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Strengthening government systems to empower children via early access to AT

SEGHERS, Fre (Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI))
September 2023

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A short talk in the Disability Innovation Summit: Inclusive Interactions conference held by GDI hub on 13 Sep 2023

Work required to shape markets for assistive technology for young children is explored including assessing numbers and types of disability, regulations, and community leaders involvement

Innovative data use: can we learn more from what is already available?

DANEMAYER, Jamie
September 2023

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A short talk given at the Disability Innovation Summit: Inclusive Interactions conference organised by GDI hub on 13 Sep 2023.

The use of published datasets on the prevalence of disability is reviewed. The numbers of datasets and their harmonisation is described and the advantages, limitations and opportunities for use are outlined. 

Disability justice and stigma – Pathways to change

PUNEET, Singhal
September 2023

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Presented at the Disability Innovation Summit: Inclusive Interactions conference organised by the GDI hub on 13 Sept 2023.

 

A short talk highlighting disability intersectionality, from personal experience of multiple unseen disabilities, poverty, marginalisation and abuse.

The work of the Global Network of Young Persons with Disabilities is highlighted.

Catalyzing action for millions more people to access assistive technology in LMICs

BIJLEVELD, Pascal
September 2023

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Presented at the Disability Innovation Summit: Inclusive Interactions conference organised by the GDI hub on 13 Sept 2023

 

ATscale has a goal of reaching 500 million more people, mostly in low and middle income countries, with AT by 2030.

This short talk focusses on major fundamential issues found in the first 2 years of operations:

  • Awareness - lack of awareness of AT even amongst health professionals
  • Fragmentation - AT is not a sector and is fragmented in types of AT (vision, hearing, mobility etc), in ministries involved (social welfare, health, education etc), in civil society and in the private sector
  • Expertise - implementation is a challenge. AT needs to be built as a discipline

Resisting cooptation of disability justice revolutionary dreams

BROWN, Lydia, X. Z.
September 2023

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Presented at the Disability Innovation Summit: Inclusive Interactions conference organised by the GDI hub on 13 Sept 2023

 

A short talk concerning the disability justice framework. The framework was co-created by a coalition of disabled people, mainly of colour and from the LGBT community in 2005-2006.

Topics discussed include: disability rights, institutions, ableism and the wider meaning of disability justice.  

Accessibility and inclusion for deafblind people living in the Global South

KAMENOPOULOU, Leda
September 2023

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Presented at the Disability Innovation Summit: Inclusive Interactions conference organised by the GDI hub on 13 Sept 2023.
 

A short presentation concerning the challenges surrounding inclusion of and accessibility for deafblind children and adults, particularly in the Global South.

Deafblindness is a spectrum and so a spectrum of approaches and of assistive aids is required. The most common cause of deaf blindness is aging. Most research has been carried out in the Global North. Very little has been carried out in the Global South or into the intersectionality with poverty, race and gender. 

The global birth prevalence of clubfoot: a systematic review and meta-analysis

SMYTHE, Tracey
ROTENBURG, Sarah
LAVY, Chris
August 2023

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Estimates of the birth prevalence of clubfoot in low and middle income settings range from 0.5 to 2 per 1000 births. However, there is currently no estimate of global birth prevalence of clubfoot.

A systematic review of studies was carried out reporting the birth prevalence of clubfoot across all countries and regions worldwide in the last 10 years. Africa Wide Information, EMBASE, CINAHL, Global Health, LILACS and Medline databases were searched for relevant studies from January 1st 2012 to February 9th 2023. Pooled prevalence estimates were calculated using the inverse variance method, and a random effects model was applied to account for heterogeneity between studies.

 

eClinicalMedicine,  Vol 63 September, 2023

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102178

Repair strategies for assistive technology in low resource settings

OLDFREY, Ben
HOLLOWAY, Cathy
WALKER, Julian
McCORMACK, STEVEN
DEERE, Bernadette
KENNEY, Laurence
SSEKITOLEKO, Robert
ACKERS, Helen
MIODOWNIK, Mark
July 2023

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Purpose: To  investigate the  practices of  repair that  exist for  users of  mobility assistive products in  low resource settings, as  well  as  the  psychosocial impact that  the  repair, or  non-repair, of  these devices has on users’ lives.

