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Covid-19 Double Jeopardy for Persons with Disability

ADD International
August 2020

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SUMMARY

This report presents the findings from telephone interviews with 91 representatives from 15 Disabled People’s Organisation (DPO) partners in Bangladesh, to ask about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on persons with disabilities in Bangladesh.

The report finds that, in the Covid-19 pandemic, some persons with disabilities experience double jeopardy—not only are persons with disabilities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, but they are also disproportionately excluded from protection and survival support.

Persons with disabilities report being disproportionately excluded from Covid-19 support. 63% of respondents report not receiving the same protection and survival support as others. Two-thirds of those who described their personal experiences reported supply shortage or diversion of essential food and medical supplies as reasons for why they had been excluded.

Relief that has been provided has not met need. Many respondents (84%) report that survival support does not meet their basic needs. Support received has mostly been food instead of cash. Some (17%) report difficulty in following Covid-19 advice, mostly because they cannot afford protection materials.

Persons with multiple disabilities are being left further behind. Respondents with multiple functional difficulties experience more exclusion than respondents with one functional difficulty. This finding of disproportionate exclusion is statistically significant and consistent with qualitative responses, which show that most of those that did report challenges in following received advice were persons with multiple functional difficulties. This strongly suggests that persons with multiple functional difficulties experience more barriers. Persons with multiple functional difficulties who were excluded tended to report difficulties in communicating, remembering, self-care and walking.

The economic impact of the pandemic is acute for persons with disabilities. On average, respondents report losing 65% of their income since the Covid-19 crisis began, which in absolute terms, after adjusting for purchase power parity, is the equivalent of moving from £167 to £58 in monthly earnings.

Some respondents report that they are skipping meals and going hungry. Anecdotal reports reveal that families are reverting to one main meal every two days, or two main meals every three days. Many are borrowing and relying on family support to meet their daily needs to survive, and some of those who already depended on family support have had that support reduced or withdrawn. On balance, future plans reflect a sense of precarity due to uncertainty, ranging from feelings of hope with specific plans to powerlessness with no plans.

Government can do more. Many respondents said government should prioritise persons with disabilities and provide more relief. Many voiced concerns about how relief was being distributed or stolen, and that it is not reaching those most in need. The majority of respondents said that NGOs and wealthy people should play a role in support efforts.

How well is aid targeting disability?

WALTON, Dan
December 2019

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A blog explaining and categorising how international aid has been allocated to projects in a primary or a secondary disability component. It further classifies disability-relevant projects according to their particular focus on one or more of two areas:

Inclusion and empowerment projects have a focus on ensuring people with disabilities are included in benefits on an equal basis to people without disabilities.
Economic empowerment projects are a subset of inclusion and empowerment projects that have the deliberate purpose of improving employment opportunities and rights for people with disabilities.

 

The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the UK government or members of the Inclusion Works consortium.

Understanding the mobile disability gap Insights on mobile phone access and usage by persons with disabilities in Kenya and Bangladesh

ARANDA-JAN, Clara
BOUTARD, Alizee
December 2019

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This research aims to bridge the knowledge gap and to understand the potential of mobile phones as assistive technologies (ATs) for persons with disabilities in Kenya and Bangladesh. This report presents, for the first time, an evaluation of the gap and barriers to mobile phone ownership experienced by persons with disabilities, as well as the usage patterns of four main mobile-enabled services (voice, SMS, mobile internet and mobile money) and the role of mobile phones to enable access to basic services, such as education, healthcare, transportation, employment and financial services. Finally, the report explores the characteristics of access and usability of mobile products and services along the customer journey.

More at risk: how older people are excluded in humanitarian data

TANYANG, Gaynor
VENTURES, Lumina
2019

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This report evaluates existing policies and practices on how older people have been excluded from data in disaster preparedness and humanitarian responses in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

In order to evaluate existing policies and practices in the collection of inclusion data, the research employed two main methods: a review of documents and a survey. The review of documents was conducted in three stages: a global literature review, followed by a policy review and a practice review. The survey analysed the responses of 72 respondents from 10 countries .

