Description
The project supports implementation of the UN Convention concerning persons with disabilities, in the areas of access, inclusive education, professional activation, and initiates development of effective public policies and strategies to activate disabled persons on the regional and local levels. Poland lacks good antidiscriminatory laws on this field. Main tool: surveys and report, social consultations in 8 regions and 8 counties, workshop panels and choosing advocates for persons with disabilities in regions. As a result of the project, recommendations will be prepared and sent, among others, to the Human Rights Defender. At the end, a conference will be organised under the auspices of the Human Rights Defender and the President of Poland, presenting results and the strategy to implement recommendations. The first National Advocacy Centre will be created. Nationwide informational campaign will be conducted. Recommendations will be forwarded to local government units and NGOs.
Summary of project results
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is one of the most important documents on the disability-related issues. Poland's ratification of the Convention opened space for dialogue about the new understanding of disability and treating it as a social phenomenon. However, as illustrated by the research and analyses conducted by the Commissioner for Human Rights and NGOs, the level of implementation of certain postulates of the Convention is far from perfect. This is due to low awareness and lack of sufficient knowledge among people with disabilities (PD) themselves, as well as in the institutions meant to support them. This situation requires two-pronged action and a broad impact. The main objective of the project was to reinforce the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the planned actions were to initiate effective public policies and strategies aimed at activating of people with disabilities at a local level. Eight Regional Coordinators for Persons with Disabilities were chosen, to actively participate in organising public consultations and workshop panels at the regional and district levels. The meetings concerned chosen articles of the Convention: Accessibility, Education, and Employment. During the meetings, representatives of local government units, NGOs and the PD community had an opportunity to exchange experiences and plan actions to provide solutions for the identified problems. The meetings constituted the basis for the “Recommendations of Regional Coordinators for Persons with Disabilities. Monitoring report on the implementation of chosen articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities". The document was distributed among units of local government, institutions and organisations, as well as other interested parties participating in the project. The outcomes of the project were presented during a conference, organised together with the Commissioner for Human Rights. The recipients of the actions were the NGOs, PD and representatives of local government.
Summary of bilateral results