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This research was commissioned on the occasion of the 2017 High-level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York to investigate how far the global commitment to disability has translated into implementation, monitoring and reporting processes at national and sub-national level. Four case studies were commissioned, exploring the extent of disability inclusion in alignment with the SDGs in Bangladesh, Kenya, Sierra Leone and Zambia. DPOs played a pivotal role in the research, with more than 40 DPOs consulted through key informant interviews and focus group discussions. In Zambia, the research was implemented by a local DPO – the Zambia Federation of Disability Organisations (ZAFOD). A literature review identified internet-based policy, legal and strategic documents related to disability and the 2030 Agenda, as well as documentation and reports on different SDG nationalisation initiatives.

This brief explores funding at the intersection of women’s rights and disability rights and offers steps donors can take to ensure that their grantmaking is more inclusive of women with disabilities and to support this emerging movement. Background is provided by recent mapping by Women Enabled International about the state of advocacy by women with disabilities, the amount of funding in 2014, sample grants and example use of them. Tips from peer donors and women with disabilities are given.

Mental health problems resulting from persecution and forced migration are very common among refugees and asylum seekers and evolve into a major public health challenge. Language barriers often prevent timely access to appropriate health care, leading to chronic trajectories and abortive social integration. Tools for multilingual screening and assessment could be of great benefit for this particularly vulnerable population as well as for policy makers. This study aimed at testing the reliability, feasibility and usability of the Multi-Adaptive Psychological Screening Software (MAPSS), a newly developed Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interview Software (ACASI) for touchscreen devices, for screening purposes in a clinical setting. In a randomized cross-over design including both MAPSS and paper-pencil clinician-administered interviews, 30 treatment-seeking refugees completed clinical measures and a feasibility questionnaire to rate the user interface of MAPSS. Five professionals performed given tasks in MAPSS and completed usability questionnaires for the administration interface.

Conflict and Health 2017 11:18

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13031-017-0120-2

This book presents new research on disability, health, and wellbeing in four countries (Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda) . The primary focus is empirical. It also makes a conceptual contribution as it presents a new model of disability based on the human development and capability approach. It addresses four questions: 

• How should disability be defined to analyse and inform policies related to wellbeing?
• What is the prevalence of functional difficulties?
• What inequalities are associated with functional difficulties?
• What are the economic consequences of functional difficulties? 

Detailed data analysis using large-scale household survey datasets is combined with an interactional model of disability based on Amartya Sen’s capability approach.

DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-53638-9

First of book series: the Palgrave Studies in Disability and International Development

Current research from Bhutan indicates that over 21 per cent of children aged 2–9 years have one or more disabilities. One of the challenges for Bhutan is to ensure that all children with special educational needs and disabilities receive appropriate education and social services. This study recognized the internationally acknowledged definition for children with disabilities (CWD). The term ‘children with disabilities’ in this study is used to refer to children up to the age of 18 who have “longterm physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others” (Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Article 1). However, the intention of this study was to secure participants’ knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) based on their own understanding of the term.1 This project provides a data set and accompanying commentary that can stimulate discussion, whilst becoming a catalyst for further policy and practice developments for CWD. 

In the context of its Urban Eye Health Programme in Bhopal (India), Sightsavers launched a pilot approach aimed at developing an Inclusive Eye Health (IEH) model and IEH Minimum Standards.

Accessibility audits were conducted in a tertiary eye hospital and four primary vision centres located within urban slums, addressing the accessibility of physical infrastructures, communication and service provision. The collection and analysis of disaggregated data inform the inclusion strategy and provide a baseline to measure the impact of service provision. Trainings of eye health staff and sensitisation of decision makers on accessibility, universal design, disability and gender inclusion are organised on a regular basis.

A referral network is being built to ensure participation of women, people with disabilities and other marginalised groups, explore barriers at demand level, and guarantee wider access to eye care in the community. Finally, advocacy interventions will be developed to raise awareness in the community and mainstream disability and gender inclusion within the public health sector.

Cochrane Rehabilitation aims to improve the application of evidence-based practice in rehabilitation. It also aims to support Cochrane in the production of reliable, clinically meaningful syntheses of evidence related to the practice of rehabilitation, while accommodating the many methodological challenges facing the field. To this end, Cochrane Rehabilitation established a Methodology Committee to examine, explore and find solutions for the methodological challenges related to evidence synthesis and knowledge translation in rehabilitation. An international online survey was conducted via Cochrane Rehabilitation networks to canvass opinions regarding the future work priorities for this committee and to seek information on people’s current capabilities to assist with this work. One of the areas of debate concerned whether and how work on the application of Cochrane methods in low and middle income countries should be prioritised.

Eur J Phys Rehabil Med 2017;53:814-7

DOI: 10.23736/S1973-9087.17.04958-9

This guidance is designed for UNICEF field staff – including humanitarian field officers, coordinators, specialist and advisors – as well as UNICEF’s partners and others involved in humanitarian work. It provides practical tips and offers entry points for making sure that humanitarian action takes children with disabilities into account. There are 5 other associated guidelines. 

Chapters include: 

impact of emergiencies on health of children and adolescents with disabilities
why children and adolescents with disabilities are excluded health and HIV/AIDS interventions
frameworks and approaches
programmatic actions
preparedness
response and early recovery
recovery and reconstruction
practical tips

Original Research Articles

• An Evaluative Study of Services Provided in Community-Based Rehabilitation Centres in Jordan
• Barriers to Healthcare Services for People with Disabilities in Developing Countries: A Literature Review
• The Family and Disability in Ghana: Highlighting Gaps in Achieving Social Inclusion
• Participation Restriction due to Arm and Leg Motor Impairment after Stroke Rehabilitation in the Tamale Metropolitan Area, Ghana

Brief reports

• Role of Caregivers of Children with Intellectual Disabilities and Support Systems Available to them in Ghana
• Effects of Trampoline Exercise on Attentional Control and Daytime Sleepiness among Young Adults with Anxiety Disorders in Malaysia
  Experiential Accounts
• Exclusion through Attempted Inclusion: Research Experiences with Disabled Persons’ Organisations (DPOs) in Western Zambia

Letters to the Editor

• Access to Education and Rehabilitative Resources for Children with Developmental Disabilities in Botswana