A tour cosponsored by the Cuban American Alliance Education Fund (CAAEF) in recognition of International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3rd)

 

There are an estimated 650 million persons living with disabilities in the world today. If one includes the members of their families, there are approximately 2 billion persons who are directly affected by disability, representing almost a third of the world's population. The societal reality of physically impaired people's exclusion from many social and employment opportunities makes persons with disabilities a significant overlooked development challenge. Ensuring equality of rights and access for these persons will have an enormous impact on the social and economic situation in countries around the world.

 

Since 1992, the United Nations' (UN) International Day of Persons with Disabilities is annually held on December 3. It aims to increase the understanding of the issues around disabilities and attention to the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. In every society very few persons with disabilities are gainfully employed. In fact, in most countries up to 80% of persons with disabilities of working age are unemployed. Most others are under-employed or will never have access to the labor market. In the United States, persons with disabilities are twice as likely to be unemployed than individuals with no physical impairment. Everywhere, there is a sizable gap between the working conditions and employment trends of persons with disabilities and those without a disability.

 

The denial of opportunities and negative societal attitudes are the main reasons why persons with disabilities are disproportionally absent from the workforce. All too often, those social barriers cut off persons with disabilities from gainful employment opportunities and force them to turn to welfare, hand-outs and begging to support their livelihoods.

 

CUBA ENABLED will focus on how Cuba ensure decent work and care for persons with disabilities. We will explore how Cuba has adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We will explore the rights of persons with disabilities to work and employment on an equal basis with others. Many countries do not have legislation to promote and protect the rights of workers with disabilities. What is this like in Cuba? How have they ensured the well being of disabled populations? We will learn first hand as we meet with members from the Cuban Association of Persons with Physical Disabilities (ACLIFIM) in both Havana and in the provinces to learn from them how they advocate and work to educate and support the population. We will visit with vocational training programs, health facilities and education institutions. We will meet with Cubans from various walks of life and examine the successes they have achieved, and hear what current challenges are, while celebrating International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

 

This tour will be facilitated by Raul Caimanque. Ciamanque was born in Chile in 1956 and studied Physical Therapy at The University of Chile. He received his degree in 1979 and has since been licensed in California as a Physical Therapist where he has practiced for 30 years. He has been the director of a Physical Therapy office in San Francisco's Mission District since 1993 where his specialty is the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal conditions.

 

In addition to his commitment to underserved patients in San Francisco, for the past 10 years Raul has volunteered his services in several countries in Central America, South America and the Caribbean. He has been an integral part of "Operation Rainbow," a non profit orthopedic organization which treats poor children in Latin America and The Caribbean. Raul has also organized 3 trips to Havana, Cuba sponsored by CAEFF, a non profit network of Cuban Americans that educate the public on issues related to hardship resulting from current United Sates Cuban relations in the US, and ACLIFIM (Cuban Association of Persons with Physical Disabilities) in Cuba. His last trip to Havana in 2010 was sponsored by The Cuba Aids Project. While working with these humanitarian organizations, he has been able to deliver badly needed supplies and services to the disabled community of Cuba and to Cubans with HIV.