Latest news with #NCDA
Qatar Tribune
6 days ago
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
QCDC exhibits national expertise at NCDA Global Career Conference in US
Tribune News Network Doha Qatar Career Development Center (QCDC), founded by Qatar Foundation (QF), participated in the prestigious National Career Development Association (NCDA) 2025 Global Career Development Conference in Atlanta, USA, reinforcing Qatar's growing influence as a regional leader in career guidance and youth empowerment. Representing the centre was Mohammed A. AlYafei, head of Career Programmes and Services, who delivered a presentation highlighting QCDC's pioneering efforts to promote experiential learning through job-shadowing and hands-on training programmes. Among the initiatives featured were 'Little Employee,' 'Career Village,' and 'My Career – My Future'—innovative programmes designed to immerse students in real-world work environments and bridge the gap between academic learning and career readiness. AlYafei also outlined QCDC's integral national role in building Qatar's career development ecosystem, stressing the centre's commitment to aligning key stakeholders across the education, labour, and policy sectors to develop a unified, future-ready framework for career guidance. The NCDA Global Conference is a leading international platform for exchanging best practices and innovations in the field of career development. QCDC's participation reflects the centre's broader strategy to foster knowledge-based development and promote lifelong learning in alignment with Qatar National Vision 2030. By advancing human capital development and empowering youth to navigate a dynamic labour market, QCDC directly supports the national goal of achieving a diversified and sustainable economy. 'Participating in international forums like NCDA enables us to exchange insights, build strategic partnerships, and position Qatar as a hub for forward-thinking career development,' said AlYafei. 'By sharing our programmes and vision, we contribute to the global dialogue on preparing youth for tomorrow's world of work.' QCDC's presence at NCDA 2025 forms part of its ongoing international engagement strategy, aimed at capacity building, innovation, and reinforcing Qatar's leadership in sustainable human development.
Filipino Times
22-07-2025
- Filipino Times
Starbucks Festival Mall branch under fire for labeling PWD customer; NCDA condemns discriminatory act
The National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) has called out Starbucks Festival Mall in Muntinlupa City after a viral post exposed an incident involving public ridicule of a customer with a disability. This came after Marivic Cruz shared on Facebook that her husband, who has a speech and language impairment, was labeled based on his disability when he ordered coffee. 'My husband and I went to Starbucks at Festival Mall earlier to relax after work. We are both PWDs (my husband has a speech disability and I have a psychosocial disability). Since I was already tired, he was the one who ordered at the counter,' Cruz recalled. 'When he came back to our table, nag-iba yung aura nya. Then he showed me the name written on his cup,' Cruz wrote. The cups were labeled '1/2 Speech' and '2/2 speech,' as seen on the photo attached to the post. 'Really, Starbucks!? This is so disappointing,' she added. 'And then you even called out my husband based on the name written on the cup?' According to Cruz, the branch manager apologized and acknowledged the mistake, but it had already caused them emotional distress. 'He rarely approaches people, and now it seems like he's starting to feel traumatized even just by ordering at other restaurants. Knowing that I also have a social disability, this is just too much,' she continued. A violation of the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities The NCDA confirmed that the customers were tagged based on the type of disability reflected in their ID cards. The agency described the act as 'insensitive and discriminatory,' and said it violated Republic Acts 7277 and 9442, also known as the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities. 'The Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities highlights the state's responsibility to remove barriers that hinder the inclusion of persons with disabilities. This includes not only physical barriers but also social and cultural attitudes that perpetuate discrimination,' the NCDA said in a statement. 'In a society where inclusivity is paramount, practices that label individuals based on their disabilities can perpetuate stigma and further isolate them from mainstream activities,' it added. RA 9442 specifically prohibits public ridicule, defined as any form of mockery or contempt, whether verbal or non-verbal, directed at persons with disabilities. The NCDA said this includes labeling that can lead to humiliation or emotional harm. 'The NCDA's concern is significant because it emphasizes that organizations like Starbucks, as public establishments, must uphold the rights of all individuals, irrespective of their abilities. It is essential that businesses not only understand the legal implications of discrimination but also foster a culture of respect and inclusion among their staff,' the statement read. The council has called on Starbucks to take 'immediate action,' including corrective measures and employee training on disability rights and sensitivity. 'This call to action extends to all establishments, urging them to recognize the equality of persons with disabilities,' the council added.
