Resources, Toolkits, and Funding

• Finding organizations
• Resources for inclusive development
• Resources on the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
• Case studies
• Funding Sources, Fellowships, Scholarships, and Free Resources
• Other helpful resources

This page updated through 19 February 2009

Don’t see what you want here? Consult “Navigating We Can Do,” always available in the top navigation bar, for more assistance, or try a key word search.

I’m not completely satisfied with how I have organized the information on this page. I would like to improve upon it so that it will be easier for readers like YOU to quickly find the information you need. Please feel free to share your feedback or suggestions in the comments area below.

Top of this page; Finding organizations; Resources for inclusive development; CRPD resources; Case studies; Funding sources; Other helpful resources

Finding organizations

• Mainstream international development agencies sometimes say that they don’t know how to find people with disabilities, or their representative organizations, in the developing countries where they work. Reviewing the post entitled Finding Local Disability Organizations may help point you in the right direction. Also see Disability Organizations in Afghanistan, Asia, Kenya, Uganda; Disability Kenya; MindFreedom Kenya; African Union of the Blind; a listing of disabled women’s organizations in Pacific-Asia; and a listing of DPOs and disability-oriented organizations at the UN Enable website.
• Disabled People’s Organizations (DPOs) sometimes aren’t sure where to find mainstream development organizations and resources that might be willing to collaborate with them.
• There is an international network of organizations for families of people with Rubinstein Taybi Syndrome.

Top of this page; Finding organizations; Resources for inclusive development; CRPD resources; Case studies; Funding sources; Other helpful resources

Resources for Inclusive Development

Both disability advocates and mainstream development organizations want to ensure that people with disabilities are not left behind when countries and organizations fight poverty or improve public health, education, water, and other services. But it can be a challenge to figure out how to make projects, government policies, and infrastructure more inclusive. The following resources can help:

• The Christian Blind Mission has published a manual on mainstreaming disability into development projects, entitled “Make Development Inclusive”; although written for European-based development organizations, most of the manual could be adapted for use by organizations based elsewhere.
• The Secretariat of the Global Partnership on Disability and Development has called upon advocates to help promote the mainstreaming of disability issues into the Millennium Development Goals
• A new website on Disability and the Millennium Development Goals has been launched; discusses why and how to include disability in the MDGs
• A study conducted with four major international donors asks, Has Disability Been Mainstreamed into Development Cooperation? Their answer is: apart from some exceptions, mostly no. Discusses what seems to stop inclusion from happening and how to address the problem.
• A June 2008 publication from the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children has released a report on the situation of refugees with disabilities, and also a companion resource kit for fieldworkers.
• Handicap International has released an on-line CD with an extensive collection of resources related to inclusive development and the CRPD; this resource is meant for both mainstream organizations and DPOs that are committed to inclusive development.
• A pair of brochures offers guidance to both mainstream non-governmental organizations and also mainstream foundations and other funders on why they should be more inclusive of people with disabilities, and how they can do it.
• Save the Children has released a publication entitled Making schools inclusive: How change can happen, for people interested in inclusive education.
• A new on-line handbook offers guidance on including disabled people in the fight against poverty in developing countries.
• Some of the materials at the African Union of the Blind web site may be of interest to people who wish to be more inclusive of blind people in HIV/AIDS education efforts.
• People can join a network for people interested in exchanging information about emergency (disasters) and disability
• A handbook for making water and sanitation accessible to people with disabilities offers guidance particularly to professionals in the water supply and sanitation services sectors, but can also be helpful to disability advocates, disabled people, and their families.
• Several different resources are available for helping your organization become more inclusive of disabled women–of interest for both women’s organizations and international development agencies.
• People can join an email network for people who share an interest in inclusive education in Eastern Africa
• The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project wants to put an XO laptop into the hands of every child attending primary school in developing countries. Some people on-line are working to make the XO laptop accessible to children with disabilities.
• Making Poverty Reduction Strategies Inclusive: for disability advocates and other individuals or organizations that want to help national government policies become more inclusive of disabled people when they fight poverty. This handbook can be downloaded for free.
• Handbook on Mainstreaming Disability, for mainstream international development organizations written by Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO). Download for free.
• An On-line book on Universal Design and Visitability can be downloaded for free.

