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Combatting the costs of exclusion for children with disabilities and their families

MONT, Daniel
UNICEF
March 2021

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Compared with other children, children with disabilities are less likely to receive an education, less likely to be employed as adults, more likely to be victims of violence, less likely to start their own families and participate in community events, and more likely to live in poverty. 

The exclusion of children with disabilities affects not only them, but imposes costs on the whole community. If these children lack the opportunity to be productive, society loses out on what they could have produced.  The barriers faced by people with disabilities can also create more responsibilities for their family members, which can limit their opportunities to work or get an education.

Moreover, the impact of exclusion extends beyond the economic cost. If people with disabilities are absent from public discourse, the community cannot benefit from their ideas. If they are excluded from political participation, the government cannot truly represent the interests of all citizens. 

A growing body of research suggests that the costs of exclusion are high. Fortunately, evidence also demonstrates that there are effective ways to ameliorate these costs. A strong case can be made for the social and economic benefits of inclusion. This paper is an effort to begin making that case.

 

The case for investing in assistive technology

ATscale
November 2020

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In this new report, ATscale describes the enormous gains that access to assistive technology (AT) can have in health, for the community and the economy. The figures are dramatic: investment in the provision of four assistive products - hearing aids, prostheses, eyeglasses, and wheelchairs - will result in a return on investment of 9:1.

Having access to AT can make the difference between failure or success in school, between a job or unemployment, between a life of opportunity or a life of dependency. An example: for a child in a low- or middle-income country, access to AT can make a difference of $100,000 in lifetime income.

Altogether, providing AT to all who need it would yield more than USD 10 trillion in economic benefits over the next 55 years.

Investing in AT both has a transformative impact on people’s wellbeing and makes sound economic sense for funders and governments. 

Participation in Practice: Examples of inclusive action for a “Participation Revolution”

March 2020

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Humanitarian organizations and donors have committed to change the way humanitarian action is carried out and create a “Participation Revolution.” In this webinar issues addressed included:

  • inclusion of the people and communities affected by humanitarian crises in practice;
  • how organizations are ensuring that the voices of the most vulnerable groups considering gender, age, ethnicity, language, and special needs are heard and acted upon;
  • how program activities and budgets are designed to support the changes that affected people demand


In this webinar, organized on 26 March 2020 by PHAP and the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response, we took stock of the progress to date on workstream six of the Grand Bargain and heard success stories from the field that can help agencies achieve a sustained change in how they design and deliver their programs.

 

A full transcript is available. Webinar registrants were asked to provide what they thought, in their context, was the most important factor enabling participation in practice and what they thought was the most important factor preventing participation in practice. Answers are provided in an Annex.

Bridging the mobile disability gap in refugee settings

DOWNER, Matthew
September 2019

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This case study highlights refugees with disabilities’ access to mobile services and the benefits and challenges associated with using these services in three different humanitarian contexts. The analysis is based on a representative survey of refugees in three contexts: Bidi Bidi refugee settlement (Uganda), Kiziba refugee camp (Rwanda) and with urban refugees in Jordan. It also includes qualitative data drawn from two focus groups conducted with refugees with disabilities in Bidi Bidi and Kiziba. The survey used the Washington Group Questions (WGQs) to assess prevalence of disability amongst the refugee population

Every learner matters: Unpacking the learning crisis for children with disabilities

McCLAIN-NHLAPO, Charlotte
et al
June 2019

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This paper was developed by the World Bank in partnership with Leonard Cheshire and Inclusion International. It is an attempt to add knowledge to the current understanding of the importance of learning achievements, with a focus on children with disabilities. While the premise is that inclusive education refers to the inclusion of all children, the focus of this paper is on children with disabilities.

The aim of the paper is to:

  • Provide an evidence-based review of educational participation of children with disabilities.
  • Establish a case for focusing on learning achievements for students with disabilities.
  • Take stock of current mechanisms of measurement of learning outcomes and review their inclusivity.
  • Explore evidence of practice and systems which promote disability-inclusive learning for all. 

Four case studies are provided - from Pakistan, South Africa, Canada and UK.

