Policy paper

Benetech

Published 23 July 2018

This was published under the 2016 to 2019 May Conservative government

Form for submitting commitments for the Global Disability Summit 2018

Your organisation

Type of organisation: Civil Society Organisation

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Name of organisation Benetech

Charter for Change

Please read the attached Summit Charter for Change: the principal legacy of the Summit. If your organisation is happy to sign up to the Charter, please confirm by putting a cross in the box below.

My organisation signs up to the Summit Charter for Change ☒

Your organisation’s commitments to achieve the rights of people with disabilities in developing countries

A. Commitments to eliminate Stigma and Discrimination:

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Please enter the exact wording of the commitment/s, including details of others who has supported its development (75 words limit):

Timeframe and/or implementation plan (75 words limit)

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B. Commitments for Inclusive Education:

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Please enter the exact wording of the commitment/s, including details of others who have supported its development (75 words limit):

Benetech will provide accessible educational materials globally through our Bookshare platform and forge the future of accessible publishing through our Born Accessible initiative. We will provide tools and expertise within the Digital Literacy Trust (DLT), a public-private partnership in Kenya, who commits to making accessible, Kenyan early-grade reading materials available in the Global Digital Library for use in Kenyan schools to support inclusive and quality education.

Timeframe and/or implementation plan (75 words limit)

In 2018-19 Benetech will expand its global footprint with free libraries in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Pakistan, in addition to our existing footprint in India. We will deepen partnerships within Africa, Europe, and the Middle East to reach students with disabilities with local, accessible educational materials. With DLT we will help deliver 50 quality early-grade reading books, adapted in digital form for learners with disabilities, to NORAD’s Global Digital Library.

C. Commitments for Data Disaggregation:

Please select the category which your commitment most relates to: Commit resources to support strengthened disability data

Please enter the exact wording of the commitment/s, including details of others who have supported its development (75 words limit):

We will research and develop tools to dramatically strengthen and increase available data representing the lived experiences of people with disabilities, in conjunction with global partners including Sightsavers and Leonard Cheshire, and in direct relationship with DPO’s and individuals with disabilities. Data collected may be disaggregated using the Washington Group questions and rolled up for reporting under the CRPD, the SDG’s, and/or for defining and improving development programs for people with disabilities. Timeframe and/or implementation plan (75 words limit)

Benetech will work with global partners and local DPO’s in 2018 and 2019 to assess needs and design innovative, accessible technology solutions for data capture and collaboration, focused particularly on education and economic empowerment. From 2019 onward, we will develop and implement such tools that prove to be highly valuable within multiple target countries, measuring effectiveness under rigorous standards.