Top of this page; Finding organizations; Resources for inclusive development; CRPD resources; Case studies; Funding sources; Other helpful resources

Resources on the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

By now, you may be aware that a global movement is taking place to ratify the international disability rights treaty, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Many relevant resources are now being produced in relation to the CRPD, some of which have been posted or featured here at We Can Do:

• The IDA CRPD Forum enables disability advocates to collaborate in efforts to ensure that the UN Convention on the Rights with Disabilities (CRPD) is fully implemented
• The Disability Rights Convention Ratification Handbook guides disabled peoples organizations in how to campaign for their country to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
• Handicap International has released an on-line CD with an extensive collection of resources related to inclusive development and the CRPD; this resource is meant for both mainstream organizations and DPOs that are committed to inclusive development.
• People in North America and the Caribbean region can turn to a new guide, Equal Opportunity for All: Respecting the Rights of People with Disabilities that can be used for teaching disability rights to people who are new to disabilities.
• The Harvard Project on Disability (HPOD) is releasing a handbook developed by and for self-advocates with intellectual disabilities, entitled “We Have Human Rights”
• A Report on the Rehabilitation International-USCIS Seminar on the implementation of the Draft UN CRPD presents views shared at the August 2006 seminar about implementing the CRPD.
• The Disability Rights Advocacy Workbook can guide disability rights advocates in educating others about human rights for people with disabilities and the CRPD.
• A brochure from Inclusion International reviews how people with intellectual disabilities and their families around the world can use the CRPD to address their human rights concerns.
• A new fact sheet shares tips and strategies for implementing the disability rights convention, drawn from the experience of experts involved with implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child
• A new International Diploma in Mental Health Law and Human Rights has been launched; the first one-year training program will start in Pune, India in October 2008. The application deadline to enter the first class is June 15, 2008.
• A new Training Manual on Human Rights for Persons with Disabilities gives some broad advice on how trainers may wish to help train other individuals on human rights, using the CRPD. (This post also reminds readers of other CRPD-related training materials for different needs.)
• Countries that plan to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities may first need to revise their laws and legislations. Disabled People’s Organizations (DPOs) can turn to a resource on developing civil rights law for disabled people in your country to help ensure that resulting laws will be consistent with the CRPD and their human rights.
• The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has launched a web site meant to strengthen the work of the UN OHCHR on disability-related issues–including, but not limited to, the CRPD.
• The University of Minnesota Human Rights Center has developed a Training Manual in Disability Human Rights, entitled “Human Rights YES!” which is based heavily on the CRPD. The manual can be used by individuals with disabilities to train themselves and their peers about their human rights and how to advocate for themselves.
• The World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry (WNUSP) have developed a guide on implementing the disability rights treaty for users and survivors of psychiatry.
• Link to a page that can point you at various resources you can use to educate yourself about the international disability rights treaty (CRPD), whether you have just 5 minutes to spend or a few hours.
• Read the CRPD “translated” into plain English.
• UNICEF has developed a child-friendly version of the CRPD to help children understand disability rights
• Disabled People International offers two toolkits on ratifying and implementing the CRPD for disability advocates who want to help ensure that all disabled people have their human rights recognized.
• A handbook on disability rights targeted at parliamentarians can help parliamentarians, people who work in close contact with government agencies, and disability advocates in general, better understand the CRPD.
• The United Nations’ new web site, UN Enable, is one of the best, and most official, places to find information on the CRPD.
• Handicap International has produced its own Teaching Kit on the CRPD.
• The International Disability Equality Agency (IDEA) has issued Equalize It! A Manifesto for Disability Equality in Development Cooperation that expresses their position on how to ensure disability equality in the international development field.
• Before a country can fully ratify the CRPD, it must make its laws consistent with this international treaty. When preparing a new set of national policies affecting people with disabilities, law makers and disability advocates may find it helpful to consult other disability-related laws and legal resources from around the world for comparison purposes.

Top of this page; Finding organizations; Resources for inclusive development; CRPD resources; Case studies; Funding sources; Other helpful resources

Case Studies

Reviewing case studies of projects implemented elsewhere can be a valuable source of ideas that could help you figure out how to run or implement your own projects.