SBS Australia
24-06-2025
- General
- SBS Australia
Ten-year waits and run-down motel rooms: Inside Australia's 'neglected' housing crisis
A new report has shed light on several areas in which Australians with disability face "exclusion and discrimination". Source: AAP Australians with disability are facing a "severe" lack of affordable and accessible housing, forcing them into "precarious" living situations, advocates say. Many on fixed incomes are also being excluded from the private rental market, with waiting lists reaching up to a decade for social housing, according to a new report from the Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA). "It has been neglected — the housing needs of people with disability — and it is causing enormous amounts of harm and distress," DANA's chief executive officer El Gibbs told SBS News. "People are not being able to find somewhere to live, but also being forced into houses where they may not be able to leave, move around or access a bathroom. "There are real issues that need action." The second annual report by DANA's National Centre for Disability Advocacy (NCDA), released on Tuesday, found what it called "shocking evidence" of exclusion and discrimination of Australians with disability across housing along with guardianship, transport and child protection. DANA represents organisations across the country that work directly with people with disability. The report is based on insights from dozens of advocates from 40 organisations who came together for an online forum last March to discuss the systemic issues their clients are facing. Organisations from all states and territories were represented, DANA said. "I don't think people with disability will be that surprised [with the findings] because we understand the barriers that so many of us experience in every single part of our community," Gibbs said. "We've had a four-and-a-half year Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, so it isn't any surprise that we are still hearing these stories." Advocates across the country reported that housing was one of the areas causing "some of the most significant problems" for people with disability, Gibbs said. "I think it's really well known that our housing system is in crisis across the country for everyone, particularly those on low incomes, or on income support. People with disability are very much in that group," she said. "We tend to be poorer as a community, more reliant on income support and less likely to be in work. So we face that affordability crisis even more than other Australians — but on top of that, we also have an accessibility crisis." Advocates cited in the report said an increasing number of people with disability are facing housing issues, particularly a lack of affordable housing in the private rental market, from which those on fixed incomes are often excluded. While these people can be placed on waiting lists for social housing, it can take up to 10 years before suitable housing becomes available, it said. "People with disability can't find an affordable, accessible or available home that is anywhere near the services that they use, or near their families," Gibbs said. "People are being forced to move long distances away, to find something that they can afford, but also really struggling to find accessible housing." Taylor Bellomo is the executive officer of Action for People with Disability, an organisation that provides individual advocacy for people with disability living in the northern region of Sydney. Bellomo said it has seen a "really significant increase" in requests for appropriate housing support from those who are already on a waiting list for social housing but cannot wait years. A decade ago, Bellomo said the organisation would receive calls for support from ageing or unwell parents who were unable to continue caring for their children with disability and without adequate housing options. "We're seeing that again," she said. "There are multiple barriers for people with disability: the lack of accessible housing, the limited availability of specialist disability accommodation … private rentals being inaccessible to them, and discrimination — even if they are able to afford a private rental, finding it difficult to be offered a lease due to stigma," she said. "That's for people in the northern region of Sydney … But for people living regionally and remote, it's far worse." Bellomo agreed the housing shortage across the country is "intensified and highlighted more" for people with disability. "I don't think the barriers facing people with disability ever receive the necessary attention, and that goes across the housing issue as well." Advocates from multiple states and territories also stressed the "complexity" of accessing homelessness services. In Victoria, people requiring crisis or emergency accommodation must ring a central number, with advocates reporting having to wait on hold for over an hour for a voucher for a stay of up to seven nights, the report said. In regional areas, an advocate would need to contact a local social housing provider to find a motel room with availability, which is often run down. Advocates also raised concerns around