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A global agenda for inclusive recovery: Ensuring people with intellectual disabilities and families are Included in a post-COVID world

INCLUSION INTERNATIONAL
May 2021

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This report documents the experiences of people with intellectual disabilities and their families during COVID-19 and proposes a global agenda for inclusive COVID recovery developed by Inclusion International’s membership. The global agenda is a set of imperatives for policy and programming to ensure that “building back better” creates a more inclusive world.

Disability inclusion in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership countries. Disability Inclusion Helpdesk Report No: 51.

CORBY, Nick
CLUGSTON, Naomi
September 2020

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This briefing note provides guidance on how to incorporate disability inclusion within economic and governance reform projects. It is intended to inform the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) Good Governance Fund (GGF). This Note provides basic, introductory guidance on disability inclusion to FCDO advisers and managers engaging with economic and governance reform and sets out opportunities for the FCDO’s programmes and policy dialogue to deliver positive impacts for people with disabilities. The Note addresses three key questions: 2 1. What is the broad status of the rights of people with disabilities in GGF countries and are there any significant differences between the countries? 2. What are the recommended entry points for incorporating disability inclusion within economic and governance reform projects within the five GGF thematic areas? 3. How should the GGF incorporate disability inclusion into the next business case?

 

An annex provides short notes on several factors for each country. The factors are: the legal framework; disability prevalence; economic inclusion; social inclusion; institutionialisation; access to justice; receptions and representation in the media.

Neglected and forgotten: women with disabilities during Covid crisis in India

GOYAL, Nidhi
RAGHAVAN, Srinidhi
KOTHARI, Ketan
July 2020

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This report is a collaborative initiative of Rising Flame and Sightsavers to respond to the urgent needs of women with disabilities in India during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The aim of this research was to capture and amplify voices and narratives of women with disabilities  and to make strong recommendations to ensure inclusion of women with disabilities in social, legal, policy and systemic responses.

Online and telephonic research consultations were carried out in May 2020,  within the barriers faced or accommodations needed by participants, including access to internet, the need for sign language interpretation and the establishment of a safe space. A total of 82 women with disabilities and 12 experts across 19 states and nine self-identified disability groups participated in the research.

Broadly, the study is divided into access, food and essentials, social protection, health, hygiene and sanitation, education, employment and livelihood, domestic violence and emotional well-being. The study explores the ongoing barriers experienced by women across disabilities and makes recommendations to build back a better and more inclusive world.

Disability inclusion, COVID-19 and adaptations to the DFID Ghana LEAP 2 programme 43

WAPLING, Lorraine
MEANEY-DAVIS, Jessie
June 2020

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This short paper provides an overview of disability inclusion considerations for adaptations to Ghana’s Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) 2 social protection programme during the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes considerations for changing the payment mechanism from cash payments to mobile money as well as the necessary communications and monitoring of beneficiary feedback and safeguarding during the pandemic. The attached annex provides detailed considerations of the benefits, risks and mitigations for specific programme adaptations.

COVID-19 at the intersection of gender and disability: Findings of a global human rights survey, March to April 2020

McRAE, Amanda
May 2020

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This report is based on the results of a global survey conducted in March and April 2020, targeted at the personal experiences of women, girls, non-binary, trans, and gender non-conforming persons with disabilities and COVID-19. This survey, which was intended to be primarily qualitative, asked respondents to provide narrative information about the following topics: access to health services, including sexual and reproductive health services; rationing of healthcare; personal safety and violence; access to support services to meet daily living needs; and access to education, employment, and other income. The results are based on 100 respondents. Recommendations are given.

The impacts of COVID-19 on people with disabilities: a rapid review. Disability Inclusion Helpdesk Query No: 35

MEANIE-DAVIS, Jessie
LEE, Harri
CORBY, Nick
April 2020

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There is currently very limited data and evidence on the impacts of COVID-19 on people with disabilities and pre-existing health conditions, with no disability-disaggregated data on mortality rates available in the public sphere. However, reports from the media, disability advocates and disabled peoples’ organisations (DPOs) point to several emerging impacts, including primary and secondary impacts including on health, education, food security and livelihoods.  Most of the available data is from high income countries (HICs) though reports from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are likely to emerge. Evidence was gathered by a rapid desk based review. Gaps are identified. 

 

The section concerned with lessons drawn from similar epidemics draws heavily on lessons learned from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014-2016, and touches on lessons from the Zika outbreak in 2015-2016 and the SARS pandemic in the early 2000s.10 It also touches briefly on SARS, MERS and H1N1 (swine flu). 

