UNCRPD Survey
DWI is part of the DPO Coalition (more information at the end of this page), which is preparing its first ever Shadow Report to the UN Committee on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
As part of this, we are asking DWI members to participant in the following survey, which is open until 12.00pm on the 8th of April 2021.
The survey is split into three sections. Section 1 is information about your profile, section 2 is about your experiences and section 3 is about what you think of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The survey can be completed by clicking on the following link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q3VNPSM
If you require assistance in filling out this survey, please email disabledwomenireland@gmail.com so that can be arranged.
FAQs:
Do I have to fill in the whole survey?
No, you can pick the questions that are important to you. You can fill in as many questions as you want and you can skip ones that you do not want to answer by pressing the green "Next" button.
Can I add more information later?
Yes, for example, you can answer some questions one day and other questions the next day:
Start the survey and answer the questions you can finish on that day.
To save your answers on a page make sure you click the green "Next" button or your answers will not be saved.
You can close the survey on any page when you are ready to finish on that day.
You can use the same link you can open the survey again at a later time.
The survey will open on the last page you finished, and you can continue answering questions.
UNCRPD Consultation process (3rd-8th March)
For a Plain English and Easy to Read version of this text, please select one of the following links:
Disabled Women Ireland (DWI) are inviting all women and non-binary people over the age of 18 who identify as having a disability, physical or sensory impairment or mental health condition to join us in making our views heard on Ireland’s State Report on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD).
We wanted to reach out to your members to make sure that people who are not traditionally involved in disabled advocacy have a chance to speak about their experiences and concerns, and to make their voices heard on the issues that effect them.
With international figures showing that up to 1 in every 5 people has a disability, sensory impairment or mental health condition, it's important that people from all backgrounds and all walks of life have a chance to shape the way we implement the CRPD to create meaningful access for everyone in Ireland.
DWI will host three Zoom discussion meetings in the lead up to International Women’s Day (8th March) to identify the key issues we face, the barriers to our human rights and to recommend solutions. DWI will make sure that what you have to say at these meetings and the issues/problems that you point out will be part of our submissions on the State Report and our contribution to the DPO Coalition’s Shadow Report to the UN.
All of our discussion meetings will have Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpretation. The discussions will be held on these dates:
Wednesday, 3rd March from 3 - 5pm
Saturday, 6th March from 11am - 1pm
Monday, 8th March (International Women’s Day) from 7 - 9pm
The theme for International Women’s Day this year is 'Challenging Stereotypes' and we can’t think of a better time for women, girls and non-binary people to make our views heard, so please come along and tell us about your experiences and what matters to you.
You don't need to know anything about the CRPD or the State report. You just need to know what it is like to be a woman, girl or non-binary person with disability, physical or sensory impairment or mental health condition in Ireland.
It is also a chance to make sure that the issues in our lives that too often go overlooked, and how our other identities which affect how we experience disability - as parents, workers, carers, students, members of an ethic minority, older people, LGBTQI+ people and so many more – are part of the conversation.
Every one of our voices matter! You matter! We matter!
Each event will be inclusive and respectful of each of our lived experiences. We hope to see you there.
To register, email disabledwomenireland@gmail.com by 1st March with:
your name
the date of the discussion(s) you would like to attend
which topics you would like to discuss (full list below)
your specific access requirements to participate (if any)
If you are unable to attend any of the discussions, or if you'd prefer to write your thoughts, feel free to send them in by email at any time.
Each discussion event will have smaller groups focusing on specific topics or themes relating to the CRPD and the issues that affect us as disabled women and non-binary people. These groups will be held in 'breakout rooms' from the main Zoom discussion.
The themes for these breakout focus groups are:
Disabled girls and young non-binary people, ages 18-25 (Articles 6 & 7)
Choosing where & with whom to live (Article 19)
Healthcare (Article 25, 12 & 14)
Relationships, sexual and reproductive healthcare, family & parenting. (Articles 23 & 25)
Having your Say! - Access to complaints mechanisms & participation in public life (Articles 13 & 29)
Education & Employment (Articles 24 & 27)
The breakout rooms will run twice at each event so if you attend one meeting, you will get the chance to participate in two groups discussions on topics that are important to you. You can attend all three meetings and therefore participate in all six small groups if you wish.
Each event will last 90 minutes and will run as follows:
10 minute introduction
30 minute breakout discussion groups
10 minute break
30 minute breakout discussion groups
10 minutes for feedback and wrap up
Please note that breakout rooms will be recorded for note-taking purposes. The recordings will not be shared with anyone outside of the DWI facilitating team and will be destroyed immediately after transcription. All comments will be anonymous.
We have listed 2 hour timeslots for these events in case people would like to ask questions at the end, but participants aren't expected to stay for the 2 hours if they don't wish to.
Additional information and resources:
What is the UN CRPD?
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international human rights treaty of the United Nations intended to protect the rights and dignity of people with disabilities.
You can find out more about the CRPD and read the full treaty here on the United Nations' website.
If you would like to know more about the UN CRPD reporting process, we've included this ISL interpreted video recording (below) of the information webinar held by the DPO Coalition in January of this year.
DPO Coalition UN CRPD Information Webinar - January 2021
You can read Ireland's initial State Report under the UN CRPD here
Click here for the Easy-to-Read version of the Report
What is a DPO?
A DPO (Disabled Person's Organisation) is a representative organisation for disabled people where disabled people make up more than 50% of the membership, staff and Board at all decision-making levels of the organisation.
A DPO is distinct from other 'disability' organisation - such as non-disabled led charities and service providers - and the UN CRPD requires that each country which has ratified the Convention give DPOs priority in discussions and policy consultations on disability issues.
The DPO Coalition ( DPOC)
The DPO Coalition is a voluntary coalition of six national-level DPOs based in Ireland, each of whom have their own independent Board and governing structures. The DPO Coalition Steering Committee is composed of nominated representatives from each of the individual DPO members, with a Coalition Chair and Secretary having been elected by the Steering Committee.
The Coalition's main focus at present is writing a Shadow Report on the UN CRPD. Each of the member organisations are holding these consultations with individual disabled people to ensure that their issues and concerns are heard at the UN level via this Shadow Report. We are also contributing to Ireland's State Report - via the National Disability Participation and Consultation Network and by direct consultation with The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
The DPO Coalition's current members are (click an organisation's name to be redirected to their website):
As I Am - Ireland's National Autism advocacy organisation.
Irish Deaf Society (IDS)
National Platform of Self Advocates – Ireland’s only DPO run by people with learning disabilities
Disabled Women Ireland - Ireland's only national DPO for self-identified women,girls and non-binary people