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December Newsletter
Dear friends,
Happy International Day of Persons with Disabilities! We are excited to be celebrating the day with lots of different activities! Join us today for a webinar to meet our research degree students and hear about their experiences 1-2 pm UK time: Spotlight on ICED’s Research Degree students. Or catch Morgon Banks as part of the event of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN (11:30-1:00 p.m. UK time).
There has been wonderful doctoral student success this month! Danae Rodriguez undertook a PhD on inclusion of people with disabilities in the health system in Chile, and passed pending minor corrections. Her studies included a systematic review, a policy analysis, a large data analysis and a national health system assessment. Most excitingly – her work is already leading to the development of a new inclusive health policy in Chile! In addition, Florence Ndagire passed her Viva at Makerere University – making her the first of the PENDA-supported doctoral students with disabilities to finish. Her work focussed on Access to maternal, sexual and reproductive health services by persons with disabilities in the Central Region of Uganda. Well done Danae and Florence!
Tom has been busy contributing to the debate on the assisted dying bill in the UK. He argues in the press that “A quiet majority of disabled people support assisted dying. I’m one of them.” He also noted in the BBC news, once the bill had passed, that "All the cautions, all the difficulties, all the things you have to achieve make this a good bill," "All the cautions, all the difficulties, all the things you have to achieve make this a good bill," . He argues that better palliative care should be available too, yet existing evidence shows that people with disabilities may be left behind in accessing these services.
We are excited to announce a PhD opportunity at ICED: Bridging the Menstrual Health Gap for Individuals with Learning Disabilities. This PhD project will develop and validate inclusive metrics to assess menstrual health in this population using participatory methods with individuals, carers, and experts in the UK. This research aims to influence policy and practice through systematic reviews, workshops, and surveys, driving meaningful change. Join us to conduct impactful, inclusive research and make a difference. Learn more about the opportunity and how to apply here. The complete application must be submitted by 23:59 (GMT) on Wednesday 22 January 2025.
Last, but certainly not least, we are delighted to announce that the International Centre for Evidence in Disability (ICED) research group has received/secured a contract extension until December 2026 with additional funding to continue the PENDA programme (Programme for Evidence to Inform Disability Action). The total value of the programme is now £10.5m and aims to create evidence to achieve long-term improved wellbeing and inclusion of people with disabilities in low and middle income countries, by developing knowledge, people and tools.
Read on for more ICED news!
With best wishes,
Hannah and Tom
PENDA is a major ICED project, funded by FCDO, aiming to increase evidence to support disability inclusive development. We will focus on developing people, knowledge and tools. We now have 11 evaluations up and running, across the PENDA programme, working with a wide range of partners.
We have updated our website - so check it out to find more information about all our work!
In news this month…. We are delighted at the success of our International Conference on Disability and Development with PRASHO in India. There were around 100 delegates, presenting fantastic talks, and it was featured in the Indian press.
Publications
Papers this month from ICED!
PENDA Doctoral Student Queen Seketi has her first PhD paper out!
At risk but not adequately included: People with disabilities’ experience of COVID-19 in Zambia which used qualitative interviews across 6 provinces in Zambia, was published in the African Journal of disability. Well done Queen!
Islay Mactaggart, and a broad team from ICED and MRC Uganda published the paper Adapting and pilot testing a tool to assess the accessibility of primary health facilities for people with disabilities in Luuka District, Uganda in the International Journal for Equity in Health. They undertook a scoping review, identified and adapted an audit tool, and pilot tested it across 5 facilities in Uganda. It built upon the Disability Awareness Checklist developed by Jill Hanass-Hancock and team.
Morgon Banks and Sara Rotenberg published “The Economic Argument for Inclusion in Education: A review of the literature” for the Special Olympics. Morgon presented it at their Global Centre Summit in Abu Dhabi which had the Ministers of Education and Sports present.
Tom Shakespeare and colleagues published Community-engaged strategies to improve sexual health services for adults aged 45 and above in the United Kingdom: a qualitative data analysis in the journal Sexual Health. Five key themes highlighted that improving sexual health services for adults aged 45years and over requires a multi-leveled approach: increase sexual health education, enhance patient and provider relationships, utilize community-led sexual health promotion efforts and delivery of reliable sexual health information, improve inclusive sexual health services, and break down sexual health taboos against adults aged 45+ years.
