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A Job Unfinished

Address by Hon. David Kilgour, Canadian Secretary of State (Latin America & Africa)
to Disabled People’s International World Assembly
CANACO Congress Centre of the National Chamber of Commerce, Mexico City, December 5, 1998

Chairperson, delegates, and dear friends of the disability movement.

[Spanish]

It is an honour to join you on this wonderful occasion in one of the most historic and largest cities of the Americas. Our gathering commemorates your capacity to work together in the interests of people with disabilities around the world.

[French]

Congratulations on your successes so far, but let us be aware that the job is not yet finished. The tasks ahead require ingenuity, persistence and dedication.

[English]

Disabled Peoples' International is a unique organization of over one hundred member nations. As a friend and longtime advocate on disability, Irene Feika, points out: "DPI was conceived in Canada, born in Singapore and lives around the world." This Fifth World Congress is a testament to your viability; it confirms your mandate as "A voice of Our Own" – indeed a democratic principle to be cherished and protected.

I applaud the organizers of this gathering for their leadership in continuing to bring disability issues to the world stage. You deserve special tribute for your pioneering work in raising a consumer voice to advance principles of equality, accessibility, full participation and integration.

This evening, my frame of reference may be Canada, but my remarks relate directly to the human family, regardless of geographic, ethnocultural, or economic differences.

Paternalism to Partnership

Since the United Nations' International Year of Disabled Persons, people from many walks of life havemade remarkable progress in all areas of disability. Widespread initiatives in research, prevention, rehabilitation and community action have brought new meaning to our concepts of equality and life with dignity for people with disabilities. Many of you have been non-partisan, dedicated, and creative in your efforts to translate equality into every aspect of community life, each success encouraging others to take up the challenge.

Throughout the world, people with disabilities, their advocacy networks, private sector leaders, unions, governments and their officials continue to work together on disability issues. They have moved from a relationship of paternalism to one of real partnership.

They have been proactive in dispelling the myths about disability, and in addressing persistent and emerging related issues. As the old adage goes, there are only three kinds of people in the world:

• those who make things happen
• those who watch things happen
• and those who wonder what happened.

Joshua Malinga, a D.P.I. advocate from Africa, cautioned a 1992 world gathering of politicians in Montreal, Canada, with this advice: "Nothing about us without us." Simple, precise and direct… and that does make things happen. People with disabilities have worked collaboratively to bring to life the goals of the United Nations' World Program of Action and, more recently, the U.N. Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities. This had been very true in Canada.

Self-Sustaining Societies

As Canada’s Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Jean Chrétien, explained earlier this year: "We are rich in resources – both natural and human. We believe that we simply cannot afford to exclude Canadians with disabilities from our social and economic development. We would short change them and, just as important, we would short change our society and its future economic prosperity and quality of life."

This is a lesson that should not be lost on any political leader who hopes to establish a self-sustaining society. The fear of grassroots organizations begins a formula for failure. To foster grassroots organizations means to build your democracy on irreconcilable terms of equality.

We live now in a world where globalization and technology make neighbours of everyone. New democracies are emerging in every hemisphere. We are all more aware of the catastrophes and deprivations that ultimately diminish each of us as part of the human family. We need consumer organizations to build democracies.

Amartya Sen

I am mindful of Dr. Amartya Sen, the recently acclaimed Nobel laureate and renowned economist.

In studying the needs of people who are most marginalized in any society, Sen concludes: "If some group has a very bad deal, its best hope of being listened to is in a democratic system … through political action and mobilization." Public interest groups and political parties must make the consequences of injustice and inequality more graphic and understood. They must work together to achieve "equality for all" – the true measure of a civil society.

In any democracy, progress towards real equality should be a liberating experience. For Canadians it has been not so much a question of dollars and cents as it has been a question of understanding the issues and their implications for society. The goal is to provide a fair and equal opportunity for all citizens to achieve their productive potential. This is a goal we must pursue with vigour and determination.

On that note, let’s make it clear here and now: disability is not only a health issue; it is a question of citizenship with full rights and responsibilities for each individual.

What does a democratic society grant and protect as a matter of right to its individual citizens and how is this lived out? While we all subscribe to the rule of law, we must be diligent to ensure that our laws foster genuine freedoms. For example, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms combines the right to equal protection and equal benefit under the law with a clause that prohibits discrimination based on, among other things, mental or physical disability.

Equal Access to Services

But we all know, while constitutional rights are significant, concrete actions are critical if rights are to have meaning in the life of a people. These rights should be reflected in terms of equal access to transportation, housing, education, employment, communications and recreation.

It is well understood that economic independence is a key to the achievement of real empowerment in any society where production and consumption are central activities. This is as true for a person with a disability as it is for any other citizen. As a consequence, employment and financial self-reliance are regarded as significant factors for developing self worth and identity. Today, more and more people with disabilities are taking meaningful jobs in workforces and there is an increasing expectation of this. The process of participation in the marketplace must be supported by systems, attitudes and initiatives which respect the unique capacity of each citizen to fulfill the responsibilities of community membership.

Implications of Technology

Innovations in technology offer even greater promise today in the pursuit of equality.

