Contributions from: Claudia M. Villar
Abstract
The Standard Rules of the United Nations (1996) represents a significant progress towards the defence of the rights of persons with disabilities. In order to facilitate the accessibility to the Standard Rules, Inclusion International has published an Easy to Read Version (1998), available in English and in Spanish. However, there are many people who do not read, particularly in developing countries. The Pictorial Version is specifically designed for illiterate people. A draft of it will be presented in ISEC 2000. The SRUN contains 22 rules. The Pictorial Version includes only 13. The selection has been made on the basis of "individual rights", that means, those rules specifically focused on the person's side. It is expected that the Pictorial Version will be suitable for varied cultural contexts. Then, the designs have been prepared following criteria such as, cultural fairness, simplicity, perceptual clarity and distinctiveness. Data about content validity will be presented in the Congress. Potential uses of the Pictorial Version could be self-advocacy policies, social campaigns, etc. As an abbreviated form it might also be useful to inform and to develop awareness in diverse social sectors, NGO leaders, lawyers, doctors, journalists, members of the Parliament, etc.
Introduction
The development of alternative communication systems has generated great interest since the beginnings of the eighties. One kind of these systems uses pictorial aids. Pictures are part of the everyday experience in social contexts. They are seen in places such as highways, stations, restaurants, hospitals, etc. Pictures are a way of presenting information in a quick and easy manner. Complex ideas, objects and actions may be represented by pictures The use of pictures are very frequent in many cultural environments. Many of them are known internationally and may overcome language and other cultural barriers. Access to information through pictures may lead to empower people who do not read. This access fosters independence and autonomy. Independence involves participation. Participation assumes communication. Communication abilities may improve whatever the age or the intellectual status of the person.
Experience shows that people even with severe learning disabilities are able to associate meaning with simple drawings. The nature of the underlying ideas, its degree of abstraction and complexity determines the selection of pictures. A pictorial based system aimed to replace written words requires little training whatever the age or reading competence of the person. Moreover, pictures give cues for meaning when they complement a text and thus increase its comprehension. There are many people who do not read but can both understand and use the concepts together with the symbols related to them ( Detheridge,T. 1998).
This project presents a pictorial version of the United Nations Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (UN Resolution 48/96). It has been designed for non-readers. Rules that refer to people's individual rights have been chosen to pictorialise (13 out of 22). These rules are as follows:
A pilot study has carried out with five of the thirteen rules: with education, employment, family life and personal integrity, recreation and sports and religion. They correspond to "Preconditions for equal participation"(Rules 1 to 4), "Target areas for equal participation" (Rules 5 to 12) and "Implementation measures" (Rule 18).
Selected aspects of these rules were illustrated by means of three to six pictures. The selection was made on the basis of their potential to represent the main ideas underlying the rule.
It has to be pointed out that there is already an easy to read version of these SRUN (FUB, 1998). It is undoubtedly easier and more accessible than the original version, but it still requires reading. The pictorial version can be used together with the easy to read version.
Both the easy to read version and this pictorial version share the idea that the first step to exercising and to defending the rights is to knowing the rights.
I.-Content analysis of the five selected rules. Main points
Each of the UN rules is accompanied by some statements. This sets out:
The pictures trying to represent the meaning of the rule from the individual standpoint.
The rule 6 "Education", can be considered an organizer concept. The importance of education and training is mentioned in all five rules . Education is conceived in a broad sense, as a responsibility of the State, the community, the school, the organization of persons with disabilities and the family.
II.-Selection criteria for the pictures
The basic criteria for selecting the pictures were as follows:
Trying to accomplish the above mentioned criteria, the pictures present human figures in few lines, in black and white, without clothes and whenever possible, without reference to sex (*). Facial expressions were omitted . The activities represent common or usual situations to varied cultural environments .
III.-Validity controls
The validation controls were aimed to inquiry the power of the selected pictures as a means of communicating the idea or message in a simple, quickly and direct way. Considering the audience, people with limited literacy competences, the point was to select drawings easily recognized and remembered in a concrete way so to reduce the role of abstraction and the need of systematic learning. Validation essentially refers to the control of meaning. This is important for the target audience and for the self advocates, volunteers and support persons. One important issue is to determine the extent the version can be considered pictorial , replacing the written words. An empirical inquiry has been made to obtain data about the cultural-ecological, content and face validity of the pictures. Cultural-ecological validity refers to cultural fairness, the extent that pictures might be considered as "cultural - free". Content validity is conceived in terms of the extent the pictures reflect what the rule is about . The main points contained in each of the selected rules were taken as a reference for validating the pictorial stimuli. Face validity was judged as a contribution to cultural and content validity. There was no explicit reference to emotional states, feelings or other individual characteristics except in the rule related to family. Activities were not restricted to a particular kind of work or skill.
Validation Control
IV.- Methodology
a.- Data collection
Interviews and questionnaires were used to ask the meaning of the pictures.
