Resources search

Purpose: The aim of this study was to review peer-reviewed literature on the roles and functions of Disabled Peoples’ Organisations (DPOs) in low and middle-income countries, and their outputs and outcomes for people with disabilities.

Method: Online databases were searched without date or language limiters (Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, Embase and Cochrane), using a combination of two key word search strategies. Eleven studies were selected for inclusion in this review on the basis of predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Included studies underwent quality assessment using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) and Downs and Black’s criteria for quality assessment. Data for thematic analysis was then grouped under the broad themes of: participation and factors that facilitate participation; development of partnerships and connections; and self-development and self-help.

Results: There was some evidence within the included studies to suggest that DPOs can produce significant, positive outcomes for persons with disability in terms of factors such as employment rates, access to microfinance and bank loans, accessibility of housing, acquisition of orthopaedic devices, involvement in civil society, development of friendships and networks, and participation in training programmes. Although the studies under review largely did not investigate the long-term impact of the reported DPO functions and outputs, some of the short-term outputs may be considered proximal indicators of outcomes such as increased empowerment and wellbeing.

Conclusion: The 11 studies in this review suggested that DPOs can be effective in achieving their stated aims of promoting wellbeing, participation and rights of people with disabilities in low and middle- income countries.

Here is the first issue of a series of European Human Rights Reports launched by European Disability Forum. This first issue focuses on the 10th anniversary of the CRPD giving an overview of the state of play and progress made with regards to the CRPD in Europe.

It was launched on the occasion of a 2-day conference organised by the European Commission and EDF on 29-30 November 2016, as 2016’s European Day of Persons with Disabilities marked the 10th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD), . The conference gathered together around 400 participants including people with disabilities and their representative organisations, associations and companies working to improve the life of people with disabilities, government representatives, EU institutions representatives, academics and many others. Together they have been discussing and ethe progress made in the European Union (EU) to promote the rights of persons with disabilities in line with the CRPD: each panel gave an overview of the legal and policy framework, and how it had changed, followed by personal testimonies and examples.
 
 

This report, produced by the University of Sydney’s Centre for Disability Research and Policy (CDRP),
uses data collected in rounds four and five of UNICEF’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys programme (MICS) to describe the wellbeing of young children with and without developmental delay in six Asian countries. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) were used as a framework for identifying indicators of child wellbeing.

The report, authored by CDRP Disability and Inequity Stream Leader Professor Eric Emerson with Dr Amber Savage of the Family and Disability Studies Initiative, University of Alberta, Canada and CDRP Director Professor Gwynnyth Llewellyn, found that children with Developmental Delay in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan and Vietnam are more likely than their peers to:
• Be living in poverty (SDG1). In five out the six countries children with developmental delay were more likely to be living in poverty than their peers
• Experience hunger (SDG2). In all six countries children with developmental delay were more likely to have experienced persistent severe hunger than their peers
• Suffer poor health (SDG3). On three indicators (poor peer relationships, diarrhoea and fever) children with developmental delay were more likely to have poor health than their peers. On three indicators (obesity, aggression and acute respiratory infections) there was no systematic difference between children with and without developmental delay.
• Experience barriers to quality education (SDG4). On all four indicators (attendance at early childhood education centre, family support for learning, access to learning materials in the home, maternal level of education) children with developmental delay were more disadvantaged than their peers.
• Experience barriers to clean water and sanitation (SDG6). On two indicators (improved sanitation, place to wash hands) children with developmental delay were more disadvantaged than their peers. On one indicator (improved drinking water) there was no systematic difference between children with and without developmental delay.

The authors noted that “Since the development of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1998, increased attention has been paid to monitoring the well-being of children. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and UNCRC both contain explicit provisions regarding the rights of children with disabilities. These impose obligations on governments to act to ensure that children with disabilities enjoy the same rights and opportunities as other children. In order to promote the visibility of children with disabilities, enable better policy, and monitor progress, disaggregation of data related to children’s well-being on the basis of disability is needed."

