Persons with Disabilities

The Asia Foundation’s Coalitions for Change program and the Australian Embassy in the Philippines supported the research and launch of Philippine Disability Sector Research: An Initial Analysis on the Access to Social and Public Services, Education, Employment, and Civic Participation and Governance. This research aims to raise awareness, trigger m… Read more

This report explores the disability sector in the Philippines and how current laws and policies have been implemented for persons with disabilities. The publication offers an initial analysis of policy implementation in four key areas: education, employment, social services, and civic participation. The research gives significant insight that warra… Read more

In China, strict physical requirements often bar people with disabilities from higher education and chosen careers, but China is now pursuing its own path to change.

Friday, October 10, 2019. Mingling with the roar of airplanes, Azan, the call to prayer, pours forth from the Jami’ Al Akbar Mosque at the Yogyakarta International Airport complex. Amidst the congregation of Friday worshippers, Bahrul Fuad sits quietly in his wheelchair. Until recently, a scene like this was almost impossible to imagine: Bahrul’s w… Read more

Devex spotlights The Asia Foundation and the Australian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT) partner programs in Indonesia. The article features Program Peduli and the Rinitisan Desa Inklusi initiative, a program focused on the inclusion of people with disabilities. But the Asia Foundation and DFAT are confident that the mi… Read more

This story traces the efforts of Fully Abled Nation (FAN), a multi-sectoral coalition, towards making Philippine elections more inclusive.

The May 9 Philippine election not only set a new record for voter turnout, it also marked the first time that Republic Act 10366 – which mandates that polling stations be fully accessible for people with disabilities (PWDs) – was implemented in full. In his speech during the proclamation of senators-elect, the Philippine Commission on Elections (CO… Read more

In late December, Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo spoke to over 700 village heads in Boyolali, Central Java, about the implementation of the year-old Village Law – a major campaign platform for both he and his rival during the 2014 presidential election.

“Nothing About Us Without Us” has become a familiar slogan used by the international disability movement and relies on the principle of full participation for all. However, in Indonesia, where people with disabilities (PWDs) still face enormous barriers…

In Indonesia, stigma around people with disabilities often comes from those closest to them. In many cases, families hide away their disabled family members, communities shun them, and government services and policies…

Like many countries, Indonesia is accelerating efforts to implement its commitment as a 2011 signatory to the International Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD), particularly as the newly minted 2030 Sustainable Development Goals…

Last month, over 1,000 students, journalists, civil society representatives, and activists walked from the Roshan Khan Complex to Jinnah Stadium in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, to raise awareness of exclusion of persons with disabilities in education. At the walk, UNESCO’s director…