Thursday in Nepal: Human Rights Center and National Federation of Disabled

Laura presenting a small gift to the Human Rigts Center Representatives

Thanks to the help of Dr. Basu Kafle, Professor of Special Education at the Tribhuvan University here in Kathmandu, we have now visited organizations representing the blind, intellectual disabilities, human rights for pwd, and a rehabilitation center. Our last visit on Thursday was the umbrella organization for all of these and other disability organizations in Nepal: the National Federation of the Disabled Nepal (NFDN). We were very impressed by the grassroots efforts here in Nepal overall. At NFDN, the President briefed us on their goals and challenges. They target their efforts on advocating for better policies and elevating awareness of the needs of people with disabilities in Nepal. The group is putting a lot of effort right now into organizing disability, human rights, and other like minded organizations to provide input into the draft Constitution. They also emphasized wanting to get away from paternalistic welfare programs toward more rights based legislation. The Federation also participates in the international arena through Disabled People International (DPI).

Speaking the the President of the National Federation

Laura, Dr. Kafle and I at the Federation

Everywhere we went this past week, we were warmly welcomed. I felt that we had nice mutual exchanges of information. Every place we visited the representatives briefed us on their activities but also wanted to know about the situation and laws that benefit pwd in the United States, especially in the area of education and rights. They were also keenly interested in how our national coalition works and I was able to tell them about the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities and other coalitions that we work with.

Today is our last full day in Nepal before we depart for Thailand. We are headed out for a three hour trek. I am looking forward to seeing the mountains and some countryside outside of Kathmandu.

Wednesday in Nepal: Visiting the Temples

Wednesday, January, 20, 2010


In the morning a group of us walked to Durbar (Palace) Square, a 15 minute walk from out hotel. The square is an historic site and a complex of beautiful temples and shrines, both Hindu and Buddhist. They look like large pagodas and have intricately carved exteriors that I couldn’t really capture in photos.

One o many temples at Durbar Square

A peek inside one temple

We happened to visit the square when the locals were celebrating a national holiday. I can’t remember the exact name but it is to celebrate the goddess of knowledge and education! Apparently, it is considered a very auspicious day and therefore, many weddings and other events are planned to coincide with it. There were many little girls dressed up to look like the goddess. On the way, we saw many Hindu residents on their way to make their offerings to the gods at small and large temples along the way. According to my guide book, they put various foods on a plate, offer them to the gods, then take the rest of the blessed food home to their families.

Girls dressed as the goddess of knowledge

I was on a mission to find a post office. I read in my tourist book that one existed in the square. When I finally located it, I was surprised to find just a little room with one woman behind a little wooden desk. I didn’t see any stamps or envelopes or any indication that I could trust that anything I would send would actually arrive at its destination. Indeed, the woman said that they didn’t send packages; I would have to go to the “main” post office. After 15 more minutes of traversing small unnamed roads and asking more people (no one knows where the post office is!), I final got to the main post office. It was so small, I couldn’t believe it. They did not sell supplies and they don’t give receipts to guarantee the package will get to its destination. So, I gave up and went to Fed Ex and paid a fortune to send my kids gifts that cost half the price of sending them! Later I asked another local if he ever sends letters by mail. He replied that he uses the phone because it takes too long for letters to get anywhere!

Here are some more pictures from our walk:

There are lots of dogs here that just roam the streets without collars or leashes

I would need to see a chiropractor immediately if I did this!

After our tour of the temples, we took a bus to our scheduled visit to the Nepali Association for the Blind. There, we met with the director, the president, and several other board members and officers of NAB. They warmly welcomed us with flowers and music performed by some of their members studying music. They gave us a tour of their rented building where they have the largest Braille printing press in Nepal. NAB translates many of the country’s text books into Braille through contracts with the gov’t which then distributes them to schools. NAB seems to have a strong advocacy arm. The President spoke of their advocacy efforts to impact the new national Constitution currently being written. He said that disability is mentioned six times in the draft in regards to education, employment and rights.

