The effect of Disability Peoples Organisations in India

Dissemination of Findings (March 24, India)

The project utilises the Rapid Assessment of Disability (RAD) to study the The Impact of Disabled People’s Organisations. The  study results were released in Uttarakhand, North India on the 24^th March 2018.  Over 120 people, including government officials, the media, DPO members and others with disability, and various NGOs working in disability were represented. There was significant local interest as to the policy implication and the event received widespread media coverage in Uttarakhand, North India.

This DPO study shows their effectiveness in improving access and wellbeing.  We recommend:

• Strengthening the local disability persons organisations (DPOs)
• Providers of disability services should work through DPOs in order to increase wellbeing and access for People with disability
• DPOs should be actively strengthened by:

  – undertaking training in responding to disability

  – technical capacity building in running a society

  – linking them with appropriate NGOs

• DPOs should be encouraged and supported to include people with a diverse range of disabilities
• The government should continue to work closely with NGOs and community-based organisations to strengthen the effect of the DPO
• The RAD tool can be used by institutions across India as they seek understand and respond to disability in their areas. 

This project was undertaken by the Nossal Institute for Global Health (University of Melbourne), South Asia Centre for Disability Inclusive Development and Research (SACDIR) of PHFI, the CHGN Uttarakhand Cluster and CBM South Asia Regional Office (CBM SARO).