Materials and Methods: This article collates data on repair practices and the responses from participants on  the  topic of  repair from studies conducted by  the  authors across four  different low  resource settings in  Kenya, Uganda, Sierra Leone, and  Indonesia. This  data was  then analyzed to  identify the  common themes found across geographies

 

DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION: ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2023.2236142 

Assistive technology in Korea: Findings from the 2017 National Disability Survey

DANEMAYER, Jamie
LIN, Myung-Joon
July 2023

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Explicitly monitoring the need, use and satisfaction of assistive product (AP) provision is essential to support population health and healthy longevity in ageing/aged countries, like Korea. We present findings from the 2017 Korea National Disability Survey (NDS) on AP access and compare them to international averages, introducing Korea’s data into the wider coherence of global AP research.

 

Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology

https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2023.2225565 

 

Assistive technology access in longitudinal datasets: a global review

DANEMAYER, Jamie
MITRA, Sophie
HOLLOWAY, Cathy
HUSSEIN, Shereen
March 2023

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Functional limitations become more prevalent as populations age, emphasising an increasingly urgent need for assistive technology (AT). Critical to meeting this need trajectory is understanding AT access in older ages. Yet few publications examine this from a longitudinal perspective.

This review aims to identify and collate what data exist globally, seeking all population-based cohorts and repeated cross-sectional surveys through the Maelstrom Research Catalogue (searched May 10, 2022) and the Disability Data Report (published 2022), respectively. Datasets incorporating functional limitations modules and question(s) dedicated to AT, with a wave of data collection since 2009, were included.

 

International Journal of Population Data Science; 2023

Vol. 8 No. 1 (2023): IJPDS Standard Issue
 https://doi.org/10.23889/ijpds.v8i1.1901

Children with disabilities in the Middle East and North Africa: A statistical overview of their well-being

UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND (UNICEF)
October 2022

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An estimated 21 million children with disabilities live in the Middle East and North Africa. Each of them – like every child in the world – has the right to be nurtured and supported through responsive care and education, to receive adequate nutrition and social protection, and to enjoy play and leisure time. Too often, however, such rights are denied. The reasons vary. They include stigma, lack of accessible services, institutionalization and physical barriers, but the consequences are sadly consistent. When marginalized from society, the chances for these children to survive and thrive are diminished, along with their prospects for a bright future.

Monitoring the inclusion of children with disabilities in development efforts has long been held back by the lack of reliable and comprehensive data. Recent years, however, have seen renewed efforts to fill these data gaps. The development of new data collection tools has resulted in a substantial increase in the availability and quality of data on children with disabilities, fostering new analyses and contributing to increased knowledge generation.

This report is a testament to these efforts. It includes internationally comparable data from four countries in the Middle East and North Africa and covers 18 indicators of child well-being – from nutrition, health and education to protection from violence, exploitation and discrimination. It also presents global and regional estimates of children with disabilities drawn from more than 1,000 data sources, including 95 from countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

The report’s objective is to promote the use of these data to make children with disabilities in the region more visible, bringing about a fuller understanding of their life experiences. It offers evidence crucial to decision-making to fulfill obligations, both moral and legal, to give every child an equal chance in life.

Barriers to inclusive employment for self-advocates and families

BIALIK, Kimber
MHIRI, Manel
June 2022

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This article is about the barriers to inclusive employment that people with intellectual disabilities and families face in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and Bangladesh.

Through the Inclusion Works Project, we worked with our members in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and Bangladesh to talk with self-advocates and family members about employment.

We had 3 consultation meetings with self-advocates and 3 consultation meetings with families – we talked to 54 self-advocates and 45 family members about access to inclusive employment in their countries.

Some of the barriers that they told us about were discrimination from employers, lack of access to education, unfair pay, issues with safety and security at work, and being pressured to choose self-employment.

