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DISABILITY RIGHTS TOT TRAINING MANUAL�

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This TOT training manual was developed by HI Laos to facilitate the process of effective and meaningful inclusion, empowerment, promotion and protection of the rights of people with disabilities.

It has been adapted to the context of Laos and modified based on the ‘Combat Exclusion Trainer Manual’ written by Dr Victor Cordeiro and Mr Raghavendra B Pachhapur at the Disability Unit Action Aid India and the Oxfam ‘Disability, Equality, and Human Rights’ Training Manual, written by Alison Harris and Sue Enfield.

Warm regards

Anne Rouve Khiev

Country Director Handicap International

Laos PDR

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DISABILITY RIGHTS TOT TRAINING MANUAL FACILITATORS CHECKLIST Logistics 1 The training environment and its utilities, facilities and services are barrier free 2 Training hall has sufficient light for the benefit of all the participants including

those with low vision and hard of hearing

3 Light falls directly on the board, screen, interpreter and the facilitator’s face so that all participants including those with low vision and Deaf follow the proceedings easily.

4 Contrast colours and large print are used while writing on the board or chart papers with markers, sketch pens, and pictures

5 Reading and training material is fully accessible i.e. transcribed into Braille, recorded in audiocassettes, CD, electronic version or large print is made available.

6 Each one of the participants is able to follow the resource person and vice versa, if needed an interpreter is appointed and clear sound system is used.

7 There is no disturbance from the external environment Seating Arrangements 1 Seating arrangement is in a circle so that all the participants

see/listen/feel/observe each other easily and comfortably

2 If the seating arrangement is on the floor, participants with mobility impairments, balancing and positioning difficulties are provided comfortable seating that helps them in balancing and positioning easily

3 Participants with low vision sit close to the board or to the facilitator 4 Deaf participants sit right opposite the board, screen, facilitator, and interpreter

so that the can follow easily

5 Participants who are hard of hearing sit close to the facilitator so that they can hear properly

Training methodologies Lecture

1 An interpreter is arranged for the benefit of Deaf participants 2 Everyone follows the lecture. Be slow, stop in between, clarify, summarise

frequently and repeat often

3 Print material is transcribed into Braille or is made available in large print or reads for the benefit of participants with visual impairment

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Visual aids 1 Visual presentations are explained the type of visual aids used is summarized

frequently to blind participants

2 Text on the visual presentation is read out for the benefit of blind participants 3 Visual presentation text is transcribed in Braille 4 Auditory component is added wherever possible to the visual aids Audio aids 1 Interpreter explains the message of the audio aids to Deaf participants. 2 A summary of the audio message is repeated to hard of hearing participants. 3 A visual component is incorporated wherever possible with auditory aids. Role play 1 Everyone participates 2 Verbal, non verbal communication and action is balanced 3 The role play is summarised 4 Blind and Deaf participants are asked if they require any clarifications 5 The role play does not highlight the disability of the participants Social games 1 The game is simple where everyone can take part 2 Avoid games that involve more physical exercises for participants with mobility

disabilities

3 Avoid games that require vision for blind participants 4 Avoid games that require listening and speech for participants hard of hearing

and have speech difficulties

5 Summarise the social game Simulation 1 Do not use simulations which increase or reinforce the disability. Eg do not blind

fold a participant with low vision. Do not tie the legs of a participant with a mobility disability

2 Dignity and respect of an individual with a disability is not hurt 3 Participants with a disability are not asked to simulate their own disability, which

reinforces the feeling of disability

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Story telling 1 The interpreter explains the story to Deaf participants 2 Mime, action or non verbal language is incorporated to the story 3 A copy of the story is distributed to Deaf and hard of hearing participants 4 Summarise the story frequently 5 Someone from the group reads the story to blind participants Group work 1 Groups are small so that everyone participates 2 Everyone in the group has a share in the output of the group work 3 The interpreter explains the group task to Deaf and hard of hearing participants

and feeds their views back to the group

4 Everyone in the group gets the opportunity to present the output 5 Time given for group work is extended according the needs of the group

members

6 If instructions for the group task are in written form, somebody reads them for the blind participants

Brain storming

1 Everyone gets to share his or her ideas 2 The concept/question/task is clearly explained to the group 3 The task is explained to Deaf and blind participants using aids and

methodologies

4 Chart/poster/OHP/pictures/posters are used to explain the concept/question with a verbal description

5 Participants are observed carefully for sharing. If anyone is unable or reluctant to share, the facilitator goes to them and encourages/facilitators them to share their ideas

Energizers, Icebreakers and Introduction games 1 Energisers, games and icebreakers used are simple, easy and inclusive 2 Games that require vision with blind participants, listening and speech with

participants with hearing and speech difficulties; mobility and physical exercise with participants with mobility, balance, and positioning difficulties are not used

3 Disabilities of the participants are not enhanced, reinforced or increased General 1 Everyone is included in the learning process without any barriers 2 Each and every participant participates fully and actively to optimum possible extent 3 Derogatory terminologies, expressions, language, words which hurt the feelings of

participants with disability are not used

4 Terms like case, normal, patient, handicapped, wheelchair bound, inflicted, victim and other such derogatory terminologies are avoided

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5 Total communication, which generally refers to communication through different means such as body language, speech, mime, facial expression, lip reading, written, pictorial, sign language and other forms, is promoted

6 Methodologies, which are multi sensorial, such as hearing, smell, taste, and touch and seeing, are used in the training programme along with appropriate teaching and learning materials that stimulate all senses

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POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE WORDS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES NEGATIVE

POSITIVE

1. Case

People, Person, Individual, Child, Adult, Man, Woman

2. Handicapped

Disabled people, People with Disability

3. Normal

Regular, Non-Disabled, General

4. Victim

Affected by

5. Wheel chair bound

Wheelchair user

6. Illiterate

Non-literate

7. Lame

People with mobility impairment

8. Differently abled

Disabled Person/Person with Disability

9. Visually challenged

Person with Visual impairment

10. Mentally challenged

Person with Intellectual disability

11. Physically challenged

Person with physical impairment

12 Able bodied

Non-Disabled

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ICE BREAKERS AND ENERGIZERS This list of icebreakers and energizers is just indicative or suggestive. The facilitators are free to choose activities that are inclusive and friendly for all the participants including those with disabilities. Kindly refer to the Tips to Facilitator section while making a selection of energizers in order to make them inclusive or user friendly, especially for People with Disabilities. Use appropriate teaching and learning materials, support system, and relevant training aids to make energizers inclusive. ICE BREAKERS FOR ALL Animal Match Process:

• Ask the participants to stand in a circle or two rows facing each other. • Use two cards each with same picture and distribute among different participants.

Give one card with the picture of an animal or bird to each participant ensuring two participants get cards of the same animal or bird. For example if the total number of participants is 20, use 10 animals or birds and 20 cards.

• Ensure that the name of the picture is written in Braille for the benefit of participants with visual impairment.

• Inform the participants that two of them have got the same picture of animal or bird. • Ask them to identify the partner with same picture without speaking to the group.

They can imitate the animal or bird’s sound or action only. • Give some time to complete the task. • Once all the participants identify their partners ask them to get together somewhere

and get introduced both personally and professionally. • Once they finish ask them to reassemble and introduce their partner to the larger

group. The interview Process:

• Break the entire group into pairs of two. • Ensure that the partners are not familiar and know very little about each other in the

larger group. • Ask them to interview each other for 10 minutes each. • They can have specific questions or guidelines for the interview. • They need to learn about each other’s likes, dislikes, job, past jobs, family life,

hobbies, favorites etc. apart from the factual information such as name, age, educational qualification, place of living etc.

• After the interviews, reassemble the group and have each one introduce their team member to the larger group.

Name Game Process:

• Ask the participants to sit in a circle.

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• First person of the either ends of the open circle starts by using an adjective starting with the first letter of His/Her first or popular name, followed by their name (for e.g. Nimenuan Nuanta, , Berkbarn Bounvien, , etc.)

• Next participant to his/her right will repeat the adjective and name of the previous

participant and states his/her name with an adjective. • This process continues till the last person repeats all the adjectives and names of

previous participants along with his/her own. Two True One False Process:

• The participants will say two true and one false statement about self. • The rest of the group will guess which one is false. • You may be surprised to learn some crazy things about each other!

Human Machines Process:

• Ask each participant to simulate the noise or sound produced by some machine, instrument, devise, appliance or vehicle, one after another sequentially with sound effects. (For e.g. telephone, fax, typewriter, tape recorder, radio, aero plane, car, bus, train, mixer, grinder, and generator).

• Once all the participants are through making the sounds individually, ask the entire group to make their respective sounds simultaneously.

• Continue this process in different ways, such as one by one quickly or all at a time or one by one quickly in reverse order.

