Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) announced today that the government will be working toward creating more inclusive and accessible spaces for people with disabilities in Taiwanese society.
This morning the president met with the “Taiwan Disability Welfare Promotion Alliance” (台灣身心障礙福利推動聯盟). This meeting was meant to promote advocacy for those with disabilities in Taiwan and to push for more recognition and resources for those with disabilities in Taiwan.
The president stated her hopes to continue to improve upon the 2014 Law of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (身心障礙者權利公約施行法). She stated that she hopes the government can work toward eliminating barriers for disabled people. Creating more inclusive living and work spaces.
Tsai also took time to thank care workers assisting individuals with disabilities that require round-the-clock care. Stating that her government has worked hard to increase assistance and improve the salaries of such workers.
It is certainly hoped that Tsai will fulfil her promise to those individuals with disabilities and also care workers for those that need them, this is especially dire during the time of the COVID pandemic.
Disability advocates must also push the Tsai administration to not rest on their laurels, as they could certainly be doing more. This reality is even more obvious when one looks at the situation with migrant workers, both before and during the pandemic.
Southeast Asian care workers make up a large portion of care workers and have been subjected to numerous inequities in Taiwan. These issues have only been exasperated by the situation during the global pandemic. Thankfully some have started to strike for better working conditions, and hopefully Taiwanese workers band together with them to work in concert towards a more equitable and representative environment for all workers.
The government must also not be allowed to shirk its responsibility when it comes to infrastructure for disabled individuals in Taiwan. While certainly the situation has improved greatly over the years, in many instances it still leaves much to be desired.