Supported decision making- What's your opinion?

We all make decisions in life- about what we want to do, what we want to study, which doctor to visit, how we spend our money and so on.. Making our own decisions gives us a sense of independence, solidarity, even individuality.
Adults with an intellectual disability also like to make their own decisions. When given an opportunity they also express their desire to do specific things, interact with specific people or go to a specific place. They too can dream.

However, in today's society they are often not given the opportunity. They are not given a voice. Even when given a voice, they are not allowed to make decisions about their own life, or future.

Take it a step further. A bank often does not allow a person with an intellectual disability to manage his own finances. The doctor does not get consent from , or a landlord will not enter into a contract with a person with intellectual disability.

That is where Guardianship came into the picture. A guardian being , ideally, a caring adult who makes good decisions and enters into a contracts on behalf of the person with disability. The guardian manages the person's money and property, decides where he should live and what he should do with his life.

Guardianship posed a problem. The person with interllectual disability no longer had a voice. The guardian talked to the community on his behalf , even thought and decided on his behalf.

Is that fair? Doesn't every human being have a right to make their own choices? The UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities protects the rights of people with interlectual disability and states that they enjoy legal capacity on an equal basis with others. It also mentions, that the state will also provide them support, when required to access their legal capacity.

Supported legal capacity starts with supported decision making, a process where you support individuals with intellectual disability instead of making decisions for them. How can we support? It can be through providing a way to communicate, or also by helping the person go through the entire decision making process.

Inclusion International has been working on creating awareness and legal systems to allow for supported decision making and are starting a pilot project in association with Inspiration , right here in Dehradun.

In the project, the aim is to help the person with intellectual disability choose a few trusted people to form a network. This network in turn, helps the person think about his future and make decisions.

A group of people consisting of parents, professionals in disabilities ,and representatives from different NGO's in Dehradun ave now designed an outline for this pilot project to be carried out in the coming year. The pilot will hopefully, give us many answers about how this concept works in India- is it feasible? Acceptable by the Indian society? Will it work? We hope that during the course of this project, as we face problems and find solutions, we will find a suitable model of supported decision making that will encourage people with intellectual disabilities in India to dream, and to live out their dreams.

What are your opinions on this concept? This project? Can this blog be a place for us to think aloud?

NEWS UPDATE!!

Law University Campus to be 100 per cent Disabled–Friendly

Ahmedabad, Jun 07 : The new campus of Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) at Coba near Gandhinagar, whose foundation stone was laid on Friday, will be 100 per cent disabled–friendly. This will be the first educational campus in the country to be so. GNLU Director Bimal Patel said: "Our efforts are to make this campus a unique architectural marvel. Its most prominent feature will be its disabled–friendly design. The campus will be spread over 50 acres of land and will be made in a few phases, of which phase one has started." GNLU officials added that the new campus will include academic sections, residential hostels, faculty accommodations and a state–of–art world class library.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com

DU charts new course to open avenues for disabled students

Jun 03: One of the features that distinguish Doordarshan from private news channels is a special news programme for persons with hearing disability: the anchor 'tells' news through sign languages, covering everything from politics to sports and the weather.

Though no other news channel gives such job opportunities, the Delhi University's Equal Opportunity Cell is working towards more hearing– impaired students getting the training needed for such work.

The course starts this August. Now, a new course on Mass Media News Reading and Anchoring is being introduced in Delhi University to teach students the expertise needed for such jobs in the media. Dr Nisha Singh, Officer on Special Duty at the Cell, says TV channels often do not realise that disabled students can also handle news and anchor shows equally adeptly.

The Cell, she says, will invite people from the media industry to help create space for such students. "We have to work towards the implementation of the 3–per cent reservation for disabled employees in the media industry once the courses begin," Singh says. "There is a large population of disabled persons whose requirements should be met by the media industry."

Established in 2006, the Equal Opportunity Cell encourages Delhi University colleges to be more disabled–friendly, and has over the past couple of years made efforts to get more disabled students into the university. Last year, the Cell introduced four courses in Sign Languages, Communicative English, Information and Communication Technology, and Human Rights and Disability.

This year, Singh says, the Cell is introducing courses in Braille reading and writing, and Mobility. The course on Braille is available for abled–category students as well, she says. The course on Mobility will teach students how to effectively use their walking sticks to cross roads, how to get on buses using hand movements, and ways to use hearing–aids among others. The Cell plans to introduce the course in clusters so that two or three colleges share one centre of learning, Singh says.

All courses are of duration between four and five months and are part– time, so that they do not clash with regular classes. "Classes will be held after 2 pm at the Equal Opportunity Cell building in the North Campus," Singh says.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com

Anugrah Project- this is what we do..

Anugrah is a centre dedicated to improving the quality of life of children with developmental disabilities. Part of the Community Health and Development Project of Herbertpur Christian Hospital, the Anugrah centre emerged through one father’s commitment to looking after his son, Anugrah, who was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.

Anugrah program focuses on all aspects of these children’s lives by enhancing the their developmental prospects, improving the well being of their families, creating specialised services to meet their specific needs and creating a responsive and responsible community.

Anugrah currently runs an Intervention Centre for 26 children that focuses on physical and occupational therapy, life skills and special education. Within a 20km radius of the centre are another 40 children enrolled in a Community Based Rehabilitation program where community members are trained to work with children in their homes, involve them in play groups plus engage them in ongoing physical and occupational therapy.

Major Activities

Assessment of physical, social, learning abilities of children; planning customized, child specific intervention program; forming developmental groups in the communities; capacity building; awareness programs; and networking for advocacy.