This article explains some of the issues accessing inclusive employment that people with intellectual disabilities and their families told us they face in low- and middle-income countries.

The article also gives recommendations for how organisations doing work on inclusive employment can work towards addressing some of these barriers and being more inclusive.

 

 Journal of International Development, Volume 34, Issue 5

Inclusive Design and Accessibility of the Built Environment in Solo, Indonesia

PATRICK, Michaela
McKINNON, Iain
PUTRI PRASTIKA, Kirana
ASTERINA, Nina
FUAD, Jamil
March 2022

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This case study builds a picture of the current state of inclusion and accessibility in the built environment and infrastructure in Solo, Indonesia, through engaging local stakeholders and communities and exploring the understanding of and potential for inclusive design to address some of the current barriers to inclusion.

Surakarta (known as Solo) is a city in Central Java, Indonesia, with a population of 557,606 people. The city has a strong history of inclusion, recognised as a great place for persons with disabilities in Indonesia to live. Solo city is a leader for inclusion in Indonesia, demonstrated through city regulations on disability inclusion that pre-date the ratification of the UNCRPD. There is great progress in implementing inclusive environments in Solo with numerous accessible infrastructures, but the city would benefit from a more holistic approach, support by a robust inclusive design strategy that integrates inclusion, sustainable and resilience to ensure long-term progress. One of the aspects that makes Solo unique is its strong community relationships, community-led approaches and leadership from the community is active and valued. This is also supported within urban governance, facilitating opportunities from grassroots leadership and inclusive participation for persons with disabilities.

The research identified that to create more inclusive environments, the physical infrastructure, planning and design is crucial, but equally important are the processes of inclusion and participation. Creating robust mechanisms of community participation and leadership is fundamental to ensure long term sustainable and continued progress to being a more inclusive city.

Across Indonesia, action towards inclusive cities is supported through the work of the Inclusive Mayor’s Network in Indonesia demonstrating country-wide leadership. The findings of this case study will serve Solo as a city but also have relevance for other cities across Indonesia and support the implementation of best practices found in Solo. 

This is the third of six case studies of the Inclusive Infrastructure programme analysing the state of accessibility and inclusive design in low-resource contexts around the world. 

Are persons with disabilities included in the effort to leave no-one behind? Mapping disability data in development in Asia and the Pacific

CBM GLOBAL’S INCLUSION ADVISORY GROUP
February 2022

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In the Asia Pacific region, UNFPA and partners work together to implement the Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disabilities. The Incheon Strategy is the region’s first set of disability-specific development goals to track progress towards the fulfilment of rights of persons with disabilities.

In the region, it is estimated that there are over 650 million persons with disabilities. However, without accurate, timely and disaggregated data, countries are unable to develop effective policies and programmes, monitor the wellbeing of persons with disabilities and evaluate the equity and impact of development efforts. This endangers country commitments to ‘leave no one behind’ and undermines their obligations to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

This groundbreaking report demonstrates the importance of ensuring data is inclusive and provides recommendations for immediate action in order to improve the collection, analysis and reporting of disability data

Towards a disability-inclusive humanitarian response in South Sudan?

FUNKE, Carolyn
DIJKZEUL, Dennis
February 2022

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The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action (2019) set out four ‘must do’ actions to identify and respond to the needs and rights of persons with disabilities. This study investigates how humanitarian organizations implement the four ‘must do’ actions in South Sudan. It shows that mainstream and inclusion-focused organizations actively promote their implementation to make disability inclusion an integral part of humanitarian action, investing heavily in capacity-building and awareness-raising at all levels of the response. Nevertheless, serious gaps and challenges to disability inclusion remain. 

Global Disability Summit 2022 - Oslo, Norway

GLOBAL DISABILITY SUMMIT
February 2022

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The International Disability Alliance (IDA), the Government of Norway, and the Government of Ghana hosted the second Global Disability Summit on 16 and 17 February 2022 (GDS22). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to ensure inclusive participation at the Summit, the event was held on a digital platform.