• Inclusion International’s report, “Successful Projects: What Makes them Work” analyzes projects for people with intellectual disabilities in several different countries and what makes them successful.
• A Case Study about an Early intervention program for blind children in Russia
• a collection of short case summaries of projects for deaf children in Burkino Faso, Zimbabwe, Somaliland, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, and India

Top of this page; Finding organizations; Resources for inclusive development; CRPD resources; Case studies; Funding sources; Other helpful resources

Funding Sources, Fellowships, and Scholarships

• The International Fellowship Program offers an annual competition for fellowships for university students in Western Africa
• International students at the University of Leeds may apply for fully-funded international research scholarships by January 31, 2009; inquire directly with the University of Leeds, NOT We Can Do, regarding future scholarship opportunities.
• The Asia Pacific Leadership Program is offering fellowships for their program. The application deadline is December 1, 2008, for the program starting August 2009.
• A fellowship is available for an international development internship with Catholic Relief Services; application deadline December 15, 2008.
• The United Nations Democracy Fund may fund projects meant to strengthen the voice of civil society in democratic processes; the 2008 deadline is December 31, 2008. This seems to be a recurring opportunity: please consult the UNDEF website directly for future opportunities.
• Leaders with innovative ideas for a new organization may apply for start-up funding from Echoing Green; the 2008 deadline is December 1, 2008. This is an annual funding opportunity. Start preparing applications early.
• Service providers in the Middle East have the opportunity to compete for 1500 Euros in a Good Practice Award Competition; the application deadline is October 18, 2008.
• The US Department of State is offering fellowships (scholarships) for US citizens who wish to take intensive classes in languages classified as “critical”; the application deadline is November 14, 2008.
• The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is offering grants to organizations in Central Asia; also, the Bradley Foundation offers regular funding competitions.
• Foundations new to disability might need a little help understanding why your Disabled People’s Organization (DPO) is exactly the kind of organization they want to support. DPOs trying to raise funds from grantmakers new to disability can turn to a guide entitled Bridging the Knowledge Gap: Working with Foundations to Attract Disability funding for guidance.
• The Disability Rights Fund opened grantmaking to Disabled Peoples’ Organizations to support projects related to implementing and monitoring the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The deadline for the first round of applications was August 15, 2008. Monitor the Disability Rights Fund website for future deadlines and selected target nations.
• DANISHKADAH offers free web sites for Disabled Peoples Organizations (DPOS); this offer is initially for DPOs in Pakistan, but applications from DPOs in other countries will be entertained. This would include the hosting, domain, and development of accessible web pages.
• A guide provides various tips for Disabled People Organizations (DPOs) on how to raise funds.
• The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) may have some funding for DPOs, NGOs, or other entities to be used for disability inclusion.
• The Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) has come out with a resource that could help women’s organizations find funding.
• The Worldwide Initiative for Grantmaker Support (WINGS) Global Fund for Community Foundations makes grants of up to $50,000 USD to emerging and developing community foundations or support organizations in developing countries. Note that these funds are NOT meant for individual non-government organizations (NGOs) but for small FOUNDATIONS or organizations meant to SUPPORT NGOs.
• Looking for funding to attend an international or local conference? three organizations have some limited funds available for conference participation from developing countries; two of these are focused on Latin America, but the first one listed (the Ford Foundation) covers other regions as well.
• The United Nations Democracy Fund holds an annual competition for funding applications for projects to promote better democratic participation. The 2007 deadline was December 18. Review their information carefully and consider preparing early for their next funding round in 2008.

Top of this page; Finding organizations; Resources for inclusive development; CRPD resources; Case studies; Funding sources; Other helpful resources

