Presented in RCRD’s Workshop in Bhaktapur . By Meenraj Panthee

1. Accessing Persons with Disabilities in Livelihood Program and Social Security in Nepal. Presented in RCRD’s Workshop in Bhaktapur. By Meenraj Panthee

2. An overview: • 95 % of PWDs live below the poverty line; less than only 1% in Nepal's work force denies Right to work of PWDs Only. less than 4 % of PWDs have access to meaningful and gainful livelihoods. They are denied right to property, work, and livelihoods and earning. • The New Era's research indicates that (69.3%) PWDs depend upon support from their family members. Having a disable person poses problems in most (90.5%) of the households. The difficulties they face are mostly related to the inability of the disabled persons to work and taking care of the disabled persons. • This situation attributes to powerlessness, acute poverty, extreme hunger, degradation and dehumanization. Due to the conventional approaches and attitude to wards disability perpetuate stereotypes, negative values and dependency for the persons with disability largely.

3. What is livelihood: • What is the meaning of 'livelihood' • People livelihood refers to their "means of securing the necessities of life". • In other words, a means of supporting one's existence, especially financially or vocationally; living: to earn a livelihood as a tenant farmer, for instance. • Livelihood means access and control over productive resources. • Formal employment, • Nonformal employment, • Self enterprenership, • Social security allowance. • Employment and Livelihoods approach gaining popularity as a key strategy in the development sector. used as a key strategy to eradicate poverty and hunger. Economic empowerment is an effective approach to promote holistic development and promote and protect the human rights of poor and excluded. PWDs are no exception to it. If these strategies are proved effective with poor and excluded can also be effective for persons with disabilities. • Persons with disabilities are also capable to be employed in any kind of job opportunity depending on type and degree of impairment, educational degree and job required skills, interest and aptitude of the individual. This is true because one which possible may not possible to some one else, something which is not possible may be possible to other and at the same time which was not possible for PWDs is possible today and which is not possible today may be possible tomorrow. The PWDs are as good as and as bad as anybody else.

4. Challenges • Unequal and unjust power relationship. • Exclusion and negative view point towards the PWDs. • Lack of data aggregated. • Lack of effective policy / program and implementing provisions. • Disability is in delema-segrigated or inclusion issue. • Lack of accessibility.

5. policies 5 percent quota reservation on civil servant act. • DPWA provision: • Provisions for training and employment: • list of 4 items • 1. appropriate trainings and employment for making the disabled persons economically independent. 2. Arrangements may be made engage the disabled persons, by way of labor supply system, in labor of employment scheme such as open and self-help industry • or rural employment. • 3. disabled labors with additional facilities needed at least for the maintaining of normal livelihood. • 4. A factory which appoints more than 25 labors may be so required that it should appoint the disabled persons in a number not less than five person of • the total number of the labors to the appropriate works, to the extent available, on the basis of their physical capability, training, qualifications and • experience. Such labor shall receive such remunerations as is equal to that payable to other labors. Their terms of service and career development opportunities • shall also be the same as are of the labors. • 5. Arrangements may be made to provide basic facilities, availability of raw materials, loans, market management etc. protection, so as to operate cottage • and rural small-scale industry for providing private employment to the disabled persons only. • 6. Arrangements shall be made to do study or cause to be done study as to employment and ways and mean of livelihood for the disabled person, only and the • feasibility of the facilities and concessions that may be granted and ought to be granted thereto. • 7. Arrangements may be made to require the use of such security equipment as is to secure a disabled person while engaging him in work with equipment.

6. Current opportunity and potential . • Affirmative policy and practice to some extent. • Employment reservation in civil service, teacher quotas. • Budget allocated in VDCs and DDCS. • Disability allowance for severe PWDs. • Advocacy is increasing coming up for inclusive employment opportunity in each and every sector.

7. Current opportunity and potential. • The educated/skillful PWDs significantly coming up in the market. • The employed PWDs already demonstrated their potential in the job market impresively. • New information, communication technology to unlock the doors of opportunities.

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11. UNCRPD. Article 27 of Un Convention on the rights of the persons with disability directs that the right of Persons With Disabilities to work, on an equal basis with others ensuring the right to the opportunity to gain a living by work freely chosen or accepted in a labor market and work environment that is open, inclusive and accessible to Persons With Disabilities.

12. Emerging issue: • Fragmentated trend of the family in to small holder. Means needed to be more self-dependent. • Raw materials and product sale market for entrepreneurship. is in security.

13. Future direction. Strong advocacy for a meaningful and gainful livelihood opportunity. Advocacy for implementing Supreme court vertic in regard with social security allowance for PWDs. Increse effective participation of the PWDs in each and every development related forums and opportunity at different levels. To be more sincere and hardworking around our employment duty and assignment is needed. Effective mechanism for guarnteeing parental property.

14. Future direction. • Organizing carrier expo for the PWDs and such related forum synergize the livelihood campaign. • Focus for inclusive livelihood approach. • Ensuring parental poperty to PWDs members. Research around the issue for evident advocacy. • Land right to PWDs.