Themes/Sectors
Infrastructure
Infrastructure investments constitute a large segment of
development aid. Infrastructure development also has a great
importance in poverty reduction. The participation of and
contribution by people with disabilities to development depends on
the accessibility, affordability and usability of
infrastructure.
The GTZ has published a study of relevant frameworks and guidelines
for making infrastructure accessible to people with disabilities in
developing countries: Ronald Wiman and Jim
Sandhu:Integrating Appropriate Measures for People with
Disabilities in the Infrastructure Sector (PDF)
An innovative guide on how to design accessible water and
sanitation facilities particularly in poor rural areas has been
produced recently by WEDC, Water Engineering and Development Center
at the Loughborough University (UK) :
Access to water and sanitation for disabled people
Designing services to improve accessibility by Hazel Jones and
Bob Reed
Education
Children with disabilities have very limited access to education
[
1]. Only 1-2 % of children with disabilities in developing
countries receive a formal education . But "Lack of education
remains the key risk factor for poverty and exclusion of all
children, both those with disabilities and the
non-disabled."[
2] People with disabilities are mostly separated in special
schools, which have low capacities and are often run by (I)NGOs
[
3] with uncertain funding.
Inclusive Education (IE) is a more effective strategy.
The World Bank Education Note (PDF)
characterizes it as follows: "Inclusive Education means that
schools and teachers accommodate and respond to individual
learners; this inclusiveness itself benefits the school, the
teachers and all students."
Inclusive education is a human rights issue. A short and
systematic introduction to the concepts and guidelines for good
practices of IE is presented in Sue Stubbs:
Inclusive Education. Where there are few
resources. July 2002 (PDF)
Education for all cannot be achieved as long as children with
disabilities are left out of schools.
A UNESCO Education for All Flagship
Initiative "seeks to unite all partners in its effort to
provide access to education and to promote completion of quality
education by every child, and adult with disabilities."
The GPDD runs an Education Working Group. It can be contacted
through the Chair of the Group, Diane Richler dianer(at)cacl.ca
.
Find links to more information e.g. at
the World Bank Disability and Development
websites
Endnotes
[1] cf. Department for International
Development (February 2000): Disability, poverty and development.
DFID issues. London. , p.3
[2] cf. Takamine, Yutaka (May 2004):
Working Paper Series on Disability Issues in East Asia: Review and
Ways Forward. Paper No. 2004-1, p. 20
[3] cf. Takamine, 2004, p.
20 |