Unmet needs and use of assistive products in two districts of Bangladesh: Findings from a household survey

PRYOR, Wesley
NGUYEN, Liem
ISLAM, Qumrun Naher
JALAL, Faruk, Ahmed
MANJULA, Marella
December 2018

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Access to assistive products (AP) is an under-researched public health issue. Using an adaptation of a draft World Health Organization tool—the ‘Assistive Technology Assessment—Needs (ATA-N)’ for measuring unmet needs and use of AP, we aimed to understand characteristics of AP users, self-reported needs and unmet needs for AP, and current access patterns in Bangladesh. The ATA-N was incorporated in a Rapid Assessment of Disability (RAD), a population-based survey to estimate prevalence and correlates of disability. In each of two unions of Kurigram and Narsingdi districts, 60 clusters of 50 people each aged two years and older were selected using a two-staged cluster random sampling process, of whom, 4250 (59% Female; 41% Male) were adults, including 333 using AP. We estimate 7.1% of the studied population used any AP. AP use is positively associated with age and self-reported functional difficulty. The proportion of people using AP is higher for mobility than for sensory and cognitive difficulties. Of all people with any functional difficulty, 71% self-reported an unmet need for AP. Most products were home or self-made, at low cost, but provided benefits. Needs and unmet needs for AP are high, especially for people with greater functional difficulties. Assessing unmet needs for AP revealed important barriers to scale that can inform policy and practice.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(12), 2901;
doi:10.3390/ijerph15122901

Defying the barriers

KHONDKAR, Laila
HAQUE, Reazul Md
January 2018

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Research summaries, case studies and process documentation from “Inclusive Protection and Empowerment Project for Children with Disabilities (IPEP)” are presented.  The aim of the project was to build resilience and capacity among children with disabilities and to create a violence-free community for them. The project ran in five districts of Bangladesh i.e. Sylhet, Dhaka, Barishal, Rangpur and Gaibandha from 2014- 2017. 

 

The research topics were:

  • Understanding the Vulnerabilities of Children with Disabilities Living in both Government-run and Private Residential Institutions
  • The Vulnerabilities of Children with Disabilities from Low-income Households
  • Social Protection Schemes Relevant to Children with Disabilities and their Families 

 

Global Report on the participation of organisations of persons with disabilities (DPOs) in VNR Processes

INTERNATIONAL DISABILITY ALLIANCE
2017

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Within the Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities, a working group was created on the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) aimed at raising awareness among Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (DPOs) to engage with their governments in the national consultation processes on SDG implementation, with particular focus on the 2017 44 volunteering countries. The VNR working group are compiling an outcome document reflecting the work that DPOs carried out at the national, regional and global levels. A comprehensive report – called the Global Report on DPO Participation in VNR Processes – will be issued in draft form prior to the HLPF and will be updated afterward with concrete findings. 

The report will showcase the national level DPO work carried out in different regions as well as best practices and challenges, and will serve as a case study for Member States. It will additionally be useful for DPOs as a model to engage with their government. The case study will feature the volunteering countries of Denmark, Italy, Sweden, Nigeria, Togo, Kenya, Ethiopia, Argentina, El Salvador, Peru, Guatemala, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India and Jordan.

DFID data disaggregation action plan - Better data for better lives

UK DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (DFID)
UK AID
January 2017

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This action plan sets out the steps that the UK Department for International Development (DFID) will take to promote, provide and make use of their own development and humanitarian programme data which can be disaggregated on the basis of sex, age, disability status and geography (in the short term). It also has the objective to build the culture within DFID on disaggregated data, and to work with others to change the international development system on disaggregated data. A review is scheduled for 2020. Working with partners, influencing, capacity building and management information, research, analysis and reporting are outlined. Trailblazer country programmes with Bangladesh, Nepal, Zimbabwe and Rwanda are reported.

Community volunteers : an asset for detecting and following up children with disabilities

INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR EVIDENCE ON DISABILITY (ICED)
December 2012

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This video presents a  recording of a seminar held at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) in November 2012.  The seminar explores the findings and recommendations from a four year CBM-funded project in Bangladesh and Pakistan to identify children with disabilities and connect them with appropriate rehabilitative services

Impact Assessment of a Vocational Training Program for Persons with Disabilities in Bangladesh

NURI, Reshma Parvin
HOQUE, Tohidul
WALDRON, Samuel Matthew
AKAND, Mustafa Kamal
2012

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Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a vocational training programme in enabling 261 persons with disabilities to find employment in Bangladesh.

 

Methods: A qualitative method, which employed interviews and focus group discussions, assessed the effect of the training programme on key individual, societal and physical factors set out by the WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (2001).

 

Results: 157 persons with disabilities (60%) secured employment after training. Of these, 74% reported that they were able to provide a better livelihood for their families, 92% reported increased social acceptance, and 83% reported improvement in overall quality of life. Of those who did not find employment, 15% cited issues related to the training course, 6% mentioned discriminatory attitudes of potential employers and 12% had problems related to physical access.

