[PDFlist] PDF Weekly Update – 22 October 2018

[Soloveni Vitoso]

PDF Weekly Update – 22 October 2018

White Cane Safety Day which is celebrated on October 15 of each year since 1964. It is the date set aside to celebrate the achievements of people who are blind or visually impaired and the important symbol of blindness and tool of independence, the white cane.

For blind people, the white cane is a critical tool that gives us the ability to achieve a full and independent life. It allows us to move freely and safely from place to place, whether it's at work, at school, or around our neighborhoods.

Pacific Disability Forum is proud to support this day and also all persons with disabilities thus commit itself to, so that persons with disabilities in the Pacific enjoy life to the full and live in a barrier free and a disability inclusive Pacific society. Hence, PDF advocate for the signing and ratifying of the UNCRPD and push for development and implementation of laws and policies that ensures the protection of persons with disabilities rights and interest.

In the weekly update for this week; south – south Cooperation in the Pacific; Senikula: Act of pitying ‘demeaning; Making Education and Skills Training “Inclusive” and 2018 Outstanding Alumni Award: Daintry Bartoldus '88.

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South-south cooperation in the Pacific!

PDF member DPO, the United Blind Persons of Fiji (UBP) have donated 20 white canes to Tonga National Vision Impairment Association.

A very good example of PDF member DPOs supporting each other in time of need – south-south cooperation in the Pacific!


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Senikula: Act of pitying ‘demeaning’
ARIETA VAKASUKAWAQA
16 October, 2018, 11:02 am

[Ruci Senikula during the White Cane Day celebrations yesterday. Picture: JONA KONATACI]Ruci Senikula during the White Cane Day celebrations yesterday. Picture: JONA KONATACI

RUCI Senikula says she finds the act of pitying visually impaired people demeaning.

The 33-year-old from Bau in Tailevu has been visually impaired since birth.

She currently works as a program officer for Pacific Disability Forum.

“I find it irritating and annoying when people try to have that pity attitude towards us, they shouldn’t see the disability of person instead they should be looking at the capabilities one has to achieve something.

“Sometimes people try to feel sorry for me because I am visually impaired, but they don’t know my background and the achievements I’ve made in life, just because I am using a white cane doesn’t mean I can’t do what other people can do,” Ms Senikula said.

She has also worked for various NGOs in Fiji after graduating from the University of the South Pacific.
Ms Senikula said people’s attitude towards people living with disabilities should change and that they should be more encouraging.

“They should encourage us because that’s what we need in this situation. Sometimes they force themselves on us to offer assistance in public places, at least they should request us if we need assistance, for me personally they will just come and grab my hand to help me cross a busy road,” she added.

As part of her job, Ms Senikula has travelled to countries such as South Korea, Australia, Malaysia, India, Philippines, USA, Samoa and Kiribati.

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Making Education and Skills Training “Inclusive”
 by Swaran Ravindra

[Making Education And Skills Training “Inclusive”]Trainers from Fiji National University’s National Training and Productivity Centre with special students during a recent training session.
October 06
10:002018

According to the 2017 Census report in Fiji, a total of 113,595 persons aged three and above live with at least one disability.

That constitutes to almost 13.7 per cent of the country’s population.

The fundamental question is what does the future hold for our citizens who are living with one or more impairment.

What are their opportunities; what their limitations are, and how can people with special needs be assured of greater accessibility to education and workforce.

While there are a few special schools in the country, families opt to keep their children home due to lack of technical and financial support available for persons with impairments.

While the universal declaration on human rights, convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, and the constitution of the Republic of Fiji has set standards and guidelines for adaptation of disability policies for every organisation in the county.

It is important for all major stakeholders to also ensure that the rights of our citizens are advocated and the initiatives supported with robust strategic plans so that the services are successfully deployed across the various communities and not just in segregated or marginalised settings.

A typical example of the need for awareness is that currently most carparks in Suva have special provisions for disabled parking, however they are barely used by the rightful citizens.

The fundamental idea of empowering citizens with special needs is to allow them to have independence and equal opportunities, which would make them nothing less than a fully abled person.
Skills training

Skills trainings at National Training and Productivity Centre (NTPC) started an initiative in 2014.
Persons with audio, visual, physical, learning and mental impairments were trained in the areas of fashion design, information technology and construction.

Till date, NTPC has trained over 75 special students.

The recent graduates include five students with mild to acute cerebral palsy.
This is a remarkable achievement as initially, mobility and motor skills of these students were greatly challenged.

However, an inclusive environment, comprising of support from trainers and classmates, medical checkups and an overall positive attitude has proven helpful towards the success of these students.
These students were mostly enrolled in information communication technology and construction courses, including short courses and two-year diploma programmes.

Additional support

The inclusion of these students in the classes was initially a challenge due to lack of early intervention and support.

Most of the students needed additional support in language and numeracy to enable them to qualify for tertiary studies.

