Mapping DFID and disability

'What is DFID doing on disability?' This was the question at the heart of a recently completed 'mapping' exercise by Disability Policy Officer Philippa Thomas. The findings form a report, the first output of the Disability Policy Project.

The DFID and disability mapping exercise was an unprecedented opportunity to look at what DFID is currently doing on disability. It has produced a valuable 'snapshot' in the resultant report, DFID and disability: a mapping of the Department for International Development and disability issues.

Approaching the task

Mapping DFID's disability-related activities was not an easy task - there were issues around defining disability and what constitute 'disability activities'. The lack of a complete, centralised database put the onus on DFID staff - who already have heavy workloads - as key sources of information.

The criteria for selection of activities were based on the social model of disability. The focus was on activities where disabled people are the target beneficiaries or are specifically mentioned among the beneficiaries. This meant that programmes and projects aimed at the prevention of disabling diseases, such as polio, or mine action programmes, except where they included a rehabilitation component, were excluded because these activities are not so much disability-focused but impairment-focused. Only current activities were included. Information was gathered from: DFID's Performance Reporting Information System for Management (PRISM); responses received to a questionnaire sent to all social development, education and health and population advisors; interviews with staff, and literature- and web-based searches.

PRISM does not have a disability marker, as it does for gender. This proved a hindrance as projects/programmes had to be found by scanning through lists of all projects/programmes and chosen on the basis of the project title and purpose description. Furthermore PRISM is far from complete: there are no records of activities supported under the Small Grants Scheme and many activities funded through accountable grants from DFID country offices or departments are not recorded. Therefore it is likely that some disability-focused projects/programmes will have been missed.

In addition, the current aid modalities of direct budgetary support, support to national poverty reduction plans, and Sector-Wide Approaches make it difficult to quantify how disabled people will benefit specifically. For example, DFID's extensive support to education in developing countries should benefit disabled people and children directly and indirectly, but unless education sector plans specifically identify disabled children and outline a strategy to address their special educational needs, they have not been included in the mapping.

Findings

In its 2000 Issues Paper Disability, poverty and development, DFID outlined a twin-track approach to disability and development focusing on 'addressing inequalities between disabled and non-disabled persons in all strategic areas of [its] work' and 'supporting specific initiatives to enhance the empowerment of people with disabilities'. What emerges from the mapping is a solid bedrock of disability-specific activities delivered primarily through non-government organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations (CSOs) but limited evidence of disability mainstreaming.

Support to disability via civil society organisations

The Civil Society Challenge Fund (CSCF) supports UK-based organisations working with Southern partners to implement rights-based initiatives aimed at empowering poor people. Disability is one of the criteria that must be addressed in all successful proposals. The mapping identified 23 disability-specific projects that DFID is currently supporting under the CSCF.

DFID also has Partnership Programme Agreements (PPAs) with 15 UK-based international NGOs. PPAs provide long-term support (typically five years) to organisations that have a proven track record in international development and the ability to make a significant contribution to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through closer working with DFID around an agreed set of outcomes. All but one of the NGOs with PPAs support some disability-specific activities, while others, such as Save the Children, VSO, HelpAge and International Service, have a strong disability focus.

In 2002, DFID established a PPA with Action on Disability in Development (ADD), the only disability-specific organisation with a PPA (see box 1). ADD is a unique UK NGO whose work focuses on supporting and developing the capacity of Southern disabled people's organisations (DPOs) rather than on service delivery. ADD itself is not a disabled persons' organisation, but it has a target of half of its workforce being
disabled people.

The implicit aim of the ADD PPA is to link DFID's work at the national and international levels with ADD's interventions and activities at the grassroots, as well as its wider human-rights approach to disability and development. The PPA details outcomes and actions to be taken by both DFID and ADD to achieve these outcomes. It is grounded on a social model understanding of disability and the rights-based approach is explicitly present in the strategic objectives against which the success of the PPA is to be measured.

This PPA represents a significant commitment from DFID to addressing disability issues. DFID's support to disability issues delivered through CSOs is quite extensive and varied. However, development assistance through CSOs in all sectors represents only a very small part of DFID's overall aid programme.

Disability and DFID bilateral aid

DFID's bilateral assistance has in recent years shifted away from project-based aid towards direct budgetary assistance to national governments to support national plans such as Poverty Reduction Strategy Plans (PRSPs) and multi-donor support to sectors such as health and education through Sector-Wide Approaches. These current aid modalities have resulted in reduced space for disability. Disability is rarely explicitly mentioned in national plans and thus in DFID's Country Assistance Plans (CAPs), which broadly reflect national priorities.

However, the mapping did uncover some examples of innovative work by DFID country offices including disability sub-components within larger mainstream programmes. In most cases, DFID has drawn directly on the expertise of CSOs, both organisations of and for disabled people, to assist in design and implementation of activities. See Box 2 for examples.

