| Accreditation to: |
Conference of States Parties
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| Affiliation with other organizations: |
Rehabilitation International Monash University Toronto University Handicap International Tata Institute of Social Science Utkal University Global Partnership for Disability and Development (GPDD) International Disability Alliance (IDA) Disabled Peoples International (DPI) Rehabilitation International (RI) Associate Member International Women with Disability Network: Member Handicap International (HI) Orissa Association for the Blind (OAB) All Orissa Association for the Orthopedically Handicap (OAOH) Spinal Cord Injury Association (UK) Vocational Rehabilitation Centre for the Handicapped Govt. of India (VRCH) District Rehabilitation Centre (DRC) National Institution for the Visually Handicapped (NIVH), Govt. of India NIOH (National Institute for the Orthopaedically Handicapped), Govt. of India NIMH (National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped Govt. of India Mobility India CBR South Asia Network CBR Forum National Institution for the Disaster Management (NIDM) / National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Govt. of India United Nations Development Program (UNDP) |
| Publications: |
o Asha Hans and Annie Patri. Women Disability and Identity Sage Publications. 2003. o World Bank - Research Study on Disability Data, Cost-Effectiveness of Medical Rehabilitation Interventions and the Impact on Poverty Reduction (2008UNDP – Toolkit on Disaster Management & Disability (2007 – 2008) o World Bank. 2009. Disability and Disasters: Multi Country Study (Forthcoming) o Inclusion of Disability in Disaster Management” By Ashok Hans & Nizni Hans Global Forum Health Research Forum X Cairo. http://www.globalforumhealth.org/filesupld/global_update3/2_Promoting%20health.pdf o UNDP--- Multi State Socio-Economic Study of Women with Disabilities o UNDP---Mainstreaming Gender in Rehabilitation and Resettlement o Dan church Aid: Disaster and Disability: A Survey of three districts in Orissa. o UNICEF Baseline survey on WATSAN in Ganjam: 2001. o Disasters, Disability and Technology: Ashok Hans and Reena Mohanty Development, Volume 49, Number 4, December 2006, pp. 119-122(4) o Asha Hans Gender, Technology and Disability in the South Development (2006) 49, 123–127. doi:10.1057/palgrave.development.1100306 o Asha Hans, S.B.Agnihotri 2008 The need fro a framework for Combined Disability and Gender Budgeting Indian Journal of Gender Studies. Vol. 15. no. 2. May-August. P. 233-261 |
| Purpose of the organization: |
Shanta Memorial Rehabilitation Centre (SMRC) is a voluntary organization working in the field of disability. It was registered in 1985 under the Societies Act XXI of 1860, was founded by a group of like-minded persons and headed by Ashok Hans. Vision : Develop a sustainable organization that responds to the rights of people with disabilities in India, particularly in the rural areas, through research, education and awareness. Be known globally as a comprehensive resource on disability and disasters. Given the wealth of knowledge and experience SMRC has accumulated over more that two decades, building a future that will further the mission has required the organization to consider its work in local, national and international terms. Mission: To promote equal opportunities, full participation and protection of rights for people with disabilities particularly the underprivileged. Ashok sustained a spinal cord injury as a young man has lived with an expectation that his rights are equal to that of others in his community. Experience demonstrates that to have access to rights available to all, a person with a disability will have difficulty having equal access to health, education, employment and to basic services in society. Ashok’s dream has been the empowerment of all people with disabilities and so started a lifetimes work. The fact that there was no work being carried out in this field in the State made its work very difficult as it had to grapple with many issues simultaneously. The objectives of the organization are to prepare the Persons with Disabilities in a manner the person is able to generate income to lead a productive independent living. To achieve this, the organization developed a comprehensive rehabilitation plan taking into consideration the socio economic and cultural situations of the target group and area. To rehabilitate the clients we started different vocational training centers at our unit and in collaboration with other organizations i.e. electronic, steno typing, weaving, tailoring computers etc. |
| Activities relevant to the conference of States Parties to the convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: |
The work carried out by SMRC can be classified as (i) advocacy, (ii) networking (iii) project implementation and (iv) research. SMRC, is an organization promoting the rights of women with disabilities. In recent two years it has concentrated the work with the assistance of Rehabilitation International on women with disabilities in the states of Chhatisgarh, Orissa, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh of India. It has also carried out initiatives for intersecting the Indian women’s movement with the women with disabilities movement since 2000. SMRC today mostly works with persons with disabilities especially in the field of advocacy of rights and legislation. Its focus has been on working through networks. Its latest initiative is a global campaign on Disability, Disaster and Climate Change. Advocacy: • Negotiating the UN CRPD in New York 2004-2006 as Ad Hoc Committee member. As a member of the UN Ad Hoc committee during the drafting of the UN Convention of rights of persons with disabilities SMRC worked on the articles on women’s rights (Art.6) and Emergencies (Article 11). • SMRC has been closely involved