Latest News
Dear friends
The new issue of “Waw” newsletter is available at all LPHU’s branches and in our website: www.lphu.com

“Waw” is pleased to receive your articles about “problems and opinions”. Are you interested to join WAW’s team? You can send your articles to: info@lphu.com
The Information and Research Unit is glad to announce a new film entitled: “Liberate Abilities”. The film displays experiences of disabled employees in different jobs and employers who employed disabled workers. The film aims to show the variety of abilities in the working place and the benefit of disabled employees.
A survey on the employment situation of people with disabilities in the Bekaa Region has been finalized. The research gives an overview of the educational and occupational situation of disabled people in the region, their difficulties and success. For further information on the results of the survey, please call: 01-307365/6


Latest Activities
LPHU’s Beirut branch is receiving applications for computer courses in the following programs: windows- word- excel. For those who are interested, please contact our office for registration: 01-307365/6 or by email: info@lphu.com
The Lebanese Physical Handicapped Union welcomes volunteers for collaborating in our activities.
LPHU, in collaboration with the UN Special Rapporteur on Disability and the Inclusion Network is glad to announce the organization of the Arab Parliamentary Symposium on Disability, the 1st and 2nd of December. The symposium will focus on employment and inclusive education, targeting parliamentarians and attempting to outline standard indicators for mainstreaming disability in the development process in the above mentioned fields.
Within the project “Unlocking Potential Job opportunities for people with Disabilities”, LPHU’s job center in Bar Elias is ready to receive CV and resume from disabled job seekers. A new session of CV training will be starting soon: if you are interested, please contact the job center: 08/511641
LPHU SUMMARY

LPHU is a non-profit organization of people with physical disabilities that has been working on disability issues since 1981. This grassroots organization is national in scope and includes community branches in six areas of Lebanon (Beirut, Byblos, Bar Elias, Mashgara, Nabatieh and Saida). LPHU is a national, non-sectarian organization and involves people from different religious groups and with various forms of physical disability. The financial resources of the organization are composed of members subscriptions, donations and financial support provided from international organizations. Currently the organization counts 1,100 members and relies heavily on the work of volunteers. There are two main fields of work of the organization: advocacy to raise awareness of the rights of people with disabilities in order to ensure their integration and raise equalization of opportunities; and community based development projects including physical rehabilitation, inclusive education and vocational rehabilitation.

The organization has been active in promoting the participation of the disabled in the decision making process and has witnessed changes in governments approach to disability. Dialogue has switched from charity to rights and from exclusion to inclusion. In May 2000 the Lebanese Parliament approved new legislation, Law 220 2000, which provides a legislative framework for the basic rights of the disabled people in Lebanon. The new legislation was the result of a long-term campaign lead by the LPHU. The law addresses the rights of the disabled persons to proper education, rehabilitation services, employment, medical services, sports, and access to public transport and other facilities. It also stresses the right to participation. Since it was passed the organization has continued to run an advocacy campaign titled ‘Towards Social Economic Integration and Equal Opportunities’ to promote its implementation, working with municipalities, ministries, the public and private sectors and civil society.

As well as the long term advocacy program for the rights of the disabled the LPHU runs a community based development project designed to provide people with disabilities with physical and vocational rehabilitation, and inclusive education. The organization has established branches all over Lebanon with the aim of strengthening the disabled at a grassroots level. These centers are responsible for promoting the LPHU campaigns at a local level as well as the implementation of the community based rehabilitation projects. They inform local people of their rights, help them access services, provide support and training and conduct local and regional surveys. Many of the leading actors of local NGOs have graduated from the LPHU. As an example of the work of the LPHU, in the area of job placement for people with disabilities, the organization has succeeded in the early 1990’s in ensuring the employment of 60 disabled persons in the Hydrogen Ministry (water and energy), even though at the time there was a law that prevented disabled people from working in the public sector. Later on the LPHU lobbied the Council of Ministries to issue a decision to register this group as public employees. In addition pressure was placed on the Ministry of Communication to obtain the approval by the minister to employ people with disabilities.

The recent advocacy campaign launched by the LPHU has focused on the empowerment of traditionally marginalized groups such as youth and women. The LPHU has tried to increase the participation of youth, through capacity building and social follow up, for example by giving them the opportunity to be members in executive committees. Some of these youths now represent the LPHU in the Network for Youth policy, headed by Save the Children US. Moreover the LPHU has integrated a gender analysis in all its activities. All capacity building activities address gender and specific workshops tackling ‘Women and Citizenship’ and ‘Women and Leadership’ have been conducted, enabling women with disabilities to take the lead in the campaign and lobby for equal rights.

The LPHU has developed local, regional and international collaborations. For example, LPHU has conducted projects and held conferences in collaboration with another local organization of the visually impaired. More recently the LPHU held a regional conference on Employment and Disability looking at issues relating to both the private and public sectors. Members of the business community and government officials were invited to the conference. The LPHU is also currently collaborating with Oxfam UK in writing a policy paper on the impacts of globalization on people with disabilities in Lebanon.