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Do something new !

More than 1/3 of the nepali population are touched by someone in their family being disabled. Therefore MS-Nepal recently adopted a new strategy for disabled people. 

Do something NEW! Talk to disabled, ask them what they think and feel, was one of the advices, Ib Schou, Information DW, got when he interviewed the two DW’s, Stine Hoier and Rita Tisdall, in the disability group.

Ib : Why does MS Nepal need to have a policy for disabilities?
Rita : For me a policy paints/describes the approach one has to something or another. In the case of MS Nepal and disabilities, well when an organization over the past seven years has had up to one third of its Development Workers placed in this area of work, well of course they should have a conscious approach to what they are doing. This is what I call professionalism.

Stine : Another reason why MS in general should have a disability policy is that we are talking here about an issue that strikes at the very heart of development, it has in fact relevance at every level of MS’s activities: it is about human rights, promoting equal opportunities, and fighting economic and social deprivation.

Rita : In Nepal it is estimated that around 5% of the population are moderately or severely disabled, we are here not talking about not having a little finger or not been able to read, we are talking about people who have bigger challenges. With an average family size of 6.6 this would mean that 30% of the population are touched. Here in Nepal only around 1% of this group is receiving any kind of support.

And who are these people? They are the poorest of the poor, the main cause of disability in this part of the world is poverty. Disabilities are caused by the spread of infectious disease and vitamin deficiencies resulting from malnutrition. But, they are also caused and this is important when we are talking about the new MS Nepal policy by the lack of access to basic information on primary health and on how to support disabled children so they don’t develop secondary handicaps.

Ib : Can you define disability?

Rita: A person is said to be disabled when because of a physical or mental impairment has functional / practical problems doing day to day activities that someone of his / her age would normally do in that particular culture.

Ib : What is the objective of the new policy?

Stine : The main objective of the policy is one of inclusion that would say that in all of the MS Nepal’s families activities there is a conscious effort not to exclude disabled persons. Today most development organizations are in fact helping to exclude disabled persons from the development process. I mean we aren’t conscious of the fact that they are a part of each and every community we work in, they are there, there is no community in the world that does not have disabled members. But most of the time we don’t have them with us, we think, they’re “special” someone else, the medical people will make something special for them. But, the medical side is only a part of the problem, according to disabled people themselves their biggest problem is when they are excluded, left out / pushed out by us the able bodied side of the community.

Rita : We could here go into a long and very relevant discussion about culture and disabilities but I think it’s just worth saying that here in Nepal there has been no tradition for example of segregating disabled children i.e. collecting them and hiding them in special schools / hostels etc. No this is something that so called development has brought with it. Generally when we look at development and disability programs there is no taking into account the traditional practice of cultures. All cultures have through the ages have had disability as a part of life, all cultures have dealt with disabilities in one or the other way.

If we were to write a western history book on how disabled persons have been treated over the years I’m quite sure it would contain a lot of horror pictures, the point is here, we don’t have to keep repeating ourselves, another reason for why MS should have a policy!

We don’t have to start huge special institutions to support disabled people, they can be supported in their communities through ordinary everyday development programs/efforts. Of course they may need crutches or an operation and this should be seen too, but they also need like everyone else, to live and be a part of a community and this is where MS comes in. MS does not move in the medical world so let someone else look after that. What we can is support disabled people in their fight to be seen and heard, for their rights to be treated as equal human beings. With the overall philosophy of MS we are obliged to make sure that we don’t add to their marginalization.

Ib : How can the policy be implemented?

Rita : If we in the MS family are going to see disabilities as a cross-cutting issue like gender for example, then the first step has to do with US, we have to change! We ourselves have to learn how to handle this new situation, we have to begin to see our fellow human beings. We have to learn some tools on how to integrate a disability fare approach into our work. So the first step must be that we get some training in this area.
Don’t look like that Ib, it’s not that complicated its actually very simple. For example, after you have been on the training that is planned for next year, when you go to a village to interview a community of people and only men turn up, you will not just ask the question, are there no women but you’ll also inquire about if there are any disabled persons and there usually are. You will also have a basic knowledge about where these people can get support and how. As we said before information is very important, for example in Nepal there is a capacity at the different eye hospitals to service the whole country but people don’t know how to use the hospitals or for many groups they are simply afraid to. A lot of children sight could be saved each year if they got good information. By good information I don’t mean declarations on the Radio or TV, that reaches some and that’s good but the “real” poor where you find malnutrition they don’t have a radio and they can’t read, it mouth to mouth communication is the best way. 
Stine : So, Ib, if you then go on and decide to make a local /village newspaper you will be open to, and even encourage the participation of the woman with no legs.

Ib : Do all the partners have to deal with disabilities?

Rita : Of course! Today, all the partners should be conscious of gender as an issue, and so it should be in the future with disabilities. We are not talking about and this can not be emphasized enough, starting special programs for disabled people. We are talking about being aware not to exclude them and for each and every partnership there will be a different strategy for how to include disabled persons. And, depending on the geographical whereabouts of the partner the information on referral systems etc. will also be very different so the implementation strategy will be different from partner to partner.

Ib : How do you see disabled persons role in the society? Is there any space for them?

Rita: It is said that one can take the temperature of societies level of democracy by looking at how they treat the most marginalized group, the disabled. I think what is meant here is that a society who includes disabled persons is generally more tolerant to differences. Interestingly enough though, we come from a country which is seen by the rest of the world as been very democratic, but what I have experienced over the past three years is a greater tolerance in the rural areas of Nepal, towards their disabled, than in Denmark. I don’t want to romanticize poverty not at all lots of disabled children in Nepal because of lack of food in the family go hungry, as do their siblings. What I want to say is, that people here don’t have to be as perfect as in the west. 

Generally, I find that disabled people, the disabled people’s movement; helps to set focus on any societies “taken for granted norms” this I feel is healthy. Otherwise, I feel that disabled persons like everyone else in the world have to find their own meaning and purpose for being here.
Stine: Is there space for them – they are here, they have space, the question is if we, the so called “normal” people, will give them the freedom “to move”.

Ib : Any good advice for people who want to start working with people with disabilities?

Rita : Don’t ! Unless you’re a doctor or something like that. But if you are a typical MS family member you will not be a doctor so don’t start anything special, just start making efforts to include disabled people in your everyday work. Start by breaking your own boundaries, do something NEW! Talk to them, ask them what they think and feel!

Stine: It sounds easy, we are just at the start of a process, and we will of course run into difficulties on the road. It is planned that MS Nepal links up to other organizations that have experience in working with disabilities as a crosscutting issue so we can get input and it is also planned that MS Nepal links up to outside consultants when needed.

Rita: I mean all in all MS Nepal is pioneering in this area, no other MS country program has taken disabilities as serious as Nepal has. This I feel we should be proud of, MS Nepal can incorporate practice, and experience that leads to policy formation! 

Stine: Yes, this policy was born from the needs and wishes of the beneficiaries not from a need coming from somewhere else.

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