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Disability rights during the pandemic. A global report on findings of the COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor

BRENNAN, Ciara Siobhan
October 2020

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This report presents the findings from a rapid global survey of persons with disabilities and other stakeholders which took place between April and August 2020. The organisations behind the study seek to “catalyse urgent action in the weeks and months to come,” as transmission rates of COVID-19 continue to rise in many countries and persons with disabilities are again subjected to restrictions which have already had severe consequences.

The report analyses over 2,100 responses to the survey from 134 countries around the world. The vast majority of responses were from individuals with disabilities and their family members. Within the questionnaire responses respondents provided more than 3,000 written testimonies documenting the experiences of persons with disabilities and their family members during the pandemic. The qualitative and quantitative data provide in-depth, comprehensive insights into the experiences of persons with disabilities and the consequences of government actions or inactions on the rights of persons with disabilities.

The report is organised around four themes which emerged during the process of analysing responses received to the survey. These themes are:

1. Inadequate measures to protect persons with disabilities in institutions

2. Significant and fatal breakdown of community supports

3. Disproportionate impact on underrepresented groups of persons with disabilities

4. Denial of access to healthcare

 

A webinar was held to mark the launch of the report

COVID-19: How to include marginalized and vulnerable people in risk communication and community engagement

UN WOMEN
TRANSLATORS WITHOUT BORDERS
March 2020

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Recommendations for inclusion of marginalised and vulnerable groups in risk communications and community engangement are made. Groups considered are: children; people with disabilities; women and girls; pregnant women; persons living with HIV; gender based violence survivors; refugees and migrants; elderly; people in existing humanitarian emergencies; people with pre-existing medical conditions; sexual and gender minorities; ethnic minorities.

Global education monitoring report, 2020, Latin America and the Caribbean: inclusion and education: all means all

GLOBAL EDUCATION MONITORING REPORT TEAM
LABORATORY OF EDUCATION RESEARCH AND INNOVATION FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (SUMMA)
UNESCO OFFICE SANTIAGO AND REGIONAL BUREAU FOR EDUCATION IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (OREALC/UNESCO)
2020

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This regional report on inclusion and education in Latin America and the Caribbean offers a deep dive into the core challenges and key solutions for greater inclusion, in a region characterized for having the largest and most challenging socio-economic inequalities in the world.

In the framework of this report, 29 in-depth case studies from the region covering 8 dimensions of exclusion were prepared. The Report covers access to education of Venezuelan migrants in Colombia and Haitians in Dominican Republic; remoteness in Suriname and Brazil; disability in Nicaragua; girls in Peru and boys in Jamaica; sexual orientation in Mexico and Chile; and youth incarceration in Uruguay. It also explores how the Covid-19 pandemic has further exposed and deepened the disparities that already existed in education.

Chapter 2 analyses the role of legal tools in supporting the development of inclusive education. Chapter 3 addresses governance and finance. Chapter 4 discusses the politically complicated issue of how curricula and learning materials are adapted to the principles of inclusive education. Chapter 5 looks at ways teachers can support the case for inclusion, considers their needs, and examines how well governments help them prepare to meet the inclusion challenge.  Chapter 6 examines school-level factors. Chapter 7 examines communities’ crucial role in achieving inclusive education. After these chapters addressing the main inclusion challenges, Chapter 8 looks at them all through the lens of COVID-19. 

Malawi : DoDMA exploring indigenous knowledge on disasters

KAZEMBE, Ida
May 2015

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This article contains an interview with Mulder Mkutumula, Mitigation Officer at the Department of Disaster Management Affairs in Malawi. Mr. Mkutumula discusses the importance of raising awareness and understanding of disaster risk reduction in Malawi, especially in the context of the 2015 floods

How to include and empower the vulnerable in disaster risk reduction

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE (ODI)
November 2014

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 “This event is one of a new event series Rethinking International Policy for Reducing Disaster Risk hosted by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN). The series examines some of the more thorny issues involved in renegotiating the Hyogo Framework for Action, including public private partnerships, use of risk assessments, fragile states and conflict and effective governance for DRR, amongst others”

