Empowering Disability Advocates in Rural and Remote Communities

What are the barriers to disability inclusion in rural and remote communities? The barriers that persons with disabilities experience in urban areas are magnified in a rural or remote setting. Stereotypes and stigma One key barrier to rights in rural and remote areas is discrimination. In places that are geographically distant from educational and other… Continue reading Empowering Disability Advocates in Rural and Remote Communities

How to Include a Sign Language Interpreter in Government Communications

Government should make sure to include sign language interpretation during events and make important materials available in sign language translation so all citizens have equal access to information. For example, the Ministry of Transportation might add a video that uses the local sign language so Deaf citizens can learn about accessible transportation options. Finding an… Continue reading How to Include a Sign Language Interpreter in Government Communications

Legal Aid in the United States

Legal Aid in the United States The purpose of legal aid is to provide free legal services to low income Americans. Civil legal aid helps ensure fairness in the justice system, regardless of how much money one has. Equal justice under law is a fundamental American value. In the United States, legal aid is primarily… Continue reading Legal Aid in the United States

Creating Easy to Understand Content

Access to information allows us to learn new things, participate in society, make choices, and defend our human rights. But most information is not accessible for people with intellectual disabilities. People with intellectual disabilities deserve information, too. Article 9 in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) states that information needs… Continue reading Creating Easy to Understand Content

Guatemala and the CRPD

History of Guatemala and the CRPD Guatemala ratified the CRPD and Optional Protocol in April 2009. Guatemala’s disability law is from 1996 and therefore predates the country’s ratification of the CRPD. As of March 2017, Guatemala is in the process of finalizing a new law on disability which will replace the 1996 Law on the… Continue reading Guatemala and the CRPD

Guatemala’s National Laws Relating to Disability

Guatemala has only one major national law that addresses the rights of people with disabilities. The Law for the Integral Attention to People with Disabilities–Decree No. 135-96–was enacted in 1996. As of February 2017, draft bill 5127 was approved during its third hearing in Guatemalan Congress. Law 5125 is pending final approval of articles.

Peru and the CRPD

Peru and the history of the CRPD Peru was the first Latin American country to ratify the CRPD, which it did in December 2007. Peru was the 15th country to ratify the CRPD and the 9th country to ratify the accompanying Optional Protocol. A DPO coalition in Peru, led by CONFENADIP (the National Confederation on… Continue reading Peru and the CRPD