Disability Inclusive Development in Practice

• Sophie Plumridge is the Executive Officer of ADDC and its former Chair.

• Prior to her role at ADDC, Sophie was the Director of Global Policy and Programs at Vision 2020 Australia.

• Sophie has also held the position of Head of Communications at World Vision Australia.

• Sophie is a Board member of the Australian Pacific Islands Disability Support (APIDS).

Sophie Plumridge

Agenda

• International Day of People with Disability

• The MDGs, SDGs and UNCRPD

• DFAT Development for All Strategy

• Background to Practice Note

• Practice Note - key principles for DID

• Key Resources

Source: Islamic Relief

MDGs – eight icons

Building a World For All – CBM Australia

Sophie Plumridge with Hon Julie Bishop MP at the launch of ‘Development For All’ in 2015

• Lucy Ledger’s background is as an Occupational Therapist working in community based disability services with Indigenous populations in Australia.

• Lucy worked in Bangladesh for World Vision and UNICEF advising on disability inclusion within development programming.

• Lucy currently works for CBM Australia as a Technical Advisor in Disability Inclusive Development and is completing her Masters of Human Rights Law.

Lucy Ledger

Practice Note: Disability Inclusive Development

a) ‘Nothing about us without us’ applies to all work in this area b) Approaches must be responsive and tailored to each cultural context c) Rights-based thinking is essential d) Practicing disability inclusion within an organisation increases its credibility

with partners and deepens understanding about appropriate strategies e) Commitment to learning and sharing experiences with others is valuable f) Gender equity issues are closely connected with disability inclusion g) Key issues are often different for people with disabilities depending on

their age h) A twin-track approach is necessary i) Disability inclusion needs to be factored into policy and program budgets

Principle A:‘Nothing about us without us’

• People with disabilities must be included in all aspects of development work which is related to their lives

© CBM/Wyatt

Principle B: Approaches must be responsive and tailored to each cultural context

• It is important not to generalise the experience of people with disabilities across or even within contexts.

• As development practitioners, we must take the time to understand the different values and priorities of people with disabilities in different contexts.

Accessible school in India © CBM/Wyatt

Global estimate of disability prevalence: 15%

In Zambia:

Using a single question “Do you have a disability? Yes/No”:2.7% disability prevalence (2000)Significant underestimation

Using a more holistic measure:13.4% disability prevalence (2006)More realistic indication of prevalence

Asking a direct question about whether a person has a disability significantly underestimates disability prevalence compared to using more holistic measures

Source: Approaching the measurement of disability prevalence: the case of Zambia

Principle C: Rights-based thinking is essential

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Example of Medical & Charitable Approach

Child as the problem

Is different from other

children

Needs special environment

Needs special teachers

Does not respond,

cannot learn Has special needs

Needs special equipment

Cannot get to school

Source: Adapted from Save The Children (2002). Available from: http://www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/schools_for_all.pdf

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Example of the Rights Based Approach

Education system as the

problem

Parents not involved

Lack of teaching aids

and equipment

Poor quality teaching

Teacher’s attitudes Rigid methods,

rigid curriculum

Inaccessible environments

Teachers and schools not supported

Source: Adapted from Save The Children (2002). Available from: http://www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/schools_for_all.pdf

Principle D: Practising disability inclusion within your own organisation

• Disability inclusion is not just a development programming issue, but is relevant to all elements of an organisation’s operations and culture – including its corporate services and human resources functions, governance, communications, advocacy and fundraising

• Disability inclusion can be a part of everyday work for all staff and ensures that people with disabilities participate at all levels of an organisation as well as being beneficiaries of development programs

• Practicing disability inclusion at an organisational level also increases your credibility with partners and deepens your understanding about appropriate strategies

Principle E: Commitment to learning and sharing experiences with others is invaluable

• Be open to learning about what will work in different circumstances and how best to achieve shared objectives, once they have been negotiated respectfully and inclusively

• Learn from others with more experience, through research, events and networks

• Share experiences with the development sector to contribute to the inclusiveness of the sector as a whole

Principle F: Gender equality issues are closely connected with disability inclusion

• Disability is more prevalent amongst women (19.2%) compared to men (12%) aged 18+

• Girls with disability are less likely to attend school than boys with disability

• A significant majority of girls with a disability in developing countries remain illiterate

• Women with disability are less likely to be employed (only 19.6 per cent of women with disability are employed, compared to 52.8 per cent of men with disability), and earn lower wages

• Women with disability are 2 to 3 times more likely to experience physical and sexual abuse than those without disability

Source: World Report on DisabilityA Report on Violence Against Women with Disabilities: An overview of its nature, scope, causes and consequences

Principle G: Key issues are often different for people with disabilities depending on their age

Kazol’s full story

Principle H: Twin-track approachTargeted activities Mainstreaming activities• Provision of assistive devices

(wheelchair)• Home modifications – provision of a

ramp and adequate door opening width.• List developed of people with disability in

the local area (as part of disaster preparedness activities)

• Where appropriate, people with disability provided with coaching and mentoring in order to support confidence and capacity to contribute to community committees.

• Specific disability inclusion awareness activities implemented.

• Inclusion in income generating activity training and asset distribution

• Inclusion in disaster preparedness committee

• Inclusion as facilitator of disaster risk reduction community awareness activities

• WASH infrastructure (toilet, water pump) made accessible

• House of person with disability raised (as were some houses of community members without disabilities). These raised houses became shelters for surrounding families during emergencies.

• Disaster risk reduction community mobilization activities included messages about disability inclusion.

Principle I: Disability inclusion needs to be factored into program designs and budgets

• Setting budget aside for disability inclusion is important

• Budgeting for disability inclusion need not be costly

• Research has found that if for example accessibility features are included in the initial design of new buildings, the cost is marginal, while if done later requiring retrofitting, the costs can be prohibitive

Resources

• ADDC and ACFID, Practice Note (2015)

• APIDS, Capacity development for effective and efficient Disabled People’s Organisations in Pacific Island countries (2015)

• Plan, CBM, Nossal, Practice Note: Collecting and Using Data of Disability to Inform Inclusive Development (2015)

• ADCAP, Minimum Standards for Age and Disability Inclusion in Humanitarian Action (2015)

• End the Cycle – an international platform that promotes the human rights and lived experience of persons with disabilities in lower and middle income counties http://endthecycle.org.au/

Further Resources

• DID4All – funded by the Australian Government to promote disability inclusive development; provides quality resources to the development sector and helps ensure that the Australian Government funded development activities are inclusive of people with disability

• Inclusion Made Easy – a brief, practical guide on how to ensure programs are disability-inclusive. It offers basic inclusion principles, practical tips and case study examples. Part A focuses on disability-inclusive development principles and Part B on disability inclusion across a range of development sectors

• Australian Human Rights Commission – Disability Action Plans, to assist in taking steps for your organisation to become more disability inclusive

• Australian Disability and Development Consortium – a free network that you can join by completing a simple membership form on the website. We send out a monthly bulletin and we also have a Facebook page and are on twitter at @ADDCnews.

Thank youwww.addc.org.au

@ADDCnews