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COVID-19 RESPONSE A unique expertise to fight the virus

HUMANITY & INCLUSION (HI)
March 2020

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Humanity & Inclusion’s teams are assessing its scope for action and plans to use its expertise in emergency situations, working with and for people with disabilities and older people, and its experience of past epidemic situations to protect the most vulnerable. HI has experience in major epidemics of ebola and cholera.

 

HI published a repository of resources on disability inclusion and COVID-19 as a member of the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) and the CORE Group Disability Inclusive Health Technical Advisory Group

Mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak

WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO)
March 2020

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The considerations presented in this document have been developed by the WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Use as a series of messages that can be used in communications to support mental and psychosocial well-being in different target groups during the outbreak. Target groups are: general popluation; healthcare workers; team leaders or managers of health facilities; carers of children;  older adults; people with underlying health conditions and their carers; people in isolation 

Coronavirus (COVID-19) translated resources

WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES AUSTRALIA (WDDA)
March 2020

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WWDA has produced an Easy English ‘What is Coronavirus‘ document for women or girls with a disabiliity to explain some key facts about COVID-19 in a simple way.

The document is available in 11 different languages (each as a PDF or Accessible Word DOC)

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.

Persons with disabilities in humanitarian response: New guidelines for more inclusive humanitarian action

March 2020

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The IASC recently endorsed guidelines for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian action. How can these guidelines help make humanitarian action more inclusive? On 26 February 2020, ICVA and PHAP organized a webinar together with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) secretariat and the Reference Group on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action, which introduced the guidelines and discuss how they can be implemented in practice

Humanitarian Resilience Journal — Preparedness for disability inclusive disaster risk reduction (Issue 4)

NAEEM, Sajid
ZULFIQAR, Sana
HAMAYUN, Muhammad
Eds
2020

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The fourth issue of this journal focuses on “Preparedness for Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction” and encourages writers to share initiatives undertaken by the humanitarian community in the Pakistan or suggest future interventions.
 

Articles included are:

  • Towards disability inclusive DRR programming in Pakistan
  • Age and disability inclusive DRR
  • Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to “Build Back Better” 
  • Preparedness for disability inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction policies focusing women with disabilities in crisis situation
  • Disability inclusion without proper knowledge can cause further disability- A personal experience 

 

Protection and COVID-19

GLOBAL PROTECTION CLUSTER
2020

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The Global Protection Cluster (GPC) and its field operations are working closely with partners and governments to ensure the inclusion of those in need of protection as a result of conflict, disasters and climate change in national and local COVID-19 preparedness, prevention and response activities. This page shares protection-related information and resources on COVID-19, including examples of operational tools produced by field clusters.

Disability-inclusive disaster recovery (Disaster Recovery Guidance Series)

ROBINSON, Alex
2020

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This guidance note provides action-oriented direction for government officials and decision-makers with responsibility for post-disaster recovery and reconstruction. The guidance will enable the development of disability-inclusive planning and programming across sectors and government. The note is expected to be of interest to wider government and non-government actors, including disabled persons’ organizations (DPOs), concerned with inclusive recovery.

Stronger together in crises: Education Cannot Wait (ECW) 2019 Annual results report

EDUCATION CANNOT WAIT
2020

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Education Cannot Wait reaffirmed itself as the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crisis in 2019, building a global movement with strategic partners to provide children and youth caught in armed conflicts, forced displacement, climate change-induced disasters and protracted crises with the safety, hope and opportunity of an education.

Working with our broad range of partners, ECW had active grants in 29 crisis-affected countries in 2019. This report captures the results delivered through these investments to support inclusive and equitable quality education for the millions of girls and boys caught in humanitarian crises.

In 2019, ECW reached 10,473 children with disabilities, bringing the number of children with disabilities reached since the Fund’s inception to about 23,600. A short case study is provided about inclusive education for children with disabilities in Uganda

Disability inclusion in the rapid disaster assessment during Dili floods–March 2020

DA SILVA NEVES, Paulo
2020

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On the 13th of March 2020 flash flooding hit Dili with little notice, causing the biggest floods in people’s memory, affecting 15 sucos (neighbourhoods) in Dili. Ra’es Hadomi Timor-Oan (RHTO), Timor-Leste’s leading national Disabled Persons Organisation for the first time took part in the government led rapid disaster assessment with the support of Oxfam in Timor-Leste under the Disaster Ready program supported by the Australian Humanitarian Partnership and Australian Government. From this assessment RHTO developed a summary report and press release on disability inclusion in the assessment with recommendations for government and disaster stakeholders to support improving disability inclusion in future assessments and response. Two RHTO staff undertook the assessment in two sucos Bairu-Pite and Vila Verde together with other disaster actors. Government assessment forms were used for data collection. In recognition that these forms did not sufficiently capture the needs of persons with disabilities RHTO also utilised the Washington Group Questions and asked further more specific questions when interviewing persons with disabilities.

Impact of Covid-19 on the lives of people with disabilities. Insight and stories from Bangladesh and Kenya

i2i INNOVATION TO INCLUSION
January 2020

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In April and May 2020 the Innovation to Inclusion (i2i) programme, supported disabled persons organisations (DPOs) to complete a qualitative survey of 312 people with disabilities (including 147 women) in Bangladesh and Kenya to understand the impact of COVID-19 and measures to prevent its spread. The survey - a descriptive survey with a representative sample of people with physical, intellectual and multiple disabilities, visual and hearing impairments and mental health issues in the Nairobi, Mombasa and Kasumu areas of Kenya and in the Dhaka, Sylet and Chattogram districts of Bangladesh - has been part of wider efforts by DPOs in the two countries to test and embed data driven advocacy processes towards realising CRPD.   

