Training people with disabilities as trainers for the promotion of non-handicapping environments

Overall objectives

• To promote the equalization of opportunities of people with disabilities, through increasing their training capability on the promotion of non-handicapping environments
• To increase disabled people's participation in the implementation of the Agenda for Action for the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002

Immediate objectives

• To generate trainers’ guidelines for use by organizations of disabled persons, other NGOs and training institutions, to strengthen the skills of disabled persons for the promotion of non-handicapping environments
• To assist in building the capacity of selected people with disabilities as trainers of their disabled peers in the promotion of non-handicapping environments
• To assist in developing approaches to involving people with disabilities in local-level promotion of non-handicapping environments in three cities (i.e., Bangalore; India, Penang; Malaysia, and Pattaya; Thailand)

Justification

ESCAP has encouraging experience in the implementation of two multi-year projects: "Assistance in the development of self-help organizations of people with disabilities (Phase I and II from 1990 to 1996) and "Promotion of non-handicapping environments for disabled and elderly persons in the Asia-Pacific region (Phase I and II from 1993 to 1997)".

Through implementing the self-help project, the secretariat produced guidelines on the establishment and strengthening of self-help organizations of people with disabilities. The guidelines have been translated into five national languages in the ESCAP region (Bangla, Bahasa Indonesia, Khmer, Thai and Vietnamese). They are in popular demand by disability organizations not only in the ESCAP region, but also by those in other regions.

Guidelines on the promotion of non-handicapping physical environment for disabled persons were developed under the non-handicapping environments project. Those guidelines have been disseminated to policy-makers, architects, engineers, transport specialists, urban planners and disabled persons, to support their access promotion efforts. In Phase II of the non-handicapping environments project, implementation of the guidelines was piloted in three mega-cities in the ESCAP region (Bangkok, Beijing and New Delhi). In each city, a pilot project site was selected and on-site improvements on accessibility for people with disabilities were made.

Implementation experience generated by both the above-mentioned projects highlighted the need to support people with disabilities in directly effecting changes required in attitudes, technical knowledge, and behaviour, in order to achieve the long-term goal of accessible built environments.

Generally, people with disabilities have low levels of skills as a result of widespread exclusion from education and skills development programmes. The inaccessible infrastructure in which these programmes are located in ESCAP developing countries effectively bars people with disabilities as programme participants. Consequently, there is a serious shortage of trainers with disabilities.

For the empowerment of people with disabilities, it is important that they have skilled trainers who can also serve as inspiring role models. This will be invaluable in helping them to overcome poor self-esteem, fear, and a sense of resignation to the handicapping conditions that exclude them from the mainstream development process. These are consequences on disabled persons themselves of the internalization of society's negative attitudes towards them.

Therefore, the present proposal aims to assist people with disabilities, and their organizations, in the ESCAP region by building on secretariat experience in the implementation of the above-mentioned projects, in close collaboration with network partners.

In Phase I of the project, an expert group meeting (EGM) was convened at Pattaya, Thailand, from 22 to 26 June 1998. The meeting generated draft trainers’ guidelines, which the secretariat worked on further prior to releasing them for field testing. Among the participants were experts, including disabled persons, from the cities where field-testing was expected to take place.

Special considerations

The project is framed in accordance with the following mandates and priorities:

• Commission resolution 48/3 on the proclamation of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002, adopted by the Commission at its 48th Session in April 1992.
• Agenda for Action for the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, adopted by the Commission through its resolution 49/6 in 1993.
• Targets, recommendations and gender dimensions concerning implementation of the Agenda for Action for the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, endorsed by the Commission at its 52nd Session in 1996.
• Resolution 54/1: Strengthening regional support for persons with disabilities into the twenty-first century adopted at the 54th session of the Commission in April 1998.
• Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly at its 48th session in 1993.
• The World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons, adopted by the General Assembly in 1982, particularly the sections concerning equalization of opportunities.
• Commission resolution 54/ 2: Manila Declaration on Accelerated Implementation of the Agenda for Action on Social Development in the ESCAP Region

Intended impact

• Availability of a training tool (guidelines) as a reference source to encourage NGOs in community development, organizations of disabled persons, and training institutions to expand and enhance training opportunities for persons with disabilities.
• Introduction of local-level training opportunities for disabled persons in the promotion of non-handicapping environments.
• Development of training approaches to the mobilization of people with disabilities in access promotion, especially through strengthening their skills in:

  (a) Social mobilization, including advocacy, communication, negotiation, conflict resolution, and strategic planning;

  (b) Basic technical knowledge of barrier-free issues;

  (c) Preparation and use of presentation materials aimed at awareness raising among diverse audience groups.