One of the fundamental rights that is often denied to persons with disabilities is the right to employment. Based on 35 years of work with persons with disabilities in more than 60 developing countries, Handicap International has decided to study this issue of employment and disability. It challenges ten developing country teams to reach out to their local partners to capture the reality of employment today. This qualitative study gives very useful information about country teams’ vision of decent work for persons with disabilities in those environments where specialized resources are rare and inclusive policies remain in their infancy. Despite many obstacles, it identifies some positive promises and future tracks for better practices and efficient services. Many stakeholders, like local business and employment bureaus, are piloting innovative ways to get people to work, and to retain their skills as this positive dynamic evolves. Bringing these experiences to different audiences is the main goal of this document. Hopefully it will be the first piece of a more comprehensive data set and bank of best practices that reinforce access to decent jobs for people with disabilities wherever they happen to live in our global world.

Titles of research articles in this issue of the journal are:

• Exploring the Complexities of Leprosy-related Stigma and the Potential of a Socio-economic Intervention in a Public Health Context in Indonesia
• Users’ Satisfaction with Prosthetic and Orthotic Assistive Devices in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic: A Cross-sectional Study
• The Functions of Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) in Low and Middle-income Countries: A Literature Review
• Physiotherapy Care for Adults with Paraplegia due to Traumatic Cause: A Review
• Supporting Parents in Caring for Children with Disability in Ghana
• Quality of Life among Persons with Paraplegic Spinal Cord Injury

Brief reports

• Impact of Long-term Use of Adaptive Seating Device among Children with Cerebral Palsy and their Families in Mumbai, India: A feasibility study

Experiential Accounts

• Community-Based Rehabilitation for Children with Intellectual Disability: A Case Study of Endosulfan Affected Areas in India

A short review of the literature was carried out which derived some specific recommendations with regards to the needs of people with disabilities in cash transfer programming in the braod categories of: appropriate beneficiary targeting and assessment; accessibility of training and sensitisation materials; physical and sensorial access to markets, vendors and distributions points (including ATM); access to activities in cash for work; accessibility of technology; access to lost goods and services

"To mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3 December), the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), IRU (World's Road Transport organisation) and EDF jointly publish an 'Accessibility Guide' to improve customer service for persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility.

The publication aims to show that service quality and inclusiveness are of paramount importance for the public transport sector.

The guide is one of the initiatives that we are undertaking to raise awareness amongst staff about the barriers still existing to a fully inclusive public transport system and how to best overcome them. It is targeted at public transport staff regularly interacting with passengers and can be used in the context of disability awareness trainings.

Gunta Anca, EDF Vice-President: “With this accessibility guide we want to give simple tips and advice on how to improve service for persons with disabilities. There is really nothing to be afraid of – we are passengers like everyone else, just sometimes we need a little bit more of your support and understanding.”

Thomas Avanzata, Director of the European Department at UITP: “An average person does not know much about persons with disabilities. With this guide, we hope to close the knowledge gap for our bus drivers and be able to offer an improved service to persons with disabilities. We are very happy about the cooperation with EDF and IRU and optimistic that such small initiatives can make a difference on the ground, especially at times where financial resources for costly infrastructure works are scarce.”

Rémi Lebeda, who leads IRU’s work on passenger transport in Europe: “This accessibility guide is an excellent tool to improve the quality of service offered to people with disabilities by drivers and operators. We thank EDF and UITP for their excellent cooperation in working on this important issue. In further recognition of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities the guide will also be available in accessible format.”

"It is time to move from law to practice in the implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities

GENEVA (13 December 2016) – A United Nations human rights expert has urged States to redouble their efforts to end the marginalization of persons with disabilities, in a statement marking the anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Catalina Devandas Aguilar, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, said much work remained to be tackled, 10 years after the Convention was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 13 December 2006"

"This publication seeks to support policymakers in promoting accessibility at a policy and practical level. It contains information on relevant global and regional mandates that support and promote disability-inclusive development and accessibility, with a view to demonstrate the multi-faceted value of focusing on disability and accessibility policies to achieve broader development goals. Readers will learn about the core concepts of disability and accessibility, and be empowered with knowledge on standards, tools and means of promoting accessibility. Furthermore, this publication will outline and analyse examples of good practices of accessibility identified in Asia and the Pacific. The majority of the good practices featured in this publication were initially discussed at two international and multi-stakeholder workshops that took place in 2014 and 2015, with a few additional examples drawn from Pacific island member States. The selection of practices for this publication is based on their embodiment of the principles of accessibility, demonstrated success, measurable impact on the community, and their adaptable and replicable nature"