Resources search

Toolkit on disability for Africa

UNITED NATIONS DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS (UNDESA)
November 2016

Expand view

A Toolkit on Disability for Africa has been developed by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD). It is designed for the African context and aims to:

  • Provide practical tools on various disability-related issues to government officials, members of parliament, civil and public servants at all levels, disabled persons organizations (DPOs) and all those with an interest in the inclusion of persons with disabilities in society and development;
  • Support the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and disability-inclusive development;
  • Offer examples of good practices from many countries in the African region.

 

Toolkit Modules:

  • UN DESA toolkit on CRPD – Trainers’ tips
  • Introducing the UNCRPD
  • Frameworks for implementing and monitoring the UNCRPD
  • Disability-inclusive development
  • Accessibility
  • Building multi-stakeholders partnerships for disability inclusion
  • National plans on disability
  • Legislating for disability rights
  • Access to justice for persons with disabilities
  • The rights of persons with disabilities to work
  • Inclusive health services for persons with disabilities
  • Participation in political and public life
  • Information and communication technology (ICT) and disability
  • Culture, beliefs, and disability
  • Inclusive education

Financial Access to Healthcare among Persons with Disabilities in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana

Badu, Eric
Opoku, Maxwell Peprah
Appiah, Seth Christopher Yaw
Agyei-Okyere, Elvis
2015

Expand view

Purpose: According to the World Health Organisation, 10% to 15% of the population of every developing country lives with disability. This amounts to about 2.4 - 3.6 million Ghanaians with disability. Since their contribution is important for the development of the country, this study aimed to assess the financial access to healthcare among persons with disabilities in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana.

 

Methods: A cross-sectional study, involving administration of a semi- structured questionnaire, was conducted among persons with all kinds of disabilities (physically challenged, hearing and visually impaired) in the Kumasi Metropolis. Multi-stage sampling was used to randomly select 255 persons with disabilities from 5 clusters of communities - Oforikrom, Subin, Asewase, Tafo and Asokwa. Data analysis involved descriptive and analytical statistics at 95% CI using SPSS software version 20.

 

Results: There were more male than female participants, nearly one-third of them had no formal education and 28.6% were unemployed. The average monthly expenditure on healthcare was GHC 21.46 (USD 6.0) which constituted 9.8% of the respondents’ income. Factors such as age, gender, disability type, education, employment, and whether or not they stayed with family members had significant bearing on the average monthly expenses on healthcare (p<0.05).Transportation cost, the travel distance to facilities, and the regular sources of payment for healthcare, had significant relationship with access to healthcare (p<0.05). Although about 63.5% of the respondents used the National Health Insurance Scheme as the regular source of payment for healthcare, 94.1% reported that sources of payment did not cover all their expenses and equipment.

 

Conclusion: Financial access to healthcare remains a major challenge for persons with disabilities. Measures to finance all healthcare expenses of persons with disabilities are urgently needed to improve their access to healthcare.

A human right to health : what about persons with disabilities?

HANDICAP INTERNATIONAL
2015

Expand view

This advocacy briefing paper presents key information about including people with disabilities in health systems. It highlights key health facts, related legal frameworks and explores issues such as lack of access to equitable healthcare and the benefits of equitable healthcare. It provides recommendations for stakeholders and suggests ways to measure progress

Advocacy briefing paper

Assistance to victims of landmines and explosive remnants of war : guidance on child-focused victim assistance

KASACK, Sebastien
November 2014

Expand view

This resource presents guidance on child-focused victim assistance. The first section contains the acknowledgements, foreword, acronyms and chapters one through four outlining victim assistance introductory information, stakeholders, international standards, principles, coordination and cross-cutting issues.  Another six stand-alone documents are available for the six technical components comprise data collection and analysis, emergency and continuing medical care, rehabilitation, psychological and psychosocial support, social and economic inclusion, and laws and policies. The final chapter contains resources and references that users may find helpful

"We are also dying of AIDS” : barriers to HIV services and treatment for persons with disabilities in Zambia

CHOPRA, Rashmi
July 2014

Expand view

This report documents the obstacles faced by people with disabilities in both the community and healthcare settings. These include pervasive stigma and discrimination, lack of access to inclusive HIV prevention education, obstacles to accessing voluntary testing and HIV treatment, and lack of appropriate support for adherence to antiretroviral treatment. The report also describes the sexual and intimate partner violence women and girls with disabilities face, and the need for the government and international donors to do more to ensure inclusive and accessible HIV services

 

Note : Accessible and easy read versions are available from the link above

International perspectives on spinal cord injury

BICKENBACH, Jerome
et al
Eds
2013

Expand view

This report assembles and summarizes information on spinal cord injury, in particular the epidemiology, services, interventions and policies that are relevant, together with the lived experience of people with spinal cord injury. It also provides recommendations for actions based on this evidence that are consistent with the aspirations for people with disabilities as expressed in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Of course we can : report on the rights of persons with disabilities in Timor-Leste

UNITED NATIONS INTEGRATED MISSION IN TIMOR-LESTE (UNMIT)
OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (OHCHR)
September 2011

Expand view

From 2010 to 2011, UNMIT’s Human Rights and Transitional Justice Section (HRTJS) conducted research on the rights of persons with disabilities. This report presents an overview of the research and highlights that, even though progress has been made in Timor-Leste to protect the rights of persons with disabilities, further steps are still needed. The report gives priority recommendations for the government, donors and the United Nations for these steps to be implemented

Including disabled children in psychosocial programmes in areas affected by armed conflict

VON DER ASSEN, Nina
EUWEMA, Mathijs
CORNIELJE, Huib
2010

Expand view

"Children with disabilities are more vulnerable to violence, as well as more likely to experience psychosocial problems in situations of armed conflict than children with no disabilities. All children who live in conflict affected areas have the same rights to psychosocial support, as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and in the case of disabled children, additionally the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. However, children with disabilities are often overlooked in psychosocial programmes. In this article, the authors examine the reasons behind this observed exclusion and suggest ways to increase the participation of children with disabilities"
Intervention, Vol 8, No 1

E-bulletin