the limited regulation and appropriateness of living environments such as Specialist Residential Services, and non-registered group homes for Supported Independent Living (SIL) funding. The Queensland Disability Advocacy Network has set up a Housing Working Group to coordinate actions at a national level. The group provided a submission to the federal government's National Housing and Homelessness Plan to ensure disability is a priority. Also among the report findings was concerns over the "suspected overuse" of guardianship offers for people with disability. The report cited observations from advocates about a "sharp rise" in applications since the National Disability Insurance Scheme began in 2015, which it says are often initiated by disability providers. It also revealed transport barriers and child protection "inequities". However, the report acknowledged the "chronic underfunding" of systemic advocacy — which is capped at 10 per cent of funding through the National Disability Advocacy Program. Advocates say that, with 90 per cent of funding going towards individual advocacy, the sector's ability to drive wider change is limited. More broadly, Gibbs said organisations are seeing a "really big increase" in demand for their services. "Increasingly, the cases that are coming to advocates are complex. What we're seeing is the current rate of funding is seriously inadequate," she said. "There is a new advocacy program planned for next year and we really need to see a significant uplift in funding to meet the demand that is already here." The NCDA program is funded by the Department of Social Services, which has been contacted for comment. Share this with family and friends
GMA Network
23-06-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
Pilot test of unified PWD ID system begins July in 35 areas
The pilot testing of the unified persons with disabilities (PWD) ID system will be conducted in 35 areas starting this July, the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) said Monday. 'Magsisimula po tayo ngayong third quarter or July (we will start this third quarter or July),' NCDA executive director Glenda Relova told PTV's Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon. Among the areas included for the pilot testing are Maguindanao Del Norte; Dagupan, San Carlos, Urdaneta, and Alaminos, Pangasinan; Solano, Nueva Vizcaya; San Rafael, San Jose del Monte, Obando, and Meycauayan, Bulacan; San Mateo, Teresa, and Antipolo, Rizal; Santa Rosa and Pila, Laguna; Carmona, Cavite; Muntinlupa City; Pasay City; Daet, Camarines Norte; Kalibo, Aklan; Candijay, Bohol; Malaybalay, Bukidnon; and Koronadal and Surallah, South Cotabato. Relova said registration for the unified PWD ID system will be done digitally. PWDs may either download the system on their mobile phones or computers or ask for assistance from their respective Persons with Disability Affairs Office. NCDA is an attached agency of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The unified PWD ID system is DSWD's move to address the proliferation of fake PWD IDs. Last December, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said the government lost around P88.2 billion worth of taxes in 2023 because of fake PWD IDs. The new PWD IDs will have security features such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), and it can link establishments to a webpage portal where they can verify the legitimacy of the user. There will also be a standard look to the unified PWD ID moving forward. Under Republic Act 10754, PWDs are entitled to a grant of a 20% discount and VAT exemption on the purchase of certain goods and services from all establishments for their exclusive use, enjoyment, or availment. —RF, GMA Integrated News
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Latest updates on the Black Cove Complex fire
POLK COUNTY, N.C. (WSPA) – The North Carolina Department of Agriculture (NCDA) has shared the latest information on the Black Cove Complex in Polk and Henderson County. As of March 29, there are over 490 personnel, both from North Carolina and out-of-state, that are assigned to the Black Cove Complex. The NCDA stated that firefighters from over 14 states have come over to assist. Black Cove Fire On March 29, the Black Cove Fire was reported to have reached up to 3,500 acres, and is now 35% contained. The fire burning on state-owner and private land, and is approximately 2 miles northeast of Saluda. Deep Woods Fire As of March 29, the Deep Woods Fire has reportedly burned almost 4,000 acres, and is 32% contained. The fire is burning 5 miles northwest of Columbus on state-owned and private land. Crews were reportedly able to secure containment lines in the Holbert Cove and Cove Mountain areas, and are hoping for further containment with the upcoming favorable weather. Fish Hook Fire As of March 29, the Fish Hook Fire is reported to be 100% contained. Almost 200 acres were burned in the process. The fire was 5 miles northwest of Mill Spring. Officials said that, due to the recent humid weather conditions, the fire behavior has decreased as suppression and repair efforts continue to hold stead. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
