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Resource book on Disability Inclusion

LIGHT FOR THE WORLD
2017

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This is a resource book on disability inclusive practices. Within this book a variety of resources has been brought together that are relevant for disability inclusion. This is of particular interest for persons working in (development) organisations who would like to ensure that their projects and programmes are inclusive of persons with disabilities.

This book consists of four parts:

Core concepts
How To Pages
Resource Listing
Trainer-facilitator’s Guide

The book relies heavily on the experiences and practices of inclusion developed by different organisations to which the authors are indebted, and they have tried to make reference to the sources wherever possible. In addition, they have drawn on their experiences as programme managers and disability inclusion advisors.

These materials may be used for non-commercial purposes, with proper references to all authors and sources involved. Should you use this resource book in your training or other work, please let us know via lab@light-for-the-world.org.

Disability and HIV

UNAIDS
August 2017

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This report highlights existing key evidence on the relationship between disability and HIV. It discusses the concrete steps needed for a person-centred, disability-inclusive HIV response that allows for increased participation of people with disabilities and integrates rehabilitation within the continuum of HIV care. Globally, it is estimated that 1 billion people (15% of the world’s population) have a disability. Of those aged over 15 years, approximately 110–190 million (2.2–3.8%) experience significant disabilities. Disability is increasing in prevalence due to ageing populations, trauma, accidents and the increase in chronic health conditions, including HIV. Persistent discrimination against and exclusion of people with disabilities, in particular women and girls with disabilities, increases their vulnerability, including their risk of HIV infection.
 

Smarter, greener, more inclusive? Indicators to support the Europe 2020 strategy. 2017 edition

EUROSTAT
July 2017

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The focus of this publication is on showing progress of the EU and its Member States towards the goals and targets defined in the Europe 2020 strategy. The analysis of long-term trends, as described by the strategy’s headline indicators, is accompanied by additional contextual information, which improves understanding of the driving forces behind the developments that these indicators show. The current edition builds upon and updates the previous releases. The publication provides analyses based on the most recent statistics in the five thematic areas of employment, R&D and innovation, climate change and energy, education, and poverty and social exclusion. Each area is analysed in a dedicated chapter. An executive summary outlines the main statistical trends observed in the indicators. Additional country profiles describe the progress of each Member State towards its national Europe 2020 targets

DOI: 10.2785/760192

A guide for ensuring equity and inclusion in education

UNESCO
July 2017

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This guide is intended to support countries in embedding inclusion and equity in educational policy. It supports Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on education calls for inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030. The guide is intended for use primarily by key government education policy-makers working with key stakeholders. The guide provides an assessment framework that can serve to: review how well equity and inclusion currently figure in existing policies; decide which actions are needed to improve policies and their implementation towards equitable and inclusive education systems; and monitor progress. The guide includes evidence that informs the assessment framework, examples of initiatives that are contributing to more inclusive and equitable education systems in different parts of the world, and recommendations for further reading. 

Disability and conditional social security benefits : Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, special issue, vol. 25, no.2, June 2017

GEIGER, Ben Baumberg
Ed
July 2017

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This special issue of the Journal of Poverty & Social Justice has two aims. Firstly to provide new evidence on the implementation and impacts of conditionality for disabled benefits claimants in order to provide an empirical foundation for the contested claims on both sides of this debate and secondly to prompt further research in this area. 

Article titles in this issue are:

  • Benefits conditionality for disabled people: stylised facts from a review of international evidence and practice
  • Does sanctioning disabled claimants of unemployment insurance increase labour market inactivity? An analysis of 346 British local authorities between 2009 and 2014 
  • Consequences of activation policy targeting young adults with health-related problems in Sweden and Denmark
  • Assessment of work ability in competing strands of social insurance: the German case 
  • Welfare conditionality and disabled people in the UK: claimants' perspectives
  • The bedroom tax in the Supreme Court: implications of the judgment 

Policy development: An analysis of disability inclusion in a selection of African Union policies

GROCE, Nora
LANG, Raymond
SCHNEIDER, Marguerite
KETT, Maria
COLE, Ellie
July 2017