They asked us many questions about our disability laws, coalition activities, and specific situation of people who are blind in the U.S. It was a very nice mutual exchange.

Tomorrow, we have site visits with a human rights association and the National Federation of the Disabled. We have Dr. Kafle to thank for helping to set up these site visits in Nepal. He even took time off from teaching at his university to accompany us on these visits.

Tuesday in Kathmandu: Visit to Training Center; poverty and hunger in Nepal

Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010

I can’t help feeling like I’m camping when I wake up to the cool weather and try to take a shower in a cold room and having dinner by candlelight. There is no heat and, anyways, the power is usually off from about 3 a.m. to 10 a.m. and again from about 6-8 p.m. Yesterday, Erik rented a motorbike and rode out into the country. He described beautiful scenery with green terraced valleys against majestic mountain backdrops. He also saw women and children working hard on their small farms, carrying huge loads on their backs in big woven baskets. Its interesting that in Ghana we saw women carrying heavy loads on their heads; here, they carry them on their backs. I saw people carrying heavy loads of rock on a construction site yesterday like this.

An individual commented on the blog about accessibility. There is no accessibility here in Nepal! We cannot imagine how a person using a wheelchair might get around these narrow, busy, pot-holed filled streets. There are very few sidewalks. We saw one person who was blind trying to find his way walking down a street with no cane.

Women walking in the streets just after squatting to pee on the street

Friendly rickshaw driver

Today, we visited the Technical and Skill Development Center for the Blind & Disabled. The Center is located in Kirtipur, Kathmandu not too far from where we are staying but with the crazy traffic here (worse than Boston – really!) it takes longer than you would think to get anywhere. We are always behind schedule and so is everyone else.

Me talking with the Center's founder

People who are blind learning music at the Center

Individual learning to weave

Children learn Braille at the Center

The center was started in 1991 for just three students by one determined woman named Mrs. Shashi Kala Singh. She had some training in the U.S. before founding the program. Now the Center serves 600 in the current year and serves all disabilities from childhood to adults. We toured the facility and met people with various disabilities learning different trades and skills, including computer skills, Braille, candle-making, pottery, chalk-making, and weaving. The center also provides physical therapy, parent counseling, and limited residential services for individuals who travel far to the center from the mountainous areas for services. We were able to meet several graduates that now have their own businesses or are successful professionals. After the tour, we were served lunch at the Center.

Blind woman making pottery with molds

The Center itself is surrounded by beautiful mountains. Unfortunately, the terrible smog here makes it hard to see the mountains clearly. The pollution is bad here and many people are wearing masks to prevent respiratory infections. There does not seem to be any policies regarding trash collection, which is really sad.

Center with mountain backdrop

This morning, I read in the local paper that the far western regions of Nepal have been experiencing acute food shortages due to inadequate rainfall, landslides, poor seed germination and crop losses. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy and yet more than 3.7 million people in Nepal are at risk of chronic hunger. It also said that many men are leaving their families to go to other countries to find work. In these cases, the women are left not only to care for the children but also the farms and every part of managing the business and homes. The men have been sending money back to the families but with the political unrest, the mail sometimes does not get through.

Peanuts and other goods for sale

Kathmandu: Visit to ID and Autism Associations

http://www.autismnepal.org/ppy MLK Day! Today we met with two different disability organizations. First, we visited the Association for the Welfare of Mentally Retarded (AWMR), a parent advocacy similar in concept to The Arc of the United States, except that the AWMR is still in its infancy where The Arc might have been in the 1970s. The AWMR was founded in 1981. We met with Board leaders and other parents of children with disabilities. Mr. Shrivastava, chairperson of AWMR and parent of an adult with ID, presented on the background of the association as well as on the situation of people with intellectual disabilities in Nepal.