 

Primary and secondary impacts of COVID-19 on people with disabilities are reviewed.


People with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 not only because it can exacerbate underlying medical conditions, but because of attitudinal, environmental and institutional barriers to their participation in and benefit from the pandemic response. For example, inaccessible public health messaging and healthcare facilities, and stigma and discrimination.

“Disability Is Not Weakness” Discrimination and barriers facing women and girls with disabilities in Afghanistan

GOSSMAN, Patricia
April 2020

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Everyday barriers that Afghan women and girls with disabilities face are described.  Decades of conflict have decimated government institutions and development efforts have failed to reach many communities most in need. Obtaining access to health care, education, and employment, along with other basic rights, is particularly difficult for Afghan women and girls with disabilities, who face both gender discrimination and stigma and barriers associated with their disability.

 

This report is based primarily on research by Human Rights Watch researchers from April 2018 through January 2020 in Kabul, Mazar-e Sharif, and Herat, Afghanistan. 23 interviews with women with disabilities and 3 interviews with family members of women and girls with disabilities were conducted. 14 healthcare and education professionals were interviewed, including representatives from the United Nations and international and local nongovernmental organizations providing services to persons with disabilities in Afghanistan

Making the future of work inclusive of people with disabilities

ILO GLOBAL BUSINESS AND DISABILITY NETWORK
FUNDACION ONCE
November 2019

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This is a first exercise to connect different areas of debate, looking at the key trends of the future of work from a disability perspective and seeking to identify specific action needed in order to shape the future of work in a more disability-inclusive way.

Chapters include: Work and disability - overview of current situation; megatrends of future work and persons with disability (technological revolution, skills revolution, cultutral change, demographic change and climate change); and Roadmap for an inclusive future of work.

 

The following five key objectives for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the future of work have been identified:

1. New forms of employment and employment relations integrate disability inclusion

2. Skills development and life-long learning made inclusive of persons with disabilities

3. Universal Design embedded in development of all new infrastructure, products and services

4. Assistive technologies, existing and newly developed, to be made affordable and available

5. Measures to include persons with disabilities in growing and developing areas of the economy

 

Governments, companies, disability NGOs, trade unions and academia must be encouraged to commit and contribute towards achieving these objectives through different actions. An inclusive future of work can be reached through coordination and alliances among the different stakeholders

Que nadie se quede atras! Primer informe nacional sobre la implementacion de los objetivos de desarrollo sostenible desde la perspectiva de la convencion sobre los derechos de las personas con despicacidad

ASOCIACION CIVIL SIN FINES DE LUCRO COMISION DE DAMAS INVIDENTES DEL PERU (CODIP)
CAMPOS SANCHEZ, Elizabeth Francisca
March 2019

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Research included a national survey (120 people), semi structured interviews, data gathering and regional workshops. Regional workshops were held in Cuzco and Arequipa in the south of the country; Chiclayo in the north, Cañete por Lima provinces; a workshop in Lima only with people with Down syndrome and another with deafblind people.

SDG 4,5,8,13,16 are particularly discussed and conclusions drawn

Insights from ASEAN hometown improvement project: Towards improved practice

Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD)
2019

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The ASEAN Hometown Improvement Project, aimed to tackle challenges emerging from urbanization and the rise of the ageing population in the ASEAN region by attempting timely and relevant improvements to disability inclusive ‘hometowns’. 

 

Three approaches were utilized:

1) Promotion of an inclusive business through capacity building of persons with disabilities

2) Promotion of accessibility features in the community and other public places, as well as to information, communication, and transportation

3) Promotion of cooperation with government sector via discussions to find solutions to improve the livelihood of persons with disabilities

 

The sections, arranged per country in alphabetical order, contain the following: Hometown Improvement Project description and backgrounder; Capacity Building Workshop details; Key Partners and Stakeholders; Training Results; Challenges; Framework for Good Practice; and Way Forward and include:

  • Cambodia: Phnom Penh Center for Independent Living's Bakery by Persons with Disabilities
  • Indonesia: Batik Design and Marketing Management at Kampung Peduli
  • Malaysia: Branding and Marketing Management for Bakery and Handicraft by Persons with Disabilities at CBR Semenyih
  • Myanmar: Mushroom Production by Persons with Disabilities with Shwe Minn Tha Foundation
  • Phillipines: Sustainable Inclusive Urban Micro-Gardening and Community-Based Cooperative at Barangay 177
  • Thailand: Earthworm Casting and Cactus Farming at Farm D
  • Vietnam: Fermented Dry Bamboo Waste Fertilizer at Bamboo Dana Co. Ltd

