Building an Inclusive Development Community

The inclusion of people with disabilities is an issue that crosscuts international development. People with disabilities, especially women and girls, experience discrimination and accessibility barriers that prevent them from participating in the development process. Since 1998, MIUSA has been changing the paradigm of international development by framing the inclusion of people with disabilities as a human rights issue. With funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), MIUSA serves as a bridge to promote inclusion and bring together disability and development organizations.

MIUSA provides technical assistance and resources to disabled peoples’ organizations (DPOs) and development agencies through the Building an Inclusive Development Community project. MIUSA’s diverse partners have included MercyCorps, American Friends Service Committee, Church World Service, Holt International Children’s Services, and Trickle-Up. From headquarters to local field offices, MIUSA assists partner organizations in implementing action plans and policies on gender and disability inclusion.

Building on the success of MIUSA’s work with U.S.-based development agencies, MIUSA initiated a second phase of the project. This phase shifted focus to country specific, field-based technical assistance for USAID Missions and implementing partners, and DPOs. In 2006 and 2007, MIUSA conducted training field visits to Ecuador, Albania and Guatemala.

In each country, MIUSA partnered with a leading DPO to establish priorities, identify key stakeholders and plan and coordinate field visits. DPO partners included the Albanian Disability Rights Foundation (ADRF), the National Federation of Ecuadorans with Physical Disabilities (FENEDIF) and the Coordinating Association of Guatemalan Disabled Peoples Organizations (COPDIGUA).

As part of MIUSA and USAID’s commitment to investing in local resources, MIUSA also launched its first small grants competition. The small grants support partnerships between DPOs and development agencies, and capacity-building of DPOs to participate in development. The eight grant award winners were announced in September of 2007.

Following MIUSA’s technical assistance field visits, disability organizations, development organizations and the USAID/Missions in each country have taken significant steps towards a coordinated and comprehensive approach for inclusive development. As a result of the success of the program activities in the pilot countries, MIUSA and USAID amended the contract in 2007 to expand technical assistance to an additional country in 2008.

2007 Small Grant Winners

The eight grants were awarded to:

Ecuador:

• APDISA (Association of People with Disabilities in Azuay): Employment opportunities for People with Disabilities
• CNMDF (The National Commission of Women with Physical Disabilities of FENEDIF): First National Conference on Women with Disabilities
  

Guatemala:

• ADISA (Association of Parents and Friends of People with Disabilities): Inclusive Education for Children with Disabilities 
  

Albania:

• ADRF (Albanian Disability Rights Foundation): Creating a Disability and Development Coalition 
• ALIA (Albanian Labor Invalids Association): Building an Inclusive Business Community
• Help the Life Association/Muscular Dystrophy Association : Family Planning and Sexual Education for People with Disabilities
• MEDPAK Defense of rights of people with disabilities: Training Medical Staff and Volunteers on the Social Model of Disability 

• MDPAKM Local Parents Association: Including Children with Disabilities in Public Education

Read more about these projects

Books, Publications, Resources

• MIUSA’s 658-page publication, Building an Inclusive Development Community, is a manual for including people with disabilities as part of the international development agenda.  Filled with expert opinions, techniques and guidelines, the book covers a diverse range of topics including domestic violence, micro finance, inclusive education, gender and disability, and disaster relief. Order a copy.
• MIUSA’s free online publication, Moving Towards Inclusion: Stories of People with Disabilities in International Development, highlights success stories and lessons learned in the field about including people with disabilities in international development. Read Moving Towards Inclusion online.