ODI seminar “How to include and empower the vulnerable in disaster risk reduction”

London, UK

25 November 2014

Inclusive disaster risk management : briefing paper

SHARMA, Anshu
et al
2014

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This briefing paper  presents the case for building safer, more resilient communities in South Asia using evidence-based inclusive approaches to Disaster Risk Management (DRM) through multi-stakeholder engagement. It is based on the learning from the Inclusive Community Resilience for Sustainable Disaster Risk Management (INCRISD) South Asia project, currently being implemented in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It concludes by highlighting ten recommendations more inclusive Disaster Risk Management framework, and, while the paper is based on South Asia experiences, the recommendations and approaches can have global application

Disaster resilience in an ageing world : how to make policies and programmes inclusive of older people

HELPAGE INTERNATIONAL
2014

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“This publication aims to promote age-inclusive resilience-building among practitioners and policy-makers. It gives a comprehensive overview of how resilience-building programmes should be designed and implemented to ensure the inclusion of older people. It also highlights the benefits of including and empowering older people through DRR and resilience-building activities. By applying an older people lens to DRR programming, which involves assessing the specific vulnerabilities and capacities of older people and encouraging them to take a more proactive role, we can support older people to become more resilient – with wide ranging benefits for themselves, their families, and their wider communities. We have included case studies to highlight good practice, demonstrating what can be achieved by working for and with older people” 

Fiji disability inclusive community based disaster risk management toolkit

FIJI DISABLED PEOPLES ASSOCIATION
2013

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The toolkit is part of the pilot project called ‘Disability Inclusiveness in Disaster Risk Reduction Management’ in Fiji in partnership with the Pacific Disability Forum from 2011 – 2013. Fiji regularly experiences natural disasters so the toolkit was developed for the inclusion of disability within disaster management.  The toolkit is divided into three parts: part one presents an introduction to disability; part two provides detailed about disability inclusive community based disaster risk management activities in practice; and part three presents the toolbox. It is adapted from the Disability Inclusive Community Based Disaster Risk Management Toolkit for South Asia developed by Handicap International

Common European guidelines on the transition from institutional to community based care|Guidance on implementing and supporting a sustained transition from institutional care to family-based and community-based alternatives for children, persons with dis

THE EUROPEAN EXPERT GROUP ON THE TRANSITION FROM INSTITUTIONAL TO COMMUNITY BASED CARE (EEG)
November 2012

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These guidelines "provide practical advice about how to make a sustained transition from institutional care to family-based and community based alternatives for individuals currently living in institutions and those living in the community, often without adequate support. The Guidelines are aimed primarily at policy and decision makers in the European Union and the neighbouring countries with responsibility for the provision of care and support services for children, people with disabilities and their families, people with mental health problems and older people"

Toolkit on the use of European Union funds for the transition from institutional to community based care

THE EUROPEAN EXPERT GROUP ON THE TRANSITION FROM INSTITUTIONAL TO COMMUNITY BASED CARE (EEG)
November 2012

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This toolkit "aims to explain how European Union funds can support national, regional and local authorities in designing and implementing structural reforms aimed at facilitating the development of quality family-based and community-based alternatives to institutional care. It addresses primarily the desk officers of the European Commission, managing authorities, intermediate bodies, monitoring committees and project promoters in the EU Member States and in acceding, candidate and potential candidate countries; and any other donors investing in services for children, people with disabilities, people with mental health problems or older people"

Identifying and supporting vulnerable people in community-led total sanitation : a Bangladesh case study

FAWZI, A
JONES, H
2011

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Community – led sanitation often neglects the poorest and most disadvantaged people in society as they are often unable to participate. This paper looked at the experiences of three CLTS communities in Bangladesh. It found that a well being ranking, amongst other things, should be used to help identify vulnerable members in the community and that vulnerable people themselves strongly believe in the power of CLTS to improve their livelihoods and their importance in the participation of CLTS activities. Furthermore, vulnerable people are motivated to move up the sanitation ladder and most households have made improvements to their latrine. Finally, the installation of toilet seats on latrines to aid disabled people has in some cases decreased the sanitation independence of other household members 

