Key Debates & Implementation Challenges
Last Updated: March 16, 2009
This section presents a short summary of some of the key debates and implementation challenges discussed by academics, practitioners and policymakers in relation to the process of fully including persons with disabilities in peacebuilding processes.
The points covered are not exhaustive, but rather attempt to be illustrative of the major issues in this regard. They are encompassed by a number of main points, related to:
- The diversity of disabilities;
- The importance of a holistic approach;
- The importance of a community-based approach;
- The importance of persons with disabilities active participation in the different stages of peacebuilding programs;
- The material constraints of approaches centered on persons with disabilities.
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The diversity of disabilities
'Disability' is an umbrella term that is used to describe an incredibly diverse community, although the use of the term may imply a sense of homogeneity. As a result, some categories of disabled persons may have access to less information and fewer services.For instance, a study on the situation of persons with disabilities among refugees has shown that "refugees with mental disabilities tended to be more 'invisible' and 'hidden' from public view than those with physical disabilities. They were less likely to be identified in registration and data collection exercises and tended to be excluded from both mainstream and targeted assistance programs. They were less likely to be included in decision-making processes or in leadership and program management structures."1 Among individuals with physical disabilities, land mine survivors (and others who have been harmed by weapons) and persons born with developmental exceptionalities tend to be placed in the same categories whereas they may have different needs as well as resources in terms of managing their impairment.
One of the concrete illustrations of this difficulty is the usual lack of reliable and accurate data about the different types of disabilities existing in a given community or displaced persons camps. In many cases, data is simply not available. 2 Where data exists, it is often inconsistent or inaccurate. One of the reasons for this lies in the "differences in the terminology and categories used to classify different types of disabilities and reasons for disabilities. In addition, concepts of 'impairment' and 'disability' can differ enormously among different cultures and societies."3
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The importance of a holistic approach
In the past, much of the emphasis on people with disabilities in post-conflict countries has been concentrated on the emergency phase after the conflict, and often with a limited focus; for instance on victims of land mines. As the main actors operating in the field have stressed the importance of a continuum strategy that should be an integral part of peacebuilding strategies, this has evolved over the past few years. They also increasingly embrace a holistic approach which includes: data collection and analysis, emergency medical care, continuing medical care, physical rehabilitation, prostheses and assistive devices, psychological and social support, education, employment and economic integration, capacity building and sustainability, legislation and public awareness, accessibility interventions/policy.4[Back to Top]
The importance of a community-based approach
The most innovative and successful programs are generally those that are fully based on an inclusive approach, considering persons with disabilities in their community network, and allowing them not only to "live independent lives," but to "participate fully in public affairs and make positive contributions to their communities."5 For instance, this "community-based approach" is strongly advocated by organizations such as UNHCR, in the training and briefing of its personnel and partners so that persons with disabilities can be included in particular "in participatory assessments and community-based work."6 The focus is made in particular on "the attitudinal shift required to support inclusion, and on participation and empowerment, with a focus on recognizing capacities, rather than vulnerability and dependence, as well as on appropriate protection strategy and programme development."7It is worth noting that, while relatively recent, the focus on the situation of persons with disabilities may be somewhat easier to implement in settings such as refugee camps and displaced persons camps than in urban settings or rural areas. As noticed by a recent field research, "due to more geographically and socially cohesive nature of refugee camps, it is easier to identify refugees with disabilities, adapt programs to be more inclusive and set up specialized services. It is also easier to effect attitudinal and programmatic change in refugee camps."8 It is much harder to identify persons with disabilities, in particular, or to integrate them into mainstream or specialized services when they are dispersed in the cities. This does not mean that their status in camps is enviable but rather illustrates the challenge of implementing such approaches at the level of an entire society.
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The importance of active participation in different stages of peacebuilding programs
The few existing field studies show that, so far, there are only isolated examples of persons with disabilities being included in strategic planning processes and participatory assessments, and few examples of NGOs with positive employment policies for persons with disabilities.9 To date, persons with disabilities are rarely formally encouraged to participate in community management and decision-making. This does not prevent them from forming their own organizations and self-help groups, and some of these groups actively participate in the community life and the different aspects of the peacebuilding process. But more resources are needed to ensure that they are able to advocate for their rights, participate in needs assessments, heal the divisions between different impairment groups and to acknowledge common concerns as disabled persons (e.g. war-disabled and people with congenital impairment, specific impairment-based organisations), practice co-ordination and networking with other civil society organizations (in particular human rights organizations), and strengthen their capacities.10 All of this has practical implication for peacebuilding process, and in countries such as Sierra Leone, has not been the case so far. Some feel that camps that separate persons with disabilities in order to provide services, even if well intentioned, may further divide already fractured communities.11[Back to Top]
Material constraints
Some practitioners and analysts note that aid organizations have partly adapted their rhetoric to integrate the vocabulary in regard to integrating persons with disabilities into their policies, but this is still not sufficiently implemented.12 More time and efforts may be needed to ensure that the concerns for this group are actually reflected in peacebuilding programs and actions. Some practitioners also consider that the increased attention paid to the basic needs and rights of women and children may have meant that less visible groups are rarely, if ever, a direct target for humanitarian and peacebuilding programs.131. Will Day, Antoinette Pirie, and Chris Roys, Strong and Fragile: Learning from Older People in Emergencies (London: ReliefWeb, 2007).
2. Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, Disabilities Among Refugees and Conflict-Affected Populations: Resource Kit for Fieldworkers (New York: International Rescue Committee, 2008), 2.
3. Ibid., 3.
4. The World Bank in Claudia Bell, Disability in the Context of Armed Conflict Situations, (paper presented at the conference Disasters are Always Inclusive! Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Emergency Situations, Bonn, Germany, November 7-8, 2007), 8.
5. Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, Disabilities Among Refugees and Conflict-Affected Populations: Resource Kit for Fieldworkers (New York: International Rescue Committee, 2008), 2.
6. UNESCAP. The Protection of Older Persons and Persons with Disabilities. ESID/HLM-MIPAA/2, Macao, China: UNESCAP, 2007.
7. Ibid.
8. Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, Disabilities Among Refugees and Conflict-Affected Populations: Resource Kit for Fieldworkers (New York: International Rescue Committee, 2008), 2.
9. Ibid.
10. Claudia Bell, Disability in the Context of Armed Conflict Situations, (paper presented at the conference Disasters are Always Inclusive! Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Emergency Situations, Bonn, Germany, November 7-8, 2007), 5.
11. Communication with Maria Kett (5 December 2008).
12. BEZEV, Documentation of the International Conference: Disasters Are Always Inclusive! Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Emergency Situations (Notes on the conference Disasters are always inclusive!, Disability and Development Cooperation, Bonn, Germany, November 7-8, 2007).
13. Ibid.