The Internet is increasingly being seen as the ideal medium by which persons and organizations with common goals may come together to advance their objectives. In the area of mainstream employment for persons with disabilities, the Global Applied Disability Research and Information Network on Employment and Training, is most encouraging. Better known as Gladnet and originally inspired by the International Labour Organization, this NGO has demonstrated innovative ways by which the global disability community may come together online.

More than ever, scientific and technological advances facilitate integrated training programs, making "lifelong learning" a greater reality for people with disabilities. Social and physical environments have been improved to accommodate all types of disabilities and the rehabilitation industry boasts of innovations in computer-generated prosthetics, and adaptive communications technologies.

If these advances in technology are not part of your own experience in your democracy, then the job isn’t finished yet … and we all have a key role to play. Let me offer one little example of how the process can work.

Landmines

We all realize that civil strife is one of the leading causes for increased disability around the world. Canada recently received international acclaim for leading a global ban on antipersonnel landmines. The disability movement in our country was instrumental in bringing this conventional war issue to the attention of government leaders and community activists. Citizens with disabilities subsequently helped to define a workable policy that respects the values of equality and peace issues they well understand. As of today, 133 countries have signed the Ottawa Convention to ban and destroy antipersonnel mines. This convention will enter into force faster than any disarmament convention negotiated in history. This is a credit to the determination of people everywhere, their governments and civil society organizations to address the humanitarian crisis cause by landmines. Here, we must acknowledge the leadership and commitment of our host country – Mexico – in bringing this peace building initiative to reality.

Folks Just Like Us

People with disabilities are not heroes. They are no different than you and me – folks who have dreams and aspirations. Their abiding identity and most basic needs are met in the community – where, like everyone else, they can thrive and build significant relationships.

This was brought home clearly to me on a recent visit to Georgetown, Guyana. There, I met and was interviewed by Julie Lewis, a journalist with insightful questions about development and disability. By the way, did I mention that she was blind? Picture this if you will. Two individuals guiding each other down a darkened and dangerous walkway in search of a 50th anniversary celebration of the UN Declaration on Human Rights. One is confident and comfortable, chatting about the issues of the day. The other is nervous and apprehensive. I won’t mention who was doing the chatting, but let me acknowledge now that Julie Lewis is very much an independent young woman whose self determination is lived out – as it should be.

Achieving equality is a work in progress. For those of us committed to the development of community, we share the tasks with volunteers, business and labour groups, elected officials, professionals and educators. This process was recently confirmed by my colleague the Minister for Human Resources Development Canada. In describing several components of a national strategy for a barrier free society, partnerships and shared responsibility are the order of the day. The means and the ends are complementary.

On the same note, there is a world acclaimed rehabilitation centre at the University of Alberta in Canada where a good friend, Gary McPherson, now lends his expertise. He personifies partnership and citizenship and wisely points out: "Success comes in ‘cans’ … failure comes in ‘can’ts’."

Furthermore, partnerships and forces like yours bring new energy and ideas to the emerging challenges of globalization; they seed and fuel relationships which build equality and nurture its growth in society.

In a democracy, equality means changing attitudes and breaking down barriers that prevent full participation in community affairs.

In a democracy, equality means sharing in, and contributing to, the social and economic life of the country.

In a democracy, equality means independence: making one's own decisions about daily living.

As we are all aware, there are over 500 million people in the world with a disability. Disability does not discriminate. It cuts across all countries and communities; it affects all cultures, all age groups, all economic levels, and all backgrounds.

At DPI’s 4th World Assembly in Sydney Australia, Archbishop Desmond Tutu made the point that people with disabilities "can help society become more gentle and caring and compassionate, and more thankful for what many would tend to take for granted." This idea of a more humane society is shared in remarkable ways throughout the world.

At Akwesasne, an aboriginal village which borders Canada and United States, elders there say: "Sometimes the Creator sends a disabled person as a gift to the community."

If you need proof, please visit Asociación Pro Personas Con Parálisis Cerebral right here in Mexico City. It’s a statement of love! Indeed we have much to learn from one another.

While we may be proud of our achievements so far, we recognize that there is much more to be done at home and abroad. The number of persons with disabilities is increasing throughout the world, in part because of civil strife, declining preventive health programs and inadequate public education programs. Many disabled individuals are still frozen out of decision-making processes which affect their lives. Full participation and integration into society and full productivity are goals yet to be achieved.

We must improve our capacity to share resources, technologies and experiences through collaborative forums such as Disabled Peoples International and the United Nations.

Conclusion

I am pleased to note the participation of Mr. Bengt Lindqvist – our exemplary UN special rapporteur. In his current report on world disability he points out, "there is a substantial gap between governments’ declarations of intent and the daily reality of life for hundreds of millions of disabled people." With his guidance, energy, knowledge and skill, we will keep disability on the international agenda.

For whatever the nation, the particular circumstance or aspiration, and regardless of the complexity, we must work together to make the world family one of equality.

In the words of the gifted Austrian psychiatrist, Alfred Adler: "It is easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them." In the final analysis, that is the challenge that faces all of us as we move into the 21st century.

Finally, I must thank Skip Brooks of Canada, who worked many years on disabled issues, who helped.

God bless you all!