Economics and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

MANAGEMENT OF SELF-HELP ORGANIZATIONS OF
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

United Nations
New York,1997

The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

This publication has been issued without formal editing.

This publication was made possible through the generous financial assistance of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation - RENGO

Contents

I. INTRODUCTION

II. DEFINITION

1. Self-help and self-help organization
2. Leadership
3. Management
4. Democratic decision-making

III. OVERVIEW OF SELF-HELP ORGANIZATIONS IN THE REGION

1. Cross-disability organizations
2. Single-disability organizations
3. Issues faced by self-help organizations in the region

IV. MANAGEMENT ISSUES

1. Concentration of power
2. Staff
3. Accountability
   Case study 1: Preventing abuses of funds within a self-help organization
4. Fundraising
   Case study 2: Fundraising in the Fiji Disabled Peoples Association(FDPA)
5. Gender sensitivity
   Case study 3: The Women's Committee in the Asian Blind Union
6. Organizational continuity: Development of new leaders
   Case study 4: Training new leaders at KAMPI, Philippines

V. APPROACHES AND ACTIVITIES

1. Approaches to rural people with disabilities
   Case study 5: Sanghams of village people with disabilities
2. Independent-living programmes for people with extensive disabilities
   Case study 6: Independent-living centres in Japan
3. Cooperation between self-help organizations in developed and developing countries
   Case study 7: The Campaign to Send Wheelchairs to Asia Disabled Persons
   Case study 8: A university-level Thai Sign Language certificate programme
4. New types of training and job placement
   Case study 9: The Redemptorist Vocational Training School, for people with disabilities
   Case study 10: Horticulture as an employment opportunity for people with disabilities
5. Development of sports and recreational activities
   Case study 11: Development of Thai disabled athletes through their own initiatives
6. Developing a network of self-help organizations through the Internet
7. Training in self-advocacy and empowerment

VI. CONCLUSION

VII. ANNEXS

ANNEX I. Guidelines for all FDPA personnel and volunteers who attend workshops sponsored by FDPA or outside donors

ANNEX II. A simplified bookkeeping system used by the FDPA for its newly formed rural branch offices

ANNEX III. Curriculum for training of NGO workers

ANNEX IV. Courses for the NADT Thai sign language programme

ANNEX V. Additional information sources

1. Useful publications and documents
2. Head offices and regional offices of international self-help organizations and other related organizations
3. Asian and Pacific regional offices of United Nations bodies and specialized agencies

List of Abbreviations

Illustration credit

Economics and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Management of self-help organizations of people with disabilities
- Contents -

United Nations
New York,1997

ST/ESCAP/1849