 

Conclusions and Implications: These results suggest that the vocational training programme improved the (re)entry of persons with disabilities into employment, which in turn aided their rehabilitation. However, discriminatory attitudes towards them at the workplace were reported.

 

 

Disability, CBR and Inclusive Development, Vol 23, No 3

Disability inclusive flood action plan and WASH in a Bangladeshi community

BARI , Nazmul
GOPAL SAHA, Broja
January 2010

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“From October 2009 to July 2010, the Centre for Disability in Development (CDD), working in partnership with local non-government organisation (NGO) Gana Unnayan Kendra(GUK) and with the support of CBM Australia, implemented a pilot project titled Disability inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Project (DiDRR). The DiDRR project broadly addressed inclusive disaster preparedness with a sub-component on improved water and sanitation access for PWD. This case study focuses on the project actions and resulting changes regarding disability inclusive water and sanitation before and during floods, and how it benefited not only PWD but also the wider community”

Case study 10

Child-centred disaster risk reduction : building resilience through participation : lessons from Plan International

PLAN INTERNATIONAL
2010

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This report “presents the results and recommendations of a five-year programme and…includes a series of case studies illustrating how child-centred Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) supports the delivery of the Hyogo Framework’s Priorities for Action, as well as the realisation of children’s rights to education, health and participation within disaster risk contexts…Child-centred Disaster Risk Reduction is an innovative approach to Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) that fosters the agency of children and youth, in groups and as individuals, to work towards making their lives safer and their communities more resilient to disasters”

Conducting quality impact evaluation under budget, time and data constraints

THE WORLD BANK‘S INDEPENDENT EVALUATION GROUP
2006

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“Project and program managers who wish to conduct an evaluation are often faced with severe budget, time or data constraints — these can act as a disincentive to conduct rigorous evaluations. The purpose of this booklet is to provide advice to those planning an impact evaluation, so that they can select the most rigorous methods available within the constraints they face”

Promoting rights-based approaches : experiences and ideas from Asia and the Pacific

THEIS, Joachim
2004

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This book is a collection of experiences with rights-based approaches from Asia and the Pacific. Part One looks at rights-based programming, and provides a general overview of rights-based approaches and their history. This is followed by a review of experiences of different rights-based organisations. Part Two translates human rights principles and standards into practical ideas for education and HIV/AIDS programming and for organisational development and management. Part Three presents four examples of rights-based programmes: promoting children’s participation in Vietnam, the Child Friendly District initiative in Ho Chi Minh City, confronting discrimination in South Asia and strengthening accountability for children’s rights through mass media. Part Four presents experiences and experiments with tools for rights-based analysis, planning, monitoring and evaluation. There is also a section on web resources on rights-based approaches, which lists some of the major organisations that are promoting rights-based approaches to development and relief work

Electronic immunisation registry and tracking system in Bangladesh

AHMED, M
2004

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This report summarises the 2001 development of a new computerised information system to register, schedule and track the immunisation of children, which was introduced by the Department of Public Health in Rajshahi City Corporation, Bangladesh. While no direct funding was provided for it, the assumed cost was not more than US $5000. The author concludes that system has been working well for the past three years. He also notes that the utilisation of ICTs in poor countries should be targeted at those intermediaries (such as health workers) who play a key role in the lives of the poor through high-contact service delivery. Empowering those workers and helping improve the effectiveness of their service delivery will do more for the poor than any number of e-government portals

Unveiling darkness : situation analysis on disaster and disability issues in the coastal belt of Bangladesh

CENTRE FOR SERVICES AND INFORMATION ON DISABILITY (CSID)
2002

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The objective of this study was to study the situation of disabled people living in the coastal belt of Bangladesh to find out the understanding of local people on disabiliy issues; study the soci-economic status of disabled people; and analyse the situation of disabled people immediately before, during and after natural disasters

From many lands

NARAYAN, Deepa
PETESCH, Patti
Eds
2002

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This book presents the experiences of people who are worn down by persistent deprivation, and buffeted by severe shocks they feel ill-equipped to overcome. The stories reveal some of the reasons why poor people remain poor, despite working long hours day after day. They document the frequently demeaning encounters with state, market and civic institutions that distort the well-intended political, economic and social policies. This book focuses on the diversity of poverty in 14 countries and highlights the key findings

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