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Contemporary debates in international development discourse are concerned with the non‐tokenistic inclusion and participation of marginalized groups in the policy‐making process in developing countries. This is directly relevant to disabled people in Africa, which is the focus of this article. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities delineates the principles of inclusion in society. Furthermore, the African Union (AU) plays a key role in advising its Member States about disability issues, and this advice should be reflected in disability‐inclusive policies. This article analyses nine policy or strategy documents produced by the AU, covering the policy domains of education, health, employment and social protection that are crucial to the inclusion of disabled people in international development. These were analysed according to seven discrete elements (rights, accessibility, inclusivity, implementation plans, budgetary allocations, enforcement mechanisms or disaggregated management information systems) using a rating scale of one to four, with four being the highest level of inclusion. The process (for example, level of consultation), the context (for example, the Sustainable Development Goals) and actors involved in the policy development were reviewed as far as was possible from the documents.

Dev Policy Rev. July 2017
https://doi.org/10.1111/dpr.12323

Still left behind: Pathways to inclusive education for girls with disabilities

ABU AL-GHAIB, Ola
ANDRAE, Karen
GONDWE, Rachel
LEONARD CHESHIRE DISABILITY
June 2017

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This progress review aims to: provide a synthesis of the understanding of the additional barriers that girls with disabilities face in education; highlight effective or promising approaches and programmes addressing these barriers, including policies and legislation; point to gaps in evidence; and provide recommendations on a way forward. An internet search of relevant grey and academic literature on gender-responsive inclusive education was carried out. A search of websites of (inter) national non-governmental organisations, donors, and research institutions on the subject of gender-responsive inclusive education was conducted. In addition, requests for information on gender-responsive inclusive education interventions were submitted to platforms such as the Pelican Initiative and the Gender and Development Network UK. Subsequent referral to contact persons was followed up via email and phone with requests for sharing of studies, evaluations, progress reports, and other relevant documents of interventions.

Support and guidance for the report provided by UN Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI)

Water justice, gender and disability : South Asian Water Studies (SAWAS), special issues, vol.5, no.4, June 2017

CLEMENT, Florian
NICOL, Alan
CORDIER, Sylvie
Eds
June 2017

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The papers in this volume on gender, persons with disabilities and WASH in South Asia help to provide important pointers on ways forward. A common thread throughout the four articles is that a constellation of challenges still exists, from 'exclusion' through prejudice at different levels, to institutional realities that render policy and other instruments ineffective in practice. In some cases, even, there remains a complete absence of key legal and policy instruments.  

Titles of the articles in this issue are: 

  • Planning for inclusion: exploring access to WASH for women and men with disabilities in Jaffna District, Sri Lanka
  • Breaking down Barriers: Gender and Disability in Access to Agricultural Water Management in Nepal
  • The Gender Gap between Water Management and Water Users: Evidence from Southwest Bangladesh​
  • Are policies enough to mainstream Gender in water and sanitation programs? Experiences from community managed drinking water supply schemes in India

Public health, research and rights: the perspectives of deliberation panels with politically and socially active disabled people

BERGHS, Maria
ATKIN, Karl
GRAHAM, Hilary
HATTON, Chris
THOMAS, Carol
2017

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Public health research purports to provide the evidence base for policies, programmes and interventions to improve the health of a population. However, there is increasing awareness that the experiences of disabled people have played little part in informing this evidence base. This paper discusses one aspect of a study commissioned by England’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to review the implications for public health of theories and models of disability. This part of the study focused on the development of a tool or decision aid to promote ethical inclusion of disabled people in public health randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and evaluative research. The tool was introduced at four regional ‘deliberating panels’ involving politically and socially active disabled people. In addition, we held a panel with public health professionals. The deliberation panels debated how the focus of public health was narrowing, why disability was excluded and positive and negative issues with using rights to guide research and evaluative practice. Politically active disabled people argued for a social model of human rights to guide any rights based tools or decision aids in public health and disability research.

Are national voluntary reviews promoting awareness and inclusion? : Perceptions survey on civil society and stakeholder engagement in voluntary national reviews and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda

COSTA, Naiara
LONG, Graham
LUXTON, Louise
May 2017

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"For the second year, Together 2030 has carried out a survey to collect evidence on stakeholder awareness of, and participation in, national planning and review around the 2030 Agenda. In 2017, the survey was conducted in partnership with the Newcastle University. The survey received 461 responses from a range of stakeholders, including national, regional and global organisations. This perceptions survey asked 20 questions in total (though not all questions were directed to all respondents). It was issued in three languages: English, Spanish and French, and was shared broadly with civil society and stakeholder mailing lists and via social media from March 3 to March 24 2017."

