International Developments of New Zealand Policies to Disability and Aging People - Coursework Example

People with disability Insert of Introduction Disability is not inability. This is a common international saying in trying to define and appreciate the talents and abilities possessed by disabled persons all over the world in various aspects of life in the society. Different people have different disability issues which distinguish them from the rest in the society. The term disability has had a lot of counter arguments in its use and utilization. While some people have repeatedly rejected the use of the term on account that it is discriminatory and unethical about human beings, others have felt the need to apply the term in referring to particular groups of people in the society on a lighter note. They have emphasized the use of the term without any form of discriminatory tone or motive. Based on this argument, different scholars, governments and organizations have come up with varied definitions on disability. In china, for example, the term ‘disabled person’ is one who suffers from the abnormalities of loss of a certain organ or function, physiologically or physically, or in anatomical structure and has lost wholly or in part the ability to perform an activity in a way considered normal (Office of Leading Group of Poverty Alleviation in State Council, 2004). Moreover, the same provision defines a disabled person as one with visual, hearing, speech or physical disabilities, intellectual disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, multiple disabilities, and or other disabilities (National Bureau of Statistics, 2007). This definition is pegged on/ borrowed from that of the international community about the caring for people with various disabilities. Disabilities are inflicted o people through different ways depending on the prevailing circumstances under which people operate. These people, therefore, deserve respect and fair treatment on different aspects of the society just as the entire human folk is entitled to certain rights and privileges depending on their sincere contributions to the various developmental units in the society. People with disability are not able to perform certain tasks in a way deemed satisfactory to the society compared to those without any form of disability in them. In most cases, the disabled persons are disadvantaged on such grounds. The international community, therefore, found it necessary to enact laws in a bid to protect disabled persons from exploitation and manipulations by other members of the society. Each democratic nation today has elaborate laws governing the operations and movements of people with disability in various ways. This is aimed at protecting such persons and granting them the opportunity of inclusion in various sectors of the society about economic development and social inclusion. Many countries have achieved this aim by making slots for this group of persons in various sectors of the society such as in employment, sports fairs, political activities, and other related factors. In this document, I will discuss the various policies available in china and the United States on the protection of people with disability and the aged. I will as well compare these policies with those in New Zealand citing the salient similarities and differences in each case. Policies on disability from China and America vs. New Zealand policies on disability China and the United States of America are among the nations in the world that have put in place elaborate policies and laws governing the conduct of the people and that of the sitting governments about the treatments given to people with disability. Owing to the high number of people with disability in these two nations, the need for the inaction of such laws deem sufficiently in handling the affairs of an increasing number of disabled persons in the regions. China, by the year 2006, had up about 83 million men and women (about 6.3 percent of the Chinese population) being categorized as disabled persons (National Bureau of Statistics, 2007). The Chinese rapidly swelling population and the geographical location along a tectonic front exposes her to receiving an increasing number of persons with disability inflicted upon them by various forces of nature such as earthquakes, landslides and surface flows. The United States of America as well has seen an increase in the number of people being afflicted with disabilities of various kinds. Coupled with fair and humane treatment through democratic ruling that has been persistent in the US, significant considerations have been focused on making sure that the comfort of the US citizens is ensured irrespective of their physical or mental orientations. In line with this, the two nations have put forth various laws to govern the operations of the society at large. The Chinese government through an act of parliament established the China Disabled Persons’ Confederation (CDPF) in 1988. This is an independent body in the region endowed with the responsibility of looking into the welfare of the disabled persons in the nation. Having complete access to every corner of the nation with over 400,000 part time and 90, 000 full time workers by the year 2006, the confederation has been able to provide all the necessary support to the disabled persons in the nation. In a bid to doing this, the confederation is mandated to carry out the following functions as stated by Whakanui, (2004); ‘The CDPF performs three functions: 1) represent interests of people with disabilities in China and help protect their legitimate rights; 2) provide comprehensive and effective services to disabled people, and 3) commissioned by the Chinese government to supervise affairs relating to people with disabilities in China. In this regard, the CDPF is committed to promoting the humanitarianism, the human rights of people with disabilities, and the integration of people with disabilities in all aspects’ (pg: 15). Likewise to the Chinese steps in empowering people with disability in their societies, the United States on the other hands has as well ratified the regulations and conventions protecting the rights of people with disability in different sections of the community. This she has done through the passage of the ADA (the American Disability Act) in1990 through an act of parliament (Daly & Burkhauser, 2005). The act aims at protecting people with disability against discrimination in their places of work as well as in the society. Besides, the act gives these persons the opportunity to seek employment in various organizations in the country as well as the right to secure any employment opportunity in such organizations as long as they meet the academic and ethical qualifications as per the demands of the organizations. In addition, the Chinese constitution has been amended to include the rights of individuals with various disabilities in various parts of the nation. As in America and New Zealand, the Chinese constitution accords all persons with disability the right to attain rehabilitation support from specialists in various fields of expertise such mental therapists, etc. without any form of discrimination or misappropriation of the tasks. Other rights accorded to the people with disability include the right to attain education