The first Global Disability Summit (GDS18), held in 2018 in London, generated an unprecedented level of focus on and commitment to disability-inclusive development. 171 national governments, multilateral agencies, donors, foundations, private sector, and civil society organisations made 968 individual commitments. More than 300 governments and organisations signed the GDS18 Charter for Change, encouraging the focused implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

The Global Disability Summit 2022 (GDS22) in was built on the results achieved at the first Summit, to further accelerate much-needed progress towards the fulfillment of the rights of persons with disabilities worldwide.

The Summit led to concrete commitments that brought genuine change for persons with disabilities. GDS22 gathered a total of 1413 commitments on disability inclusion.

People with disabilities want equality through access and participation. To obtain lasting change at the country level, we seek collaboration with States, multilateral organisations, and civil society. We seek action and we seek the voices of persons with disabilities themselves.

Global Disability Youth Summit and a Civil Society Forum. was also held under the auspices of the GDS22.

 

The Chair's summary, recordings of GDS22, commitments made and the program are available.

Global Disability Youth Summit 2022

GLOBAL DISABILITY SUMMIT
February 2022

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IDA, UNICEF, and the Atlas Alliance, represented by Youth Mental Health Norway, co-hosted a Youth Summit on 14 February 2022 to ensure the inclusion of youth in the Global Disability Summit. 

All planning and decision making around the Summit were led by youth with disabilities, including through the design of a novel format to ensure the participation of youth from around the globe, from local to global.

 

The Summit showcased the innovations of organizations led by youth with disabilities. Youth with disabilities at the local, regional and global levels have created groups and activities, both online and offline, fostering a sense of community, even during the COVID-19 period. Through the Summit, the youth focused on topics that they have identified to be particularly important in this regard, such as participation of youth in OPDs and youth mainstream organizations, inclusive education, deinstitutionalization and community inclusion, access to employment, climate change, new technologies, humanitarian action, access to inclusive healthcare including sexual reproductive health and mental health, among others.

 

A working group consisting of co-hosts and selected partners was responsible for developing a Youth Charter for Change - summing up and challenging the commitments

 

Intersectionality Resource Guide and Toolkit. An intersectional approach to leave no one behind

UN WOMEN
UN PRPD
2022

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The Resource Guide and Toolkit has been developed to help both organizations and individual practitioners and experts to address intersectionality in policies and in programmes. It may be used by individuals or teams to assess their own knowledge, attitudes, and practice, at a programme level as a supplement to existing design, adaptation, and assessment processes or at policy level to better understand and address the different and intersecting effects of policy on marginalised persons.

This Resource Guide and Toolkit emerged from an identified need to use an intersectional approach that included people with disabilities in all their diversity in the development, implementation and evaluation of policies, programmes, advocacy and inter-governmental processes. However, the authors and collaborators realised that an effective intersectionality resource needed to go beyond a focus on specific intersecting identities, such as disability and gender, as this would still exclude those who are most marginalised

Assistive Technology in urban low-income communities in Sierra Leone & Indonesia: Rapid Assistive Technology Assessment (rATA) survey results

CAREW, Mark
WALKER, Julian
OSSUL-VERMEHREN, Ignacia
BARTLETT DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
January 2022

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It is estimated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that 15% of the world's population has a disability and one billion people need one or more Assistive Products (AP) but as little as one in ten have access to the device they need. There is however very little data to define this need for AP in low-resource settings. 

To contribute to the knowledge gap, the findings from the surveys presented in this report give a unique insight into disability prevalence and access to AT in five urban low-income communities in Sierra Leone and Indonesia, where a total of 4,256 individuals were surveyed using the rATA tool.

The rATA tool is designed for the rapid evaluation of the need, use, supply and impact of AT, Rapid Assistive Technology Assessment (rATA) is a new survey from WHO. A version modified by the Development Planning Unit-University College London (DPUUCL) was conducted in September 2019 for the research project “AT2030 community led solutions”, as part of the AT2030 programme led by Global Disability Innovation Hub.

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