This report addresses two key questions about people’s participation in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development:

  • How extensive is stakeholder awareness of, and participation in, the process of country Voluntary National Reviews which are a central component of the High Level Political Forum
  • How aware and engaged is civil society and stakeholders across the world in national level planning and review of the SDGs?

This report presents statistical, survey-based evidence that helps to address these two questions. 

Being disabled in Britain: a journey less equal

EQUALITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
April 2017

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"Being disabled in Britain is a review into disability inequality in Great Britain. It builds on the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s statutory five-yearly report on equality and human rights progress in England, Scotland and Wales, Is Britain Fairer?.

We want this report to be used by UK and devolved governments to make improvements to law and policies, by local government to ensure services meet the needs of disabled people, and by disability groups to strengthen their case for change.

The report includes chapters on six areas of life, including education, work, health, justice and participation in politics, looking at where there has been progress and where there are still serious issues to be tackled. It also looks the experiences of those with different impairments and how these impact on people’s life chances"

Evaluation of disability-inclusive development at UNDP

INDEPENDENT EVALUATION OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
March 2017

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The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) presents its evaluation of disability-inclusive development at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This work was carried out in 2016 and analyses UNDP’s contribution to disability-inclusive development during the period 2008-2016, which corresponds to the current and past UNDP strategic plans, and to the period within which the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has been in force. The work of UNDP was considered through the four key principles of the CRPD, namely nondiscrimination, participation and inclusion, accessibility and accountability. Eleven country office visits were made and 337 people interviewed. Key findings (24) are provided, conclusions made and future strategic planning put forward.

 

Report available in summary (32 p) or in full. Video also available (51 min).

Human rights and disability: A manual for national human rights institutions

CROWTHER, Neil
QUINN, Gerard
REKAS, Abigail
March 2017

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(Updated Dec 2018)

This Manual is designed to provide practical guidance for national human rights institutions (NHRIs) that are actively working to advance the human rights of persons with disabilities, as well as those NHRIs that are seeking to strengthen their efforts in this area. This Manual provides practical guidance and recommendations about how the role and functions of NHRIs can be directed to provide better protection for persons with disabilities, to promote greater awareness and respect for their rights, and to monitor the progress made and obstacles encountered in advancing their rights.

There are three parts to the manual.

  • Part I: The concepts - the human rights framing of disability
  • Part II: The law - international human rights law and disability (CRPD and others)
  • Part III: The practice - what NHRIs can do to contribute to the process of change

 

 

Impact of cross-border healthcare on persons with disabilities and chronic conditions

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION FOR SPINA BIFIDA AND HYDROCEPHALUS
February 2017

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"The International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (IF) together with the European Disability Forum (EDF) and the European Patients Forum (EPF) conducted a survey among their networks to assess the impact of the Directive 2011/24/EU on the application of patients’ rights in cross border healthcare (crossborder healthcare Directive) on persons with disabilities and chronic conditions in the EU. The findings of the survey showed low awareness and low use of the Directive. A vast majority of 85% has never used crossborder healthcare even though 69% of respondents might have used it had they received information about it. Approximately three quarters (77%) of respondents have never heard about the Directive" 

Inclusive Education Booklets and Webinars

UNICEF Europe and Central Asia Regional Office
February 2017

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With the view to promoting Inclusive Education systems, the UNICEF RO for CEE/CIS in collaboration with the Education and Disability Sections at HQ, has developed a cohesive set of products related to Inclusive Education, products that will support the capacity development of UNICEF staff and provide them with a set of materials that can be used in the field. Below you can find a series of webinars and companion booklets, each dedicated to a specific thematic area, under the overall title of A Rights-Based Approach to Inclusive Education for Children with Disabilities.

The series is intended to provide practical guidance to UNICEF staff and their partners on the issues of Inclusive Education with a focus on children with disabilities, by exploring specific concerns, policy and implementation issues specific to thematic areas. The webinars provide the audience with the necessary tools and references to guide further study, and determine the capacity development needs of each country. Each webinar and its companion booklet was developed by an expert on a specific thematic area.