Heightened risk identification tool (HRIT)

OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES (UNHCR)
June 2010

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"The Heightened Risk Identification Tool (HRIT) and User Guide have been developed to enhance UNHCR's effectiveness in identifying refugees at risk by linking community-based / participatory assessments and individual assessment methodologies. They have been designed for use by UNHCR staff involved in community services and/or protection activities (including resettlement) and partner agencies"

The heightened risk identification tool : user guide

OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES (UNHCR)
June 2010

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"The Heightened Risk Identification Tool (HRIT) and User Guide have been developed to enhance UNHCR's effectiveness in identifying refugees at risk by linking community-based / participatory assessments and individual assessment methodologies. They have been designed for use by UNHCR staff involved in community services and/or protection activities (including resettlement) and partner agencies"

A handbook for network support agents and other community workers supporting HIV prevention, care, support and treatment

March 2009

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This manual is intended to help network support agents and other community workers be more effective in disseminating standardised information about HIV and AIDS. It "...emphasises the importance of the acquisition of knowledge, skills and the right attitude needed to identify the psychosocial needs of people of people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and address these needs by giving information, counselling and appropriate referrals. Knowledge of counselling and psychosocial care, is combined as much as possible with prevention activities such as adopting HIV basic care positive prevention and adherence to treatment"

Mainstreaming HIV, AIDS and gender into culture|A community education handbook : part 2

WALLACE-KARENGA, Katrina
March 2009

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This second part of the handbook looks specifically at how culture, gender and HIV are connected. Studies undertaken in sub-Saharan Africa make it clear that certain cultural practices, together with the low status and economic power of women increase women and girl's vulnerability to HIV. It is a resource for community-based volunteers working with communities to mainstream HIV and gender through culture

Coordination for vulnerable children : Alliance Zambia’s efforts to strengthen government and community OVC systems

ALLIANCE FOR COMMUNITY ACTION ON HEALTH IN ZAMBIA (Alliance Zambia)
2009

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Based on its experience of implementing a programme to strengthen community support systems for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), Alliance Zambia sees coordination within government, and partnership between government and civil society, as essential building blocks for effective OVC support

Giving voice to the voiceless : a communicating for advocacy publication

September 2007

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Using a rights-based approach, this project sought to develop the capacity of poor and marginalised groups in South and South-East Asia both to influence practice and policy, and for information exchange and skills transfer by health and development agencies. The project focused on four main themes: training, advocacy, communication and networking, and the lessons learned from it are set out in the report

At the heart of change : the role of communication in sustainable development

WILSON, Mark
WARNOCK, Kitty
SCHOEMAKER, Emrys
2007

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This paper shows how information, communication, the media and ICTs are powerful agents of change, how they can give 'voice' to the poor and contribute to more sustainable development, but it also emphasises the need to support and strengthen communication processes used by poor and marginalised people who already face many barriers to receiving information, and to develop the skills and capacity of those people to make their own voices heard. It concludes by suggesting an agenda for action by policy makers, development experts, international organisations, non-governmental organisations and the private sector (including the media)

Gender, sexuality, rights and HIV : an overview for community sector organizations

BANERJEE, Sumita
SHARMA, Upasana
2007

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This is a summary of a desk-based literature review that examines the factors that contribute to the vulnerability and risk of HIV infection in men, women, and men-who-have-sex-with-men. It is a resource for NGOs and Community Based Organisations to build a greater understanding of how gender and sexuality determine vulnerability to HIV. It also highlights major human rights declarations, treaties and recommendations that can be used by individuals and associations to advocate for their rights and hold decision makers accountable to their commitments

Our right to be protected from violence : activities for learning and taking action for children and young people

FOUNTAIN, Susan
2007

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This booklet is aimed at adults, youth leaders and peer educators that work with groups of young people aged 12-18. It highlights information on the UN Study on Violence Against Children, and suggests many different activities that can be used when working with young people on issues of violence and abuse. The material provides useful ideas on how to communicate and talk about issues of violence and abuse for educators and youth leaders who work with youth groups

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