A Research of Social Policy and Welfare Services for Persons with Disabilities in Six Southeast Asian Countries

This paper aims to pursue preliminary attempts to develop and integrate the comparative study on the social policy and welfare services for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Asia and the Pacific. In order to collect relevant data to pursue the objectives, I conducted research by doing documentary research study and participating in international conferences and seminars, especially the International Seminar held by Asian Academic Association of Social Services in Social Work Research Institute, Japan College of Social Work that I took part in every year. Concerning the first methodology, documentary research study, it involved searching printed materials and literature related to social policy and welfare services for PWDs in six Southeast Asian Countries. This paper basically consists of four parts. The first part is the Introduction. The second part is the description of current situation of PWDs in six Southeast Asian Countries : Thailand ; the Philippines ; Singapore; Cambodia ; Indonesia ; and Malaysia. The third part described social policy and welfare services of each country mentioned above. And the last part is Conclusion. The finding shows that many PWDs are multiply handicapped by social, economic, cultural and physical conditions. These conditions constitute barriers to disabled persons’ freedom of movement and access to full participation in society. These barriers include also the stigma of disability, poor understanding of the abilities and aspiration of disabled persons, lack of rehabilitation and support services, and a negation of the rights of PWDs. Physical environments are suited only to the physically able persons, and accessibility to information challenges many disabled persons. Furthermore, the research also indicates that there are many kinds of social policies and social services for supporting PWDs in those Southeast Asian Countries. Almost all of such social policy and services are stipulated by many types of legislations and regulations in each country, and those supporting programs and sercices are implemented by public agencies, private organizations and/or sectors. But the actual conditions of such programs and services for supporting PWDs are very poor in quality as well as in quantity of those services, and therefore many PWDs are in reality cared for by families and private sectors. Since the main cause is due to the serious economic depression and the financial backstopping from the national and local governments, the international assistance and aid should be indispensable to help and support the life and rehabilitation of PWDs in those Southeast Asian Countries.

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