Other Helpful Resources

• Two Spanish books from the Hesperian Foundation advise women with disabilities how to care for their health and advise parents and communities in helping deaf children.
• Want to exchange information, knowledge, and ideas with other disability advocates or professionals around the world? The page on Resources for Networking and Information Exchange lists various listservers (email-based discussion groups) and email news dissemination services, many by, for, or about people with disabilities in developing countries. It also lists relevant Facebook groups for networking.
• Want to network with other people who share a passion for poverty and human rights issues among people with disabilities in developing countries? Join the Facebook group “Networking Among Disabled People in Developing Countries and Allies”
• DanishKadah is setting up a support group for late-deafened adults in Asia and wishes to hear from relevant organizations in and outside the organization; they also wish to hear from people trying to establish similar organizations outside the Asian region.
• The Global Alliance on Accessible Technologies and Environments is a non-profit international organization that brings together experts in accessibility.
• A new global email network of women with disabilities has been launched, called the International Network of Women with Disabilities.
• A Deaf Peers Education Manual on Sexuality and HIV/AIDS has been used in Kenya and could be adapted for use with the Deaf communities in other countries.
• The Global Partnership for Disability and Development has launched a new website; GPDD is a partnership across both mainstream international development organizations and disabled persons organizations (DPO) to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in development.
• The newly launched (September 2008) International and Comparative Disability Law Bibliographic Web Resource gives legal researchers and advocates one more on-line tool for comparing disability-related laws in different countries.
• The Inter-Agency Standing Committee has released IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings with guidelines on how different agencies, organizations, and other stakeholders can coordinate efforts to ensure that people’s mental health needs are met in natural disasters, conflicts, and other emergency situations.
• The Enabling Education Network has released a publication, Young Voices: Young People’s Views on Inclusive Education, which quotes comments from young children in Uganda and Tanzania about what inclusive education means to them.
• The Hesperian Foundation has now released the Spanish translation of its book, “Helping Children Who Are Deaf,” which can be downloaded online in PDF format for free. Offers guidance to parents and communities on including deaf children.
• The Siyanda database has publications on gender and development, including some on disability.
• The HIV/AIDS and Disability Global Survey website has data and research about HIV/AIDS among people with disabilities around the world.
• The CBR Forum India Website has information on Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) in India; news items on the UN CRPD; and links to laws and regulations relevant to people with disabilities in India.
• A new website is meant to link parents of disabled children in India, Uzbekistan, and around the world to information and resources
• A new email-based discussion group (listserver) has been established for on-line discussion of issues related to inclusive education in Eastern Africa.
• Find information and practical resources on making water and sanitation services accessible to people with disabilities
• A Listserv has launched for the discussion of Deaf studies and sign linguistics in Africa
• Deaf Child Worldwide has launched an action learning resource to help organizations working with deaf children and families throughout the world.
• AccessAbility in India has released a handbook that provides a step to step guide to employing workers with disabilities
• A new Disability web portal has launched that helps people with disabilities in India find jobs, films, publications, information about disability-related laws in India, and other informational resources.
• the African Union of the Blind web site has a range of information and resources of interest to people involved with self-empowerment efforts among blind people in Africa. Of particular interest are materials related to HIV/AIDS, women, and youth.
• The Disability Kenya web site has news, opinion pieces, and some helpful resources including a model of a successful funding grant proposal, and health-related information including HIV/AIDS and rape.
• The UNESCO Information for All Programme (IFAP) gives organizations a way to learn from each other’s success stories.
• The Human Rights Education Associates has launched a new information and education network for individuals involved with human rights.
• The AIR Foundation has introduced an on-line service to make the web more accessible to people with visual impairments.
• A training manual can help young Africans with disabilities become leaders in preventing HIV/AIDS; the manual can be downloaded in Word format for free.
• A training manual for African journalists can help them more actively include disability issues in their mainstream news coverage; written from a human rights perspective. May also be helpful to journalists in other regions, or to disability advocates who work with journalists.
• An on-line tool makes it easier to research the human rights record of various businesses toward people with disabilities
• Low-cost Mechanical Braille Writers could give poor blind people in developing countries more options for writing in Braille.
• The Hesperian Foundation has books that can help poor people in developing countries take better care of their health and raise their disabled children.
• A set of Recommendations on how to empower people with intellectual disabilities in the Asian and Pacific region was developed at a conference held in the region in October 2007.
• A dictionary for Sri Lankan Sign Language has been published.
• A new device functions as a screen reader or magnifier for blind people in developing countries: this Sightsavers’ Dolphin Pen is cheaper than the standard screen readers used in industrialized countries. That helps bring it within reach of a wider number of blind people even in countries where the average income is very low.

Top of this page; Finding organizations; Resources for inclusive development; CRPD resources; Case studies; Funding sources; Other helpful resources




---

Learn how to receive an email alert when new material is posted at We Can Do.