Addressing human-rights issues for
people with disabilities around the world
Good things are going on all over the world!
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While there are more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in the world, only a few are caused-based. The Rotary Club of World Disability Advocacy is one of them.
Traditionally, Rotary clubs are centered on a geographic area such as a city, town, or region. Our Rotary club is centered on human rights for people with disabilities around the world.
Our club does have a community: advocates of the world. And it does have a region: the world.
But our club is also providing a new direction for Rotary because we goes against tradition in many ways. Traditionally, every Rotary club works hard to get and keep new members. There are many reasons for that.
That said, our club does not have that challenge because everyday we hear from people who want to be a part of our cause. While many of these people had never heard of Rotary, they are now passionate about Rotary and its service-above cause, which brings them to learn about the wonders of Rotary.
Many Rotarians don’t feel comfortable with change. But even Paul Harris, one of the founders of Rotary 116 years ago, said that if Rotary does not change with the times, it would not survive.
Our worldwide movement has grown to 247 members, consisting of 90 Rotarians and 157 non-Rotarians from 19 countries. Welcome, new members and non-members. Your ideas and suggestions are also welcomed as we promote inclusion by being aware of our unconscious-bias challenges as we achieve success through education while maintaining a positive focus and direction on all people, everywhere, with disabilities.
For people with visible and non-visible disabilities, the two sets of human-rights needs are:
1. Wheelchairs, hearing aids, food, shelter, etc.
2. Encourage people with disabilities to empower themselves through training, education, self-improvement, skill building, and laws.
Both are important and worthy for Rotary projects. The first need is more immediate and urgent while the benefits of the second need can last a lifetime.
The members of the Rotary Club of World Disability Advocacy assisted by Rotarian and non-Rotarian members of the Rotary Disabilies Advisory Group are gaining support from an increasing amount of the 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide. Together with the rest of the world. we will strive to identify news and information items that serve as good examples for others to emulate.
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Kindly introduce yourself to me, including but not limited to your:
1. Country of residence
2. Role in the society
3. Whether you are a person with a disability, a parent of a child with disability, and/or a diversity- and disability-rights advocate.
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Please send your information to me, Ken Masson, president of our club, via either WhatsApp or at kennethmasson@gmail.com.
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Profile: Mark Wafer
Canadian Rotarian Mark Wafer is a member of Canada’s Panel on Labour Market Initiatives for Canadians with disabilities.
He helped to create Canada's national strategy on disability employment.
He is also a co-founder of Canadian Business SenseAbility, and was a member of Ontario's Economic Development Partnership Council.
Mark's business success as an inclusive employer at Tim Hortons has led to a second career advising policy makers and delivering keynote speeches to corporate, government, and service-sector leaders.
He travels extensively, to speak to audiences eager to hear all the reasons why hiring people with disabilities is good for business.
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WeThe15: 'Game-changer' Plan for 1.2 Billion Disabled People
By Beth Rose, BBC
A global campaign described as a "game-changer" has been launched to improve the lives of more than one billion disabled people by 2030.
WeThe15 [,based in Germany,] wants to improve inclusion, raise awareness, and end discrimination of disabled people around the world.
[WeThe15] brings together a coalition of organisations from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to the [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO] The launch comes ahead of the delayed Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, which [began] this August 24.
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Web-based Consultation on the First Draft of the intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders
Source: World Health Organization
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Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years
and the second leading cause of death, globally. Despite the high global burden of neurological conditions, access to both services and support for these conditions is insufficient, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
In November 2020, the Seventy-third World Health Assembly adopted Resolution WHA 73.10 on Global actions on epilepsy and other neurological disorders, which requested the WHO director-general to develop an Intersectoral global action plan on epilepsy and other neurological disorders in consultation with member states.