DFID and disability research

DFID's biggest commitment to research on disability is the Disability KaR Programme itself (£1.4 million), but DFID is also supporting other research outputs. The need for research on mental health issues has recently been highlighted in DFID's new draft research strategy.

DFID Central Research Department is supporting the following disability-focused research:

Disability Knowledge and Research Programme: Disability equality training; research into links between poverty and disability; provision of technical advice on disability to DFID; six disability projects in the South (see projects).

Enhanced Accessibility for Disabled People Living in Urban Areas: Production of a compendium of guidelines on accessibility for transport and other services.

Domestic Water Supply and Sanitation Access and Use by Physically Disabled People: Field work in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Uganda. Examples of low-cost technologies collected and developed to improve accessibility.

Learning from Difference: Understanding Community Initiatives to Improve Access to Education: Participatory action research with communities on their experience of Inclusive Education.

Conclusion

This was the first time that DFID's disability activities had been mapped. The exercise revealed a much wider range of activities than had been anticipated - but these have been largely hidden and activities are often isolated and uncoordinated. The mapping process also revealed that many DFID staff have considerable interest in and knowledge of disability issues. These staff recognise the relevance of disability to DFID's poverty reduction agenda and its work on human rights and social exclusion. The challenge for DFID is to build on existing activities so that disability issues are addressed strategically and effectively mainstreamed within DFID's wider work.

Disability is one of the specific responsibilities of a new team - Exclusion, Rights and Justice - within Policy Division. DFID has also just launched its Diversity Strategy, in which disability is seen as a particular priority. These developments present real opportunities for DFID to finally realise the twin-track approach outlined in Disability, poverty and development.

DFID's PPA with Action on Disability and Development (ADD)

The goal of ADD's PPA is 'to contribute to the reduction of poverty through ensuring equality of rights and opportunities for disabled people and maximising disabled people's contribution to society.' (ADD PPA 2002:4)

ADD works first by supporting disabled people at grassroots level to come together and form self-help groups. The organisation encourages these groups to grow, unite with others and ultimately function independently. Simultaneously, ADD supports the disability movement at the national level and promotes the human rights aspects of disability and development, nationally and internationally.

The strategic objectives of the PPA are:

• to secure the adoption by national governments of significant policies and practices that ensure the equality of rights and opportunities of disabled people in five countries where ADD works;
• to incorporate and address disability issues in legislation in five countries where ADD works;
• to influence the European Union, the World Bank, UNICEF and UNESCO to adopt policies and practices to support the equality of rights and opportunities of disabled people.
  

Outcomes of ADD support to date include:

• Ghana: disability policy in place.
• Mali: legislation covering employment rights and access to public building for disabled people enacted.
• Bangladesh: Lobbying successful in persuading government to revise Disability Act. Transport policy now recognises equality of rights of disabled people and provides for reserved seating.
• Cambodia: Disability Act drafted and awaiting submission to Council of Ministers.
• Zambia: Disability Act translated into two local languages.
• Uganda: Local Government Amendment Act implemented and disabled people in some districts appointed to Statutory Boards as prescribed in the Act. Disability Council Act passed.
• Issuing of EU Guidance Note on Disability and Development for EU Delegations and Services by the European Commission.

Examples of how DFID is supporting disability within mainstream bilateral aid programmes

Asia Division: focus on tackling social exclusion

India

• Poorest Areas Civil Society Programme - DFID working with VSO and DPOs.
• Andhra Pradesh Rural Livelihood Programme - element of enabling economic opportunities for disabled people.
• District Primary Education Programme - inclusive education approach.
• Disability included in the logframes of the government of India's Education for All and Reproductive and Child Health programmes.
• New Civil Society Cooperation Programme now recognises disability issues.
• Discussions taking place with VSO, which has been supporting Indian DPOs, on developing a Strategic Partnership Agreement focusing on disability.
  

Nepal

• Community Support Programme - targets vulnerable people affected by conflict.
  China
• Poor Rural Communities Development Project - planned piloting of disability and poverty component within this programme in Yuexi County, Sichuan Province.
  

Africa Division

Ghana

• Imfundo, DFID team working to develop ICT solutions to support Universal primary education, working on solutions for children with special needs, especially the visually impaired. Part of DFID's wider support to the education sector.
  

Europe, Middle East and Americas Division

Bosnia

• Supporting grassroots CSOs to deliver local community services through Community Action projects as part of DFID's wider support to social protection. 16 disability-focused Community Action Projects.
  

Russia

• A number of small disability-focused projects funded under Health and Social Care Partnerships Scheme.

Read Philippa Thomas's full report: DFID and disability: a mapping of the Department for International Development and disability