Barcelona Declaration Project Delivering the Barcelona Declaration Closing Conference April 2004.

Barcelona Declaration Project

Delivering the Barcelona Declaration

Closing Conference

April 2004


Celebrating the Adoption !

Michal Ozmin&

Cearbhall O’MeadhraProject Team.


The Barcelona Declaration Project

2001-2004Facilitating local authorities in

creating a more inclusive society

This project is being delivered by the Institute for Design and

Disability on behalf of the National Disability Authority.


Background to the Barcelona Declaration Project

In June 2001, the National Disability Authority (NDA) was asked by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to issue a public call to tender for the Barcelona Declaration Project.

The Institute for Design and Disability (IDD) successfully tendered for the contract.


Budget: € 387,000.00


Barcelona Declaration Project terms of reference


Raising awareness and promoting the Barcelona Declaration among all local authorities in Ireland with a view to the adoption of the Declaration and its implementation by local authorities...


Securing adoption of the Declaration by at least 75% of local authorities by the end of

2003.


Developing and delivering a programme to local authorities which will enable them to disability-proof their decision making processes and activities in accordance with the principles of the Barcelona Declaration...


Issuing guidelines which facilitate local authorities in developing implementation plans for specific pilot actions and projects to give practical application to the Barcelona Declaration principles within the work of the local authority


Members of the Project Team

Project Leader Michal J. Ozmin and Disability proofing templateAdoption of the Declaration Cearbhall O’Meadhra

Patsy TreanorSeminars and Training Programme Ken Ewart

Ken TiernanPilot Projects/ Actions Caitriona ShaffreyAdministrative Assistant Judy KellyClosing Conference coordinator Evelyn Kavanagh


The Project team’s mission is:

to design a situation in which all members of the community, including people with disabilities, can actively participate in a process that will produce tangible evidence of a barrier free society achieved by the application of the principles of Design for All


The Initial calendar

of the Project


2001 Preparation

2002Plannig, delivering and monitoring the adoption campaign

Project Launching

Plannig and delivering Seminars and

Production of Guidelines

2003

Target:

December 75%

TrainingProgramme (Stage 1)

Pilot projects and Actions

Monitoring(Stage 2)

2004 Conference Report


National Launch

Dublin 14.02.02.

The Project was launched byAn Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern,

TD


Regional launch programme


Galway, 01.03.02, opened by Bob Molloy, TD, Minister for Housing

Tralee, 11.03.02, opened by John O’Donoghue,TD, Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Athlone, 15.03.02, opened by Michael Smith, TD,

Minister for Defence Dungarvan, 22.03.02, opened by Martin Cullen,TD,

Minister of State, Dept of Finance Dundalk, 25.03.02, opened by Dermot Ahern, TD,

Minister of Health and Social Welfare Nenagh, 05.04.02, opened by Senator Donie Cassidy Castlebar, 12.04.02, opened by Beverly Cooper Flynn, TD, Cork City, 15.04.02, opened by Michael Martin, TD,

Minister for Education


Plenary ConferenceDublin Castle, 14.06.02 opened by the Mayor of

Dublin with a key note by

Michael McDowell,TD, Minister of Justice Equality

and Law Reform.


Project Evaluation and Conclusions

November 2002


There is a positive change in the culture and attitudes among decision makers at local authority level leading towards creating an inclusive society.

Local authorities have the power and the capability to remove physical and attitudinal barriers that cause intimidation and exclusion. Do they have the will to do so?


There is a communication gap between local authority representatives and people with disabilities and their advocates.

The disability proof decision-making process must be developed. It will only work if the consultative process is in place in which the disabled people and their advocates would participate meaningfully and effectively.


The adoption of the Declaration without implementation is meaningless and has no impact on people with disabilities.

The Declaration and its implementation are peripheral to the main stream issues of local authority managers and directors of services.


The position of the Barcelona Declaration must be analysed in relation to Equality legislation in Ireland. The 17 Agreements of the Declaration need to be condensed into essential objectives. The cost of implementation is not an issue.


