Disability Inclusion Facilitators get certified to mainstream disability in rural India

Washim, INDIA: After nine months of mentorship, a cohort of 11 persons with disability, after getting trained under the ILO’s SPARK project, have been certified as Disability Inclusion Facilitators (DIFs). The DIFs will work in rural India to raise awareness and conduct trainings on barriers persons with disabilities face, conduct accessibility audits, mobilize stakeholders, and identify persons with disabilities to promote their rights and link them with various government programmes. They will also work with the private sector to build employment skills of persons with disabilities.

Worldwide, there are an estimated 1.3 billion people, or 16 per cent of the population, who live with some form of disability, predominantly in developing countries. The ILO’s “Sparking Disability Inclusive Rural Transformation” - SPARK project uses a systemic action learning approach to impact the lives of persons with disabilities. The project’s main aim is to help persons with disabilities become fully engaged in economic activities and increase their incomes, thus tackling poverty and furthering social justice.

© ILO

© ILO

The project set up a Disability Inclusion Academy under which the DIFs were paired and trained by mentors on various rights-based and disability inclusion approaches, and communication. An assessment panel for their certification was drawn from organisations of persons with disabilities, civil society, government and project partners. They were assessed on five parameters:

• Confidence
• Presentation skills
• Time Management
• Orderliness
• Ready to work

The trainees made presentations on activities implemented, achievements and work-related challenges and learnings. They presented evidence-based information by sharing activity photos and data, while some also shared disability disaggregated data. Throughout the project, trainees have engaged with a wide range of stakeholders, such as schools, banks, health centres, Aganwadi centres, and village councils. They have helped persons with disabilities and their families avail various government benefits and helped sensitize the community at large in bringing about attitudinal shifts in their perspectives about persons with disabilities.

DIFs have helped increase school enrolments and linked persons with disabilities and caregivers of persons with disabilities with Self-Help Groups to access loans for starting enterprises like goat and cow rearing, opening tailoring shops, saree shops and vegetable shops. They have also undertaken accessibility audits of schools and health institutions and frequently visit local government authorities to access new information on disability inclusion to share with the community.

© ILO

© ILO

The panel lauded the efforts of the trainee DIFs and their mentors for their knowledge, practical experience and their own journey of becoming more confident, being persons with disabilities themselves to serve as advocates for and within their communities.

After their certification as DIFs, these individuals will work with the Organizations of Persons with Disabilities to promote inclusion. MAVIM* will also select some of them to work as Sahayogini's – a person who is responsible for overall functioning of the Self-Help Groups and will continue to mainstream disability in the SHGs.

*Mahila Arthik Vikas Mahamandal (MAVIM), is a corporation of Women and Child Development Department, Government of Maharashtra that the ILO has partnered with to implement the SPARK Project.