Policy paper

BRAC

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

If other: Click or tap here to enter text.

Name of organisation BRAC

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:

Please select the category which your commitment most relates to: Stereotypes, attitudes and behaviours Please enter the exact wording of the commitment/s, including details of others who has supported its development (75 words limit):

Inclusiveness is one of BRAC’s four core values. We believe promoting human rights, fundamental freedoms and full participation of persons with disabilities can result in their enhanced sense of belonging and make significant strides in human, social and economic development while eradicating poverty. Thus ensuring equality, accessibility and awareness for persons with disabilities is a top priority for BRAC.

Timeframe and/or implementation plan (75 words limit)

BRAC will continue to promote inclusiveness through equal opportunity employment practices, programmatic interventions and raising social awareness.

B. Commitments for Inclusive Education:

Please select the category which your commitment most relates to: Additional resources and implementation Please enter the exact wording of the commitment/s, including details of others who have supported its development (75 words limit):

BRAC is one of the largest secular civil society provider of primary education in the world. We commit to mainstreaming inclusion of children with disability in our primary education programme in Bangladesh.

Timeframe and/or implementation plan (75 words limit)

BRAC Education programme is committed to provide (i) technical support to improve the quality of education of children with disabilities (ii) medical treatment and surgery support, (iii) assistive devices, (iv) material development (including guide books for teachers and braille educational materials for visually impaired students) and (v) extracurricular activities for special needs children in our primary education programme. BRAC will continue to expand this mainstreaming approach over the next five years.

Please select the category which your commitment most relates to: Capacity building: teachers and staff

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

BRAC will continue to build the capacity of its Head Teachers, Teachers and Assistant Teachers to introduce inclusive education practices.

Timeframe and/or implementation plan (75 words limit)

Over the next five years, BRAC will scale-up this mainstreaming approach for children with disability in its primary schools, by building the capacity of its teachers and front line staff to introduce inclusive education practices.

C. Commitments for Economic Empowerment:

Please select the category which your commitment most relates to: Access to financial services

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

We commit to increase people with disabilities access to financial services and products by continuing to expand access to our disability inclusive micro-finance offering in Bangladesh and piloting it in selected BRAC International operating countries.

Timeframe and/or implementation plan (75 words limit)

BRAC’s disability inclusive micro-finance solution is available in 2,188 branch offices in Bangladesh. Between now and 2020, BRAC will replicate this successful inclusive micro-finance solution in selected BRAC International operating countries.

Please select the category which your commitment most relates to: Skills development for decent work

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

BRAC commits to continuing to expand young people with disabilities access to vocational training and the job market in Bangladesh.

Timeframe and/or implementation plan (75 words limit)

Between 2012 to 2017, a total of 2,453 persons with disabilities received skills training, and employment in the informal sector and 314 persons with disabilities have been provided with assistive devices. Over the next five years, BRAC will focus on scaling up this effort through partnerships with the private sector, disability focused organisations and the Government.

Please select the category which your commitment most relates to: Inclusive social protection systems

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

BRAC will pilot an intervention under its Targeting the Ultra Poor programme to ensure people with disabilities among the ultra-poor have access to social protection.

Timeframe and/or implementation plan (75 words limit)

BRAC has signed a MoU with Humanity and Inclusion to adapt its ultra poverty graduation approach for people with disability. Over the next three years, BRAC and Humanity and Inclusion will develop pilot projects to test this approach and develop tools for other social protection and graduation implementers to adopt and sale-up the approach.

D. Commitments for Data Disaggregation:

Please select the category which your commitment most relates to: Commit to use the Washington Group questions

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

We commit to strengthen monitoring and measurement of disability inclusion. This will include piloting of the Washington Group set of Questions on Disability as part of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system.

Timeframe and/or implementation plan (75 words limit)

BRAC will initiate a pilot project to integrate the Washington Group of Questions within its skills development programme. Based on the results of this pilot it will develop a plan for wider adoption.

E. Other Commitments

Please enter the exact wording of any other commitment/s that do not fall under the themes above, including details of others who have supported its development (75 words limit):

BRAC is one of the largest civil society organisations in the world with staff across 11 countries in Asia and Africa. We commit to nurturing a disability inclusive workplace for our staff by developing a disability inclusive HR policy, providing appropriate support to staff with a disability, raising awareness and building capacity. BRAC will continue policy advocacy through evidence based research and engage with relevant disabled persons’ organizations and government authorities.

BRAC’s will focus on strengthening capacity in disability inclusion at organisational and programmatic level.