Disabled rights at issue

Press, 9 October 1980, Page 15

Disabled rights at issue

Shaking the charity approach of the community towards disabled people would be one of the main tasks of next year’s International Year of Disabled Persons, Dr Jean Calder has said in Christchurch. Dr Calder, an Australian authority on recreation for the disabled, was in Christchurch to address a seminar on recreation for disabled people. She said that the question of the rights of disabled people was taking on a greater emphasis throughout the world. “A completely new outlook for millions of disabled people is just round the corner, 1 ' she said. "Many countries still have a long way to go, because they shut off their disabled people and treat them with charity and patronage." Part of the reason for many problems facing disabled people was that for too long, too many decisions

affecting their future had been taken without consultation. Dr Calder said that many people seemed shocked when disabled people. began to speak up for themselves, and demand their rights as ordinary citizens. “But surely these people are ordinary citizens > and have the ,same rights, even if that means an education job for the rest of the. community,” she said. . One reason fqr more selfawareness for disabled people was the increasing importance given in many countries to educating disabled children in ordinary schools, Dr Calder said. ' * “This is real integration, not the token effort of taking a busload of disabled people from an institution out into the public arena, and then calling it integratiori. In such cases there is; no interaction with the community." she said. >. Schools which encouraged

disabled children in their ordinary classes were becoming increasingly common in Australia, Dr Calder said. “Where this type of integration is practised, a new generation of disabled people who will not be content to be pushed around is being*nurtured," she said. “Par-, ents, too, are becoming more* conscious of their role td'ensure a better deal ’ for their ’ disabled children. “Given proper help, there* is little reason why disabled*! children cannot be educated’ in ordinary schools. It willj take time, but if the human*; rights issue is truly being; followed it has to come." Dr Calder, who is a suitant to the Australian* Council for Rehabilitation of j the Disabled, and a lecturer? in the department of human • movement studies at thei University, of Queensland* will conclude her lecture.; tour of New Zealand at? Dunedin tomorrow. “