Trainers undertook basic training on sign language and awareness on recognising signs of impairments, both diagnosed and undiagnosed.

International affiliations with organisations that work with students with special needs played a crucial role in helping trainers establish the issues these students faced at a preliminary level.
This was initially not as simple as there were students who had different types of impairments, syndromes and conditions in the same classroom.

For example, the first class had 15 students who lived with 1 or more impairments.
However, the learning needs of these students greatly differed. Some needed visual assistance, while some needed auditory assistance.

Some students had mental and learning disorders while some had limited motor and mobility skills such as those who live with cerebral palsy.

Customised approach

There was a dire need for customised approach to training which stems from individual adjustment forms.

Another challenge was that most of these conditions were not well diagnosed as we currently lack expertise in assisting physical, intellectual, learning and mental challenges in the classroom.

Moreover, many parents and guardians were not declaring the conditions the student lived with, which made it challenging for lecturers and facilitators to proactively prepare for reasonable adjustment.

Intervention processes started when trainers of NTPC and Academic services carried out a series of consultative meetings to discuss how best we can help our students have an inclusive education.

The process started with a thorough analysis of the students we train, who are living with one or more impairments, syndrome, conditions, or a combination of issues that limits their access to an education as any other student of FNU.

A penal of academics, medical experts and student support executives created short term and long term strategies to support an environment which is not only inclusive but also conducive to learning.

These include creation of individual adjustment forms to provide for all provisions for inclusive as well as affiliations with international university for research and development of assistive technology.

Project plans

Constant discussions led to projects plans which included implementation of basic accessibly and assistive software for the visually impaired.

Screen readers for both diagrams, text and mathematical symbols are currently being used by trainers, while the Disability Office assists by converting the text to speech and speech to text.
Some materials also needed additional alternative text to be able to read diagrams.
International collaboration and research

The Teiresias Centre of Masaryk University in Czech Republic is an educational center that has its own student administration unit to support the study of students with disabilities, offers counselling and methodological support to high school students and teachers.

Using Masaryk University as a benchmark, FNU is now in the process of further developing its office for disability Services to become the hub for disability services in the Pacific.

This will provide extensive support to students, staff, and persons in the region who live with impairments.
The center will be fully equipped with assistive technology, training, operational arrangements for easier mobility and access into all campuses of FNU, training and support for staff on special and inclusive education.

In addition to that, FNU has a memorandum of understanding with Pacific disability forum.

FNU has been working in consultation and networking with universities in Australia through the Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training (ADCET) to contextualize international examples to be adapted for use in the pacific region.
Services and current projects:

The university has plans to run the following services from its Disability Center:


  *   Facilities at campuses to be accessible and friendly to persons with physical disabilities, including accessible washrooms, ramps, disability parking etc.
  *   There is ongoing research in the area of assistive technology by NTPC trainers, academics and partnering universities which would be developed particularly for our students
  *   A free website which will give virtual support and awareness with online videos on the implementation and use of both open source and proprietary technology.

With the above interventions, it is hoped that our communities, families, NGOs and schools collaborate and start early interventions to ensure that people with special needs are well included in every aspect of education and work life.

The world has benefited from the immense contributions of some brilliant minds such as Professor Stephen Hawking’s without whose input, we would understand far less about our universe and its wonders.

Support

However, it is imperative that Professor Hawking’s success was supported with the best medical services, assistive technology and strong national policies on inclusiveness.

That enabled other citizens in his country who live with disabilities to have equal access to education, employment and other aspects of the greater society.

Professor Hawking’s work is truly inspirational, and an evidence to identify and nurture the potential and talent of every persons.

The collaborative efforts between NTPC, academic office, and students with special needs has ensured that our students get utmost care and support in their educational journey.

Nomination

NTPC is proud to announce that one of our students who lives with moderate cerebral palsy Peniana Lutunavuai has been nominated for best student awards.

One of the most remarkable observations was that Peniana initially had minimum motor skills which inhibited her ability to write.

However, with training, support and the encouraging inclusive environment, Mr Lutunavuai is now not only ambidextrous, but also a contender for best student award.

As an educator, I strongly believe that education is for everyone, and persons living with any form of disability will need timely medical, financial and social support to live their lives to full potential.

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2018 Outstanding Alumni Award: Daintry Bartoldus '88
By
Mike Francis
[Daintry Bartoldus & her roommate Alice]
If she were choosing, Daintry Bartoldus ’88 wouldn’t be in the spotlight Homecoming Weekend, accepting the 2018 Outstanding Alumni Award<https://www.pacificu.edu/alumni/stay-connected/alumni-awards/alumni-association-awards> from the Pacific University Alumni Association. She wouldn’t even have been nominated. For that, she can thank her mother, Jerry, who compiled letters of recommendation to support her nomination for the award.

“You will never meet a more humble person,” Jerry said by phone from Hawai’i. “She’s doing something from the moment she wakes up until she goes to sleep.”

