USR “Cultural | Health Project”: Indigenous persons with disabilities – Beyond Cultural Health, A Press Conference and Consensus Meeting on Human Rights
Hsinchu City Aboriginal Disabled Association (新竹市原住民身心障礙者協會 [原心會]) organized a press conference and consensus meeting on the human rights of Indigenous persons with disabilities on 15 March. Co-sponsored by the National Taiwan University College of Public Health and WEISHUN International Conference Center, the event addressed the challenges faced by Indigenous persons with disabilities, particularly those relocated to or living in urban areas.
The event commenced with a blessing ceremony led by the Atayal members. Attendees included Indigenous persons with disabilities, family and professional caregivers, academics, and government officials from central and local administrations. Discussions revolved around issues such as resource reallocation and centralization, promotion of cultural competence and safety in service delivery, and facilitation of a comprehensive investigation of the health of Indigenous peoples, including those of diverse bodyminds and those living with different types of abilities.
Hsinchu City Aboriginal Disabled Association, alongside partner organizations, put forth several proposals, such as establishing a unified channel for service consultation and provision preventing Indigenous persons with disabilities from juggling between authorities for health and welfare and Indigenous affairs at both central and local levels. They also requested qualitative surveys to understand the health needs of Indigenous peoples with disabilities and the promotion of political representation of Indigenous peoples with disabilities in the Policy Consultation Committee established by the Indigenous Peoples Health Act, which became effective in June 2023.
While a consensus could not be achieved in one day, the event marked the initial step towards reflecting various viewpoints from different organizations, members of parliament and local councils, and government agencies.
Hsinchu City’s local legislators from different political parties, including Liao Zih-Ci (廖子齊) from the New Power Party, Chen Jian-Ming (陳建名) from the Democratic Progressive Party, and Lin Zheng-Yan (林政諺), the Secretary-General of Kuomintang in Hsinchu, all highlighted the necessity of developing local strategies in response to the requests above. At the consensus meeting, they suggested using cross-departmental and intersectoral coordination mechanisms as potential platforms for integrating opinions and resources effectively before formulating formal policies or measures at the central government level.
The post on the CPH FB webpage: https://fb.watch/qUTajIkeVF/
TITV NEWS: https://youtu.be/SDdIEGkXaao?si=rqT8YK7Ae4JPm610
（中文版本）
新竹市原住民身心障礙者協會（原心會）於3月15日舉辦了一場「原住民身心障礙者——超越文化健康，人權記者會暨共識營」，由國立臺灣大學公共衛生學院協辦、WSICC暐順國際會議中心（新竹高鐵站旁）公益贊助。
活動以泰雅族祈福儀式開場，記者會與共識營邀請了原住民障礙者、照顧者、學者及中央與地方的政府官員和民意代表共同探討原住民障礙者面臨到資源分散、服務提供欠缺族群文化敏感度的狀況。
原心會與夥伴團體提出成立中央與地方單一服務窗口、針對原住民身心障礙者健康之質性需求調查、增加原住民障礙者代表性等訴求。
整場活動作為蒐集各方意見的第一步，雖尚難以取得共識，但在中央各機關進一步研擬相關政策或措施之前，新竹市的時代力量議員、民進黨議員，以及國民黨黨部總幹事紛紛表示應發展地方上的策略，以回應原心會的訴求，跨局處的協調會或許能先作為意見與資源整合的平台。
Assistant Professor Po-Han Lee as the host for the USR"Cultural | Health Project": Indigenous persons with disabilities - Beyond Cultural Health, A Press Conference and Consensus Meeting on Human Rights.
Press and consensus meeting status.
Press and consensus meeting status.
Group photo: The participants from the Hsinchu City Aboriginal Disabled Association and the College of Public Health at National Taiwan University.