D/deafness and Disability ChildHope UK

Lunch and Learn Seminar Series

DeafKidz International…

• Works to respond to the protection and safeguarding needs of D/deaf children and young people in low resource and complex humanitarian settings…

• Rights, Wellbeing, Access to Appropriate Technology, Learning & Livelihoods…

• D/deaf led – total communication in approach…

• Business to business…

• Strengthen local D/deaf partner agencies and networks…

• Expert advisers to WHO, World Health Summit, British Council, ITU…

Why Protect & Safeguard…

• In South Africa they rape D/deaf girls and young women…

• In Zimbabwe they cut off your hands…

• In Pakistan they set fire to you…

• D/deaf experience…

• Lack the communication, language and vocabulary to self represent, self advocate and say ‘No!’…

Rwanda…

• Policies supporting the needs of persons with disabilities (PWDs), are not implemented, thus threatening the compliance with Article 11 of the UNCRPD...

• Children with disabilities (CWDs) are 3-4 times more susceptible to violence (UNICEF, 2013; 2017)...

• In northern Rwanda, 33% GBV victims encountered in 2015 by the DKI / CfC team were D/deaf girls...

Pakistan…

• The abuse and exploitation of D/deaf children is endemic…

• 33% of D/deaf girls have experienced sexual abuse…

• Forced early marriage widespread…

• D/deaf girls forceds into sex work in Karachi…

• Trafficking of D/deaf girls into India / Afghanistan for sex and labour…

The D/deaf and Disability Experience…

• Communication disabilities…

• Visual disability…

• Physical disabilities…

• Learning disabilities…

• Autism Spectrum Disorder…

• Stigma & discrimination…

• Abuse…

• Physical and sexual violence…

• Emotional violence…

• Neglect…

Regd UK Charity No. 1151219

Deafness… D/deaf…

• Deaf

• Hard of Hearing

• Deafened

• DeafBlind

• Sign Language

• Sign Supported Spoken Language

• Community Ethnic Sign

• Aural Method

• Deafblind Manual

D/deafness, Disability and Mental Health…• 70% of D/deaf children & young people

experience mental health issues at some point…

• Frustration at inability to communicate, isolation, marginalisation, stigma…

• Children with mental health problems are at an increased risk of abuse and neglect…

• Increased risk of mental illness if they have been abused…

• 50% of all adult mental health illness found to have started by age 14…

• Adverse Childhood Experiences common…

Leave No One Behind… The Calais Jungle…

• Agencies fail to identify D/deaf children…

• Parents, if any, otherwise ‘engaged’…

• Fail to access services…

• No communication support…

• Unqualified interpreters…

• Trafficking…

• Abuse…

Regd UK Charity No. 1151219

Leave No One Behind… The Zaatri Camp…

• UNHCR no idea No’s of D/deaf or disabled children in the Camp…

• Traumatic Stress…

• Depression…

• Harming behaviour…

• Communication skills regression…

• Speech & language regression…

• Inappropriate behaviour – sexual values…

Regd UK Charity No. 1151219

What is Disability?

• Bio-Social Model…

• All aspects of the person considered; the biological and psychological self…

▪ Body structure or function…

▪ Activity level…

▪ Participation level…

The Incidence…

• Poor maternal health…

• Poor birth care…

• Poor neo-natal care…

• Greater susceptibility to childhood illnesses…

• Rural areas…

• Two in ten…

• Recent DKI test activity… 24% new-borns screened exhibit some form of D/deafness from profound to slight…

• Some can be prevented / cleared…

• Similar incidence for Disability… 20%?

Abuse Risk Factors?

• Age – young…

• Disabilities – any type…

• Lack of language / communication skills…

• Additional mental health issues…

• Chronic illness…

• Family circumstances…

• Social Isolation…

• Community violence…

• Neighbourhood disadvantage

Access to Services… Barriers??

• Attitudes…

• Infrastructures / Environments…

• Systems…

• Procedures…

• Policy…

• Finance…

• Barriers – two way…

Kenya – Access to SRHR…

• Attitudes of provider staff…

• Attitudes of D/deaf and Disability community…

• Brokerage…

• Creation of partnership ‘Champions’…

• Testing…

• Quality assurance…

• Monitoring & evaluation…

• Adoption & ‘standardisation’

The Reality Check…

• True inclusion, integration, joint working takes time…

• In LMICs, local beliefs and attitudes are a challenge…

• Political and institutional decision makers usually open to change…

• We have a role, duty, requirement to demonstrate, facilitate, broker, audit and ‘normalise’…

• For DKI a 10 year job in South Africa, Jamaica, Pakistan, Iraq, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Palestinian Territories…

Effecting Inclusive Programming… WASH, SRH, Livelihoods…

Five ‘A’ Tool…

1. Analysis

2. Adapted Assistance

3. Attention to negative effects

4. Adequate participation

5. Accountability

The Pathway…

Analysis

Adaptive Assistance

Attention to Negative Effects

Adequate Participation Accountability

‘Inclusion doesn’t mean extra work, it just means we are consciously ensuring that

whatever barriers to meaningful participation and comprehensive access

exist, are dealt with. It can be done’Sharon Kibor

Project Officer – Christian Aid Kenya

Five ‘A’ Tool - Context…

• Guides a D/deaf and Disability inclusive programming approach to Leave No One Behind…

• Guided by ECHO Gender-Age Marker Tool…

• Focuses on the intersect of sex, age, Deafness, Disability and any other excluding factors…

• Unites Gender, Age, Deafness, Disability and Child Protection under one umbrella…

Without Analysis…

The needs of hard to reach groups like D/deaf and Disabled children and young people won’t be met…

Pakistan

Detailed assessment of the levels / incidence of D/deafness informed Early Hearing Screening Detection and Intervention programme design…

Without Adaptive Assistance…

D/deaf children and young people are marginalised… Isolated… Silenced…

Jamaica

Through the use of sign language interpreters, reasonable adjustment, they can access protection and wider development provision…

Without Attention to Negative Details…

Stigmas, discrimination and abuse occur...

South Africa

‘They’re stupid, retarded’…

‘They want it’…

There’s a need to address staff attitudes, system barriers, processes…

Without Adequate Participation…

True inclusion cannot be realised…

Jordan / Syria Border

Engaging D/deaf children and young people in the communication mode of choice…

Promoting their rights to self advocate and self determine…

Without Accountability…

Practitioners ignore, miss, isolate a key and sizable constituency… Their work is null and void…

Greece – the Refugee Crisis

Agencies unaware D/deaf

children were in the camps…

No access to communication support…

Group Work… #1

Considering D/deafness and Disability in your organisation…

Consider your organisation’s capacity to;

• Promote D/deaf and Disability inclusion…

• Protect D/deaf and disabled children from harm…

• Identify and respond to the needs of D/deaf and disabled children in your organisation…

• 15 mins to discuss…

• 5 mins to feedback…

Group Work… #2

• Negative attitudes…

• You are in a workshop with colleagues and partners in a LMIC setting…

• After training in child protection and inclusive programming, there is appears to be a strong reluctance to engage with Disabled people… You hear the word ‘retards’…

• How do you engage those that won’t engage?

• How do you manage policy change in this context??

• 15 mins to discuss –

• 5 mins to feedback