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Equal access without discrimination - The Right to Disability-Inclusive Health

LIGHT FOR THE WORLD
May 2021

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The right to the highest attainable standard of health is fundamental, as health is a precondition for equal participation in society. People with disabilities continue to experience discrimination, barriers and rights violations in their access to health. This Issue Brief outlines how governments, international organisations and development actors can mainstream disability inclusion into their health strategies, services and interventions.

Leave no refugee behind - Inclusion and forced migration

LIGHT FOR THE WORLD
October 2020

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By WHO estimates, at least 12 million forcibly displaced people worldwide have a disability. Displaced persons with disabilities face violence, discrimination and barriers to services at a higher rate than other refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Humanitarian actors have to protect the rights of persons with disabilities in contexts of forced migration. This must include accessible services as well as active participation of refugees and IDPs with disabilities in decision-making structures.

 

This Issue Brief covers the situation of forcibly displaced persons with disabilities, policy framework and legal requirements, and the work of Light of the World in this area (mainly in South Sudan). 

Breaking down barriers, one mask at a time

LIGHT FOR THE WORLD
August 2020

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Reports on the production of facemasks for COVID-19 which have clear plastic rectangular patches that allow lip reading and more visible facial expressions in a training centre for girls with intellectual disabilities in Kenya

“Aid out of reach”: untold stories from people with disabilities

Light for the world
July 2020

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Humanitarian organisations can learn a lot from what happened during the Cyclone Idai aid response. The cyclone and its impact made global headlines. The NGO community reacted fast. More than 400 organisations and 1,000 aid workers were rapidly deployed to the affected areas of Mozambique. But what happened next remains untold.

Their stories, which form the basis of our recommendations, can help key actors improve their responses to other crises, including COVID-19.

Let’s Talk about COVID-19 and disability. An interactive radio campaign on the livelihoods of people with disabilities in Uganda

LIGHT FOR THE WORLD
July 2020

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In April 2020, Light for the World teamed up with NGO TRAC FM to find out how COVID-19 has affected people with disabilities in Uganda. Through free SMS, basic mobile phone technology and radio talk shows, TRAC FM reaches out to the most remote and excluded people – including people with disabilities. It enables the most marginalised to debate about policies that concern them directly.

From 22nd of April to 19th of May 2020, they worked with TRAC FM to air four polls on Let’s Talk, a specially created radio show. Broadcast on five local stations across the country, the show asked listeners how they were faring under Uganda’s lockdown. An average of just under 13,000 people responded to each poll question, giving rise to reflections captured in this report that should have wider resonance beyond Uganda.

Findings presented include:

  • Concerns during the COVID-19 lockdown
  • Knowledge and awareness on coronavirus
  • Effect of the lockdown on mental health
  • Effect of the lockdown on livelihoods 

Aid out of reach: A review of the access to humanitarian aid for women and men, girls and boys with disabilities affected by Cyclone Idai, Mozambique

BAART, Judith
WESTER, Mirian
2019

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The objective of this study is to generate empirical evidence on the barriers to accessing aid for women and men, girls and boys with disabilities in a post-Cyclone Idai context. By doing so, it also seeks to contribute to policy development for an inclusive humanitarian response in Mozambique

The research followed a qualitative design, using interviews and focus group discussions followed by inductive analysis to reveal dominant themes and stories. Data was collected in 30 in-depth interviews with women and men, girls and boys with disabilities and/or caregivers in communities (Beira), as well as in resettlement sites (Dondo).

Summary Report. LEAVE NO CHILD BEHIND Invest in the early years

WALKER, Jo
BABOO, Nafisa
September 2019

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A summary overview of the findings of a study led by LIGHT FOR THE WORLD with its partners, supported by the Early Childhood Program of the Open Society Foundations. The aim of the study was to uncover the trends in aid for inclusive Early Child Development (ECD) for 2017. It further identified strategic commitments to ECD, as reflected in policy documents up until 2019. The research examined donors’ spending and commitments in three key areas: early childhood development; inclusive early education and pre-primary; and disability-inclusive early childhood development investments in the sectors of health, nutrition, education and sanitation.

 

This study presents a baseline on donor investment in ECD services in low- and middle-income countries for the children who are traditionally left behind. It draws lessons from six bilateral donor countries – Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) – as well as the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), European Union (EU) Institutions, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank. Donor advocacy briefs for each of these donors are provided.