Same Letter Process:

• Ask the participants to think of a favorite dish, fruit, flower or sweet that they like most and also start with the first letter of their name. (For e.g. Pasom Pangthong Kharmwarn Khemphone)

• The first participant starts by stating his/her name along with the favorite item. (For e.g. Pangthong Pasom). Next person repeats what the previous participant said and states his name and favorite item. (For e.g. Pangthon Pasom, Kharmwam Khemphone).

• Rest will continue the process in the same manner till the last participant has repeated all the previous names and items and has stated his/her name and favorite item.

Balloon Game Process:

• Ask each participant to put a piece of information about them inside the balloon, blow it up and throw it in the middle of the circle of participants.

• Then one by one the participants should burst the balloons guess to which each piece of information belongs.

Non-Verbal Birthday Lineup Process:

• Ask the participants to stand in a line starting from youngest to oldest or oldest to youngest according to their date of birth without discussing with each other.

• Once all the participants form a line, ask them to announce their accurate date of birth.

• Review to what extent they were right in taking their positions in the Birthday lineup.

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• This should inspire some interesting means of communication towards a common goal.

Silent Identification Process:

• Each participant is asked to either write words or draw pictures to describe themselves silently.

• They pin the same on their chests, walk around and have everyone look at it. • The pieces of papers are then shuffled and participants are asked to identify the

correct information to the right person. Clock Move Process:

• Participants are divided into two equal groups and they form two circles - one inner and other outer circle facing each other.

• Inner circle should move clockwise [Right to Left] and outer should move anti-clock wise [Left to Right].

• The participants’ start moving in their respective directions to the sound of music/whistle or claps provided by the facilitator.

• When the sound stops they stop moving and talk to the person opposite them and introduce each other.

• Again when the sound starts they start moving and stop and talk to the next person opposite them.

• In this process they get to speak to 3-5 other participants and get introduced. Cycle Chain Process:

• Divide the participants into two equal groups • Ask them to stand in straight lines facing each other • The participants have to introduce themselves to the participant facing them for one

minute • Then the participants have to start moving to their left forming a cycle chain like

structure and continue the process of introductions. • This process continues till the first participant introduced is the last person they are

meeting. • The idea is for all the participants to know each other personally.

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ICE BREAKERS FOR PARTICIPANTS WITH COMMUNICATION IMPAIRMENTS Human Knot Process:

• Ask the participants to form group/s of 10-15 and stand very close to each other. • Ask them to stretch their arms so that all hands are jumbled and intertwined. • Ask them to grab/hold one hand with each of their hands, but not the one of the

participant next to them. • Now they are a human knot and must use teamwork to untangle themselves and

form one circle without letting go of their hands.

ICE BREAKERS FOR PARTICIPANTS WITH MOBILITY IMPAIRMENTS Who am I? Process:

• For this activity you will need one sticky note per person. • On each note write the name of a celebrity, political figure, cartoon character, book

character, etc. You can choose one category or mix them up. • Use a different person for each note. • Place a sticky note on the back or forehead of each participant. • The participants are to figure out who they are, but can only do so in the following

manner: Find a partner and read each other's sticky notes. You may ask the other person three questions to which there are yes or no answers. Once your questions have been asked and answered, make a guess as to your identity. If you are correct, move the sticky note to your chest and you become a "consultant" who gives clues to those still trying to figure out their identities. If you are not correct, find a new partner and repeat the process. Special note: Be sure to choose characters that are appropriate to the age of the participants to avoid "generation gap frustration."

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ENERGIZERS Bounviene Luangyoth [Or Anyone else] says……… Process:

• Ask the participants to stand in a circle. • Tell them that they have to follow the instructions given by the facilitator, which would

be followed by a phrase for e.g. Bounviene Luangyoth says…. When the facilitator says “Bounviene Luangyoth says jump up” the participants have to jump. Similarly they have to follow any other such instructions that follow the phrase “Bounviene Luangyoth says….”

• The participants are not supposed to follow any instruction that comes without the specific phrase.

• Facilitator should try to confuse the participants by giving instructions like jump, run, sit, stand without the phrase.

• When a participant acts on instructions without the phrase he/she is out of the game. Rat [Or Mouse], Snake, Lion Process:

• Tell the participants “I am going to narrate a story “We are going for a walk in the forest”. Whenever I use the words rat, snake or lion you have to react with specific actions. When I say rat, jump up and scream (all practice). Whenever I say snake, throw back your arms, draw in your breath in horror (all practice). Whenever I say lion, crouch down, cover your head and groan (all practice).

• Make up a story. Here is an example: "One day I was walking through a beautiful forest. The birds were singing. The wind was rustling in the leaves. Nature was so peaceful and friendly. Then suddenly on the path in front I saw - a snake. It was sliding along stealthily. I wondered what it was doing. Then I saw it was stalking a rat. The snake was getting closer and closer, and I thought it would catch its prey, when there was a noise ahead. And there, coming through1 the bushes, was a lion. The rat heard the lion and ran away. The disappointed snake gave up and wriggled away. The lion saw the snake and made off back into the forest. And I resumed my peaceful walk through the beautiful forest.”

Tips: Judge the capacity of the group. It may be best to take shoes off. Do not mention the animals too many times or participants will collapse exhausted. Swatting Mosquitoes Process:

• Easy, quick! The room is full of mosquitoes. • They are all around us and landing and biting. • Swat them with your hands – in front, down by your ankles, behind your head, on

your face, to the left, to the right………by your neighbor….. [On your neighbor! careful!]

Follow the Leaders Process:

• A volunteer is selected from among the participants and sent out. • Meanwhile the group selects a leader who is supposed to initiate some small actions

and the group has to imitate the same. • The volunteer is called inside and asked to identify the leader. • The leader should change the actions frequently.

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• If the volunteer succeeds in finding the leader then the leader has to go out and group selects another leader who repeats the same process.

• This process continues for a while. Gentle Rain Process:

• This is the least energetic of all energizers. • Good for a large group. People end up smiling. • Ask everyone to follow the facilitator in tapping the palm of one hand with one finger

of the other. • Slowly increase the number of fingers tapping the palm – first one then two, then

three, then four and then all fingers creating the sound of clapping. • Next reverse the process – i.e. four fingers, three fingers, two fingers, and one finger

ending up with silence. • This process can be repeated a few times both ways.

Numbers Process:

• The participants can either stand or sit in a circle. • Ask them to start counting numbers. • Choose one number for which the participants clap instead of saying it aloud. • The participants do not say the number or the multiples of that number for e.g. if the

number chosen is 5 then participants clap only for 5, 10, 15, 20 ….100. • If the participants fail to clap for such numbers, or count the wrong order or sit silent

they get eliminated and have to sit outside the circle. • Once the circle is smaller the number chosen can be changed to 3 or 4. • The last one who does not fail to follow the rules will be the winner.

Sing Process:

• Singing gets air into the lungs, and spreads a good feeling all round. • Songs, which everyone knows, or those with a good refrain, are best choice. • Beware of extended virtuoso solos. All need to sing.

Shooting the Country Process:

• Divide the participants into groups of 3. • Ask them to give their respective groups a name of a country. For e.g. India,

Pakistan, England, America etc. • Let every group know the names of the other groups. • Ask the group members to divide the phrase “I Shoot [name of the Country]” among

members, for e.g. one of the members says ‘I’, the second one says – “shoot” and the third says the “country name”.

• The group with that Country name responds by repeating the same thing i.e. I, shoot, and another group/country name.

• This process continues for some time. • The rules to be followed are: no overlap among members while saying the phrase, no

taking the name of their own group, no shooting the country which is already out of the game, no delay in responding to the shooting.

• The group that fails to follow the rules will be out of the game.

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Body Writing Process:

• Ask the participants to stand in a circle or row and ask them to write their names in the air using different parts of the body.

• Ask them to start with right hand point finger and write their name in the air and continue doing so with the other parts like with elbow, fist, shoulder, foot, knee, nose, belly button, hip, head, etc.

• Ensure both right and left sides are used. ENERGIZERS FOR PARTICIPANTS WITH COMMUNICATION IMPAIRMENTS Mirror Process:

• Ask the participants to pair with another participant. • One participant is the actor and the other is the mirror. • The mirror does whatever the actor does, mirroring the actions. • Continue for a couple of minutes, and then reverse roles i.e. actor becomes mirror

and mirror becomes actor. • The facilitator can demonstrate to set a vigorous example. • This exercise can lead to a discussion whether in actual practice we tend to mirror

other people’s gestures.

Progressive Greetings Process:

• Clear space. • All participants have to stand with hands behind their backs, looking at the ground. • They need to walk around, weaving in and out, but not meeting each other’s eyes. • After doing so for some time they should allow their arms to swing and greet each

other with their eyes only. • They should continue greeting each other by smiling, slapping hands, shaking hands,

bumping elbows, feet, knees, and finally [depending on the group] hip to hip and nose to nose.

• To liven it up, you can speed it with jogging.

