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This publication provides introductory chapters from two activists who work to create better opportunities for people with disabilities in Nigeria and India. Subsequently, the challenges that organisations worldwide have encountered whilst improving the access to and knowledge of sexual and reproductive health and rights for people with disabilities are presented. Ways in which they managed to find solutions and the results achieved are reviewed. Some cases show the importance of a more personal approach whilst others emphasise the advantage of changing systems and policies. Different regions, types of disabilities and various SRHR-topics are reflected in these stories. All cases provide lessons learnt that contribute to a set of recommendations for improved responses. The closing chapter highlights the challenges, solutions, and ambitions that are presented and lead up to a concise overview of recommendations.  

Good practice examples include:

A shift in SRH programming (Nepal)

Breaking Barriers with performance art (Kenya)

Her Body, Her Rights (Ethiopia)

People with disabilities leading the way (Israel Family Planning Association)

Best Wishes for safe motherhood (Nepal)

It’s my body! (Bangladesh)

Calling a spade a spade (Netherlands)

Four joining forces (Colombia)

Change agents with a disability (Zimbabwe)

Tito’s privacy and rights (Argentina)

Sign language for service providers (Kenya)

Aim:  A cluster randomized cross-sectional survey to assess the prevalence of disability and access to support services was conducted in Albay Province, the Philippines in April 2016.

Method:  The population-based survey methodologies developed by the Washington Group of the United Nations Statistical Commission and UNICEF were utilized.  A sample of 70 barangays (the 3rd level administrative division in the Philippines) was selected as clusters, with probability proportional to size, and 30 households were selected randomly in each barangay to be surveyed.

Results:  The estimated prevalence of disability using the standard criteria of the Washington Group and UNICEF among children (2-17 years old) was 2.0% and for adults (≥18 years old) it was 6.5%.  The estimated prevalence of disability was higher in rural than in urban areas.  Deficiencies in the performance of existing services were identified; access by children with disabilities to support services was lowest in rural highland and rural plain barangays.

Conclusions: There was a large unmet demand for support services addressing the needs of persons with disabilities in Albay Province, especially in rural highland areas.  Persons with disabilities were disadvantaged in access to education and employment; many had not been educated in their basic rights.

Implications:  To identify, educate and fully support persons with disabilities, community-based rehabilitation (CBR), health and other rehabilitation services must communicate effectively with each other, their current work should be mapped and analysed, their comparative strengths identified, and their future work coordinated.  It is a priority to educate persons with disabilities and their families about their rights, and facilitate their access to support services; this requires increased investment in communication targeting persons with disabilities and the communities, especially rural.  Providers caring for persons with disabilities need to work in partnership to identify unreached persons with disabilities.  Prevalence surveys, with stronger focus on the profiles and performance of CBR and related services, would add to the evidence-base to improve the quality and coverage of services for persons with disabilities.

This research was commissioned on the occasion of the 2017 High-level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York to investigate how far the global commitment to disability has translated into implementation, monitoring and reporting processes at national and sub-national level. Four case studies were commissioned, exploring the extent of disability inclusion in alignment with the SDGs in Bangladesh, Kenya, Sierra Leone and Zambia. DPOs played a pivotal role in the research, with more than 40 DPOs consulted through key informant interviews and focus group discussions. In Zambia, the research was implemented by a local DPO – the Zambia Federation of Disability Organisations (ZAFOD). A literature review identified internet-based policy, legal and strategic documents related to disability and the 2030 Agenda, as well as documentation and reports on different SDG nationalisation initiatives.

"Languages are dynamic and change over the years. Changes in sign languages have been usually initiated to accommodate the needs of the local Deaf community. With the increase in smartphone use, sign languages are influenced not only by the local Deaf community, but also by foreign Deaf people on the other side of the screen, regardless of their location. Smartphones influence the sign language itself and the Deaf community by connecting different communities of Deaf people through messages, shared information and experiences, and news delivery. The popularity of this technology among Deaf communities is a social phenomenon emerging from Deaf people themselves. Smartphones may promote the globalization of sign language, shortening distances between Deaf communities around the world"

Disability & Society, Volume 33, 2018 - Issue 2

This guide is the result of collaboration between Light for the World (LFTW), Mission East (ME), and ICCO Cooperation.

Based on decades of experience of working with the most marginalized and excluded communities, the three organizations cooperated to record their experiences in a publication which can be used in a variety of relief and development contexts. ‘Towards Inclusion’ is designed to be an easy to use reference for organizational and program/project development with a focus on gender responsiveness and disability inclusion.