cow wandering in the streets along the way

sites from our bus trip to the site visits

The situation Mr. Shrivastava described confirmed much of what we have read and learned so far (see previous blog). That is, that poverty is a major challenge to providing services to individuals with disabilities. Also, the recent political unrest has been a major challenge. The government is not yet organized and people with disabilities are not on the radar screen of the newly formed Parliament. One of the most interesting cultural differences we heard about today was that the caste system is strong in Nepal. Also, people with disabilities depend on family members to provide services and supports. One common strategy is for families to arrange marriages of their adult children so that they have a spouse to help care for them. This is easier for men with ID to find a spouse of a lower caste to agree to the marriage. It is good for both of them because the wife will be able to marry into a higher caste and thus raise her family’s social status. We also learned about the educational and employment situation for people with ID. Only a very small percentage of people with disabilities are fortunate enough to go to school. Although the policy states that the country supports inclusive education, in reality if children go to school at all, it is usually in a special school for their specific disability. In regards to employment, the association is attempting to find agricultural work, making peanut butter, or other small unskilled labor job opportunities. There are no supportive employment programs.

Laura, Mr. Shrivastava, me, and Mr. Kafle

One of the children at the AWMR with tattoo from UDel

Families at AWMR

Later in the day, we were able to visit a Autism Care Center. This is a newly established center started by three parents of children with autism. The impetus for starting the center, of course, was the birth of their child and finding out that there are no services for individuals with autism. The rented a nice house in a residential neighborhood, travelled to India to learn about how to diagnose autism and how to use Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and other effective interventions, and came back and trained volunteers to help other families and children with autism. They only have two paid staff – a psychologist and psychiatrist. All the other staff are parents or other volunteers. They desperately need funding and more professionals to provide diagnoses and interventions. We were all very impressed by the passion and determination of these parents.

In the evening Dr. Kafle gave us a presentation on the policies, challenges, and prospects regarding education in Nepal. He also introduced us to a father of a son with autism who shared his personal story with us and allowed the students to ask questions. We were then honored to have dinner with both of them in the hotel where we had rented a room for the presentations.

Tomorrow morning most of the students are going on a tour of the base of Mt. Everest by airplane. I am going to rest! It’s been another long day!

Laura presents gift to staff of the AutismCare Nepal

Kathmandu,Nepal: Arrival and exploration

We arrived in Kathmandu yesterday around dinner time after two shorter flights and a three hour layover in Doha, Qatar. Qatar airlines was very good, consumer friendly compared to Egypt air (this is for my business travel writer friend, Barb). The airport in Kathmandu is small; it looks more like a school than an airport. We took a little bus to the hotel. It was only 7 miles but on very narrow and crowded streets, it took a about 20 minutes. We had to walk the last bit because the mini-bus didn’t fit on the street of our hotel. The custom here is to drive on the left (like the UK).

Hotel Buddha is a very small hotel on a busy little street in the Thamel district. The rooms are small and bare with no pictures on the walls, a TV that doesn’t operate, and a shower that goes right onto the floor of the bathroom with no ridge to capture the water.

After getting money exchanged for the students, Laura, Eric and I headed out to get some dinner. We chose nice café, called Mandap, conveniently across the street. I had fish and rice in a nice curry sauce and naan (bread). It was delicious. Food is cheap here so our whole dinner was about $7 each.

The night was cold… very cold after coming from the warm desert, but it warmed up today when the sun came out. We had class this morning on the rooftop of our hotel. It was slightly cool but with the warm sun on our backs, we were quite comfortable.

During class we debriefed about what we learned in Dubai, then began discussing the history and assigned readings regarding Nepal and Kathmandu. Nepal is a very poor developing country (average yearly income of $200) but big changes appear to be afoot here. Nearly a decade of civil war recently resulted in the end of monarchy. The Maoists now have a majority in Parliament with an elected prime minister.

Students reviewing the readings and having class on the rooftop patio

Our readings tell us that the situation for people with disabilities is very difficult. Services are very limited and only available to some in the cities. Therefore, people with disabilities completely depend on their families for support.