Formulation of a new approach

November 2002


Carry out the adoption campaign.Identify the Declaration with the framework of Equality legislation. Define the essence of the 17 Agreements.Produce a Disability Proof Decision- Making Template.Assist selected local authorities to develop models of good practice for the implementation of the Declaration (Pilot Actions).Provide Awareness and Communication Training for personnel and disabled people and their advocates from the selected authorities.


The Revised calendar

of the ProjectNovember 2003-May2004


2001 Preparation

2002Plannig, delivering and monitoring the adoption campaign

Launching programme

Evaluation of results, conclusions, Formulation of a new approach

ffSelection of 2 LA- Pilot Actions

2003

December 75%

Training and Seminar programme

Design TemplateDisability Proofing Process

Monitoring ActionsModels of good practice Implementation

Selection of 4 more LA-Pilot Actions

Training and Seminar programme

2004 April 81% Conference Report


The Adoption of the Declaration


In Europe the Declaration has been adopted by 432 local authorities, including Ireland (April 2004).

In Ireland the Declaration has been adopted by 93 local authorities (out of 114) and there is still more to come.At 82% this is the highest rate of adoption of the Declaration in Europe.


The pattern of adoption of the Declaration by Irish local authorities was as follows:

1995 to December 2001 10 In November 2002 45 In January 2003 57 In November 2003 85 In April 2004 93


The full list of local authorities,which

adopted the Barcelona

Declaration is in the folder


Is the adoption of the Declaration the right gateway for local authorities to address disability issues as part of Equality Agenda?

Yes


The framework The Project’s first breakthrough


Disability is one of nine grounds of the Equality Agenda. The Barcelona Declaration therefore must be seen within the Equality framework of Irish (and European) legislation. Local authorities can fulfill their statutory obligation by implementing Agreements II, III, VI, VII and X of the Barcelona Declaration.


The initial assumption that the Barcelona Declaration stands in its own right as an inspirational manifesto was incorrect.

Equally, the initial assumption that the adoption of the Declaration does not obligate local authorities to take actions was also incorrect.


Key legislation in Ireland

Employment Equality Act 1998Equal Status Act 2000Local Government Act 2000Part M of Building Regulations 2000Equality Bill 2004Disability Bill (in the process) 2004


Key national plans

National Action Plan against Poverty and Social Exclusion 2001/2003Employment Action Plan 2002Sustaining Progress 2003


What is the Barcelona

Declaration(1995)?

The Barcelona Declaration is a gateway that facilitates local authorities in tackling one of the grounds of

the Equality Agenda- Disability


The fundamental principle of the Declaration:

“Every person has a value and the right to be treated

with dignity”

This is an Equality issue


The essence of the 17 Agreements in the 6

ObjectivesThe project’s second break through

Adopting the Declaration obliges local authorities

to:


1. Promotion

Promote disability awareness and ensure the right of people with disabilities to be different and their right to receive personal attention


2. Adopt Policies and Measures

Develop the disability proof decision-making process including impact assessment and monitoring procedures for policies, actions and projects


3. Develop the Consultative Process

Incorporate participative and consultative procedures into the disability proofing process


4. Achieve Inclusion and Accessibility

Provide disable people with access to social and physical environments as well as services


5. Make adjustment

Develop policies for adapting the environment to the needs of people with disabilities


6. Training

Provide training programmes dealing with disability proof

decisin-making process


So? For the local authority, what’s the difference before

and after the adoption ?

The Consultative Process makes all the difference – this is the first and most important

step towards inclusion


The Implementatio

n Structure


There are clear procedures for adopting the Declaration

howeverThere is no clear structure to implement the Declaration


In most of the cases it has been the Community and Enterprise Service which provided structure and plans for implementation of the Declaration

thusSo far two structural models are

beingdeveloped for implementation of the Barcelona Declaration Action

Plan(Kerry Local Authorities and Waterford City

Council)


The Disability Proofing Process


Who are the players in the process?On the policy and executive level:

Members of Local Authority, Strategic Planning Committee, County/City

Managers and Directors of Services.On the operational and supervisory level:

Professional and Administrative staff including Access, Social Inclusion,

Community and Enterprise Officers,On the consultative level:

Disabled People and their Advocates


What model of disability has been adopted?