at all levels, the right to be employed everywhere in the nation as long as they meet the required academic and ethical qualifications required by such organizations, rights on cultural lifestyles, welfare, access and legal liability. In regard to this (Autor & Duggan, 2001), then three countries have ratified the International Labor Organization Convention No159 in her constitution in order to help support the lives of those living with disability of various kinds. The law is advocating for the access to vocational training and employment to disabled persons. Along side this; they have as well ratified the United Nations Convention on the rights of people with disability with the Chinese parliamentary sitting ratifying the same in the year 2008. This is aimed at enabling people with disability secure, retain and advance their careers in their suitable employments areas and calls for their further integration into the society. New Zealand, through the ministry of disability issues, has drawn an elaborate plan to help people with disabilitys access various rights and privileges accorded to those without the same traits alike. In regard to this, the ministry has put in place incorporative and collaborative objectives to aid in assisting these people by coming up with a complete database on the various issues affecting the disabled persons at different levels. These policies are concerned with strengthening the rights of the disabled persons about education and employment opportunities in various organizations within the nation. Besides, the ministry advocates for the accordance of respect and fair treatment to people with disability by every member of the community who does not belong to the category. The government of New Zealand has also advocated for the empowerment the disabled in the society by appointing them or electing them to leadership positions in various organizations and government bodies. This is aimed at creating an all encompassing leadership priorities to the people and promoting the inclusion of the disabled in the society affairs at all levels. There, however, exists various difference sin the way these governments operate about handling disability issues. The American government has gone a bit farther in designing an insurance policy for the disabled, a factor that has not been the case on the other two countries. Moreover, the New Zealand government is the only government among the three nations which a special ministry recognized by the state to address issues of disability in the nation. The other two conduct this through the inaction of laws, conventions and regulations to help empower the disabled. Besides, the New Zealand has yet another special offer to the disabled found within her borders. The three nations have a common meeting point for various factors regarding the care for the disabled in the society as well as the points of divergent as noted in an earlier section in this paper. Policies on ageing from China and America vs. New Zealand policies on disability The ageing persons are as well considered as the disabled in most societies around the globe including the three nations mentioned earlier in this bulletin (USA, China and New Zealand). The nations have as well put in place certain policies to help sustain he lives of those at tender ages who are as well unable to take care of themselves effectively as compared to those in their early times in life. The definition of the aged member o f the society has had different connotations in different societies around the globe. This is concerned about the age of the persons that groups them under the aged population or not. In America, one is considered aged when he or she is 65 year old and above (DeLeire, 2000). This definition differs from one society to another, and the age bracket is determined by the countrys life expectation and can be lower than the American preference or higher. The aged are disadvantaged in several ways and hence liable to protection by their sitting governments from exploitation and the conservation of their rights in the society. Ageing is a significant point in life at which the elderly persons are exposed several vulnerabilities inflicted upon them due to time differences. The American constitution has made several provisions to provide adequate care assistance to the aged in their society. An elaborate pension plan has been designed by the US government to provide money to the old in the country. The aged are often afflicted by several diseases and poverty thus unable to sustain them within the society. Bearing this in mind the American government has drawn a plan to provide the aged persons with adequate finances to help them sustain their lives. Moreover, the government has also helped aged access free medical care as well as social care in designated points, in all states. Similar to this strategy, the government of China has as well organized elaborate provisions to help sustain the lives of those considered as the aged. The Chinese government, in regard to this fact, has as well drawn a pension plan for the aged persons living in urban areas as well as those in the rural areas. These people are accorded monthly payments to help them cater for most of their needs since most of them do not have any form of employment due to their ages. According to Greg et al., (2010), similar provisions have as well been drawn in the New Zealand through the ministry of senior persons. The ministry is concerned with the sustainability of the lives of those falling within the bracket of the aged or senior persons. The ministry advocates for the protection of the rights of the aged population including the right to be treated with respect and honor they disserve given the tremendous experience and knowledge they bear on various aspects of life. These include the opportunity to accord the older persons an opportunity to continue learning and developing their skills and talents. Moreover, the provisions stipulated herein also advocate for the inclusion of the older population in participatory mechanisms, in community affairs. This owes to their value in the community regarding their tremendous experiences in life and in relation to the society in which they live. Respect and humane treatment are as well very important and elaborate point of regard the American constitution accords to the aged within her boundaries. This, as Ronald & John, (2002) notes is done through the strategies o increasing the income for the older people from social security funds, free Medicare provisions and Medicaid. Besides, the extremely aged persons are often exempted from paying tax on certain commodities and services because these people rely only on very meager income sources. However, there exist differences in policy administrations between the three nations regarding the provision of care to the aged in the society. While the New Zealand government has formed a complete arm to oversee the provision of adequate care to the old and aged in the nation, none of the other two countries has such plans in their actions. Moreover, the exemption of taxes on certain commodities purchased by the older generation is only a reserve to America with the rest of the nations lacking the same provisions. Moreover, the New Zealand government through the ministry of senior