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Thu, 2 Sep 2010
MELBOURNE, Australia (RADIO AUSTRALIA) ----- The three-day international United Nations NGO health conference is winding up in Melbourne. The gathering has focused a lot on health issues in the Pacific, including disability. The Pacific Disability Forum says the region has a long way to go in recognising the strengths of people with disabilities. The forum says Pacific leaders and communities are aware of disability issues, but more needs to be done.
Radio Australia’s Presenter Stephanie March speaks with Setareki Macanawai, CEO of Pacific Disability Forum
MACANAWAI: Disability now is kind of an emerging issue within the Pacific on many fronts. First with our Pacific Island leaders taking on the issue of leadership through I guess their political will through the leaders communique firstly 2003 and reaffirming that last year in 2009 Cairns at the Forum leader's meeting. So what we have now is a Pacific leaders regional and strategy and disability to take us forward up to 2015.
MARCH: Is progress being made on the ground now that there is an increased awareness?
MACANAWAI: I guess so, for me I travel and work with the Pacific Island countries. I was in the Federated States of Micronesia last week helping them to form a national disability organisation. There is certainly work happening at the ground, some of which are recognised and supported by governments, some are not, some are kind of done in isolation with many, many challenges. I guess compared to 60s, 70s, even 80s, the situation is a little bit better.
MARCH: It's an issue that is gaining greater recognition amongst governments and civil society now. But obviously Pacific communities have been dealing with issues of people’s disabilities for a long time now. Are there community structures that support people that are quite strong and can be built on alongside with government initiatives?
MACANAWAI: Yes, a very good point. The Pacific societies are generally caring in nature and often we hear of extended family system being strong, caring for its what we call the less fortunate, which includes adults and children with disabilities. That can be built upon, how attitudes, I suppose systems can be further enhanced where it is built on a rights base, rather than often sympathetic nature, rather than doing for them, I suppose doing it with them more enabling environment. So I guess we have a culture that is truly very supportive and inclusive and is building on those and strengthening I guess the weaker parts of our culture, so that is truly more enabling and supporting.
MARCH: Are there perceptions that currently make it quite prohibitive people with disabilities into the work place in the Pacific?
MACANAWAI: Yes, often I never experience that personally. I can send in an impressive CV but often when you turn up for the interview they see you as a person with a disability, often the disqualification starts there. Employers I guess need to also realise that an employee with a disability can add value to their work force. It's looking beyond the disability of an applicant with disability who is just as able as another person without disability. So again it is a matter of attitude changing, to become more positive, also as a person with disability we need to do our fair share by making sure that we the employment opportunities that we get are given because we earned that, rather than being pitied and allowed in because of our disability. So I guess it is on both sides.
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