures resulted in a sex ratio of 104 males with disability for every 100 females with disability. Males with disability outnumbered females in the age groups 0 to 64 years. The largest excess in the number of males was in the age group 0 to 14 years with a sex ratio of 121 males per 100 females. On the other hand, there were more females with disability than males in the age group 65 years and over. This is because of the higher survival rate of women than men. In this age group, there were 70 males with disability per 100 females.
Persons with Disability (in 1, 000) by Sex Total 1,443 272 578 274 319 Male 734 149 312 141 132 Female 709 123 266 133 187

Age Group All Ages 0 -14 15 - 49 50 - 64 65 years and over

Sex Ratio 104 121 117 106

Problems Encounter by PWDs

Adjust and Adapt Adapt and adjust becomes the mantra of a person living with a disability. People with disabilities may be forced to change careers or not work at all. They may be forced to relinquish some of their independence. There are experiences some able-bodied people may take for granted which people with disabilities must forgo. Disabled people may miss out on:

the joy of rough-housing with children playing competitive sports traveling long road-trips

Subtle Realities vs. Harsh Realities

What can be more frustrating than harsh realities are subtle realities for people with disabilities? Living with disability is difficult but can sting even more when people encountered are:

impatient rude insensitive inconsiderate unhelpful

People greatly affecting the disabled:

Impatient people try to rush people with disabilities through life. Inconsiderate people can be found using handicapped bathroom stalls and handicapped parking spots, facilities specifically designated for people with disabilities. Inconsiderate people do not hold doors open, a simple action that can make things much easier for a disabled person. Rude and insensitive people are often found staring at people with disabilities. They seem to not like what they see, or imagine themselves in the role of the disabled person. It creates an uncomfortable situation unless you ignore the person who is staring. Demanding people and those who lack understanding about the realities of your disability can also be provoking.

Laws Protecting the PWDs in the Philippines

The laws and executive orders are as follows:

RA 7277 Magna Carta for Disabled Persons

An act providing for the rehabilitation, self-development and self-reliance of disabled persons and their integration into the mainstream of society and for other purposes Rights and privileges of disabled persons: Equal opportunity for employment Access to quality education National Health Program Auxiliary Social Services Telecommunications Accessibility ( barrier-free environment) Political and civil rights

BP 344 Accessibility Law

An Act to Enhance the Mobility of Disabled Persons by Requiring Certain Building, Institution, Establishments, and Other Public Utilities to Install Facilities and Other Devices.

SCOPE: Public and private buildings and related structures for public use and which shall be constructed, repaired or renovated. Streets and highways and public utilities Streets and highways Public transport vehicles Public telephones Public transport terminals including those of LRTA

EO 240 Declaring the Period from Year 2003 to 2012 as the Philippine Decade of Persons with Disabilities
Non-government organizations and self-help groups among persons with disabilities, as well as other organizations are hereby enjoined to take full cognizance of the National Plan of Action for the Decade of PWDs and to fully cooperate in the attainment of its goals and activities by gearing their policies and aligning their programs to said National Plan

EO 417 Directing the Implementation of the Economic Independence for PWDs (Series of 2005)
All national government agencies including government owned and controlled corporations are enjoined to support and cooperate in the implementation of the Economic Independence Program for PWDs DSWD shall develop and implement the national social preparation program that will deal on moral values and work ethics of entrepreneurs with disabilities DepEd/CHED/TESDA shall continually develop a system of equivalency to ensure PWDs access to employment and entrepreneurship CDA shall develop and implement programs to promote coop organizing and development among PWDs

Joint DBM-DSWD Circular No. 2003-01

Implementing guidelines for Section 29 of the General Appropriations Act for FY 2003 Entitled Setting Aside 1% of Government Agency Budget for Programs/ Projects Related to Senior Citizens and the Disabled.
IEC campaign/advocacy

Human Resource Development and Capability Building Provision of Employment Opportunities Protection and Safety Program Group Home/Foster Home Policy Development/Legislations Researches Other Programs/Projects/Activities/Services related to their respective mandates.

Magna Carta Laws for the Disabled Persons

Below are 5 Sections of RA 7277 on which in my opinion are always violated:

SECTION 5. Equal Opportunity for Employment No disabled persons shall be denied access to opportunities for suitable employment. A qualified disabled employee shall be subject to the same terms and conditions of employment and the same compensation, privileges, benefits, fringe benefits, incentives or allowances as a qualified able-bodied person. Five percent (5%) of all casual, emergency and contractual positions in the Department of Social Welfare and Development; Health; Education, Culture and Sports; and other government agencies, offices or corporations engaged in social development shall be reserved for disabled persons.
SECTION 14. Special Education The State shall establish, maintain and support a complete, adequate and integrated system of special education for the visually impaired, hearing impaired, mentally retarded persons and other type of exceptional children in all regions of the country. Towards this end, the Department of Education, Culture and Sports shall establish special education classes in public schools in cities, or municipalities. It shall also establish, where viable, Braille and Record Libraries in provinces, cities or municipalities. The National Government shall allocate funds necessary for the effective implementation of the special education program nationwide. Local government units may likewise appropriate counterpart funds to supplement national funds. SECTION 22. Broadcast Media Television stations shall be encouraged to provide a sign language inset or subtitles in at least one (1) newscast program a day and special program covering events of national significance. SECTION 25. Barrier-Free Environment The State shall ensure the attainment of a barrier-free environment that will enable disabled persons to have access in public and private buildings and establishments and such other places mentioned in Batas Pambansa Bilang 344, otherwise known as the Accessibility Laws. The national and local government shall allocate funds for the provision of architectural or structural features for disabled persons in government buildings and facilities. SECTION 32. Discrimination on Employment No entity, whether public or private, shall discriminate against a qualified disabled person by reason of disability in regard to job application procedures, the hiring, promotion, or discharge of employees, employee compensation, job training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.

Pictures Showing Violations of the Magna Carta Laws

SECTION 25 VIOLATIONS

SECTION 22 FOLLOWERS ARE BECOMING LESS

Solution to Violations
The following violations maybe changed by first informing the people about the rights of the PWDs, for until they lack the knowledge and are apathetic about the conditions that are suffered by our friends. Mistakes and violations would be continually committed no matter what. By this in mind the social media would be a great help. As a student who had learned the Dos and Donts about the treatment and laws for disabled persons. I would make it a point to share my knowledge and inform my friends. Telling them what should and what should not be done so that next time that they would see a disabled person, they would treat them equally.

SENSITIVITY SEMINAR PHOTOS

REFERENCES:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disability http://www.who.int/topics/disabilities/en/ http://www.disabled-world.com/disability/types/#ixzz2KcRDeQ00 http://www.census.gov.ph/content/persons-disability-philippines-results-2010-census http://arthritis.about.com/od/inthehomedailyliving/a/disabledliving.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Council_on_Disability_Affairs_(Philippines) http://adpi-mpc.tripod.com/id20.html http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno7277.htm#.USRT4h1BOAZ