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AI Powered Glasses Launched at Aravind Eye Hospital
Source: The Hindu
Wearing a pair of Smart Vision Spectacles (SVS) fitted with AI (Artificial Intelligence) features will now help individuals with visual impairments move around with more confidence and also listen to texts in English and 73 Indian regional languages.
The device was introduced at Aravind Eye Hospital (AEH) and is claimed to be the first of its kind launched in the country for the visually impaired. “It will enable them to use it beneficially for their education and also empower them in their daily lives, where mobility is impeded,” Dr.P Vijayalakshmi, Chief Paediatric Ophthalmologist and Head of Vision Rehabilitation Centre, told The Hindu.
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Peter Muchiri Discusses Disability in Kenya with Our Club
On August 20, 2021, the Honorable Mr. Peter Muchiri, chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Council for Person with Disabilities of Kenya took time to meet with the Rotary Club of World Disability Advocacy, to address the club on different matters of disability in Kenya.
Among the many topics reviewed were basic education, caregiver support, and access to the national disability ID Card.
The meeting, run by Rotarian Stephen Masha, of Kenya, our club’s program coordinator, ran a very informative meeting. A video of a song by Rotarian Grace Ndegwa concluded the program with honor and distinction.
There were visitors from at least three Rotary clubs. To deal with education and organization of caregivers, Rotary could explore ways to work with the government of Kenya to help promote this challenge.
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Bill of Rights for People with Disabilities in Kenya
Steven Masha ,one of our club members, is also involved in a bill of rights for people with disabilities in Kenya. He posts this report:
Kilifi County Assembly, by its Committee on Legal Matters, visited the sub-county of Malindi, to hear the voice of persons with disabilities on the proposed bill of rights of persons with disabilities in Kilifi County.
This bill was initiated through the efforts of representatives of persons with disabilities in the Assembly in conjunction with the people-with-disabilities organisations and non-government-organization (NGO) stakeholders involved in the advocacy and rights of the persons with disabilities in the county.
In this stage of public participation, I together with other persons with disabilities mobilized and came in large numbers to this important occasion. Among many other things, the bill proposes that there shall be a tax exemption for all imported mobility devices by either individuals or NGOs. As this proposal is already captured in the main Constitution, if this bill becomes a law, it would ease the whole process of importation.
The other important thing is the formation of the Committee on Disabilities Matters that will, among other functions, check on education matters as well as health and employment issues among people with disabilities. This committee shall also be funded by the county government of Kilifi, to run its affairs. The committee shall have at least half of its members as people with disabilities.
The other proposal raised was to bring on-board a legal framework with a lawyer specifically and only for the rights of people with disabilities. This was informed by the increased number of injustices to children with disabilities who have been raped over the years.
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Google Is Testing Accessibility Feature That Uses Facial Expressions to Control Smartphone
Source: India Times
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Google has been working on a new accessibility feature for the upcoming Android flavour that would allow the disabled to control their smartphone using facial expressions such as a smile or raised eyebrow.
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Android’s latest feature is dubbed “Camera Switch” and it was a part of version 12 of the Android Accessibility Suite app that was a part of Android 12’s fourth beta.
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The facial expressions can be used for a number of different controls like scrolling a page, going home, viewing quick settings, bringing down the notification shade, and more.
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The screenshots reveal the level of sensitivity one gets to adjust, to make it perfect for the way they want it to be, while also making sure it limits unwanted activations.
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The feature however is a power-hogger, as warned by the app, and it’s recommended that it’s used when it's plugged in.
Also read:
- Apple Watch Can Now Be Controlled By Subtle Hand Gestures, Helping Those With Limited Mobility
- People With Disability Live Their Life With Dignity And Confidence, Thanks To Tech Miracles
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Proposed Webinar on Asset-based Community Development
By Allison Lourash
I would love to have a webinar on processes around the asset-based community-development work I am involved in.