 

 

Realisation of sustainable development goals by, for and with persons with disabilities: UN flagship report on disability and development 2018

UNITED NATIONS DEPARTMENT FOR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS (UNDESA)
December 2018

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This report represents the first UN systemwide effort to examine disability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the global level. The report reviews data, policies and programmes and identifies good practices; and uses the evidence it reviewed to outline recommended actions to promote the realization of the SDGs for persons with disabilities. Over 200 experts from UN agencies and International Financial Institutions, Member States and civil society, including research institutions and organizations of persons with disabilities, contributed to this report. The report covers new areas for which no global research was previously available, for example, the role of access to energy to enable persons with disabilities to use assistive technology. It also contains the first global compilation and analysis of internationally comparable data using the Washington Group on Disability Statistics short set of questions. Reviews of legislation from 193 UN Member States were conducted and analysed for this report to highlight good practices and to assess the current status of discriminatory laws on voting, election for office, right to marry and others

DFID’s strategy for disability inclusive development 2018-23

December 2018

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The UK Department for International Development (DFID)'s vision is a world where all people with disabilities, women, men, girls and boys, in all stages of their lives, are engaged, empowered and able to exercise and enjoy their rights on an equal basis with others, contributing to poverty reduction, peace and stability. A world where no-one is left behind.

Over the next five years DFID will prioritise four strategic pillars for action: (i) inclusive education, (ii) social protection, (iii) economic empowerment, and (iv) humanitarian action. To complement this focus DFID are adopting three cross-cutting areas, vital to disability inclusion, which will be consistently and systematically addressed in all of their work: (v) tackling stigma and discrimination; (vi) empowering girls and women with disabilities; and (vii) access to appropriate assistive technology.

DFID have introduced a new set of standards for all DFID business units to meet. The standards require all country offices and departments to; review their leadership and culture, engage with people with disabilities, influence others, adapt programming and improve data and evidence.

Saving lives and leaving no one behind - The Gaibandha Model for disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction

ROTHE, Manuel
BROWN, David
NEUSCHAFER, Oliver
October 2018

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"The Gaibandha Model" good practices guide outlines a framework for successful disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction programming. It is based on the experience of CBM and its partners in implementing community-based disaster risk reduction programs in some of the most flood-affected communities in Bangladesh. The model puts people with disabilities at the center of disaster risk reduction. They are the agents for change, working with the community to improve local systems of disaster prevention, preparedness and response to become more accessible and inclusive.

Removing barriers - The path towards inclusive access. Disability assessment among Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon. Jordan report

ASAI, Yahoko
et al
July 2018

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Humanity & Inclusion (HI) and iMMAP conducted a study concerning with the lack of disability data in the Syria crisis context,  which aimed to:

  • Provide statistically reliable prevalence of disability as well as disability disaggregated data indicators on access to services.
  • Increase understanding of the situation of Syrian refugees with disabilities and their households, compared to their peers without disabilities, in relation to the access to services including education, and key barriers experienced in accessing these services.
  • Recommend inclusive actions to be prioritized by humanitarian actors.

The study conducted a literature review, quantitative data collection as well as qualitative data collection. Quantitative data was collected from 6,381 persons of randomly sampled 1,159 households in Azraq and Zaatari camps and Irbid between October 2017 and January 2018. Twenty-five Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and 3 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were also conducted between November 2017 and January 2018 to elicit deeper insights on the educational situation of children with and without disabilities

Removing barriers - The path towards inclusive access. Disability assessment among Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon. Lebanon report

ASAI, Yahoko
et al
July 2018

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Humanity & Inclusion (HI) and iMMAP conducted a study concerned with the lack of disability data in the Syria crisis context,  which aimed to:

  • Provide statistically reliable prevalence of disability as well as disability disaggregated data indicators on access to services.
  • Increase understanding of the situation of Syrian refugees with disabilities and their households, compared to their peers without disabilities, in relation to the access to services including education, and key barriers experienced in accessing these services.
  • Recommend inclusive actions to be prioritized by humanitarian actors.

The study conducted a literature review, quantitative data collection as well as qualitative data collection. Quantitative data was collected from 2,495 persons of randomly sampled 506 households in the urban setting in Bar Elias as well as Informal Tented Settlements (ITS) in Bar Elias and Arsal in December 2017. Fourteen Key Informant Interviews (KII) were also conducted in December 2017 to elicit deeper insights on the educational situation of children with and without disabilities.