The guide is made up of three parts:
• the first part guides users through the process of organizational self-assessment to determine readiness to change and identify key steps towards becoming a more inclusive organization.
• the second part introduces the ACAP framework, as a means of improving inclusion in programming via Access, Communication, Attitude and Participation. A range of tools for measuring and improving inclusion at all stages of the project cycle are provided.
• the third part provides guidelines for the people or ‘change facilitators’ who will guide organizations through the process of change towards becoming more inclusive.

The publication can be found at “Towards Inclusion Guide” and the accessible version of the publication can be downloaded. Both are free of charge.

Possibilities for organisation trainings and/or webinars on the practical application of the guide are under consideration. Contact ACAP@gmail.com.

In partnership with Deaf Child Worldwide, Childreach Tanzania delivered the Deaf Education and Development Programme (DEDP) from June 2014 to June 2017 in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania. The DEDP improved the quality of life of deaf young people by:

› increasing enrolment and retention of young people in training centres

› improving sign language proficiency and communication between deaf young people and key stakeholders in their lives

› connecting deaf youth to internships and other business opportunities to support them to earn a living.

However, the DEDP highlighted many examples of deaf young people developing vocational skills, but still failing to transition from secondary school or vocational training centres into work. Phase two of this project will focus on youth employment, livelihoods and transition from school to independent living.

This report summarises consultation activities held with deaf young people during August 2017. The consultation explored their knowledge of the challenges they face when leaving school and their experiences of accessing information and support to help them transition to an independent life. The findings of this consultation have been hugely influential in the proposed project design for phase two. The consultation was a three-day workshop held at a community-based hub hosting a different group of young people each day. Group 1 – Young people who have left school. Group 2 – Moshi Technical School students (secondary school). Group 3 – Ghona Vocational Training Centre students

Background: As the South African government re-engineers primary healthcare (PHC), the need for additional information on stakeholders involved in the process has emerged. Of these are community health workers (CHWs), who have been identified as central to PHC success.

Objectives: To profile the current CHWs within KwaDabeka and Clermont in KwaZulu-Natal, to describe their roles and to explore the barriers and enablers influencing their service delivery.

Method: A convergent mixed methods design was employed with a sample of CHWs with the use of a survey (n = 53) and two focus groups (n = 10) and semi-structured interviews with four ward councillors (n = 4). Data were analysed statistically and thematically.

Results: The profile of CHWs reflected only women with a mixed age range and a majority of 59% who had not completed formal schooling. General work experience as a CHW varied. There were diverse opinions expressed towards the CHW role which related to their job title and identity, supervision, remuneration, growth pathways and psychological and emotional issues. Whilst the National Community Health Worker Profile Framework was established for the CHW programme, there are several factors lacking in the current CHW programme such as a formal growth pathway or formal training to align the CHWs with the National Qualifications Framework.

Conclusion: The study findings are essential for the monitoring and evaluation as well as development and refinement of policies that will assist in ensuring adequate rollout of PHC with CHWs.

Purpose: In low- and middle-income countries, reliable and disaggregated disability data on prevalence, participation and barriers is often not available. This study aimed to estimate disability prevalence, determine associated socio-demographic factors and compare access in the community between people with and without disability in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand, India, using the Rapid Assessment of Disability Survey.

Methods: A cross-sectional population-based survey was conducted on a sample of 2431 adults, selected using a two-stage cluster randomised sampling technique. The survey comprised an interviewer-administered household survey and an individual survey measuring disability, wellbeing and participation.  For each person with disability, an age and sex-matched control (without disability) was selected. In addition to prevalence, the difference in participation and barriers faced by people with and without disability were analysed.

Results and Conclusions: The prevalence of disability was 6.8% (95% CI 5.8-7.8) with significant associations with age, sex, economic status, education and employment. Psychosocial distress (4.8%) and mobility impairment (2.7%) were the most common disabilities identified. The study showed that people with disabilities had significantly less access to services than those without disability, and the barriers reported most often were lack of information, transport and physical inaccessibility.

Purpose: The factor integral to the empowerment of children with intellectual disability is the presence and active involvement of support mechanisms such as their family and their caregivers. This study assesses both positive and negative impacts on parents/caregivers of children with intellectual disability in Oddanchatram block of Dindigul District in Tamil Nadu, India.

Method: Mixed method techniques (quantitative and qualitative) were used.

Results: Although many disturbing realities in the family situation were revealed, there were also positive impacts which were a hopeful sign.

Conclusion: Empowering the caregivers of children with intellectual disability is the first step towards inclusion of these special children in society. Various strategies to achieve this goal are discussed in the study.