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Myths and Stereotypes about People with Disabilities People with disabilities -

• cannot be self-sufficient/are excessively dependent; • are to be pitied • are helpless • are cursed, disability is a punishment for evil • are bitter because of their fate • resent the non-disabled world • have lives not worth living • are better off at home • cannot work • cannot have a family/cannot be good parents • are asexual • need to be cured and helped by medical professionals • need special, separate educational programs • cannot be involved in cultural/recreational activities • are unable to learn • (People with intellectual disabilities) are naive, like children,

and cannot make any decisions for themselves • (People with mental health problems) are dangerous/a threat/violent • Must use alternative ways of communicating because they are stupid.

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ATTITUDES PRACTICAL EXERCISE UPON ARRIVAL EMPATHY Objectives:

• To understand and experience the concept of empathy • To facilitate the participants to empathize with people with disabilities

Exercise Practical demonstration Materials required: Wheelchairs, walking stick, and blindfolds. Process:

• Explain to the participants that they will experience a practical demonstration • Explain that it is not a game as it is a very serious situation for many people with

disabilities • Give clear instructions for safety and how to use the assistive devices • If necessary, demonstrate using the wheelchair and walking with a blind person • Blind fold one person with a blindfold • Attach a volunteer to guide the participant to the toilet/meeting room/upstairs to

ensure their safety and there are no accidents • Tie one leg of the next person and ask them to use crutches • Attach a volunteer to guide the participant to the toilet/meeting room/upstairs to

ensure safety and no accidents • Tie one hand or hands of a third person • Attach a volunteer to guide the participant to the toilet/meeting room/upstairs to

ensure their safety and there are no accidents • Put the next person in a wheel chair • Attach a volunteer to guide the participant to the toilet/meeting room/upstairs to

ensure their safety and there are no accidents • If the exercise is with people with disabilities, ask them to experience a different form

of disability other than their existing condition. • Once everyone has participated in all the activities facilitate a discussion to share

their experiences and feelings • Ask the participants if they used alternative methods to access the

building/toilet/meeting room etc….. • Ask the participants how it felt. They may share that it was difficult, depressing,

painful, restricted mobility, felt helpless, felt dependent etc • Explain that ill fitting assistive devices can do more harm, it is important the assistive

device is the correct size and measurement • Guide the discussion towards the physical barriers in the environment. It was difficult

because of the barriers they faced not the disability

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ATTITUDES Objectives:

• To understand negative attitudes of the participants towards People with Disabilities • To urge them to change their negative attitudes towards people with disabilities and

support them to develop positive attitudes. Exercise 16 STATEMENTS ON DISABILITY Materials required: A questionnaire on attitudes and knowledge with 16 statements on disability and development. Process:

• Explain that you will read out a number of statements on disability. • One half of the room is Agree and the other half of the room is Disagree • If you Agree with the statement go to the Agree side of the room • If you Disagree with statement go to the Disagree side of the room • Read out a statement, make sure everyone understands the statement, and ask the

participants to move to the Disagree or Agree side of the room • Facilitate a discussion on why they Agree or Disagree • Make sure everyone contributes to the discussion • Do not arrive at a conclusion; there is no right or wrong answer. • The purpose is to encourage discussion and support the participants to think of

issues they have never thought about before • Facilitate them to argue in favor and against the statements and get as many

opinions as possible from both sides • Do not answer for them and respect all the answers • Inform them that the questionnaire will be reviewed again at the end of the training

Questionnaire on Attitudes, Perspectives and Knowledge Read all the statements carefully to all the participants Agree Disagree Reason 1 Children with disabilities should not

be allowed to play games and fulfill their daily activities that will hurt them

2 People with Disabilities are more efficient than non disabled people

3 Deaf and blind people tend to be more shy than non disabled people

4 People with Disabilities cannot improve their situation without the support of non disabled people

5 People with disabilities in their legs can do manual work

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6 Social welfare and social security benefits are the only ways to rehabilitate People with Disabilities

7 Helping disabled people is gaining merit for Buddha and God

8 Children with intellectual disabilities can read and write

9 Children with disabilities can study in regular schools

10 All disabled people are helpless 11 People with Disabilities cannot

compete with non disabled people in any manner

12 Human rights of People with Disabilities are fully protected

13 Disability is a human rights issue 14 People with Disabilities can also

occupy higher positions in the society

15 Killing disabled children prevents disabilities

16 Families must change their daily activities to support family members with disabilities

QUESTIONAIRE TO BE REVIEWED AT THE END OF THE TRAINING PROGRAMME

Note: At the end of the training programme provide space for the participants to review the statements. Again there is no right or wrong answer, the purpose is to have a discussion.

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ATTITUDES Objectives:

• To understand negative attitudes of the participants towards People with Disabilities • To urge them to change their negative attitudes towards people with disabilities and

support them to develop positive attitudes. Exercise DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY/FEELINGS/THOUGHTS Materials required: Black board/flipchart papers, pens and markers. Process:

• Ask the participants to think of a word that suits and describes the personality of a person with disabilities

• Write it on the board/flip chart. • If there are not many participants ask them to write a second word • Read out the words written on the board loudly. • They may write: poor, pity, helpless, dependent, burden, honest, extra smart, lazy,

arrogant, charity, support, ugly looking, etc. • Now ask them to think of a word that suits and describes their own personality • Write it on the board. • Read out the words loudly. • They may write: good, strong, brave, intelligent, sharp, bright, good looking,

handsome, beautiful, courageous, clever, smart, etc. • Ask them what their impression about the two sets of words is. • Ask them for reasons for the difference in the two sets of words. • Ask them if their own attitudes towards people with disabilities are reflected in the

words selected. • Ask them why do we think like this about people with disabilities • Ask them if it is true

For people with disabilities For Yourself Poor, pity, helpless, dependent, burden, honest, lazy, need charity, need support, ugly looking, impatient etc

Good, strong, brave, intelligent, sharp, good looking, handsome, clever, smart, talented etc

Conclusion: We are all equal, and with the right support and access to opportunities such as education and employment everyone can reach their full potential.

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ATTITUDES Objectives: To understand that everyone needs respect and protection To understand that it is unfair to judge people by appearance Process:

• Tape pictures of 2 different animals on the board • One should be of an animal people like eg: dog or panda. The other should be of

an animal people don’t like for example a spider or snake • Ask the participants what do they think when they see a picture of a dog or panda.

Write the words on the board • Ask how the dog or the panda makes them feel. Do they like or dislike the dog or

panda? Why? • Ask the participants what do they think when they see a picture of a spider or

snake. Write the words on the board • Ask how the spider/snake makes them feel. Do they like or dislike the

spider/snake? Why? • How is that feeling? Is it the same or different from the feeling for the dog or

panda? • Compare the words • Ask if the spider/snake deserves our respect, concern or protection? • Why? Why not? • Do they have a purpose in the world? • Ask if it is fair to like or dislike a person based on the way they look? • What part of the way we look is important? • How do we judge people by the way they look? • Is it good to be neat and clean? • Is it good to be friendly and smiling? • Should we judge people by appearance?

Conclusion Everyone has a purpose in life and a role to play. We must get to know people before we make any judgments about them.

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CONDITIONING Objectives:

• To understand why we think the way we do • To enable participants to understand the importance of changing ourselves as this

leads to change in society Exercise YES/NO GAME Materials required: None Process:

• Ask the participants to stand or sit in a circle. • Explain that the facilitator will ask a few closed questions individually to each

participant. A closed question is one you can only answer Yes or No. Examples for closed questions can be:

• Do you like coffee? Did you sleep well? Do you speak French? Are you married? Do you have three children? Do you smoke?

• The rules for answering the questions are:

1. Participant will have to answer immediately, without delay. 2. They will have to answer both in words [speech] and action [nodding the head]. 3. Their action and speech must be opposite to each other. For example, while saying

‘Yes’, head should be moving right to left or left to right and while saying ‘No’, head should be moving up and down.

4. If they do not follow the correct process and rules of the game while answering the question they will be out of the game.

5. Ensure each individual participant is asked questions. 6. Confuse the participants by asking the questions quickly. 7. Once everybody has been asked a question, ask them how they felt about this

game. 8. Ask whether answering questions in this particular way was easy or difficult. 9. If difficult what was the difficulty?

Conclusion: Yes, it is difficult, because we are in the habit of nodding our head up and down for ‘Yes’ and moving our head from right to left for ‘No’. This process is called conditioning. It means whatever we have seen, heard, learnt, experienced, practiced, taught, and observed forms an image in our mind and we presume it to be true without any logic. In the same way we are conditioned to think certain things like pity or feeling sorry for people with disabilities. When we see people with disabilities we think that they are useless, a burden to society, and incapable of doing anything. Unless, we change our own attitude towards them, we cannot work with people with disabilities. Unless we change our own attitudes, society will not change.

