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Purpose: The Kudumbashree mission, an initiative of the Government of Kerala state in India, has collaborated with Local Self Governments to set up ‘Buds’, a special school system for individuals with intellectual disability. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the structure and functioning of ‘Buds’ schools, to identify the healthcare needs of the students, and to conceptualise a framework for healthcare provision.

Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 202 children at 11 registered ‘Buds’ schools in Kerala. A multidisciplinary team consisting of a psychiatrist, public health personnel and a social worker from the Medical Colleges of Kerala, visited the institutions. Data collection consisted of abstraction from medical records, interviews with parents, and clinical assessment and prescription of intervention by the specialists concerned. A pre-tested semi- structured questionnaire was used for every child. Using both quantitative and qualitative techniques, the public health personnel in the team evaluated the structure and functioning of the schools.

Results: The most commonly associated condition was epilepsy, seen in 11.9% of the children, while 28.2% had behavioural problems. The medicines needed were mainly anti-epileptics and drugs for behavioural problems. Interventions for self help and social skill training were also among the important requirements. The infrastructure and other facilities were poor in many schools, with the average student to teacher ratio at 14:1. While these institutions were well utilised, functioning was good only in 27.2% of the schools. Healthcare services and visits by healthcare personnel were far from adequate. This study proposes a framework in which the Medical Colleges and Health Services can function together to deliver healthcare services to children at these schools, with linkages from the District Mental Health Programme (DMHP).

Conclusion and Recommendation: Evidence that these schools are well utilised indicates a need to propagate this initiative in other areas of the state, country and other countries. However, improvements in infrastructure, human resources and other logistics are required. Besides, the healthcare needs of these children have to be addressed. A comprehensive healthcare programme through the existing system, using a multidisciplinary approach, needs to be developed.

This paper presents the findings of a "participatory research project, developed collaboratively between Australian and Cambodian partners, (that) investigated prevalence and experiences of gender-based violence of women with disabilities in comparison to women without disabilities; assessed the extent to which existing policies and programs include or address women with disabilities; and explored how women with disabilities are supported or denied access to existing programs"
AusAID Research Working Paper 1

"This report brings to light the countless individuals and organizations - whose voices are so often marginalized and ignored - who are now asserting control over their own lives and insisting on inclusion as subjects and not objects of the rights-respecting world. Their mantra is "Nothing about us without us." And the foundation of their demands is impossible to ignore: a human rights treaty ratified by 129 countries in the space of four years, codifying a rights-based approach to disability in international law. In the course of four years of grant making, the Disability Rights Fund has uncovered thousands of stories that add up to a single larger story - the story of a movement out to change who is included in the definition of human"
Note: This report is available in html, pdf and word versions. Contact the publisher for alternative formats

The UK International Development committee "report begins (Chapter 2) with a more detailed exploration of the processes by which the post-2015 development goals are being developed and the consultations which are being undertaken. In Chapter 3, we consider what the overarching purpose of the new goals should be, including consideration of the extent to which development should be integrated with issues of environmental sustainability. In Chapter 4, we assess the potential content of the post-2015 framework. In doing so, our intention is not to be prescriptive, but to set out some broad issues to be borne in mind when the framework is being developed. Finally, in Chapter 5, we assess the potential structure of the new framework, including a consideration of the role of targets and indicators"
HC 657
Note: Additional written evidence is contained in Volume II, available on the Committee website

This report presents the proceedings, discussions and presentations from a joint conference organised by Leonard Cheshire Disability and UNESCAP. The conference reviewed the international and regional mandates on disability and aid effectiveness, identified challenges and good practices in measuring the impact and quality of disability-inclusive development, and identified ways to implement disability-inclusive development effectively on the ground and at policy level. This report is useful for anyone interested in disability and development
"Disability inclusive millennium development goals and aid effectiveness"
14-16 March 2012
Bangkok, Thailand

This second part of a community-based rehabilitation workshop report focuses on issues of violence, abuse and sexual abuse towards persons with disabilities. This report presents the information exchanged through formal presentations, personal testimonies, film clips, sharing of experiences and discussions around the workshop theme. The report highlights the main findings and presents five key recommendations
"Going beyond the taboo areas in CBR" workshop, part 2
Agra, India
30 November 2012