The questions were:
*Only for teachers (group III) |
Samples:
Group I.- 50 youth and adults with intellectual disability from Argentina, Cuba and Ecuador;
Group II.- 50 persons that interact with people with intellectual disabilities (relatives, professionals, ONG leaders, service personnel);
Group III.- 29 groups (4 /5 members) of regular and special Argentine teachers. Nobody had prior information about the UN Rules and this knowledge was not provided before the interviews. In this sense all of them were "non readers".
b.- Data analysis
| Group I.- There is an explicit relation to education. 60% described the rule picture by picture (school, newspaper, book); 40% grouped the pictures in one action (teaching, studying); Group II.- 52% referred the pictures to information; 48% communication and education, knowledge; the right to learn; Group III.- All of the groups mention the right to education |
| Group I.- There is an explicit relation to work in 85%. 75% described the activities (using the PC, hammering, phoning); 15% mentioned the actions (they are working); 10% did not know. Group II.- There is an explicit relation to job/employment in 98%. Group III.- The right to work, to have a dignified job, to a fair economic retribution They did not eliminate any option but pointed out the man hammering as the best representation |
| Group I.- There are a variety of associations but they all mention human relations. For 30% the pictures represent a family; 30% love; 20% parents; 10% couples, 5% mother and children and 5% friends. Group II- 87% the right to have a family; 13% added the right to have a private life, to love, to be part of a couple. Group III- The right to have or to form a family, to be loved, to be involved in the family , to identity, security and protection, to have human relations and to be accepted. They did not eliminate any option, but preferred number 2 (opened , people by the hands) |
| Group I.- 85% described the activities (swimming, painting, dancing), 15% mentioned the actions (they are working) Group II.- 60% the right to leisure, 38% added recreation activities and sports; 2% sportive skills, arts, hobbies Group III.- The right to personal expression, to leisure, to spare time, to pass time |
| Group I.- 60% did not associate the icons to the rule (a moon and a star, a cross, a diamond, a circle, non sense answers); 35% mentioned religion, activities or symbols associated with; 5 % omitted Group II.-80% the right to practice a religion; 20% answers referred to freedom of beliefs Group III.-The right to practice a religion. All pictures were accepted as illustrations of freedom of beliefs. |
Comparative analysis
Group I
Except in the case of religion, strong relation pictures - rules were found. This fact can be attributed to the conventional character of the pictures. As the samples come from Catholic communities, the cross is the symbol for religion. The other pictures were less known or even unknown. This rule may demand a higher level of abstraction. The answers did not show significant differences among readers and non readers. This is a finding in favor of considering pictures as a substitute of words . Globalising answers, or grouping pictures under the same label, are less frequent than descriptions. To mention picture by picture in the same plate or to mention just actions are the common cases. When grouping responses appear, they are referred to actions . Both descriptive and global responses were usually related to the implied rule.This tendency should be considered in the support programs using this pictorial version.
Group II
Opinions were individually reported. The group was diverse including parents, special teachers, professionals, ONG leaders and service personnel (drivers, cooks, and maintenance workers). Careful attention was paid to each of the pictures adding examples and suggestions to complement them. They stressed the need to be informed and to allow the disabled people to develop their own potential. An interest of the activities to make this aim feasible is another common remark.
Group III
The answers were oriented to choose "the best" picture and to preserve openness, flexibility, absence of discrimination, accessibility and independence. The interpretation of the pictures exceeded the rule itself, by adding complementary ideas or remarks.
c.- Discussion
An important clue to design the training program is the high frequency of answers in terms of actions registered in the target audience. The low frequency of grouping responses in the sample of intellectually disabled people, suggests that facilitators and support persons have to emphasize the underlying idea , norm or meaning of the rules. One or several icons for each rule? It seems very difficult to find one picture that may represent the rule in a reliable and complete way. According to the content, the rules may be placed on a continuum from the more concrete or tangible to the more abstract. This analysis was not made yet. In spite of the samples being different, there were coincidences between the assigned meanings. The preliminary results show that it is possible to transmit an idea or a message about individual rights using pictures as a means.
V.-Prospects
Each plate will include at the bottom right corner a representation of an inclusive setting relating to the rule: e.g. a classroom, a workshop, a family at a meal table, people in a stadium, a gathering around a preacher.
For rule 9, family life, pictures about sexual relationships and abusing were not included. The risk of abuse is difficult to depict as it has many sides. Moreover, it is subjected to cultural bias. An appropiate way of representation was not found yet.
Another future action will be the searching, selecting and adapting pictures for the remaining eight rules according to the selected criteria and validity controls. Field work will use similar samples.
Expected Outcomes
A printed version containing the 13 rules. A manual of instructions for support persons and self advocates
A multimedia version (CDRom and on-line) involving:
Both modes will be available in English and in Spanish.
References
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