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CONDITIONING Objectives:

• To understand why we think the way we do • To enable participants to understand the importance of changing ourselves as this

leads to change in society . Exercise PAVLOV’S DOG/FISH POOL Materials required: Pavlov’s Dog/Fish Pool story. Process: Tell one of the following stories to illustrate the concept of conditioning. Pavlov’s Dog A European scientist called Pavlov conducted an experiment with dogs. First he rings a bell to call the dogs, but they do not respond. The second time he rings the bell and gives food to the dogs, the dogs salivate and eat the food. The third time he just rings the bell and does not give the dogs any food. Still the dogs salivate. This shows that the dogs were conditioned to associate the sound of ringing the bell with food. This is called ‘classical conditioning’. Fish Pool A fisherman went to the fish pool to catch fish. He takes a big piece of bamboo to bang on the side of the pool to feed the fish. The first time he bangs on the side of the pool the fish do not respond. The second time he bangs on the side of the pool and gives food, the fish learn this sound means food. The third time he bangs on the side of the pool they come immediately, they now know this sound means food. This is called ‘classical conditioning’. Conclusion In the same way the dogs / fish were conditioned to respond to the sound of the bell, we are conditioned to think negatively and have negative attitudes towards people with disabilities. But we can change our attitudes towards people with disabilities. Self change is important. Without this, community change will not take place. An English poet wrote:

……..Full many a gem of purest ray serene, The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear: Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,

And waste its sweetness on the desert air…….

Ask: What does the poem mean?

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Building on their views, explain: The poet says that the large numbers of gems lying hidden inside dark caves in the ocean are without value if they are not taken out. The fragrance and sweetness of many flowers blooming in the desert is wasted if nobody enjoys it. If gold is kept hidden in a mine it has no value. In the same way if people with disabilities remain in their houses, and their talents and potential are not used to contribute to their communities or the developmental process, it is a huge waste of human resource. We should support and encourage people with disabilities out of their house to participate and contribute to their community, society and country.

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EMPATHY Objectives:

• To understand the importance of being kind towards everyone and having respect for everyone

• To understand the meaning of empathy and to empathise with others • To understand responsible and irresponsible behaviour • To practice listening skills

Process:

• Write the word empathy on the board • Ask the participants – What does empathy mean? • Write their answers on the board • Building on their views explain that empathy is putting yourself in another person’s

shoes • Tell the participants you will tell them a short story and after the story they will have

a better understanding of what empathy means • Discuss the meaning behind the story

Story 1: My Sister Last night when my sister called me she was very upset because she had just had a fight with her best friend. Her friend Noi said that she no longer wanted to be friends with my sister. My sister was crying because her feelings were hurt. I tried to help my sister by telling her a true story about when my best friend and I had a fight and didn’t speak to each other for months. I was able to give my sister advice because I had been through the same experience. I knew how she was feeling because I had felt the same way.

• Ask the participants if they have ever been in a situation in which they knew exactly how someone else was feeling because they had had a similar experience

• Ask the participants to share their experiences • Will being able to empathise with another person make us kinder and make us treat

others with respect and dignity and responsibly? • If you know how it feels to be made fun of, do you think you will be more likely or

less likely to make fun of someone else? • Why? Ask for examples

Conclusion: Empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes Empathy means understanding how another person feels, because you have had the same experience. Or if you hadn’t had the same experience, you can imagine what it would feel like if you were that person. Unless we empathize with people with disabilities, we cannot understand their situation. There is diversity and difference everywhere. We are divided into gender, age, race, culture, types of disabilities, degree of disabilities and other factors but still we are all equal human beings.

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Story 2: THE STORY OF NAPOLEON����AND THE OLD FISHERMAN Process:

• Write the word empathy on the board • Ask the participants – What does empathy mean? • Write their answers on the board • Building on their views explain that empathy is putting yourself in another person’s

shoes • Tell the participants you will tell them a short story and after the story they will have a

better understanding of what empathy means • Discuss the meaning behind the story • After the story they may say: feeling other’s pain, understanding others, realizing

other’s pain, putting our selves in other’s situation. • Building on the views of the participants, explain that - Empathy is a process through

which a person understands/realizes other peoples problems, pains, sorrows and difficulties by putting himself or herself in other’s position. Empathy is entering into the skin of other people and realizing their difficulties. Empathy is putting ourselves into another person’s shoes and feeling their pain, difficulties and problems.

• Tell the story of Napoleon and the old fisherman to clarify the concept of empathy. • Ask the participants, what is the answer to the third question? The correct answer is

“what you felt and realize now, is what I felt”. Napoleon made the fisherman realize his personal feelings practically by making him go through the same situation he himself underwent. This is called empathy.

• Ask the participants if they have ever been in a situation in which they knew exactly how someone else was feeling because they had had a similar experience.

• Ask the participants to share their experiences. • Will being able to empathise with another person make us kinder and make us treat

others with respect and responsibly. • If you know how it feels to be made fun of, do you think you will be more likely or less

likely to make fun of someone else? • Why? Ask for examples

Conclusion: Empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes Empathy means understanding how another person feels, because you have had the same experience. Or if you hadn’t had the same experience, you can imagine what it would feel like if you were that person. Unless we empathize with people with disabilities, we cannot understand their situation. There is diversity and difference everywhere. We are divided into gender, age, race, culture, types of disabilities, degree of disabilities and other factors but still we are all equal human beings and with the right support and opportunity we can all reach our full potential. INCLUDE A DISCUSSION ON THE PRACTICAL EXERCISE SET UP AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TRAINING SESSION TO IDENTIFY THE BARRIERS PEOPLE FACED

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Story of NAPOLEON AND THE OLD FISHERMAN Once there was a battle between France and Russia in which France defeated Russia. Russian soldiers try to capture and arrest Napoleon, but he escapes from them. On the way Napoleon sees an old fisherman standing in front of his house. Napoleon goes up to him and says – “I am Napoleon, the leader of the French army. At this moment my life is in danger. If you save my life I will give you three gifts which are equivalent to my precious life”. The old fisherman agrees to save him and takes Napoleon inside and asks him lie down on a bed and wraps Napoleon in bed sheets and clothes. The old fisherman goes outside and sits quietly. After some time French soldiers come and ask old man for Napoleon. The fisherman says – “I don’t know where he is”. The soldiers enter inside the house and search for Napoleon. They stab their sharp weapons into the bed and bed sheets where Napoleon is hiding. Finally they do not find him and they go away. After some time the old fisherman calls Napoleon who comes out happily and says – “Great old man, you have saved my life. Now you can ask three things, which are equivalent to my precious life”. The old fisherman thinks for a while and asks for the first gift, He says, “The roof of my house, is damaged kindly get it repaired for me”. Napoleon laughs and says – “You do not know the value of money and power. If you had known you would have not asked me for this. Yes that wish is granted”. Napoleon says, “What is the second gift?” The old fisherman says “Sir, my wife has no hair, her hair has fallen out, please give me a wig for my wife. Again Napoleon laughs and says, “You are asking Napoleon to give you a wig for your wife. Still there is time, you can ask for half of my kingdom. I have to give it to you, because I have promised you”. Napoleon asks what the third gift is. The old fisherman thinks for a while and asks with a trembling voice – “Can you share your experience when French soldiers pushed the sharp weapons into the bed and bed sheets while searching for you”? Napoleon becomes angry and says, “You are testing the patience of Napoleon. How dare you to test the self esteem of Napoleon. You will be shot to death for this crime tomorrow morning at ten”. Suddenly, soldiers come and arrest the old fisherman and take him away. The old fisherman becomes sad. It is nine o’clock the next morning. The old fisherman is tied to a pole and two soldiers are ready with guns to shoot him. The old fisherman is very sad. He remembers his wife and children and he cries. Tears roll down his cheeks. His pain becomes greater and greater which cannot be described in words. It is half past nine and his time of death is coming closer. He thinks about his wife and worries who will take care of her. He worries who will take the responsibility of his children’s marriage. It is one minute to ten; the soldiers are getting ready to shoot him. Suddenly, a man on a horse arrives and stops in front of the old fisherman. A soldier gets down from the horse and hands over a letter to the old fisherman in which Napoleon writes: “I have answered your question and granted the third wish, you may go now”.

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Story 3

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the puppies and nailed it to his garden gate. As he was banging in the last nail to the sign, he felt a pull on his trousers. He looked down into the eyes of a little boy. Mister," said the little boy, "I want to buy one of your puppies." "Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "these puppies come from fine parents and cost a lot of money." The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of small money and held it up to the farmer. "I have one thousand kip. Is that enough to take a look?" "Sure," said the farmer and called “here Bak Ghan”. Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Bak Ghan followed by four little puppies. The little boy looked at the puppies and his eyes danced with delight. As the dogs made their way to the farmer, the little boy noticed something else inside the doghouse. Slowly another little puppy appeared; this one was much smaller. Down the ramp it fell. Then in an awkward manner the little puppy began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up. "I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the very small puppy. The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would." With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he revealed that he had polio. Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and the puppy will need someone who understands." The world is full of people who need someone who understands.