At the heart of the Barcelona Declaration is the social model of disability, which places a person's impairment in the context of the social and environmental factors, that create disabling barriers preventing people from functioning and participating in society.


This is not about ‘compensating’ people with impairments for what is ‘wrong’ with their bodies or learning capabilities, then targeting special ‘benefits’ at them and providing segregated services for them.

This is about inclusion


What are basic components of the Proofing Process?


Awareness Raising – ‘putting the house in order'

The major aim is to:

Develop a proper attitudinal framework for disability proofing decision-making processes at all levels.


Audit – “the base for Impact Assessment”

The major aims are to:

Identify the extent to which disability issues are dealt and have been dealt with in past policies, actions and projectsIdentify specific local needs and requirements Initiate the consultative process


Consultative Process – “the Key Element for Effective Proofing” The major aims are to:

Define the level(s) and methods of participation of disabled people in the decision-making process.Identify, jointly, the expectations and essential objectives that, if not satisfied, invalidate a policy, action or project.Agree implementation methods.


Impact Assessment- “it makes the difference to the local community” The aims are to:

Evaluate the qualitative and quantitative consequences of decisions to be made.

Monitor the effectiveness of disability proofing decision-making process as a whole.


The Impact Assessment has 7steps :1. Screening2. Scoping3. Impact Apraisal4. Decision making5. Statement of influence6. Implementation7. Monitoring and Evaluation


Project Conclusions

April 2004


The success of the Barcelona Project must be seen as the success of an Irish Government initiative leading towards the creation of an inclusive society.

In this context the Barcelona Declaration has proven to be the right tool to focus on Disability issues and to address them directly at local community level.


European initiatives such as the Barcelona Declaration, should be conceived in operational terms as well as inspirational terms to fully benefit society.

The “What” is as important as the “How”.

The Barcelona Project in Ireland constitutes the “How”


The positive impact of the Barcelona Declaration in Ireland is due to consolidated approach involving the National Disability Authority, County/City Development Boards, Local Authorities, Institute for Design and Disability (whose team has delivered the Project), people with disabilities and their advocates.


The Project reached its objectives as stated in the Terms of Reference:

– promoted the Barcelona Declaration and identified it with the Equality legislation in Ireland, – exceeded the required 75% of adoptions,– achieved 82%, the highest rate of adoption in Europe,– developed Disability proof decision-making process,


– produced Disability Proofing Template, – condensed the 17 Agreements into 6 readily recognisable essential objectives, – identified the Consultative process as

the most important element of the Declaration. – ensured that ownership of models of good practice is identified with the local

authority personnel who developed them .


The Terms of reference of the Project focused on local authorities. The Project Team concentrated on delivering a programme, which enabled local authorities to disability-proof their decision-making process. There is a need to develop a corresponding programme for disabled people in order to make the consultative process more effective and meaningful.


To date, most local authorities are at the transition stage between the act of adoption and the act of planning the implementation. Learning from the European experience, “follow-up” support is required to ensure the sustainability of the implementation and to disseminate models of good practice.


The Disability proofing process has only just been introduced. The Impact Assessment has not been fully tested. The local authorities, which lead the implementation and those at the transition stage would benefit fromhaving their work proactively monitored after the completion of this Project.


“Ireland took the Declaration as a national policy and gained from it. Ireland is now heading the European Union’s Council of Ministers…who better to build on the Barcelona Declaration in a new ‘Celtic Strategy’ for a fairer, better Europe?”(Pete Kercher, President, European Institute for Design and Disability)


Thank youWe hope that you have found this presentation

informative. Any Questions?


Barcelona Declaration

ProjectApril 2004

Irish Perspectives - The Barcelona Declaration

An TaoiseachBertie Ahern TD

April 2004


Delivering the Barcelona Declaration

Closing Conference

April 2004

Barcelona Declaration Project Delivering the Barcelona Declaration Closing Conference April 2004.

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Transcript of Barcelona Declaration Project Delivering the Barcelona Declaration Closing Conference April 2004.