ASAPE – Government Collaboration to Improve Quality of Life for Persons with Disabilities as a Part of Education for All

Introduction The World Health Organization estimates that five to ten percent of people are disabled, some three quarters of whom live in developing countries. The world community is agreed on what social policies should be for people with disabilities. This has been enshrined in various declarations of human rights: Education for All (1990), Salamanca Statement (1994) and the Dakar Framework for Action (2000). United Nations member states and international organizations have agreed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. However, their achievability, or the potential will to achieve them, is in doubt. Disability is a complex, multidimensional, scalar concept (Albrecht, 2006). No universal, global definition of disability is possible, and there are many different and often incompatible approaches to the problems associated with disability. The social model of disability was developed in England in the 1970s. In this model, disability is defined as the relationship between people with impairment and a society. Disability is regarded as an additional burden that is imposed on people with impairment. The slogan of the model is “Disabled by society, not by our body.” Impairment is defined as functional limitation within an individual caused by physical, mental, or sensory impairment and the definition of disability is loss or limitation of opportunities to participate in the normal life of the community on an equal level due to physical and social barriers. Disability occurs in every society throughout the world (O’Toole and McConkey, 1995). Common responses towards disability have been shame, prejudice and exclusion from community life. How can we dispel negative public attitudes and increase awareness towards people with disabilities? Our task is to help develop their talents; not just their cognitive abilities but also their physical, social, artistic, and emotional ones. Another role is to create opportunities for people with disabilities, to open doors for them. Furthermore, we should help them self-actualize in every society. Is it possible for us to achieve these goals throughout adapted physical activity? If they can be achieved, how can we approach them?