Along with poverty there is little access to good medical care. The primary causes of intellectual disabilities here are due to infections, poor nutrition, lack of vaccinations, and inadequate pre- and postnatal care.

Several of our readings mention that religion and traditions also play a large part in attitudes toward people with disabilities. Hindu is the dominant religion with Buddhism coming in second among the four most prominent. Hindus believe in a cycle of life, death and rebirth with the aim being to achieve release (moksha) from this cycle. With each rebirth you can move closer to or from eventual moksha; the deciding factor is karma, which is literally a law of cause and effect. Bad actions during your life result in bad karma, which ends in a lower reincarnation. Conversely, if your deeds and actions have been good you will reincarnate on a higher level and be a step closer to eventual freedom from rebirth. Buddhism later adapted this concept. Hindus also have rules about the caste system. Many also believe in traditional healing methods.

These beliefs and traditions, of course, impact perception of people with disabilities. Some apparently still have the belief that supernatural powers are the cause of disabilities, or that you must have done something wrong (sinned) and therefore the disability is your fate. On the positive side, it appears that people believe they will have get rewarded with good karma if they treat vulnerable people well.

There is a law enacted in 1982, the Disabled Protection and Welfare Act, that mandates services for people with disabilities. However, like the disability rights law in Ghana, it has not been fully (or even nearly so) implemented.

In the afternoon, students were free to explore the area. I strolled down the street and poked into all the little shops. Thamel streets are filled with ricksaw drivers and motor bikes, so I had to be careful not to be run over! But the shopping is great. Lots of Chinese silk, bronze statues, hippy cotton clothes (I bought some), and hand embroidered T-shirts (two for my two boys!).

man embroidering alec and carter's shirts

Tonight Laura and I are meeting with Dr. Kafle, a friend of one of Laura’s Delaware students, who volunteered to be our guide to the several disability organizations we will be visiting beginning Monday. We will also be celebrating Erik’s (Laura’s husband who is travelling with us) birthday, which is today!

Happy Birthday Erik!

Thursday in Dubai: Early intervent center and Inspire Children's Nursery

Today is our last day in Dubai.  I am a little sad because there is still so much more that I would like to see and do here in this amazing international city.  But I am also excited to see Kathmandu, Nepal. 

Early intervention center (DECDC)

Yesterday (Thursday), we visited two centers that serve children with disabilities.  In the morning we visited Dr. Hussein's early intervention center, called the Dubai Early Childhood Development Center (DECDC).  DECDC is the first early intervention program in Dubai to offer comprehensive, interdisciplinary diagnosis, assessment and services for children from birth to six years. We saw no children on site that day because most of the services are provided in the natural environment -- in their home, school, day care or wherever they may be.  The services are also family-centered, meaning the families are involved in decision-making and are included in the treatment plan.

Students touring the early intervention center

We were able to meet and talk to the multi-disciplinary staff and take a tour of the areas where staff greet and counsel the families, provide assessments, and interventions.  The Center is very new, bright, clean, with stimulating books, wall art and state of the art equipment.

Dr. McCormick gave a brief presentation to our students and their staff on the latest research finding on infant/child neurological and social development, and best practices in interdisciplinary approach to serving children.  Before we left, Dr. Hussain presented Michael with a beautiful award for his part in helping to initiate the Center in Dubai.  AUCD (and our executive director, George Jesien specifically) was also recognized for its part in consulting with the government agency team to begin the early intevention program.


Following the visit to the DECDC, we went directly to our next site visit: The brand new Inspire Children's Nursery.  After touring the facility and listening to the two founders explain their origins and mission, I agreed that Inspire is an apt name for the Center for they are truly inspiring professionals: Asma Aladwala and Dr. Sandra Willis.

They gave the background regarding how they came to recognize the need for early childhood services in Dubai; how they first worked with the government to develop a plan, but then got frustrated by the pace and bureaucracy of working with the government and set out on their own the develop a state of the art, inclusive, family-centered early childhood learning center for all children, all nationalities, and all disabilities.  They open their doors this Sunday!

