DISABILITY ACCESSIBILITY TRAINING TO ENHANCE THE CAPACITY OF TECHNICAL OFFICERS IN THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE IN ANURADHAPURA DISTRICT
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) together with
the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC) have designed a series of awareness
programmes to conduct in selected 12 districts to make the technical, senior
staff and members of the Local Government Authorities to sensitize on
accessibility for Persons with Disabilities. These programmes include people
with diverse disabilities, ways in which their physical and emotional
well-being are fulfilled and legal aspects of accessibility to the built environment.
The objective of the initiative is to develop the capacity
of local authorities and raise awareness among technical officers, Officials in
the decision-making process, Engineers, Architects, and Officials in the
Planning Divisions. It is expected that this intervention will ensure that
people with disabilities can access all public buildings and make use of the
facilities inside those buildings as Regulations are intended to be
accomplished.
The team from EFC led by Manique Gunaratne which included
persons with diverse disabilities conducted the Anuradhapura 1 training
workshop at the Corporative training Resort in Anuradhapura district, in North
Central Province in January 2022.
The project is a part of the European Union’s STRIDE
(Strengthening Transformation, Reconciliation, and Inclusive Democratic
Engagement) programme focused on strengthening the capacities of local
government authorities to be inclusive, responsive, and accountable, and
improve service delivery.
Together with the Capacity Development of Local Governments
(CDLG) Project of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and The
Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC), implemented this project on Disability
accessibility audit and enhancing the capacity of technical officers in the
local government structure.
The EFC, with an overall vision statement to promote social
harmony through productive employment, is implementing several
initiative-taking measures to encourage its members to hire people with
disabilities.
The EFC is the representative employers’ Organisation in Sri
Lanka on social issues. It has a membership of 680 plus member Companies.
Formed in 1929, it was the first Organisation to register under the Trade
Unions Ordinance and is the principal Trade Union representing employers. The
EFC, with funding from the ILO, developed the Employers’ Network on Disability
to facilitate employment and training opportunities in the Private Sector for
jobseekers with disabilities, which was officially launched in the year 1999.
The “Disability Accessibility” project implemented by The
Employers’ Federation of Ceylon; Specialised Training & Disability Resource
Centre is a part of an initiative supported under the Capacity Development of
Local Governments (CDLG) project implemented by the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka with the financial assistance of the European
Union (EU).
Disability inclusion is one of the key strategic priorities
for UNDP Sri Lanka in keeping with the commitment of UNDP globally and the new
initiatives of disability inclusion strategy and their commitment to leave no
one behind.
The importance of this workshop was that all resource people
were people with disabilities. Manique Gunaratne conducted the session on
“Technical specifications on accessibility” and Anil Seneviratne conducted the
session on “law and access.” People with physical disabilities, hearing
impaired persons and vision impaired persons spoke on the barriers faced by
persons with disabilities and possible solutions.
Participants with non-disabilities got the opportunity to
experience using a wheelchair, walking with a white cane, walking blind folded,
waring socks and shoes without using hands and communicating in sign language.
These efforts are supported by the European Union, and the World Bank.
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The image shows a group of Persons with disabilities
(Manique Gunaratne, Anil Seneviratne and Nalinda) posing for a photo indoors.
The individuals are wearing casual clothing and appear to be smiling. The
background consists of a wall. The group is affiliated with organizations such
as the EFC, UNDP, European Union, and others. |
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The image is of participants in a room. They are dressed in
various clothing and are surrounded by furniture such as chairs, tables, and
desks. There is a whiteboard on the wall and the room has a white ceiling and
floor. |
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The image is of participants in a room. They are dressed in
various clothing and are surrounded by furniture such as chairs, tables, and
desks. There is a whiteboard on the wall and the room has a white ceiling and
floor. |
#Manique Gunaratne
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