Bartoldus dedicates her time to improving the lives of people with developmental disabilities, both in her personal life and in her work as executive administrator of the state of Hawai’i’s Developmental Disabilities Council<http://health.hawaii.gov/maui/developmental-disabilities-council/>, where she designs and oversees support systems. Her personal work alone is remarkable. Her government work has been pioneering. Taken together, they tell a remarkable story of a woman who is alert to human needs and committed to addressing them, no matter the cost.

Listen to Bernadette Keliiaa, who served on the Developmental Disabilities Council and whose son, Donovan, had autism. Keliiaa had been frustrated in her efforts to find meaningful support for Donovan. At the time, Bartoldus was an intern on the council.

When Bartoldus heard about the Keliiaa’ situation, “She basically moved him into her house,” Bernadette Keliaa said. Then she helped him get an apartment.

“Thanks to Daintry, I was able to get him into independent living,” Keliiaa said. “Without her, it wouldn’t have happened.”

Donovan died in 2014 at the age of 33 after suffering a heart attack. But Bartoldus helped give him a sense of dignity and independence, and Keliiaa considers her a close friend. She cites other ways Bartoldus had made a difference in other lives. She helped establish and support a lunch cart staffed by people with disabilities. And when Bartoldus was just 26, she took in a disabled Hawaiian woman named Alice, who still lives with her.

“She’s touched so many lives,” Keliiaa said.

Alice recently turned 80 and still lives with Bartoldus. “She’s as spry as ever,” Bartoldus said of Alice. “She’s a hoot.”

Doesn’t Bartoldus feel as if she’s sacrificed her own freedom to take care of Alice? “I don’t see her as a burden at all,” Bartoldus said, while acknowledging that she didn’t foresee signing up for 20 years of caregiving.

“I believe we are servants,” she said. “I was put here to be the best I can be.” After taking in Alice, who was deinstitutionalized with no place to go, Bartoldus said, she simply made adjustments to her life and got help along the way from friends who wanted to help. She says she deeply enjoys sharing in Alice’s life.

Leolinda Parlin, the president of Hilopa’a Family to Family, a nonprofit that guides caregivers of people with special needs, credits Bartoldus with guiding Hawai’i’s canoe through the turbulent waters of court-ordered changes to the mental health services system in 1994. At the time, Parlin said, “There was no playbook.”

Bartoldus helped create a model for independent living for adults with disabilities, who previously were forced into group living situations, Parlin said. Along the way, Bartoldus “mentored a generation of social workers and professionals,” she said.

She has been a case worker; a supervisor of case workers and nurses; a liaison between the Hawai’i Legislature, Congress and the community; and now, executive administrator of the Developmental Disability Council, where she plans, oversees, evaluates and advocates for systems to serve the disabled.

“She’s so understated,” Parlin said. “She does her best work in the shadows. She’s totally under the radar.”

Parlin suggests that Bartoldus’ professional skills are akin to her skills as a distance runner. When Bartoldus sets out to run, Parlin said, she practices “her ability to persevere, to muscle through anything and not tire. She can pace herself.” As someone working to shape the support system for developmentally disabled people, she regularly calls upon those skills to get things done, Parlin said.
That’s not a bad metaphor, Bartoldus agreed. Government, she said, “moves like molasses.”

Bartoldus has cared in her home for people at the end of their lives, including her own father, who had Parkinson’s disease and dementia. It was demanding at times, she said, but “I just made it work.”

When she recognized that people who emigrated from the Micronesian islands to Hawai’i were having difficulty becoming integrated with Hawaiian laws and cultures, she went to the island of Chuuk to better understand the way the islanders lived. Back in Hawai’i in 2010, she helped an extended family from Chuuk rent farm land and register their children for school. Today, she said, the farm is thriving.
In 2017, she adopted a homeless family of five, putting a roof over their heads, helping the adults find jobs and the children register for school. For three months, she collected $1,000 in monthly rent, then returned it to them so they could rent a home. Today all three adults are working, paying rent and taxes and receiving no government assistance.

“I was just trying to do what any person should be doing,” Bartoldus said. “If everybody did that, the world would be a better place.”

She said she is grateful to Pacific for helping her find her way when she was young and somewhat directionless. She attended for a while, then left, but later reached out to people like former Athletic Director Judy Sherman, who said she would be welcome to return to campus. She did, and earned a degree in humanities. And now, after being nominated for the alumni award by Professor Emeritus Mike Steele, Bartoldus is willing to stand in the spotlight, briefly. Plus, her mother wants her to.

“This is really important to her,” Bartoldus said. “This is payback to my parents.”

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Soloveni Vitoso
Public Relations & Communication Officer

Pacific Disability Forum
Ground Floor | Kadavu House
Victoria Parade | Suva
Fiji

Phone: (+679) 3312008  |  (+679) 3307530
Mobile: (+679) 8912656
Fax: (+679) 3310469
Skype: Soloveni.vitoso
Email: infor at pacificdisability.org<mailto:infor at pacificdisability.org>
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