Adolescents with disabilities: Enhancing resilience and delivering inclusive development

JONES, Nicola
PRESLER-MARSHALL, Elizabeth
STAVROPOLULOU, Maria
July 2018

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This report takes stock of evidence from LMICs, drawing on findings from a thematic evidence review combined with emerging findings from the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) survey and qualitative research baseline studies in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Jordan and Palestine. These interviews involved more than 6,000 adolescents and their caregivers – including approximately 600 girls and boys with physical, visual, hearing or intellectual impairments, alongside service providers and policy actors. The report draws attention to the multiple and intersecting capabilities that need to be supported in order for adolescents with disabilities in LMICs to reach their full potential. It goes beyond a focus on their access to education and health services, and also considers their rights to psychosocial wellbeing, protection from violence, mobility and opportunities to participate within their communities, as well the skills, assets and support they need to become economically independent once they transition into adulthood. 

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
 

Disability in North Africa

ROHWERDER, Brigitte
April 2018

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This desk-based research reports explores the experiences of people with disabilities of inclusion and marginalisation in North Africa, and whether this has had an impact on regional/national economies and wider prosperity. 

Guatemala National Disability Study ENDIS 2016 Report

DONICIO Carlos
GRECH Shaun
Islay MACTAGGART
Jonathan NABER
Dr Ana Rafaela SALAZAR DE BARRIOS
Gonna ROTA,
Sarah POLLACK
April 2017

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The Guatemala National Disability Study (ENDIS 2016) was undertaken to address a need for up to date reliable data on disability in Guatemala.

Through a population based survey:

* To estimate the national disability prevalence among adults and children in Guatemala, and to provide regional estimates for 5 broad regions

* To disaggregate the prevalence of disability in Guatemala by age, sex, type of functional limitation and socio-economic status

* To explore the impact of disability on: poverty, quality of life, participation, health and opportunities to go to school and to work amongst children and adults respectively

Through a qualitative study:

* To explore cultural, ideological, and social interpretations and responses to disability; provide insight into the disability and poverty relationship; and examine social, political, and economic dimensions operating within this relationship.

Equality at the core : a call for a strong commitment to tackling inequalities through the post-2015 agenda

BEYOND 2015
November 2014

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At the Copenhagen Conference, with 170 representatives across 46 countries, the campaign discussed the vital importance of achieving equality across all levels and themes of the post-2015 framework, and through implementation and accountability mechanisms addressing all three dimensions of sustainable development (social, economic and environmental). This Beyond 2015 Copenhagen Statement contains recommendations to contribute to the forthcoming intergovernmental negotiations, and other decision-making processes relevant to the post-2015 agenda, including discussions around the UN Secretary General’s Synthesis Report

Beyond 2015 Copenhagen Conference

November 2014

Copenhagen, Denmark

Accessibility and development : mainstreaming disability in the post-2015 development agenda

UN DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS (DESA)
December 2013

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The publication reviews the concept of accessibility and its role in achieving inclusive and sustainable development. It propositions that accessibility be, not only a means and a goal of inclusive development, but also an enabler of an improved, participative economic and social environment for all members of society, including persons with disabilities.

Three key issues are addressed in the publication: (1) Accessibility in the context of human rights and development; (2) accessibility in policy and practice; and (3) accessibility and a disability-inclusive post-2015 development agenda.

The publication reviews good practices and lessons learned from both top-down and bottom-up approaches in promoting accessibility in practices and provides a response to the question: “How does accessibility relate to inclusive, sustainable and equitable development?” The publication argues that accessibility must be re-conceptualized as an enabler: a precondition for any progress toward development for all members of society.  It concludes that the full and effective participation of persons with disabilities in decision-making processes would contribute directly to the successful adoption of an inclusive post-2015 development agenda

ST/ESA/350

A cooperative future for people with disabilities

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE (ILO)
December 2012

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“In recent decades, cooperatives have improved the lives of many women and men with disabilities. This issue brief highlights how and why the cooperative form of enterprise can cater to the economic and social needs of persons with disabilities. Cooperatives enable them to participate more actively in society, increase their independence and make decisions about their lives and futures by providing employment opportunities and access to essential services”

The economic benefits of increasing the employment for people with disability

DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS
August 2011

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This report estimates the increase in economic output that could be achieved by increasing employment outcomes for people with disabilities…The economic modelling presented in this report suggests that closing the gap between labour market participation rates and unemployment rates for people with and without disabilities by one-third would result in a cumulative $43 billion increase in Australia’s GDP over the next decade in real dollar terms. The modelling also suggests that GDP will be around 0.85% higher over the longer term, which is equivalent to an increase in GDP in 2011 of $12 billion.