• Development of a core group of disabled persons who can be called upon to serve as resource persons and trainers (both of other disabled persons and of technical personnel), to support subnational and national efforts in the promotion of non-handicapping environments

Activities

Under Phase I (January-December 1998) of the project, preparation and revising of the draft guidelines have been completed. Field testing of the training guidelines in three cities commences in October 1998. The field testing program includes the following main activities:

• Translate the draft guidelines into local languages;
• Organize an eight-day training workshop and a three-day follow-up session;
• Undertake on-going documentation of the field-testing process.

The trainees, the local consultant and the partner organization are encouraged to document regularly their experiences and observations during the field testing period. This information will be used as reference material in strengthening the guidelines.

In each city, the eight-day training workshop will be conducted by a team composed of secretariat staff, the local consultant and local resource persons. Each workshop will train around 15 disabled persons per city. Scheduled for the period 24 October -26 November 1998, the training is expected to take into consideration the secretariat's detailed suggestions for pre-workshop preparations, conduct of the training workshop and the field testing and documentation process. The training will cover five modules in the draft training guidelines:

Module 1: Social mobilization and group building

Module 2: Development of strategies, resources and support.

Module 3: Advocacy, negotiation and presentation

Module 4: Information collection and documentation

Module 5: Training of trainers

After the first training workshop, the trainees, under the guidance of the local consultant and partner organization, will be expected to pursue follow-up activities using the above-mentioned five modules. They will be required to undertake these activities weekly and to document the progress of their follow-up activities.

By the end of December 1998, a feedback session will be conducted on the outcome of the follow-up action taken by the workshop participants and on their discussion concerning the implementation of the guidelines.

Under Phase II, four months (January - April 1999) will be allocated for activities that include the following:

• Conduct a training course for disabled persons (by the trainers with disabilities)
  A five-day training course will be organized in March 1999 in each city. This training course will be conducted by the trainees of the training workshop under Phase I. The course will provide an opportunity for them to test their skills and to share these with other persons with disabilities (15-20). They will use the draft modules as guidelines and draw from their own experiences from participating in the field-testing programme.
  The participants of both the workshop and the training course will be encouraged to work together on a small joint project on access promotion in the respective city. The project task will emphasize creative use of local community resources and events.
• Conduct a feedback session
  A three-day feedback session will be conducted on the outcome of the follow-up actions taken by the participants, and on the implementation of the guidelines. Four months will be allocated for the field testing process under Phase II of the project.
• Revise trainers’ guidelines
  Following the field testing, the trainers’ guidelines will be revised based on the feedback and process documentation received. Preparation of illustrations and other graphic material will be initiated in this period.
• Produce and disseminate the trainers’ guidelines
  The finalized trainers’ guidelines will be disseminated to organizations of people with disabilities, training institutions, local development NGOs and relevant government agencies in the ESCAP region such as the ministries responsible for human resource development, urban development, rural development, education, and social development/welfare.

Outputs

1. A publication containing trainers’ guidelines for people with disabilities to strengthen their skills in the promotion of non-handicapping environments.
2. Three training courses for people with disabilities in Bangalore, Pattaya and Penang.
3. Around 30 trainers with disabilities who can train other disabled persons on the promotion of non-handicapping environments.
   Follow-up action

The insights gained in the implementation of the present project will be examined in the light of the needs of people with disabilities in other cities in the ESCAP region. As required, appropriate action will be pursued to promote the implementation of the guidelines, including through further collaboration with RICAP Subcommittee members.

The secretariat welcomes contributions of case-studies, illustrations (drawings, photos of publishable quality), stories and exercises for possible inclusion in the guidelines. We would like to receive the contributions together with the full name, title, organization/agency and contact details of the person to whom credit should be given if the item is selected for inclusion.

E-mail (socdev.unescap@un.org) or send to Decade Team, Disadvantaged Groups Section, Social Development Division, ESCAP, UN Building, Rajdamnern Nok Avenue, Bangkok 10200, Thailand.