The National Honorary Disability Committee (CNHD) is the agency in charge of planning and coordinating disability policy at the national level, providing recommendations to various governmental entities, coordinating activities of nonprofit institutions, and promoting awareness. Law 16095 created the CNHD and established its duties and the composition of the committee. The committee brings together delegates from various national government ministries, the Congress of Mayors of the school of medicine and dentistry, CODICEN, INAME, and "each of the most representative disability organizations."98 Members serve for five years. Twenty-five percent of the members of the current committee are persons with disabilities. Despite the existence of the CNHD, however, coordination is generally lacking both within government itself, and between government and the private sector.
There are specific disability offices within only a few government agencies such as the ANEP and the INAME in the Municipality of Montevideo. The minimal number of governmental organizations with specific disability-related offices suggests that the disability issue is not a priority in Uruguay. Additionally, there is no national disability action plan in place.99
At the national level, there are several NGOs for people with different types of disabilities. These include: the National Plenary of the Disabled (PLENADI); the Uruguayan Chapter, a member of the international network Latin American Group for the Participation, Integration and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (GLARP-IIPD); the Association of Parents And Friends of People with Disabilities of Tacuarembó [Amigos y Padres del Discapacitado de Tacurarembó] (APADISTA); and Gardel's House Center, among others. More general human rights organizations occasionally engage issues of specific importance to people with disabilities, but such action is intermittent.
Disability organizations are usually financed by a combination of
governmental contributions for rehabilitation and social services, and by funding
from foundations both foreign and national. Collaboration among disability
organizations is generally positive in some areas, such as recreational activities.
However, there is no coordination, and action is frequently overlapped, making
the disability movement less efficient.100
98. Law 16095, sec. 10.
99. National Honorary Disability Committee.
100. Panel discussion.