The policy and program mechanisms for achieving these outcomes are not explicitly addressed in this report, nor does it address the costs associated with achieving an increase in employment participation. Rather, the aim of this report is to present the potential benefits associated with increasing employment participation for people with disabilities and provide a reference point for future policy discussion

The politics of poverty : elites, citizens and states|Findings from ten years of DFID-funded research on governance and fragile states 2001- 2010 : a synthesis report

DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (DFID)
2010

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This report focuses on how to produce better-governed societies, through political and economic reform and better public-service delivery. The paper provides a brief overview of how DFID’s research programmes have informed views of governance, fragility and conflict in the developing world, over the last ten years

Mobilising children & youth into their own child- & youth-led organisations

MADOERIN, Kurt
May 2008

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This publication explores child- and youth-led organisations from many different angles, amongst others, HIV and AIDS prevention, the critical role of adults within these organisations, and economic strengthening. What is also perhaps distinctive about the approach outlined in this booklet is the fact that organisation of children into their own child- and youth-led organisations is considered primarily from a psychosocial wellbeing perspective

Older people in emergencies : considerations for action and policy development

HUTTON, David
2008

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This analysis highlights factors that particularly affect older people in emergencies, especially health-related concerns. It also proposes a strategy to raise awareness about older people in emergencies, and recommends policies and practices to address these considerations. It sets out objectives for the three phases of an emergency response: the preparedness phase; the emergency response and operations phase; and the recovery and transition phase

Getting started! : running a junior farmer field and life school|Empowering orphans and vulnerable children living in a world with HIV and AIDS

WIEGERS, Esther
HILL, Catherine
COLBERT, Patricia
2007

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This manual was developed from the experiences of a number of communities and organisations in southern and eastern Africa in creating Junior Farmer Field and Life Schools as a response to the growing number of orphans and vulnerable children. For many reasons these children more likely than other orphans to be at risk from malnutrition, disease, abuse, stigmatisation and sexual exploitation. The risk of sexual exploitation is particularly significant for those left alone to cope with poverty and who are forced to adopt adult roles and ensure food for the rest of the family. As parents and family members become ill, children take on greater domestic, agricultural and income generating responsibilities. HIV and AIDS has a particular impact on girls who are left to care for ailing parents, or who have to become the heads of households upon the death of caregivers. Also, as many parents are dying at a young age orphaned children are growing up without the necessary knowledge and skills for their future livelihood

Making PRSP inclusive

MILLER, Ursula
ZIEGLER, Stefanie
January 2006

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This handbook presents experiences and proposes ideas and comments on how DPOs and people with disabilities can enter and participate in national Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) processes. It provides an overview of the PRSP process and outlines approaches to PRSP and disability, explaining how to include disability issues in national PRSPs. It explains the three main phases of a PRSP (formulation, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation), and suggests how civil society can participate in the process. Addresses issues related to stakeholders, provides information on process and project management and presents ways of influencing policies through lobbying and advocacy. It also includes case studies from four countries. This manual is aimed mainly at people with disabilities, and parents' associations (PAs) which intend to participate in their respective national PRSP process

Making PRSP inclusive [summary + CD-ROM]

MILLER, Ursula
ZIEGLER, Stefanie
January 2006

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This "summary" handbook with CD-ROM presents experiences and proposes ideas on how DPOs and people with disabilities can enter and participate in national Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) processes. It provides an overview of the PRSP process and outlines approaches to PRSP and disability, explaining how to include disability issues in national PRSPs. It explains the three main phases of a PRSP (formulation, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation), and suggests how civil society can participate in the process. The CD-ROM contains all this information, as well as extensive information on four case studies including lessons learned, and appendices on stakeholders, process and project management, and influencing policies through lobbying and advocacy

Understanding vulnerability of Afghans with disability : livelihoods, employment, income

BAKHSHI, Parul
TRANI, Jean-Francois
2006

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This report , written in a clear, accessible style, aims to identify the main priorities to be followed to improve livelihoods for disabled people and other vulnerable groups in Afghanistan. It pays particular attention to approaches that promote empowerment, mainstreaming and equalisation of opportunities. One aim of this work is to highlight the disability movement in Afghanistan and advocate for government labour laws that encourage the employment of disabled people. This work would be useful for anyone with an interest in livelihoods, disability and development

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