 

Topics covered included: employment and job insecurity; access to general pulic information; PPE; access to support; assistive tecnology and discrimination

Summary report on considering disability and ageing in COVID-19 hygiene promotion programmes

WILBUR, Jane
2020

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Direct consequences and the secondary impacts of COVID-19 on people with disabilities, older adults and older adults with disabilities are outlined. General issues concerning disability, ageing and WASH access are also outlined. Specific barriers which people with disabilities, older adults and older adults with disabilities face in relation to handwashing with soap are highlighted. The World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and HelpAge International have all developed guidance on how to involve people with disabilities and older adults in COVID-19 response programs. This blog summarises these ideas and explains how they can be applied within hygiene programmes specifically. 

Inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian action. Case studies collection 2019. 39 examples of field practices, and learnings from 20 countries, for all phases of humanitarian response

PALMER, Tom
et al
December 2019

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Published at the same time as the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action, this report aims to support their uptake and promote learning by example. This report presents 39 short case studies on inclusive practices for persons with disabilities in humanitarian action and disaster risk reduction (DRR). It is designed for humanitarian stakeholders with limited experience of working with and for persons with disabilities, as well as for organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) planning to engage in humanitarian action and DRR. The report draws lessons from field practices, but does not provide technical guidance. The IASC Guidelines are the reference document to seek in-depth theoretical and technical information

 

The case studies focus on:

  • Inclusive disaster risk reduction and preparedness
  • Collecting and using disability disaggregated data for assessments and programming.
  • Participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in humanitarian response and recovery
  • Removing barriers to access humanitarian assistance and protection.
  • Influencing coordination mechanisms and resource mobilization to be inclusive

 

The evidence presented in this report was identified in 2017-2018 through a desk review of publicly available reports and internal documents on projects implemented by CBM, HI and IDA members, as well as their partners and affiliate members. Field visits to Lebanon, Jordan, Kenya, Nepal, and the Philippines conducted in 2018 also informed the case-study collection and documentation

IASC Guidelines, Inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian action

INTER-AGENCY STANDING COMMITTEE (IASC)
November 2019

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The guidelines set out essential actions that humanitarian actors must take in order to effectively identify and respond to the needs and rights of persons with disabilities who are most at risk of being left behind in humanitarian settings.

The recommended actions in each chapter place persons with disabilities at the centre of humanitarian action, both as actors and as members of affected populations. They are specific to persons with disabilities and to the context of humanitarian action and build on existing and more general standards and guidelines.

These are the first humanitarian guidelines to be developed with and by persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in association with traditional humanitarian stakeholders. Based on the outcomes of a comprehensive global and regional multi-stakeholder consultation process, they are designed to promote the implementation of quality humanitarian programmes in all contexts and across all regions, and to establish and increase both the inclusion of persons with disabilities and their meaningful participation in all decisions that concern them.

Disability inclusion in shelter and settlements programming

PEARCE, Emma
et al
October 2019

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The Global Shelter Cluster (GSC) Working Group on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Shelter Programming was set up to build on existing guidelines and work addressing vulnerability factors to integrate a wider and more systematic disability inclusive approach to shelter and settlements programming, as well as support more general inclusion mainstreaming as prioritized by the GSC Strategy 2018 – 2022. To begin this process, the Working Group undertook a Baseline Mapping of how disability mainstreaming and inclusion is currently addressed within the sector. The Baseline Mapping included review of published literature and project documents, key informant interviews and an online questionnaire.

Disability Inclusion Helpdesk Report. What works to prioritise mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in emergencies and fragile and conflict affected states (FCAS)? A rapid evidence review

AHLENBÄCK, Veronica
HAEGEMAN, Emma
MILLS, China
September 2019

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Summaries on the findings from the following queries:

What works to prioritise mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in preparedness, response and recovery in emergencies and fragile and conflict affected states (FCAS)?

What are examples of effective interventions in this area? 

Guidelines. Inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian action

IASC TASK TEAM ON INCLUSION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN HUMANITARIAN ACTION
July 2019

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The guidelines set out essential actions that humanitarian actors must take in order to effectively identify and respond to the needs and rights of persons with disabilities who are most at risk of being left behind in humanitarian settings. The recommended actions in each chapter place persons with disabilities at the centre of humanitarian action, both as actors and as members of affected populations. They are specific to persons with disabilities and to the context of humanitarian action and build on existing and more general standards and guidelines. These are the first humanitarian guidelines to be developed with and by persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in association with traditional humanitarian stakeholders. Based on the outcomes of a comprehensive global and regional multi-stakeholder consultation process, they are designed to promote the implementation of quality humanitarian programmes in all contexts and across all regions, and to establish and increase both the inclusion of persons with disabilities and their meaningful participation in all decisions that concern them. 

 

Chapters include:

  • What to do - key approaches to programming
  • Data and information management
  • Partnerships and empowerment of organisation of people with disabilities
  • Cross cutting considerations
  • Accountability to affected people and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse
  • Humanitarian response options
  • Stakeholder roles and responsibilities
  • What sectors need to do
  • Camp coordination and camp management
  • Education
  • Food security and nutrition
  • Livelihoods
  • Health
  • Protection
  • Shelter and settlements
  • Water, sanitation and hygiene

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