Progress Report on the implementation of the European Disability Strategy (2010-2020)

EUROPEAN COMMISSION
February 2017

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The Strategy is the main instrument to support the EU's implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Progress in all eight areas of the strategy is reported: accessibility, participation, equality, employment, education and training, social protection, health and external action. Initiatives such as the Directive on Web Accessibility, the proposal for a European Accessibility Act, the EU Disability Card project (being piloted in 8 Member States) and provisions in the Erasmus+ programme (allowing better mobility for students with disabilities) are highlighted. 

 

This report presents progress achieved in the first five years of the Strategy and assesses implementation. Many stakeholders have contributed to this work. The United Nations reviewed how the EU has been implementing its obligations under the UNCRPD3, and issued Concluding Observations with concrete recommendations for follow-up. These contain guidance on priority issues while also highlighting the steps already taken (see Annex 3). The European Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee subsequently prepared their own reports on the implementation of the UNCRPD, while civil society organisations provided analysis and proposals (see Annex 4). The Commission also launched a public consultation to collect views from a broad range of stakeholders on the current situation of persons with disabilities and the impact of the Strategy so far, gathering more than 1,500 contributions (see Annex 1). This report also looks at the role of the supporting instruments and at the implementation of the UNCRPD within the EU institutions. Finally, it looks ahead at how the Strategy will continue to deliver on its objectives. In addition, the report includes a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of EU legal acts with an impact on disability matters (Annex 5)

 

SWD(2017) 29 final

“When will I get to go home?” Abuses and discrimination against children in institutions and lack of access to quality inclusive education in Armenia

BUCHANAN, Jane
February 2017

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This report documents how thousands of children in Armenia live in orphanages, residential special schools for children with disabilities, and other institutions. The report is based on Human Rights Watch visits to five state-run orphanages and ten state-run schools, including six special schools and four mainstream schools, and interviews with 173 people, in eight cities in Armenia. They interviewed 47 children and young adults, and 63 families of children living in orphanages, attending special schools or attending mainstream schools. They also interviewed directors of orphanages, special schools, and mainstream schools, as well as social workers, doctors, teachers, psychologists, caregivers, and other staff in institutions

Topics include: overview of residential institutions in Armenia; institutionalization of children and young adults and discrimination in the deinstitutionalization process; problems for children and young adults in residential institutions; lives transformed; national and international legal obligations; failure to guarantee quality education to children with disabilities; other forms of education for children with disabilities; government and donors’ response; recommendations

Strengthening mental health system governance in six low- and middle-income countries in Africa and South Asia: challenges, needs and potential strategies

PETERSEN, Inge
et al
February 2017

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The aim of this study was to identify key governance issues that need to be addressed to facilitate the integration of mental health services into general health care in the six participating "Emerald" countries (Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda).  The study adopted a descriptive qualitative approach, using framework analysis. Purposive sampling was used to recruit a range of key informants, to ensure views were elicited on all the governance issues within the expanded framework. Key informants across the six countries included policy makers at the national level in the Department/Ministry of Health; provincial coordinators and planners in primary health care and mental health; and district-level managers of primary and mental health care services. A total of 141 key informants were interviewed across the six countries. Data were transcribed (and where necessary, translated into English) and analysed thematically using framework analysis, first at the country level, then synthesised at a cross-country level.

Educational inclusion and critical neuroscience: friends or foes?

BILLINGTON, Tom
2017

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Momentum is continuing to grow in the circulation of neuroscientific discourse, informing aspects of how we live but affecting too how we think about education and learning. Neurologically informed intrusions into education frequently align with psychology which has until now largely adopted a ‘medical model’, supporting policies and practices which ultimately invoke psychopathology and arguably render individual young people more vulnerable to various forms of social and educational exclusion. This paper urges caution in respect of understandings of educational neuroscience that focus on individual deficits and diagnoses. Rather it holds in mind the broader historical context for neuroscience and its implications for our understandings of what it is to be human in the twenty first century and thereafter for education and learning. Theoretical resources from critical and affective neuroscience but also critical educational psychology are brought together specifically to support the principles of inclusionist policies and practices in education.

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