Asma and Sandra with Michael in the kitchen

The Center itself is in a beautiful home retrofitted to be a childhood learning center.  It has large, brightly decorated school rooms filled with interesting state of the art learning toys, a finished basement turned into a tykes' mini soccer field, an outdoor playgroun and a small indoor pool in an ajoining building.  If I were a parent of a toddler in Dubai, I would jump at the opportunity to send my child there!

Asma and Sandra briefing the students

Dr. McCormick was again invited to briefly address the staff regarding child development research and best practices in early childhood education.  The Inspire staff also recognized Michael and AUCD for its consultative role in developing the concept of the school, which is unique to Dubai in its approach.
According to the website, their approach to the Center is based on the U.S. Creative Curriculum and the Italian Regio Emilia  (see their approach: http://www.inspireallchildren.com/the-approach.php ). 

After our site visits, and thanks to Kara, we were able to tour the Burj Al Arab Hotel, the second tallest building in the world used exclusively as a hotel. The Burj Al Arab actually stands on an artificial island shaped like a palm tree out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It is an iconic structure, designed to symbolize Dubai's urban transformation and to mimic the sail of a boat.

Later that evening Michael, Laura, and I were honored to have dinner with Dr. Hussain, Sandra, and Asma at a lovely Lebanese restaurant over looking a beach in Jumeirah.

Wednesday in Dubai: Humanitarian Center and Desert Safari

Wow! What an exciting and long day. We just returned from an excursion to a huge expanse of desert right on the border of Oman that included a wild ride over the sand dunes in land cruisers, a camel ride, belly dancers, excellent Arabian food, and more!

my shadow followed me to the desert

But first, our day started with a visit to the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services, where comprehensive services are provided to individuals with all disabilities from zero to five or six; education services for a small number of elementary and middle- school children; and minimal vocational services are provided for adults in a workshop setting on the small campus.

The Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services is a non-profit organization founded in 1979. It was begun with funding from the Government of Sharjah (one of the seven united emirates) but the director said that most funding now comes from charity.

Although the services are segregated, we were able to tour the classrooms and talk to the professionals providing services and were impressed by the level of care being provided and we all agreed that the center and the services appeared comparable to many segregated centers in the U.S. One person asked me why it took so long for the U.S. to sign the U.N. Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Pottery workshop. We bought some final products which are beautiful

After returning from the Center tour at about 2:30 pm, we quickly ate lunch and jumped into the waiting land cruisers for our desert excursion. We drove for about an hour from Dubai to an area of the desert called Big Red for its reddish tint.  The natural beauty and solitude of the desert is breathtaking.

The land cruiser ride was SCARY – okay, for me anyway – as the cars went up and down the enormous sand dunes at high speeds and at times right on the edge of a dune. I was sure we were going to roll. The students were thrilled. I happily traded places with Ashley who offered to sit in the front with the driver after we had completed the first part of the ride. It felt a little like Hershey Park sidewinder (Alec, remember that one?!) without the track and in sand!

Me with one of our drivers...on top of the world

We also had fun climbing a huge sand dune (it was quite a workout) where we had a beautiful view of the mountains dividing UAE from Oman. We could also see several Bedouin villages below (those little white strips below).

Finally, we arrived at a Bedouin camp site where we each had the opportunity to ride a camel. This was a first for me! I love the way they get up on those long legs with people on their backs (it can’t be good for the knees). One grunted and groaned and the first set of students fell off before it even got up. I have some good video clips of this adventure to share at some point.

Following the camel ride, we went inside a little encampment where we ate lamb and chicken kabobs while we were entertained by a belly dancer and other Arabian dancers.  We also had the opportunity to dress up in a dishdasha (what the men wear here) or abaya (for women) and smoke a "shisha".  At the end, they turned off the lights so that we could see the stars in the clear desert night time sky.

One of our drivers in his dishdasha on the hill we climbed

The drivers were incredibly skilled... thank goodness!