• Ask the participants if they have ever been in a situation in which they knew exactly how someone else was feeling because they had had a similar experience

• Ask the participants to share their experiences • Will being able to empathise with another person make us kinder and make us treat

others with respect and responsibly • If you know how it feels to be made fun of, do you think you will be more likely or

less likely to make fun of someone else? • Why? Ask for examples

Conclusion: Empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes Empathy means understanding how another person feels, because you have had the same experience. Or if you hadn’t had the same experience, you can imagine what it

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would feel like if you were that person. Unless we empathize with people with disabilities, we cannot understand their situation. There is diversity and difference everywhere. We are divided into gender, age, race, culture, types of disabilities, degree of disabilities and other factors but still we are all equal human beings and with the right support and opportunity we can all reach our full potential. .

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CHALLENGING THE CYCLE OF DISCRIMINATION AND EXCLUSION Objectives:

• To understand why there is discrimination and exclusion • Explain the cycle of understanding-belief-attitudes-behavior. • To facilitate the participants to think of different ways to break this negative cycle.

Exercise WHEN YOU HAD A BABY Materials required: Case Study Process:

• Ask the participants: “when you had a baby how did you feel?” • List their feelings of the participants towards the baby • Ask: “three months / one year / 5 years later you discover your child has polio/blind/

road traffic accident / UXO accident how would you feel?” • List their feelings after the onset of disability towards the child • Participants may list following feelings of the parents: Before: Joy, happiness, hopes, dreams, satisfaction, pride, honor, dignity, respect, prestige, success etc. After: Shock, depression, frustration, humiliation, self-pity, anger, anxiety, hopelessness, jealousy, sorrow, sadness, shy, burden, fear, pessimism, shame, guilty, confused, helplessness etc. • Ask the participants to add any more feelings that they may think are important.

Make sure that all the above-mentioned feelings are listed on the board. • Ask how their feelings look before and after the onset of disability: generally happy or

positive and sad or negative feelings.

BEFORE AFTER

Joy, happiness, hopes, dreams, satisfaction, pride, honor, dignity, respect, prestigious and success.

Shock, depression, frustration, humiliation, self-pity, anger, anxiety, hopelessness, jealousy, sorrow, sadness, shy, burden, fear, pessimism, shame, guilty, confused, helpless, and others.

• Ask the participants if there will be a change in feelings in different situations. • Facilitate the participants to arrive at a conclusion that feelings are the same

everywhere irrespective of socio-economic conditions whether it is rural – urban, Laos PDR – England, rich or poor or town or village. Families with children with disabilities will have one of these feelings or a combination of these feelings.

• Ask them what makes the parents feel sad or negative? They may list: the child will be dependent, not normal, conditioning, attitude of society, cannot work, earn, study, walk, move, drink, eat, support the family etc.

• Facilitate them to arrive at the understanding that the attitude of society towards children with disabilities makes them feel negative. They have not seen children with disabilities do certain activities that others do. They feel that non disabled (normal)

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children will be able to take care of themselves, study, play, work and support their family, while children with disabilities cannot. They are conditioned with the term ‘normal’.

• Explain nobody is normal; everybody is unique in this world with certain strengths and limitations. Not only children with disabilities, non-disabled children also have limitations. Our conditioning reinforces the limitations of the children with disabilities.

• Ask the participants to list out the different personality traits of people with disabilities. They may list: warped, lack of confidence, impatient, anxious, shy, rude, skeptic, lack of trust, low esteem, angry, short tempered, moody etc.

• Ask them whether these traits are found only in people with disabilities or in others as well.

• Facilitate them to arrive at a conclusion that these traits are found in every human being, maybe slightly more in people with disabilities.

• Ask them why do they acquire these traits?

• Explain: These negative attitudes reflect the attitudes of society towards people with disabilities. It is these negative attitudes that they face that make them acquire these personality traits.

• Families value/cherish the different abilities in their children, but sometimes they do not value a child with disability because they cannot do certain things.

• We are conditioned to think that everyone has to be ‘normal’. When we see things which we think are not ‘normal, our attitude changes towards them.

• Our understanding influences our belief • Our belief influence our attitudes • And our attitude influences our behavior. • We have to break this vicious cycle. If we want to break this vicious cycle we have to

change our own values. It is not so easy to change our own values. • It is important to make significant changes in the lives of children with disabilities. If

the families see children with disabilities doing the same things as other non-disabled children, such as going to school, then they will value and accept them.

• If society sees people with disabilities working they will value and accept them. • With the right support and opportunity we can all reach our full potential.

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CHALLENGING THE CYCLE OF DISCRIMINATION AND EXCLUSION Objectives:

• To understand why there is discrimination and exclusion • Explain the cycle of understanding-belief-attitudes-behavior. • To facilitate the participants to think of different ways to break this negative cycle.

Exercise ROCKET STORY Materials required: Rocket story, chart paper, pen, marker, Cards. Process:

• Divide the participants into groups of 3-4 people. • Explain the rocket story to all the groups: • There is a rumor that planet Earth will be destroyed and all life will come to an end. A

rocket has arrived to take some people from the earth to another planet so that the human race survives. The rocket can take only five people. Only five people will be saved to start a new world.

• Tell the participants that they have to answer the following questions after discussion in their groups.

A. Who do you want to send in the delegation of five people to the other planet? B. Why do you select that particular person or human? List the reasons for selection. • Tell them that they have to name each person and • Give their position in society or profession or occupation such as engineer, politician,

doctor, young couple, social worker, scientist etc and • Give the reasons they want to send them to another planet. • Ask each group to present their views to the larger group.

DELEGATION REASON 1. Somephone Bounkeo, Boualiene

Bounkeo a young couple, Doctor, Scientist, Industrialist

2. Social Worker, Young couple,

Astronomer, Politician 3. Lawyer, economist, fisherman

Doctor, Farmer 4. Farmer, Couple, Scientist, Labourer

Procreation, Medicine, Production, Invention. Farming, Labour work, Rule, Development, Recreation, Space research, Economy, Food.

• Once all the presentations are over, ask the participants why they did not select

anyone with disability? • They may come up with: not many professionals, skills, qualities, competent enough,

ability, potential, weak etc. • We think they are weak, helpless, inefficient, incapable, not talented and without

potential • We are conditioned to think this way.

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• Explain: These negative attitudes reflect the attitudes of society towards people with disabilities

• We are conditioned to think that everyone has to be ‘normal’. When we see things which we think are not ‘normal, our attitude changes towards them.

• Our understanding influences our belief • Our belief influence our attitudes • And our attitude influences our behavior. • We have to break this vicious cycle. If we want to break this vicious cycle we have to

change our own values. It is not so easy to change our own values. • It is important to make significant changes in the lives of people with disabilities. If the

families see children with disabilities doing the same things as other non-disabled children, such as going to school, then they will value and accept them.

• If society sees people with disabilities working they will value and accept them. • With the right support and opportunity we can all reach our full potential.

If participants include a person with a disability reinforce that they can do the same as everyone else.

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GENDER AND ATTITUDE: GAME OF LIFE Objective: Process Ask the group for eight volunteers to line up across the middle of the room. The rest of the group should sit around the edges, where they can see the volunteers. (You need a large room for this, or an outside space.) Give each volunteer an identity: Male, urban, non disabled Male, urban, disabled (pick a disability) Male, rural, non disabled Male, rural, disabled (pick a disability) Female, urban, non disabled Female, urban, disabled (pick a disability) Female, rural, non disabled Female, rural, disabled (pick a disability) Give men a female identify and vice versa. Explain that this exercise is to help us to examine how experiences of life may differ, depending on who we are and how our community sees us. You will go through the main stages of a typical life story, one by one, and each of the volunteers must respond to each stage, according to how they think it would affect their new identity (or their family): • Two steps forward for a very positive or very successful experience. • One step forward for a positive or successful experience. • One step back for a not-so positive or not-so successful experience. • Two steps back for negative or unsuccessful experience. Emphasise that they are each representing a group of people, so they should respond accordingly (rather than basing their response on their own experience, or the experience of one individual, which may not apply to the majority). Emphasise that their response should be based on what they think is currently accurate for their culture and situation, not what they think it ought to be. After each life stage, and the response by the volunteers, you will allow time for the rest of the group to react and comment on the moves made by the volunteers. If there is disagreement, the rest of the group should decide by consensus and instruct the volunteer (if appropriate) how to change the move that s/he made. It is important for the facilitator to judge when to intervene and comment, to clarify reasons for decisions, and bring out and discuss any prejudicial points. First Life Event: • ‘One fine day, after a long wait of nine months, your character is born.’ How does your family feel when they see who you are? Make your moves. Comments/suggestions by the rest of the group (Example to facilitator of what might happen: If the family is very happy (non-disabled son born): two steps forward Quite happy (disabled son/non-disabled daughter): one step forward Not happy (disabled son): one step back Very unhappy (disabled daughter): two steps back)