persons has come up with the regulations on how to conduct the operations of the care giving to the aged. Community based groups have been formed at the lower levels, to help the aged persons at the grass root levels, a fact that is lacking in the other two regions. International service delivery policies on disability from China and America vs. the policies in New Zealand The disable in China, America and New Zealand are entitled to the provision of adequate services to the entire human folk irrespective of their forms of disability. The disabled persons are entitled to employment opportunities in all organizations and companies around the nations as long as they meet the academic and ethical qualifications required by the companies they apply to work. Through the enactment of various policies and conventional acts, usually through an act of parliament, the three nations have been able to provide adequate frameworks on service delivery models to the people with disability within their borders. In this regard, the government of New Zealand accords old person in the country the right to access disability services deemed responsive, flexible, accessible as well as culturally appropriate (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010). These services according to the provisions must be focused on the inclusion and empowerment of the persons with impairments and their families and help in meeting their individual needs as per the constitution. The Chinese government has as well elaborated the need to provide the disabled with adequate opportunity to employment and training services as accorded the unimpaired. Their services are called upon at any instance depending on the needs arising from the same. The services of the disabled are called upon at every instance including administrative positions, vocational arts and training (Ravallion & Shaohua, 2004). The United States for instance has embarked on expanding her business and industrial circles to create room for the disabled and impaired within her borders. This s expected to create employment opportunities to a great deal of people including the impaired being given the priority me various sectors. The US government has often encouraged the disabled persons to continue applying and seeking their incorporation into the service sector without fear of exclusion or denial. Similar policies have as well been enacted in the Chinese rapidly growing labor force and job market. Well structured programs have, however, been facilitated in New Zealand as opposed to the other two nations. The state of New Zealand is acting on the basis of their internal fundamentals organized from within their boundaries; as a result, various laws have been developed from within the country to help reach the disabled at the grass root. China and the US, however, operate their disability laws in line with the provisions of the world health organizations or other humanitarian agencies in the world. The mode of inclusion into the public forums and affairs is, however, more elaborate in new Zealand as compared to the other countries since the government of new Zealand is directly involved in the management and protection of the affairs of the disabled. There is a proper channel here through which the disabled persons can air their grievances to the central government for effective address (Wang & Kaiti, 2005). This is different from the cases of china and USA where the affairs of the disabled persons are tackled by the government through the humanitarian agencies. International service delivery policies on the ageing from China and America vs. the policies in New Zealand The ageing as has been mentioned earlier in this paper is considered a great resource to the three nations given their wide knowledge and experiences on various affairs in their countries. It is for this reason that they are called to task at every level to help in solving various intriguing factors affecting the community or the nation. In America, the ageing is greatly adored, and their services are often called upon on various issues such as wars, peace talks and negotiations among other affairs. This owes to their great deal of knowledge and importance on various aspect of the society and developmental issues. The three nations for instance recommend the inclusion of the aged persons in issues relating to decisions making on matters affecting them in the society. Open consultation are one of the factors considered by the new Zealand constitution whereby the aged are required to engage in open consultative forums with the members of the society and various expertise as a key important point in exploiting the huge amount of knowledge possessed. There are as well various opportunities slot out for them in china, USA and New Zealand to serve in various posts. The US policy frameworks require that the old and experienced military officials be engaged on various matters affecting the country with the aim of offering skilled knowledge to the young labour force (Daly & Burkhauser, 2005). The same provisions have been slotted by the government of New Zealand. In china, these people are encouraged to take part in societal matters as well as providing vocational training to the young members of the society through apprentice training. The programs and modes of inclusion into these affairs is, however, of the great difference in the three countries. While the American policies, similar to those of New Zealand tend to focus much on the provision of skills and knowledge based on wars and other military actions. The Chinese policies concentrate much on the social sector whereby the aged and retired members of the community are encouraged to offer apprentice services to the younger generations. Besides, in china, these people are more of a social resource bank rather than technical advisers as in the case of New Zealand and US. Conclusion In conclusion, it is good to mention here that disability issues are of great concern to the world governments. As the global populations continue sharply to rise, and various atrocities continue to afflict people far and wide, the number of the aged and disabled population continues to rise. This adds to the number of people needing care in the societies hence the need to roll out adequate plans to help them cope with the changing life. The disabled and the aged in the society have very weak financial basis to enable them support themselves in the society. It is, therefore, the mandate of the sitting governments in these countries to plan for their sustenance over time. The governments of the US, China and new Zealand have come up with policies stipulating the procedures to be followed while going about finding solutions to the problems afflicting the old and disabled in their societies. At the same time, these people have also been used as adequate reference points and resources to their nations owing to their tremendous knowledge and experience on various issues affecting their societies. References Autor, D., & Duggan, M. (2001). “The Rise in Disability and the Decline in Unemployment.” Mimeo, Department of Economics. Cambridge, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2010, December). Labor Force Statistics From the Current Population Survey. 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