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Biden Administration Grants Automatic Student-loan Forgiveness to 323,000 Permanently Disabled Borrowers
Source: Boston Globe
Photo: Susan Walsh, Associated Press
The Biden administration has moved to grant 323,000 people who are severely disabled automatic federal-student-loan forgiveness to the tune of $5.8 billion, setting the stage for reforms to a process that is widely criticized as cumbersome and onerous.
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Help Needed to Educate People on the Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act of 2021
By Joannah Whitney
As an advocate for disability-justice issues. I have been able to get my Franklin chapter of the Massachusetts League of Women Voters to go through the process of getting the statewide League to approve our chapter’s working on modernizing federal Supplemental Security Income legislation. SSI is a program that has been sorely neglected for decades.
A couple of friends and I have created a Facebook page and a website. We are hoping to use them as social-media and digital-media tools, to help educate people on the issue and grow support for the Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act of 2021 (Senate Bill 2065; House Resolution 3824). If this is something that you might be interested in, we would love to have you share widely these two online tools.
We are trying to have the SSI financial restrictions adjusted for inflation, which hasn't happened in decades. And we are seeking to change the draconian penalties levied against people in the program - who must be disabled, blind, and/or elderly, as well as poor.
In June in the U.S. Senate, Senator Sherrod Brown filed S.B. 2065, which addresses many of the issues we have been advocating for. H.R.3824 is the U.S. House of Representatives’ version of the bill. I am looking for people who are concerned about disability issues and would be willing to help build support for the two bills.
To download a letter from Senate and House members to U.S. President Joe Biden and his vice president, Kamala Harris, regarding SSI reform, click here.
Please note: While Rotary is a non-political, non-governmental, and non-religious organization. Basic and Community Education are among its Seven Areas of Focus.
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We are also seeking a volunteer to maintain our online calendar, on a platform such as Google Calendar, where people and groups may post events related to our Club and its mission. To let us know whether you are interested and, if so, when you would be available, contact Club President Ken Masson via either WhatsApp or at kennethmasson@gmail.com.
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We are looking for people who have skills and abilities in the development of web apps. To let us know whether you are interested and, if so, when you would be available, contact Club President Ken Masson via either WhatsApp or at kennethmasson@gmail.com,
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The deadline for stories and photos/images for our September 7 newsletter is on September 2.
Please submit your stories and related photos/images to Newsletter Editor Ralph Hammond either via WhatsApp or at ralph.hammond@verizon.net.
All stories must be in either e-mail, PDF, WhatsApp, or Word format.
All photos/images must be in either GIF, JPG, or PNG format.
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JOIN OUR UPCOMING MEETINGS
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With scores of international members, the Rotary Club of World Disability Advocacy focuses on coordinating human-rights needs for people with disabilities in countries around the world. Our club has set up international committees in many countries to, identify needs.
Our monthly Club Meeting - for Members, only - is the third Monday at 12:00 p.m. (Eastern time). And our monthly Group Meeting - for both Members and Non-members - is the first Monday at 9:00 a.m. (Eastern time).
To convert Eastern time to your own time, click here.
To obtain the Zoom login for our meetings, contact Ken Masson, our Club's president for Rotary year 2021-2022, via either WhatsApp or at kennethmasson@gmail.com
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MISSED OUR LATEST MEETINGS?
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To watch the video of our Group Meeting on August 9, click here.
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To watch the video of our Club Meeting on August 23, click here.
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Our club is dedicated to the human rights of people with disabilities.
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WE FOLLOW ROTARY'S FOUR-WAY TEST
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Our Rotary Club follows Rotary International's Four-Way Test, a non-partisan and non-sectarian ethical guide for Rotarians to use for their personal and professional relationships. The Test has been translated into more than 100 languages, and Rotarians recite it at Club meetings:
Of the things we think, say, or do
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Is it the truth?
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Is it fair to all concerned?
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Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
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Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
To learn more on Rotary's Guiding Principles, click here.
To contact Ken Masson, our Club's 2021-2022 president, click here.
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