Focus on the Poor

The aim of the program is to bring children with developmental disadvantages together, within the context of their community, to learn from each other and to provide support for their parents. The children have opportunities to learn social skills and improve their understanding of the world. The program also helps improve parents’ awareness and enables them to support and learn from one another.

Right to Ride: an initiative towards Social Inclusion

‘Right to Ride’ is an ongoing initiative started by Latika Roy Foundation (LRF) in Dehradun to make the people with disabilities aware of their rights and benefits provided by the government and sensitize the issue of social inclusion with regards to public transport.

The campaign which started in February, 2009 is based on the idea that improved mobility would allow people with disabilities to play an active role in society both economically and socially. Thus, when the need arises disabled people should be able to travel locally or within urban and suburban areas using public transport and other modes with ease.

As a part of the campaign Latika Roy Foundation has designed some attractive stickers (priced at Rs 10 per sticker) to put across the message of ‘Social Inclusion’.

The campaign also includes street plays staged by the LRF Awareness Team in partnership with ‘Nijaat Rehabilitation Centre Nukkad Natak Team’. The street plays will be conducted through out the year at various places like Prem Nagar, ISBT, Railway Station, Connaught Place and Anurag Nursery etc.

If you want to buy the sticker (the sample can be seen below) or know more about our campaigns, call us at 0135-2761014

Providing Banking Facilities to Visually Impaired Persons

On June 4, 2008 the RBI advised banks that all banks must render the same services to a visually impaired person as it would do to any other person without discrimination. The Circular stated that the banks must provide the visually impaired with every facility viz. cheque book facility, ATM facility, net banking facility, locker facility, retails facility, credit cards, etc.

Procedural Guidelines for Banking Facilities to Visually Impaired Persons

General Instructions

• Banking facilities for visually impaired persons should be offered at all branches of the bank
• Banks should not equate visually impaired customers with illiterate customers
• All banks must provide the same facilities to a visually impaired customer / prospective customer as it would to any other customer. But at the same time the customers should be made aware of the risk involved in some of these facilities which may be higher than that for a normal customer. Additional facilities like reading and filling up of forms, slips, cheques should be provided to a visually impaired customer, if required.
• Banks should not deny any services to visually impaired customers including visually impaired customers who use their thumb impression for operating the bank account.
• A visually impaired customer must not be forced to operate the bank account jointly with any person or in the presence of any person
• Visually impaired customers may be allowed to appoint a person / persons as their Power of Attorney or Mandate Holder to operate their bank account if the visually impaired customer so desires.

Opening of Bank Accounts

• All banking products offered by the bank should be made available to visually impaired persons.
• The bank must follow the same procedure for opening the account of a visually impaired person as it does for its customers.
• He / She must be allowed to open the account either singly or jointly with others.
• The bank must allow the visually impaired customer to open a joint account with anybody that he / he chooses including person(s) who is/ are visually impaired
• The Officer / Manager of the branch should read out the rules of business and other terms and conditions in the presence of a witness, if required by the customer
• The bank branch manager must inform a visually impaired customer / prospective customer of his rights and liabilities before opening the account.
• The documentation requirements of a visually impaired customer must be the same as any other customer.
• The account has to be clearly marked as “the account holder is visually impaired”.
  

Withdrawal of cash / cheque book facility

• Facilities for withdrawal of cash as we are provided to all customers regarding cash payments must be provided to visually impaired customers.
• In Case a visually impaired customer makes cash withdrawals at the bank then the payment must be made in the presence of another bank employee / officer. No outside witnesses are required unless the visually impaired customer requests that such witnesses be present.
• Operations should not be restricted to self-withdrawals.
• Cheque book facility should not be denied to visually impaired person
• All procedures pertaining to the use of such cheque books by visually impaired customers must be in accordance with that of the other customers.
• Cheques issued by visually impaired persons to third parties should be honoured, if otherwise in order.

Credit Cards / Debit Cards

• Visually impaired customers must be issues credit cards / debit cards on request.
• All rules and regulations regarding credit / debit card must be available on the website of the respective bank in accessible format. These should be read out to visually impaired persons and perceived risk factors explained to them.
• Banks may consider issuing Credit / Debit Card with Photograph. This photograph will work as an identification / verification.

ATM / Debit Cards

• Visually impaired customers must be permitted to avail of ATM facilities.
  Banks should also ensure that the ATMs are accessible to other categories of persons with disabilities such as orthopedically disabled.

On Line Banking / Mobile banking and Tele banking / Phone Banking

• All banks must have accessible websites and conform to international accessibility standards.
• All customer facing applications such as web applications, desktop applications and mobile applications should be accessible to visually impaired persons.
  The banks should have alternate methods of user authentication / password verification.
• All features especially those related to customer security must be accessible to visually impaired persons.

Lockers

• Visually impaired customers should be provided with locker facility on request
• Suitable lockers conveniently located for operations may be allotted.
• Bank procedures for issuing a locker to a visually impaired customer must be the same to any other customer
• A visually impaired customer may be given the following options for operation of locker:
• Operation – Singly
• Operation – Singly with the assistance of a reliable person, as per the choice of the Applicant
• Operation – Jointly
• A visually impaired customer may request the person in-charge of the locker to be present when the locker is opened or to check if nothing has been left behind or fallen after the locker is closed.

Loans

• Loans must be made available to visually impaired customers as are offered to other customers and their impairment of vision should not be a criterion for sanctioning / denying a loan.
• No additional burden of interest payment, collateral and other terms should be imposed on the visually impaired customer.