Disability inclusion and accountability framework

McCLAIN-NHLAPO, Charlotte
et al
June 2018

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The main objective of the Disability Inclusion and Accountability Framework is to support the mainstreaming of disability in World Bank activities. It lays out a road map for (a) including disability in the Bank's policies, operations and analytical work, and (b) building internal capacity for supporting clients in implementing disability-inclusive development programs. The primary target audience of the Framework is Bank staff but it is also relevant to the Bank's client countries, development partners and persons with disabilities. The framework provides four main principles for guiding the World Bank’s engagement with persons with disabilities: nondiscrimination and equality, accessibility, inclusion and participation, and partnership and collaboration. 

 

The appendices to this framework highlight key areas in which the Bank can have a significant impact on the inclusion, empowerment, and full participation of persons with disabilities. These areas include transport, urban development, disaster risk management, education, social protection, jobs and employment, information and communication technology, water sector operations, and health care. 


Report No. 126977
 

Inclusive urban mobility and getting to work safely in developing countries

HUMANITY & INCLUSION (HI)
June 2018

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The lack of safe and accessible roads in many cities in developing countries impacts negatively on employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. Between 20 to 50 million people worldwide suffer non-fatal injuries in road crashes every year; around 1.25 million are killed. Unsafe roads also represent a major factor of social exclusion, especially for ‘vulnerable road users’. These include notably pedestrians, persons with disabilities, cyclists and children. They represent 46% of road casualties. Persons with disabilities are at higher risk of sustaining injuries from road crashes.

 

In this thematic brief, the importance of inclusive urban planning is emphasised. Urban mobility and road safety challenges discussed include: safe crossing points over roads; signage and information; collective transport (particularly buses); accessing buildings such as offices or retail and driving with a disability.

 

Case histories provided are: Accessible transport as part of an inclusive jobs program in Senegal; and Modified vehicles and driving licenses for drivers with disabilities in Vietnam

 

Recommendations for improvements in policies and actions are given under the headings: 

1. Strengthening the policy and financial framework for safe and inclusive mobility action, based on evidence and through participative processes

2. Removing the barriers to safe and accessible mobility, focusing on: the built environment; transport and vehicles; people

Good for business. Promoting partnerships to employ people with disabilities

HUMANITY & INCLUSION
LEONARD CHESHIRE
April 2018

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NGOs like Humanity & Inclusion and Leonard Cheshire partner with the private sector to provide advice on employment practices to successfully transform the workplace and workforce to be disability inclusive. They support businesses in a number of ways including: 

  1. Provide a tailored approach, starting with an assessment
  2. Support inclusive recruitment processes
  3. Provide skills development for candidates
  4. Provide assessment and referral to support services
  5. Advise on constructing an accessible work environment
  6. Provide mentoring support

Case studies include HI's inclusive employment work in Morocco, Leonard Cheshire working in partnership with Accenture in South Asia, East Asia, and South Africa, with Henkel in the Philippines, with AnonTex in Bangladesh and with SUN ITES Consulting Private Ltd, Bangalore.

 

Top tips for global disability-inclusive employment are discussed.

Labour market inclusion of people with disabilities: Paper presented at the 1st Meeting of the G20 Employment Working Group

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION (ILO)
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD)
February 2018

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A common understanding of how to approach the employment of persons with disabilities in a way that respects social justice, human rights and decent work as a key element of more inclusive economies and societies is sought. Having the employment of persons with disabilities on the G20 agenda is also a reflection of the increased attention to the rights of persons with disabilities both at a national as well as at an international level. The contribution focuses on one particular group of people with disabilities, namely those who may have been born with disabilities or may have developed some during their lives, but either way have remaining work capacities and are at working age. 

Employment-to-population ratio statistics for persons with and without disabilities are provided for some of the G20 countries. Economic and social determinants of low employment rates of people with disabilities are discussed.

 

Policies across G20 countries for the labour market inclusion of persons with disabilities are discussed

  • demand side - promoting disability inclusion within the private and public sector
  • supply side - ensuring that persons with disabilities have the skills as demanded by the labour market
  • making the environment more enabling 
  • mental health as a special challenge
  • measurement and quality data to inform evidence-based policies

 

Childhood disability in Malaysia: a study of knowledge, attitudes and practices

MOORE, Katie
BEDFORD, Juliet
November 2017

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This study was carried out to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of society towards children with disabilities, the children themselves, and their peers in Malaysia. The study took place in Selangor, Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak. There were 756 total respondents/participants including government ministries, community members, service providers, care givers and children and adolescents both with and without disabilities. 

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