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Second Life Event: • ‘Now you are a bit older, and it’s time to start thinking about school.’ How likely is it that you will be able to attend school? Make your moves. Comments/suggestions by the rest of the group Third Life Event: • ‘Now you are 20 years old, spring is in the air, and you would like to get married, or form a relationship. ‘ How much do you think this will possible for you? Make your moves. Comments/suggestions by the rest of the group Fourth Life Event: • ‘You like to keep busy and want to make some money for your family. You try to get a job. How easy will it be for you to find one? Make your moves Comments/suggestions by the rest of the group Fifth Life Event: • ‘A few years go by, and everyone in your age group is having babies. How much will this be a possibility for you? Make your moves Comments/suggestions by the rest of the group Check if the disabled woman takes two steps back, or is instructed to do so by the group. Why did this happen? They may say that it’s because most disabled women are physically unable to have children – a common myth. Two steps back may well be an accurate response for a different reason: disabled women often don’t have children because society thinks that they can’t or shouldn’t. Sixth Life Event: • ‘Now you are in your 40s, and you have a lot of experience of life. You want to help your community by becoming involved in local politics.’ How likely are you to achieve this goal?’ Make your moves Comments/suggestions by the rest of the group Questions: When all the moves have been made, ask the group: Who is in the best position? Who is in the worst position? Ask the volunteers (especially those in the best and worst positions) how they feel about being where they are. Do you feel surprised at the different levels in the group? Did you expect this difference? At what point(s) were the experiences of disabled men and disabled women the same/different?

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Does this reflect the situation in your communities today? Can they explain why things are like that? How do they feel about it? What have they learned from this exercise about different people’s experiences? How can we improve the situation of people with disabilities in your society? What are the most important things to change? Summarise the discussion. Facilitator’s This exercise needs particularly careful introduction and facilitation. Notes To many participants it dramatically reveals things about which they had never consciously thought before. It can be fun, the humour taking the edge off the hard facts exposed by the game; but some participants have found it distressing, because it makes plain some very painful and personal truths. We include it here because we think that, at the right time and in an appropriate way, taboos and difficult issues need to be identified and spoken about, so that we can all recognise where the core of discrimination lies, and from there work out strategies for change. In a way, this exercise shows how arbitrary the game of life really is, depending on the chance facts of one’s birth. It can be an effective way of revealing to non-disabled people how much disabled people are discriminated against (directly and indirectly) in their community; and of helping non-disabled and disabled people alike to recognise that disabled women usually face worse discrimination than disabled men. (This is a fact that is often hotly denied by disabled men and DPOs, and used as a justification for not including women, or not working on disabled women’s issues.) In groups with a mixture of disabled and non-disabled participants, it is essential that participants have worked together enough, and know each other well enough, to feel comfortable with each other. Options With groups of disabled people, it is sometimes more effective to address these issues in another way, for example through small-group discussions, each group considering one of the major life-events and the personal issues involved, with feedback to the whole group. The reason for this is that the game’s outcome is all too obvious from the outset for most disabled people, and the time may be better spent on deeper discussions of the issues. It is good nonetheless for disabled trainee facilitators to learn the Game of Life, in order to be able to facilitate it with other groups, whatever their composition. Especially with groups consisting entirely of disabled people, or groups of any composition who already have a good understanding of the discrimination faced by disabled people, you may decide to omit the contrast between disabled and non-disabled lives and shift the focus of the game to emphasise male/female issues, changing the characters of the four volunteers to (for example) urban disabled man, rural disabled man, urban disabled woman, rural disabled woman. Another alternative, for use with any type of group in a different context, is to use this exercise to raise differences in the likely life experiences of people with various types of impairment, for example, learning-disabled people and people with physical or sensory impairments. Or to explore the question of whether disabled people (or disabled and non-disabled people) from different racial or religious groups receive different treatment within the broader community.

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HUMAN RIGHTS APPROACH TO DISABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT Objectives:

• To understand that disability is a rights and equality issue and enable participants address the issues and concerns of people with disabilities

• To enable participants to examine how rights and equality are denied to people with disabilities

• To understand that rights give people with disabilities equality, respect and dignity, and creates moral and legal obligations to fulfill

NEEDS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND MODELS OF DISABILITY Materials required: Board/flipchart, pen, marker. Process:

• Ask the participants to list the needs of people with disabilities. • Whatever they say write it on the board/flipchart. • They may list the following needs: Medication, treatment, crutch, caliper, wheel chair,

tricycle, hearing aid, training, help, care, cane etc. • Ask them repeatedly if they can think of anything else. • Ask them to list their own needs [in case of non-disabled participants] or needs of

non-disabled people in case of disabled activists. • They may list following needs: Food, clothes, shelter, education, recreation,

employment, companionship, respect, dignity, marriage, games and others. • Facilitate them to understand and examine the difference between the two lists of

needs.

Needs of Disabled people Needs of Non-Disabled people Mobility aids, Equipments and Assistive devises, Treatment, Surgery, Therapy, Entitlements, education, job, banking, all the facilities

Food, clothes, Shelter, education, Employment, companionship. Recreation, equality, opportunity, voting Marriage, public life, work, games

• Ask - Do you think people with disabilities also require the needs, which you have

listed for non-disabled? Do you think people with disabilities are also human beings like the non-disabled? Why is so much difference in needs? Do you agree that their needs are also similar to others? Do you think they have special or additional needs? Why? If not why? Because they are also human beings like everyone else.

Let us try to understand the human needs. According to Maslow a well known sociologist, human needs can be broadly classified into five groups.

a Basic or existence needs: Food, clothing, shelter, water, breathing, sleep, sex b Safety needs: Personal security, financial security, health and wellbeing c Social needs: Friendship, intimacy, love, affection, companionship. d Esteem needs: Self worth, confidence, self-respect, dignity, equality and

individuality. e Self-Actualization needs: Morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack

of prejudice, acceptance of facts (when lower needs have been satisfied)

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• Ask - What is a right? What kinds of rights are there? • Write on the flip chart examples of rights such as right to education, livelihood, health,

participation etc. • Remove the word “right” from the examples. For example: education, livelihood,

health, participation etc. • Ask them what are these? They may say these are needs of human being.

Explain to the participants what a right is:

A right protects individuals or groups from injustice; it allows individuals to grow to their full potential as a positive and active member of their society; it is a responsibility that each person or group has to others; and it is about respect of oneself and others. A right creates a moral and legal obligation that countries must fulfill.

As human beings we have the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)

As citizens of Lao PDR we have the Constitution of Laos (2003)

As people with disabilities we have the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (2007)

As women we have the International Bill of Rights for Women (1981)

As children we have the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)

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“Human rights are what reason requires and conscience demands. They are us and we are them. Human rights are rights that any person has as a human being. We are all human beings; we are all deserving of human rights. One cannot be true without the other.” – Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations (1997 – 2006)

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS 1948

1 Right to equality 2 Freedom from discrimination 3 Right to life, liberty and personal security 4 Freedom from slavery 5 Freedom from torture and degrading treatment 6 Right to recognition as a person before the law 7 Right to equality before the law 8 Right to remedy by competent tribunal 9 Freedom from arbitrary arrest and exile 10 Right to fair public hearing 11 Right to be considered innocent until proven guilty 12 Freedom from interference with privacy, family, home and correspondence 13 Right to free movement in and out of the country 14 Right to asylum in other countries from persecution 15 Right to a nationality and the freedom to change it 16 Right to marriage and family 17 Right to own property 18 Freedom of belief and religion 19 Freedom of opinion and information 20 Right of peaceful assembly and association 21 Right to participate in Government and in free elections 22 Right to social security 23 Right to desirable work 24 Right to rest and leisure 25 Right to adequate standard of living 26 Right to education 27 Right to participate in the cultural life of community 28 Right to a social order that articulates this document 29 Community duties essential to free and full development 30 Freedom from state or personal interference in the above rights

Persons with disabilities are routinely denied these basic rights:

• Receiving an education • Moving around freely • Living independently in the community • Getting jobs, even when well qualified • Accessing information • Obtaining proper health care • Exercising political rights, such as voting • Making their own decisions

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Under the terms of the Convention, States are obliged to consult with persons with disabilities, through their representative organizations, when developing and implementing legislation and policies to implement the Convention, and on all other policy matters that will affect the lives of persons with disabilities.