 

The study focuses on donor contributions to scaling up ECD services in four African countries: Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe

NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US! Cooperation with organisations of persons with disabilities in community programmes A learning guide

LIGHT FOR THE WORLD
June 2019

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Good practices of DPO (Organisations of Persons with Disabilities) involvement in Light for the World programmes are analysed and successful ways of supporting DPO empowerment are reported. The paper is based on interviews and focus group discussions with organisations of persons with disabilities (DPOs), other project partners and Light for the World programme colleagues in Bolivia, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Northeast India and South Sudan

Communication Matters!

Light for the World
January 2019

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The research Communication Matters! shows which obstacles persons with disabilities face in accessing public information and services. The research took place in three districts in the province of Pursat. 1171 persons with disabilities in 229 villages are reached.

Due to the research, many persons with disabilities were able to share their stories for the first time. Many persons were also found for the first time, because the team made an effort to visit everyone in the village.

Innovate for Inclusion. Four cases of application of the social innovation lab methodology to enhance disability inclusion in mainstream settings

MAARSKE, Anneke
NEDERVEEN, Matthijs
BAART, Judith
2019

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This publication reflects back on four co-design processes undertaken by Light for the World’s Disability Inclusion Lab during the past few years. These different journeys in solution development have demonstrated the power of this methodology to create genuine inclusion in livelihood programming while striving to empower persons with disabilities to achieve economic success. In this publication the social innovation lab methodology is described as a unique approach to inclusive programming, highlighting four cases: The Livelihood Improvement Challenge in Uganda, the lab in the EmployAble programme in Ethiopia, the AgriLab in Cambodia, and the InBusiness pilot in Kenya. Lessons learnt are described.

Quality of life of persons with disabilities in SNNPR, Ethiopia

2019

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The Ethiopian Centre for Disability and Development (ECDD), supported by the Light for the World Inclusion Lab in the Netherlands, did a survey in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia to measure access to healthcare, rehabilitation, education, livelihood and community participation.  Almost 1.000 people with different types of disabilities were interviewed (using the Washington Group short set of questions for disability). 

Scaling up inclusive employment: Interventions in Cambodia

GARTRELL, Alexandra
October 2018

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This report presents findings from a study, based in Cambodia, designed to investigate barriers which hinder employers from employing people with disabilities and to identfy employer perspectives on the changes needed to open up more job opportunities to people with disabilities. A total of 32 people participated in in-depth semi structured interviews as part of this study: 9 employers, 10 people with disabilities and 12 representatives of NGOs working in this field. The broader context for these inclusive employment initiatives of the current and projected Cambodian economic growth, labour market needs and skills gaps is analysed.

Including children with disabilities in preschool education. Experiences of Plan International Mozambique

PLAN INTERNATIONAL
August 2018

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Between 2015 and 2017, Plan International Mozambique worked together with communities supporting 106 preschools in rural Mozambique. In late 2016, an approach was piloted in 18 community-based preschools to support them to be disability-inclusive. The overall goal was to increase the number of children with disabilities enrolled in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) centres delivering quality early learning opportunities. The pilot took place over a 12 month period. Summarised findings about the current status of inclusion in preschool programmes run by Plan International Mozambique, case studies and lessons learned about the inclusion of children with disabilities in these programmes are provided.  

 

They describe five aspects that need to be considered to remove barriers and ensure that children with disabilities can access and benefit from early childhood education:

1. Work directly with the parents of children with disabilities

2. Address individual physical and medical needs of children with disabilities

3. Build the skills and confidence of caretakers

4. Equip and build a strong implementing team

5. Build evidence on what is happening and what (doesn’t) work

Towards inclusion. A guide for organisations and practitioners

VAN EK, Vera
SCHOT, Sander
November 2017

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Inclusive development is about creating societies that value and enfranchise all marginalised groups. It is often not difficult to open up development projects to persons from these marginalised groups. But it does take time before organisations are willing and able to fully commit to inclusion.

Towards Inclusion aims to support organisations who wish to commit to an inclusive approach. It establishes the rationale for inclusion and provides technical advice and tools for putting theory into practice. It is intended to be used as a reference during organisational development, as well as a tool to support good practice in implementation.

