Action guidelines

A. For Persons with Disability

They must:

· Organise, not agonise!

· Build their strength on collective action.

· Go beyond the purely local effort. Go national, and go international.

· Strategise. They must not leave matters to chance or to ad hoc adaptations to circumstances forced on them.

· Be proactive, engaging, struggling - not passive, not reactive.

· Lobby, learn how to lobby, whom, where and on what issues.

· Network, learn how to network, with whom, at what levels, and on what issues.

· Build broad alliances with other organs of civil society, such as the trade unions, women's organizations, consumer associations and human rights activists.

B. For IGOs and NGOs working with PWDs

They must:

· Support the lobbying, advocacy and networking efforts of PWDs as well as income generating activities.

· Involve PWDs in national, regional and international conferences that deal with larger issues of human rights and development.

· Play a facilitative, not directive, role in networking and lobbying.

Some issues for Further Discussion

Consider the proposition that powerholders have no interest in changing the situation; the situation can only change as a result of struggle from below.

Why is it important to go beyond the local and act also at the national, regional and international levels?

Make a list of issues arising from your own situation on which you would gain by building broader alliances With other organs of civil society. With which particular organisation(s) would it be useful for you to enter into strategic alliances? Why?