The explicit rights set out in the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities 2006 are:

• Equality before the law without discrimination • Right to life, liberty and security of the person • Equal recognition before the law and legal capacity • Freedom from torture • Freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse • Right to respect physical and mental integrity • Freedom of movement and nationality • Right to live in the community • Freedom of expression and opinion • Respect for privacy • Respect for home and the family • Right to education • Right to health • Right to work • Right to an adequate standard of living • Right to participate in political and public life

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HUMAN RIGHTS APPROACH DISABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT XXXXXXXXXXX Objectives:

• To understand that disability is a rights and equality issue and enable participants address the issues and concerns of people with disabilities

• To enable participants to examine how rights and equality are denied to people with disabilities

• To understand that rights give people with disabilities equality, respect and dignity, and creates moral and legal obligations to fulfill

Exercise RIGHTS Materials: Case studies Process: We will explain 6 case studies on how the rights of people with disabilities are ignored or not respected. RIGHT TO LIFE Story 1: A rich couple had a son with cerebral palsy. When the father noticed the disability of the child he tried to force the mother not to feed milk to the child so he would die. The mother did not agree to do this. But when the child was three years old, father himself gave sleeping pills to the child and killed him. Story 2: A poor couple in had a daughter who was blind. The mother wanted to kill the child by not feeding her. When the baby was 4 months old she died of starvation.

Story 3: A poor couple in had a child with cerebral palsy. When the child was about three years old the mother passed away. The father took care of the child. When the child was six years old the father also passed away. There was no one to take care of the child. The child died. Discussion: Encourage a discussion on negative attitudes towards people with disabilities Give the participants time to answer; this is a very big issue. RIGHT TO EDUCATION Discussion: In a school of 100 children, how many children with disabilities do you find attending? In a High School, how many children with disabilities do you find? In a College, how many students with disabilities do you find? In a University how many students with disabilities do you find? Ask the participants why is the number low?

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Facilitate a discussion to include: • Parents do not encourage their children with disabilities to go to school. • Teachers refuse to admit children with disabilities to the school. • The Right to Education is denied to People with Disabilities.

RIGHT TO LIVELIHOOD How many people with disabilities do you find working in Government offices? How many people with disabilities do you find working for private companies? How many people with disabilities do you find working in factories? Facilitate a discussion on why is the number is so low? The discussion should include: Negative attitudes towards people with disabilities, society think people with disabilities cannot do anything Lack of education Lack of access to the workplace Lack of accessible transport Explain: People with disabilities are denied opportunities to work due to the negative attitude of the community. Because of the negative attitude of society people with disabilities have to become beggars which is a very undignified way to earn a living.

RIGHT TO INFORMATION How many people with disabilities have access to information in Braille or sign language? How many people with disabilities have access to public places to get information? RIGHT TO DECISION MAKING How many people with disabilities do you find in the decision making executive bodies or management teams of organizations working for people with disabilities? Explain: Others make decisions on the lives of people with disabilities RIGHT TO PARTICIPATION How many disabled people do you find at weddings, public events, religious festivals or social gatherings? Why is the number low? This is more than enough to prove People with Disabilities are denied their rights

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BARRIERS TO INCLUSION OF DISABLED PEOPLE

Objective: To identify barriers to inclusion facing people with disabilities Exercise THE WALL Materials: Board/flipchart, pens, marker, and post it notes Identifying barriers: We have seen that the real problem of disability is not physical or intellectual impairments, but the ways in which society is constructed – in physical/environmental, institutional, and attitudinal terms – to exclude disabled people. Society focuses mainly on meeting the needs and rights of non-disabled people. In this section we will consider in detail the barriers that prevent people with disabilities from claiming their rights and exclude them from participating in society on equal terms with non-disabled people. Explain the three types of barriers facing people with disabilities: Physical/environmental barriers: Is your community accessible for people with disabilities? How accessible is work or school, and the public places you go? Physical barriers can be caused by things like buildings, stairs or hills, doorways, or even the weather and climate. Attitudinal barriers: Do negative attitudes and prejudice from people you come in contact with keep people with disabilities from being as productive and successful as possible? Institutional barriers: Can people with disabilities find the educational, employment, and other services they need? Preparation: Prepare three flipchart sheets, one for each of the three barriers -environmental, institutional, and attitudinal. Draw a brick or stone wall on each flipchart. Provide post-it notes.

• Ask participants to form small groups. • Give each group a pile of post-it notes and some pens. • Ask them to work together to identify the obstacles or barriers in their community

that prevent or limit disabled people’s participation in everyday life. They should think about all types of barriers, not just the physical ones.

• They should write a note about each barrier on the post-it note. • After 15 minutes, bring the whole group back together, and display the three

flipchart sheets next to each other to form a continuous wall. • Explain that the bricks of the walls represent barriers identified by disabled people.

There are three categories: environmental, attitudinal, and institutional. • Ask one person from each group to come up, one at a time, and stick their post-it

notes on to bricks in the wall under each category. They should announce each barrier as they display it and give an explanation why it is a barrier.

• When this process is finished, review what people have identified.

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Questions for discussion Was one barrier mentioned several times, indicating perhaps that it is particularly significant? Are there any barriers that participants had not previously thought of as barriers? Summary: ENVIRONMENTAL BARRIERS Disabled people encounter environmental barriers in the following areas: public transport, housing, public buildings, roads, streets, leisure and recreation facilities, offices and factories, temples, communications systems, access to information. It is easy, once alerted, to see the environmental barriers that disabled people face: inaccessible offices, shops, toilets; inaccessible public transport; and poor signposting throughout. But it is probably less easy to see how barriers in communication systems are disabling for a range of people, particularly those who are Deaf, or hard of hearing, or who have impaired sight. For example bus or railway stations, where travel information is given visually and not always supplemented by information on a loudspeaker system for the benefit of people who are blind or impaired sight. Signs for services on the station may also be difficult to read or badly placed. Deaf people are disadvantaged when last-minute changes to timetables and platforms are announced on the loudspeaker but not altered on indicator boards. ATTITUDINAL BARRIERS Attitudinal barriers are less obvious than environmental barriers, but they can create major problems for disabled people in their efforts to lead ordinary lives. Common negative attitudes towards people with disabilities include: incapable, in need of a cure, tragic, inspirational, needing “special services”, brave and courageous. These are unthinking value judgments based on negative generalisations. Often assumptions and emotions are reinforced by literature, films, newspapers and television. People often identify ‘other people’s attitudes’ as a barrier, but only in general terms. The ‘wall’ device may help you to think more specifically about the particular forms that prejudice can take, including some which might seem benevolent but are in fact oppressive. For example, people with disabilties are expected to be passive, compliant, and grateful for whatever help other people see fit to give them. If they accept the help, they earn condescending approval – but are still perceived as inferior to the rest of society. If people with disabilities react against patronising or abusive behaviour, they risk being labeled ‘bitter’ or ‘aggressive’. But who would not react with anger to being kept in a room at home, being subjected to years of institutionalisation, or being given ‘special’ treatment, based on pity? Anger would seem to be the most normal human reaction to such experiences. INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS Institutional barriers also exclude or segregate people with disabilities from many areas of society. They include legislation that discriminates against people with disabilities and a lack of legislation protecting and promoting the rights of people with disabilities.

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Key institutions (or systems) can also create institutional barriers, they include: the family, religion, education, health services, social services, the legal system, the class system, employment, and the political system, humanitarian and development agencies. Many of these institutional barriers link directly to environmental and attitudinal barriers. But it is only by looking at institutions as a whole that we can identify the way in which these barriers interlock, and see the ways in which people with disabilities are segregated and disempowered. Often people fail to identify the family, political and legal systems or religion as barriers; but these often play a crucial role in determining the status of disabled people. Families might be considered a barrier for three main reasons: first they tend to overprotect their disabled family member and so prevent him or her from developing independence; or they want to help but they lack information, or have the wrong information; or they try to hide or get rid of their disabled relative. In some cases they rarely allow disabled family members to go outside the house, in case they get hurt or ridiculed. Everything is done for the disabled person, including things that he or she would be able to do independently. The effect of this over protectiveness, usually motivated by love, is to make the person with disability passive and inactive, feeling helpless and patronized. Denied the freedom to take risks and responsibility or to learn from mistakes, he or she is permanently treated as a child, and not allowed to grow up. Families need to be supported to find appropriate ways to help their family members with disability. Some people believe that disability is a punishment for sin, and therefore a source of shame, which leads to the exclusion of the disabled person, and sometimes his or her family, from community life. Disabled people’s lack of access to the political life of their community or country means that they are excluded from the policy making process. So important decisions are made without taking into account their existence, rights, wishes, and needs. HOW ARE WE GOING TO BREAK DOWN THE WALL?

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ADVOCACY Objective:

• To explain the meaning of advocacy • To identify allies in your community who can promote and protect the rights of

people with disabilities Exercise 1 MAKE A FIST Process:

• Divide the participants into pairs. • Ask one of them to make a fist. Ask the other partner to try and open the fist, but

they must resist firmly. • Let this process continue for a few minutes. • See if anyone is able to open the fist in spite of resistance from their counterpart. • After 5 minutes, ask all of them to stop. • Ask them why they stopped when the facilitator asked. • They may say you have authority, power, command etc. • Ask the group what strategies were applied to open the fist. • They may say: using power, force, coercion, compulsion, admiration, appreciation,

request, appeal, influencing, etc. • Tell them this is what advocacy is all about. Advocacy is not just fighting with or

confronting the Government, but also to work with, co-operate, appreciate, influence, appeal, pressurize, lobby, collaborate, and demand from the Government.