in the initiation and development of both the 1994 UN Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities. • Member during the States meeting in 2009 (September) and through IDA moving towards fulfilling the CRPD and monitoring it. • Advocacy for India’s signature to CRPD and advocating for development of the Indian legislation ac-cording to it. SMRC has been involved in implementing it at grass root till the law is changed. • Advocacy for rights of women’s with disabilities and their inclusion in the women’s movement and studies. • Advocacy for laws for WWD especially those with intellectual disabilities. • Global Campaign on Disaster & Disability 2004--- Introduced the issue in CRPD and the agenda of Rehabilitation International. Participating in the inclusion of disability in the Sphere Handbook and partnering Handicap International in Orissa on Article 11. • National level campaign on disaster and disability since 2004. SMRC has been instrumental in formulating changes in the Disaster Management Policy through successful implementation of CRPD Article 11. Networking: • Formation of Orissa’s first state level network for the State Joint Action Forum since 1986 for advocacy and lobbying. • Formation of a women with disabilities network in four States of India West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra, Chhatisgarh. • Networking on DRR in the countries Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. • Member of the International Women with Disability Network, which was started as partner of RI and is now an independent network • Working with the International Disability Alliance (IDA) Project Implementation: • Livelihood of WWD in collaboration with Rehabilitation International. Started in 2007-2009 in the states of Chhatisgarh, Orissa, Andhra, West Bengal begun after a research sponsored by UNDP • Transit Home for persons with severe disabilities • Teaching programmes on disability with Rehabilitation Council of India / Bhuj University /CI/ IGNOU Research • Disaster and Disability: Lead consultant covering seven countries: USA, India, SriLanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh for GPDD (World Bank, 2010) • Research Study on Disability, Data, Cost-Effectiveness of Medical Rehabilitation Interventions and the Impact on Poverty Reduction: India Study by SMRC for World Bank (2008) • The need for a Framework for Combined Disability and Gender Budgeting (Indian Journal of Gender Studies, 2008). • Multi-State Socio-Economic Study of Women with Disabilities UNDP (2007) • Women, Disability and Identity (Sage 2003) India’s first book on women and disability supported and written by SMRC Staff. • Presently UNCRPD and Building Indicators |
| Confirmation of the activities of the organization at the regional, national or international level: |
It has established since 2004 a Global Campaign on Disability, Disaster and Climate Change headed by an International task force. Its members are from UN, World Bank, Government organziations, Human Rights organziations, DPOs and Universities. It worked towards the drafting of Article 11 in the CRPD and is now carrying out the implementaion of the article It assists Rehabiliation International in this field and is on the working group established to change the Sphere Guidleines It runs a strong regional programme in South Asia Region in Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India to monitor disasters. |
| A list of members of the governing body of the organization, and their countries of nationality: |
Its Governing Council International Members are Prof Madersbacher Innsbruk Austria Dr. Douglas Brown Australia Ms. Mary Anne Burke: Toronto University Canada Pia Rockhold Consultant USA Tomas Lagerwal Sweden Moira Horgan Jone Consultant (Formely DPI)Canada |
| Description of the membership of the organization, indicating the total number of members: |
Executive Board 13 members Governing Council 12 members Orissa State Forum 198 members (DPOs and NGOs working in the field of disability) Autism Forum: 50 members in Orissa Women with Disabilities Federation Members across India 160 Total 433 |
| Affiliation with other organizations: |
1.International Network on Women with Disabilities which brings together women with disbailities globally to interact and provide input to policies. 2. Handicap International: Partnering in India in their programme on Dissater and Disability 3. Established Sansristi : A reserach institute on gender India. 4. Indian Association of Women's Studies. 5. Tata Institute of Social Sciences. 6.FEDEM (Columbia University USA.) 7.WICZNET (York University Canada). 8. IIPE (Columbia University USA). 9. SANGAT (South Asia); 10. Circles of Support (Dortmund Germany). |
| Publications: |
All publication by Asha Hans EVP of Shanta Memorial Gender and Disability Trajecotories of Power Sage 2015 The Gender Imperative Human Security vs State Security Routeledge 2010 (In collaboration with Betty Reardon) Women, Disability and Identity. Sage Publications, New Delhi. 2003 Tribal Women : A Gendered Utopia? South Asian Publishers; 1999 UNDP--- Multi State Socio-Economic Study of Women with Disabilities (2006) Gender, Technology and Disability in the South Development, Development (2006) vol 49 no. 4 Women Empowered : Successful Strategy for supporting self sufficient in rural India (2009) International Rehabiliation Review Vol 58 No 1 The Need for a Framework for Combined Disability and Gender Budgeting Indian Journal of Gender Studies 2008 (In collaboartion with S.B.Agnihotri and Amrita Patel) . Commonwealth Foundation, London Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships for Gender Equality: Case Studies of Government -Civil Society Partnership- A case study of the Women Self Help Groups ( under Mission Shakti campaign ) in Orissa, India (November 2005). |
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