Blind young leaders from Asia gathered recently in Bangkok to talk about their mutual visions for a better Asia for all, especially for the blind, and to learn from each other about how to develop a new action plan to achieve this vision. The major focus of this Young Blind Leaders’ Dialogue was on supporting visually impaired persons (VIPs) in Asia and creating an inclusive, barrier-free, rights-based society. The conference was supported by The Nippon Foundation and The Foundation of Asia-Pacific Development Center (FAPCD).

Due to the activities of these two organizations, a number of young VIPs are already active as leaders of the blind, raising public awareness of disabled individuals, advocating with governments for a rights-based society, and empowering blind people in the community.

The Nippon Foundation has supported ASEAN countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam) in a variety of projects including the development of human resources through training, scholarships, the development of self-help groups, and promotion for the employment of VIPs.

FAPCD has also been supporting persons with disabilities in Asia and the Pacific through the Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disabilities (APCD). APCD’s main activities are 1) Networking and Development, 2) Human Resource Development, and 3) Information Support.

The Bangkok Conference released an “Agenda for Action” which includes a) the establishment of a network and collaboration among young blind leaders, resource persons, the Nippon Foundation and FAPCD; b) the establishment of a platform for information exchange through the construction of websites, mailing lists or blogs among young blind leaders, resource persons, the Nippon Foundation and APCD; c) production of a seminar report which includes details of the discussion and conclusion; d) development of an effective action plan and strategies for concrete implementation towards building a better Asia.

The 4-day workshop was conducted at the APCD Training Building, Bangkok, Thailand. Major topics discussed were How do the public at large respond to the blind persons’ roles and contribution to “Building a Better Asia” and how would blind persons interact with the public? Roughly 20 blind leaders from Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Viet Nam and other countries participated. These participants were selected mainly from a pool of blind individuals who have been either trained or supported by the Nippon Foundation and APCD.

The workshop covered topics that focused on the current situation of blind communities and organizations, future directions of social development in Asia, future visions of disability and development, especially for the blind, and the question of how to make changes for building a better Asia for all. Resource persons were mainly from Asian countries such as Thailand as well as other developed countries from Europe and North America. An on-going working group consisting of the Nippon Foundation, FAPCD, APCD and other resource persons was designed to carry the work of the conference forward for concrete action.