Exercise 2 ISSUES IN OUR COMMUNITY Materials required: Board/flipchart paper, markers Process:

• Ask the participants to make a list of major issues in their community. • They may list issues like poverty, unemployment, literacy, drug addiction, prostitution,

begging, environment, natural resource management, child labour, health, agriculture, ethnic groups, disability, hunger and food security, street children, orphans, etc.

• Ask them to identify which issues from the list are being addressed by Government and NGOs.

• They may tick all the issues or some of them like: Poverty, literacy, environment, health, hunger, women and children, etc.

• Explain Advocacy is the pursuit of influencing outcomes that directly affects people’s lives. Advocacy can be seen as a process of speaking out on issues of concern in order to exert some influence on behalf of ideas or persons

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SELF-HELP GROUPS AND ADVOCACY GROUPS Objective:

• To understand that to promote and protect the rights of people with disabilities we must all work together

Exercise WORKING TOGETHER Materials required: Collect different articles (match box, pen, watch, leaves etc.), 2-3 times the number of participants. Chart papers, pen, markers etc. Process:

• Spread the collected materials in front of the group giving them a minute, to see, hear and feel them.

• After a minute cover the materials with a cloth • Ask the participants to list the materials that they saw, heard and felt individually. • Once everybody completes their list ask each participant how many items they listed. • Draw the attention of the participants towards the individual who has got highest

number of materials listed down. • List their items on the board/flipchart • Ask the participants if anyone has items on their list not on the board/flipchart • Add these items to the list • Now the list must be 2 to 3 times more than the earlier list of the individual with

largest number of items listed. • Ask the participants, what contributed to reach this many numbers. They may say

collective efforts of the members. • Explain how collective action helps the members to achieve the target and objectives

easily. • Ask the Self Help Group to meet once a month for 90 minutes, focus on a single

issue and discuss it, reach agreement on the way forward • Support will be offered by HIB at future SHG meetings

FINALLY: REVIEW AGREE/DISAGREE STATEMENTS EXERCISE CONDUCTED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TRAINING PROGRAMME

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SELF HELP GROUP ACTIVITY Large Group Discussion How do we overcome other barriers to exclusion of disabled people?

• Decide on area of focus – eg Physical Barriers • Establish a group to work on it • Analyse the situation • Agree on objectives and targets • Identify stakeholders roles, responsibilities and levels of decision-making • Identify method of taking action • Plan the way of going about it • Implement action • Monitor progress

Identifying allies Change and action come from people with disabilities and their organisations, but they also need to reach out to the broader community, to gain support and also to become an accepted part of the broader community. This means finding (or, where necessary, making) allies: (friends, family, disabled and non-disabled people, DPOs, community Leaders, officials, national, provincial and district and community authorities etc.) Preparation Provide pens and flipchart sheets. Process Ask participants to consider the people who can (or might be persuaded to) help to resolve the problems of physical barriers / discrimination that are experienced by disabled people in their community. Put them in their small groups, with pens and flipchart paper. They have 20 minutes for this small-group work. Ask each group to choose one specific example of discrimination against disabled people in their community that they would like to stop. As a group they should either brainstorm a list, or draw a community map, of all the people who they think could or might be helpful in solving the problem. (All suggestions should be encouraged.) If they don’t know the name of a particular individual, they can identify him or her by their role or position. Then they should go through their list or map and mark with one colour the people on it who they know would help now. They should use a different colour to identify those who would need to be lobbied before they would get involved. One person from each small group should be prepared to present their ideas to the rest of the group (five minutes each). Bring the groups back together and facilitate the feedback. Take a few minutes to look at all the lists together and ask participants if they want to comment or draw any conclusions. If helpful, use the following questions to facilitate this discussion.

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Questions Are there any surprises? Are there some people (or groups of people) who appear on all the lists, and others who are issue-specific? Who are the people whom they can count on now? Who are the ones who need to be lobbied and persuaded to give their support?

• Ask the participants to list down the advantages of self-help and advocacy group. • They may list the following advantages.

o Forum for sharing o Forum for solutions o Forum for recreation o Unity o Strength o Moral Support o Collective Action o Collective bargaining o Easy to influence and lobby, so on and so forth.

• Explain the concept of SHG (Self help Group and Advocacy groups for People with Disabilities) to the members: Literary meaning of self-help group is that “a group to help themselves”. Self help group can be termed as a group of like minded persons affected by one or different issues but whose cause is similar and whose objective is to help themselves.

Features of SHG The primary objective of SHG may be helping themselves but the ultimate objective is to promote the development of entire society. Objectives: Organizing, lobbying, influencing, self-help, promoting welfare, tackling issues, raising issues, draws the attention of community and policy makers regarding their issues and raising awareness in the community about the same. Characteristics of SHG: The important features are that the group is small, voluntary and members are essentially alike. Principles: The fundamental principle on which the group is based is “all for one and one for all’. The other principles are co-operation, exchange, participation, shared responsibility, collective action and mutual respect. Merits: It provides a forum for discussion, recreation, sharing, ideas, choices, support, help, power, education, opportunities and ventilation. Successes: There is a wrong notion about SHG that it is a savings and credit group among people since most of the groups are engaged in just credit activities. But it is not true. There are a few SHGs, which became credible voluntary organizations. Many SHG are managing banks, co-operative societies, rural development projects, milk dairies and small-scale industries. They are instrumental in promoting peace and harmony, ecological balance, literacy, co-operative movements and promoting the rights of marginalized people.

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SHG for people with disabilities is not a new concept. If SHGs can empower other marginalized groups then the same can be true for people with disabilities. This concept is very much applicable to people with disabilities with some modifications. In the case of SHGs for people with disabilities the principle caregivers, i.e. family members of under aged children and severely disabled people will represent those who cannot represent themselves. They can carry out different activities that sustain their interest. It should be an action or activity oriented group rather than ideology-oriented group. Possible activities that can be taken up are managing the day care center, educating children with disability, special coaching classes, providing therapeutic services, reviewing the progress of children with disability in their meetings, helping them to access social security schemes, taking them for referral services, enrolling their children to regular schools, lobbying with local authorities raising awareness, promoting savings, providing loans, encouraging members to contest for local body elections, motivating family members to provide proper care to people with disabilities, organizing different events like sports, drawing, drama, dance, music competitions etc., organizing exchange visits, observing national festivals, protecting the environment, helping other marginalized sections like older people, widows, women, ethnic groups and others to accessl social security schemes, taking up issues like water, transport, sanitation, electricity, communication, bad governance and other mainstream issues and community health activities.

• Conclude with the remarks that “let us form more and more SHGs of people with

disabilities in order to promote their self-empowerment”.

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DATA COLLECTION “GOSSIP” GAME

1 Ask participants to stand or sit in a line or circle. 2 Tell a short story of 3-4 sentences to the first person in the row. 3 Have them whisper the story to the next person and so on down the line. 4 The last person tells the story out loud to see how much is the same and how

much has changed. COMMUNICATION WITH PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND VULNERABLE PEOPLE

1 Treat people with disabilities like other people. Assume that they have the same needs as you. We all have emotional needs, practical concerns, a need for clear and correct information, and to be heard.

2 Ask. If you are uncertain how to communicate with the person with a disability,

ask the individual how they would like you to communicate with them. This allows the person with a disability to have some control in the situation, and should help identify communication methods that suit them. For example, a person with low vision may not know Braille, and may benefit more from visual information that is in a certain font or contrasting colour rather than large print. Let them tell you what is best.

3 If the individual is accompanied by an advocate or assistant, continue to

speak to the individual directly. Do not assume that they cannot hear or see you just because they have someone there to help. Continue to speak to them rather than about them. Even if the person is hard of hearing or speaks another language and brings an interpreter, you need to maintain eye contact with the person whose words are being spoken.

4 Be patient. Many times, people with disabilities just need more time. If there is

a problem with speaking, they may need more time to form words or to use communication aids, such as a communication board or simply writing something down. Moving on without allowing them sufficient time risks losing important information, and devalues the individual. People with problems understanding may need additional time to process what is said, or to take notes.

5 Avoid negative language. Use person first language, avoid the use of words

that are demeaning or incorrect, such as “wheelchair bound” for a wheelchair user, or “mental case” for a person with a mental illness

6 Follow the principles of good communication. Be honest, listen to what the

person has to say, and pay attention to body language and words that indicate discomfort, confusion, or anger.

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COMMON COURTESIES FOR INTERACTING WITH A PERSON WHO IS HARD OF HEARING

• Do not shout • Speak clearly at a moderate pace

• Avoid noisy background

• Do not hide your mouth, chew food or smoke while talking

• Use facial expressions and gestures

• Rephrase your words if they are not understood at first

• Be patient!

• Talk to a hard of hearing person, not about him or her

• Ask the hard of hearing person how he or she prefers to communicate