If you are looking to support a (development) organisation in the process of becoming an inclusive organisation, then Towards Inclusion is for you

This guide consists of three parts. The first part guides the reader through the process of assessing whether or not the organization is ready to change towards becoming a more inclusive organization. The second part introduces the ACAP framework, which sets up a way of approaching inclusion via focus on the areas: Access, Communication, Attitude and Participation. It then demonstrates how the framework can be applied to projects and programmes. The third part provides guidelines for the people who will guide organizations through the process of change towards becoming inclusive of persons from marginalized groups

I Am EmployAble

BAART, Judith
MAARSE, Anneke
September 2017

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I am EmployAble walks the reader through the process of vocational training – from enrolment to training to employment – and provides tips based on experience, anecdotes and tools to inspire and support those working with and for disability inclusive technical and vocational training institutes.

The specific aim of this programme was to contribute to quality vocational training for young people with disabilities in Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia and create lasting linkages between technical and vocational training institutes and the labour market, thus facilitating decent and sustainable wage or selfemployment for young people with disabilities. This meant not just targeting the young people with disabilities themselves but also local training institutes and private sector actors, in order to work for systemic change.

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.

Towards Inclusion - A guide for organisations and practitioners

VAN EK, Vera
SCHOT, Sander
2017

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This guide is the result of collaboration between Light for the World (LFTW), Mission East (ME), and ICCO Cooperation.

Based on decades of experience of working with the most marginalized and excluded communities, the three organizations cooperated to record their experiences in a publication which can be used in a variety of relief and development contexts. ‘Towards Inclusion’ is designed to be an easy to use reference for organizational and program/project development with a focus on gender responsiveness and disability inclusion.

The guide is made up of three parts:
• the first part guides users through the process of organizational self-assessment to determine readiness to change and identify key steps towards becoming a more inclusive organization.
• the second part introduces the ACAP framework, as a means of improving inclusion in programming via Access, Communication, Attitude and Participation. A range of tools for measuring and improving inclusion at all stages of the project cycle are provided.
• the third part provides guidelines for the people or ‘change facilitators’ who will guide organizations through the process of change towards becoming more inclusive.

The publication can be found at “Towards Inclusion Guide” and the accessible version of the publication can be downloaded. Both are free of charge.

Possibilities for organisation trainings and/or webinars on the practical application of the guide are under consideration. Contact ACAP@gmail.com.

Costing equity: The case for disability-responsive education financing

MYERS, Juliette
October 2016

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This report contributes to the global discourse on education finance by providing a disability perspective on donor and government investment into inclusive education. The report looks at the benefits of financing disability - inclusive education, the current state of education financing with regard to inclusion, and what needs to change in order for education financing to effectively support the realisation of Sustainable Development Goal 4 and Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD). Representatives of nine leading bilateral and multilateral education donors were surveyed on their agencies’ efforts towards disability inclusive education: DFAT (Australia), DFID (UK), European Union, GIZ (Germany), Global Partnership for Education, Norad (Norway), UNICEF, USAID (USA), and World Bank

Roads to inclusion, a tool for identifying progress in community-based rehabilitation projects

February 2016

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The roads to inclusion tool has been developed by ENABLEMENT (the Netherlands) and LIGHT FOR THE WORLD on the basis of an action research programme carried out in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and North East India. Communities in two sites of each country were asked to define what inclusion meant to them and those definitions were used as a basis for developing this tool. LIGHT FOR THE WORLD and ENABLEMENT hope this tool will support CBR teams in assessing communities’ progress in becoming more inclusive of persons with disabilities and planning activities to further the inclusion process. It promotes reflection on changes related to inclusion rather than judging projects on the impact of their work, and is thus not a tool for impact evaluation or comparing inclusion between different countries and cultures. The tool can be used in a variety of contexts. We recommend adjusting it to fit your organisation’s needs and seeing it as an inspiration on how it could be done, not as a prescription on how it should be done

Inclusive Tanzania network : access to education and political participation of persons with disabilities

LIGHT FOR THE WORLD
Ed
October 2014

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MTAJU - Inclusive Tanzania was a pilot project aiming to empower persons with disabilities through inclusive education and political participation that ran from November 2005 to December 2010. MTAJU is a network of Tanzanian Disabled People’s Organizations (DPOs) and Pro Disability Organizations (PDOs), who campaign together for an inclusive society where people with disabilities enjoy the same rights as other citizens. The project's main aims were the legal, political and social establishment of the right to education of children with disabilities and the right to political participation of persons with disabilities. This short learning guide is based on the full project report and highlights the key lessons learned by the project team. This guide would be very useful for anyone interested in the access to education for children with disabilities and the participation of disabled people in public and political life in Africa in particular and the global south in general

Learning Guide, 2/2014

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