PROMOTION OF DISABILITY ISSUES IN DEVELOPMENT CO-OPERATION

There are number of agencies and institutions involved in development activities that are relevant from the disability perspective. Each of the development organisations has own functions, operates in different ways and aims at specific goals. The objectives, activities and ultimate outcomes of development interventions involving a disability dimension depend on the perspectives chosen regarding disability and disabled people. If the aim is to introduce disability concerns as development issues rather than as a particular isolated charity, good-will or social welfare exercise, it is vital first to place the disability dimension in the context of the mainstream development debate. There are a number of current strategic themes that are highly relevant from the disability perspective. Some practical and functional approaches are:

The participatory partnership approach which is a disability sensitive approach empowering disabled people to benefit them
Involvement of disabled people as resources when promoting human rights and equality and reducing poverty. By non-discrimination policy equal opportunities can be established to everybody involved. Highly relevant categories for disability issues are health, education, employment, housing, social welfare and social security.
Ownership of disability specific projects should belong to disabled people and to their organisations.

Main project categories can be seen as

Not disability relevant projects (the activity is not disability relevant if it is not targeted to people and their living conditions)
Disability relevant general projects (activity that addresses the well-being of all people and/or focuses on services, or any of the problem dimensions have direct or indirect impact on people with disabilities)
Highly disability relevant projects (activities involves social, health and education sectors, disabled people are in the target group or a specific disability component is included)
Disability specific projects (the activity is disability specific if disabled people are the target group).

The individual country or project can target a number of disability issues if willing. Focus issues can be:

Targeting directly the living conditions of disabled people.
Empowering people with disabilities at various levels.
Ensuring adequate resources flows to disability concerns.
Keeping disability on the intentional agenda.

Through the project activities special improvement can be focused on conditions that have a direct relevance to disabled people. These conditions include human rights, inclusive social development, accessibility, education, employment and income generation. By empowerment of people with disabilities the project can build the access to influence and participate in decision-making.

Principles to promote the disability issues in a programme

Understand the scale and impact of disability in the country setting and recognise the diversity of the disabled population

Disabled persons do not form a homogenous group of people. Policies that respect this diversity will work.
People with complex dependency needs and intellectual disabilities require particular action as they are often the most forgotten among disabled people.
Disabled women and disabled people from minority groups are often faced with double or even multiple discrimination. The discrimination is caused by their disability, gender, age, tribe or caste.

Advocate and support the human rights model of disability rather than the charitable or medical approach

Disabled people want equal rights, not charity.
Disabled people are entitled to the same human rights – civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights
The UN Standard Rules on the Equalisation of Persons with Disabilities is the principal document which forms the basis for the rights-based approach to disability.
In December 2006 accepted the new and historically markable UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will be the basic tool for national and international programmes after the ratification

Pursue a twin-track approach

There is a need both to mainstream disability issues across all relevant programmes and projects and to have specific projects for disabled people.
Ensure the inclusion of disabled people – “Nothing about us without us”
Ensure that disabled people participate in the development of any programme designed to benefit them. Disabled people should be included during the planning, implementation and evaluation of the project. Disabled people are experts on disability, exclusion and accessibility.
Consult regularly representatives of disabled people’s organisations (DPOs).

Assess to what extent the programme is inclusive of persons with disabilities

Discuss and examine with various partners the extent to which the programmes are responsive to the needs of persons with disabilities.
Nobody knows as much about disability and the processes of exclusion as disabled people themselves.

Ensure your projects are truly inclusive of disabled persons and their families

Involve and include organisations of disabled people themselves and families, not just governments and non-disabled persons speaking on behalf of the disabled community.
One approach is so called Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) through which disabled people, their families and communities can be involved. Active participation of the whole society supports the development.

Recognise women and children with disabilities in programmes

Secure gender equality in designing, decision-making and implementation.
Women and children with disabilities are often severely marginalised.
Specific initiatives are required to reduce exclusion and discrimination by e.g. education projects aimed specifically towards women and children with disabilities and strengthening of disabled women’s networks and networks of parents of children with disabilities.

Include disabled people in the workforce

Employ disabled people among staff.
Ensure that disabled people are fully included in training and employment programmes (vocational training and income generating activities).

Ensure that your own services are accessible for disabled persons

Ensure that your office is physically accessible.
Produce information material in a variety formats to be accessible to blind, deaf and persons with learning difficulties.
Train your staff to include and co-work with disabled people during the whole project cycle.

Facilitate and support capacity building of representative disability organisations

Support and empower DPOs by capacity building to respond to the needs of people with disabilities within the society.

Facilitate communication between disability organisations and Government and other stakeholders

Promote the inclusion of disabled people and facilitate communication between DPOs, stakeholders and the projects.

Read more about the new UN CONVENTION!

http://www.dpi.org

Disabled Peoples' International
Email: info@dpi.org

www.landminesurvivors.org

Special information on the Ratification and Implementation can be found

http://www.icrpd.net/

The Ratification Toolkit: http://www.icrpd.net/ratification/en/index.htm

The Implementation Toolkit: http://www.icrpd.net/implementation/en/index.htm

www.landminesurvivors.org

http://www.iddc.org.uk

UN Convention enforces the human rights of disabled people

Article 32 on International cooperation

States Parties recognize the importance of international cooperation and its promotion, in support of national efforts for the realization of the purpose and objectives of the present Convention, and will undertake appropriate and effective measures in this regard, between and among States and, as appropriate, in partnership with relevant international and regional organisations and civil society, in particular organisations of persons with disabilities. Such measures include, inter alla:

Ensuring that international cooperation, including international development programmes, is inclusive of and accessible to persons with disabilities.

While the rights of disabled people in Europe and North America will be further protected by the convention, disabled people in developing countries are denied the most fundamental human rights, such as the right for life, security of person or equality. The scope of the UN convention enshrines their rights and articulates how they can be effectively enjoyed.

The IDDC paper on inclusive development. "Inclusive Development and the Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities" ) describes how the UN convention should also ensure the participation of disabled people in development.

Read more about Poverty, Disability and the UN Convention

http://www.iddc.org.uk/dis_dev/key_issues/un_conv_p.shtml

10 key areas IDDC identified in the context of poverty, disability and UN Convention

http://www.iddc.org.uk/dis_dev/key_issues/un_conv_k.shtml