The development of services for persons with disabilities in Fiji began in the mid-sixties through the efforts of pioneering organizations that were providing some services then, namely, the Fiji Crippled Children Society, the Society for the Blind and the Fiji Red Cross Society.
Momentum began to build up into the seventies and the need to diversify into Vocational training programmes became apparent, as was the need to train teachers to meet the educational need for the Fiji’s children with disabilities. This was organized through the Ministry of Education.
However, the services and the established vocational training programs were reviewed in the late eighties and found to be inadequate because they favoured those in the bigger urban centers but were inaccessible for the rural disabled population. The need to identify ways and areas of improving these services was inevitable.
The declaration by the United Nations General Assembly in the year 1981, as the ‘International Year for the Disabled Persons’ greatly assisted the attempts to reorganize Disability Development for Fiji, more so with the focus on the establishment of a central authority with powers under the legislation to spearhead this development.
The responsibility to organize and implement the much needed change fell on the lap of the Department of Social Welfare. Through the guidance of the Department, a sub-committee was appointed, comprising government non-government organisations and people with disabilities themselves in 1989. It recommended the establishment of a Central Authority to look after the need for people with disablities and disability development in the Country.
Through the Ministry of Women, Culture and Social Welfare, Cabinet in September 1992, approved the establishment of the Fiji National Council for Disabled Persons (FNCDP) now formally known as the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) to be the central authority and the National co-ordinating body for disability development in Fiji.
For the establishment of the National Co-ordination mechanism, meetings held in Manila in April 1992 and Beijing in October 1992, merely reinforced the development that was already taking place. The ‘Beijing Proclamation’ therefore became the framework and the springboard Fiji needed to carry out its commitment to disability development, in a planned and comprehensive manner. It, therefore, became a signatory of the proclamation in 1992.
The consolidation of the establishment of the Council through its legal framework saw the enactment of the Fiji National Council for Disabled Persons (FNCDP) Act no. 21 in December 1994.
“Total empowerment, equal opportunities and full participation in a barrier-free environment for all persons with Disabilities in Fiji”. And, that a fully/truly inclusive Society becomes a Reality.”
“To facilitate the process of creating a barrier-free Society through a collective collaboration and partnership with all stakeholders”.
“To bring to prevail for persons with disabilities in Fiji a situation whereby government ministries and statutory authorities, local government, corporate sector, and civil society organizations meet their legislative, constitutional and international conventional obligations”.
“To organize and continue to strengthen national affiliates through democratic, gender-balanced, cross-disability based processes.”
“To partner with other development agencies and governments towards the equalization of opportunities and full participation of persons with disabilities in their own development and development of other communities”.
“In partnership with government, civil societies and corporate entities create fully/truly inclusive society”.
The Council’s focus in the future would be on training for persons with disabilities, creation of job opportunities, improvements in medical services and health care and establishment of facilities to improve mobility and accessibility to public places.
(a) Be a co-ordinating body for all organisations dealing with the care and rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities.
(b) Formulate a national policy that would ensure that services are provided to all persons with disabilities in Fiji.
(c) Draw up a national plan of action for rehabilitation service and implement such a plan.
(d) Seek financial assistance from government and aid donors for itself and registered organisations providing service to persons with disabilities.
(e) Maintain a register of all the organisations providing service to persons with disabilities and ensure that the independence of such organisation is maintained.
(f) Organise national seminars and workshops relating to the problems and needs of persons with disabilities and assist in the training of personnel involved in the are, training, education and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities.
(g) Create public awareness of the problems and the aspirations of persons with disabilities through educational media.
(h) Regularly inform the appropriate Ministries of the government of the problems and needs of persons with disabilities and seek solutions to such needs.
(i) Work towards the elimination of causes of disability.
(j) Establish a National Rehabilitation Fund the purpose of which will be to attract national and international contributions in terms of funds, expertise, material and equipment to be used in implementing a national rehabilitation plan.
(k) Periodically review the national policy and national plan of action for the purpose of determining their continuing relevance to local, regional and international realities.