Hannah Kuper joined a team of Indian colleagues to publish Early Hearing Detection and Intervention programmes for neonates, infants and children in non- Asian low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review in BMJ Paediatrics Open.
Upcoming Seminars and Events by LSHTM
ICED webinars:
- December 3, 1-2pm UK time, Zoom. Spotlight on ICED’s Research Degree students. Chaired by Tom Shakespeare, we will hear from three research degree students, Benafsha Yaqoobi, Luthfi Azizatunnisa and Emma Jolley, about what led them to their research topic and their research degree journey.
- December 11, 2:30-3:30 UK time. Disability Identity and Employment Policy: Past and Present. In celebration of Disability History Month, the webinar will explore the evolution of disability, disability rights and workplace inclusivity with an expert panel, including ICED’s Mark Carew and Tom Shakespeare.
- December 12, 9:30 UK time. Disability in Nepal: The lived experience of physical disability and access to rehabilitation services in Dang District. Speaker: Winston Chin; Supervisors: Jane Wilbur, Tom Shakespeare & Mark Carew
- January 28, 10-11 a.m. UK time. Building Resilience: Co-Developing Disability-Inclusive Climate-Resilient WASH Principles in Bangladesh. Chair: Rosie Green; Panel members: Jane Wilbur, Sari Kovats (LSHTM), Shahpara Newaz (icddr,b), Sabiha Ahmed (WVB)
You can find all our previous seminars (including the audio recordings and slides) here.
Other things of interest
- Learn more about Disability History Month and how to promote accessibility and inclusion
- Tom gave the Catholic Union Craigmyle Lecture on Tuesday November 19th- "Make a level path for my feet: disability equality and love".
- Lwala’s latest Insider Report highlights the use of training of community health workers for improving care for people with disabilities, developed by LSHTM and the Missing Billion Initiative.
- Check out the new UN Disability and Development Report 2024 with contributions from ICED’s Mark Carew, Sarah Polack, Hannah Kuper, and Morgon Banks!
- Also check out the WHO Guide for Action, which included Hannah Kuper as a technical advisor!
- Congratulations to LSHTM which has been ranked second in the world and first in the UK for public health in the 2024 ShanghaiRanking Global Ranking of Academic Subjects!
Work Experience Programme at ICED
We are currently not taking on new candidates however, you are welcome to complete an online application to register interest in interning with ICED. Please complete the application form.
Have you seen this?
Who benefits from accessibility? Everyone (30 second video)!
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ICED talks
- Disability History Month - Disability Identity and Employment Policy: Past and Present
Join us for an insightful event "Disability Identity and Employment Policy: Past and Present" where we’ll explore the evolution of the social model of disability, disability rights, and workplace inclusivity. This session will highlight employment policies and discuss the challenges that remain for disabled people. Through open discussions with an expert panel, gain a deeper understanding of how historical perspectives and disability identity inform current policies and challenges.
The event is remote and will include opportunities for Q&A with our panel of internal experts.
This event is open to all staff and students keen to learn more about Disability History.
- Professor Tom Shakespeare
- Dr Mark Carew
- Dr Gareth Milward (external guest speaker)
- Dr Helen Strongman (Event Chair)
When: Wednesday 11th December, 14:30 - 15:30
Where: remote only, via Zoom
A recording will be shared on this page following the event.
Work experience with ICED
Over the last few years, we have had candidates contribute to our research projects by undertaking surveys, writing systematic reviews, completing desk research and much more.
We are currently not taking on new candidates however, you are welcome to complete the application below for potential future openings.
The programme is for candidates to gain work experience in research within an academic setting. We will strongly consider the following applicants:
- People with disabilities
- An interest in pursuing a career in research
- Preference given to people from LMICs
- People holding a Bachelor’s degree (minimum), ideally a Master’s degree.
Please complete the application form for consideration.
Disability-Inclusive Education and Employment
This film presents findings from a research project on Disability-Inclusion in Education and Employment in seven countries in Africa (Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Uganda). The film was created with young people with disabilities from Uganda and Ghana who participated in the study.
The research was conducted in partnership with ICED, Mastercard Foundation, the University of Abuja, the University of Ghana, Lifetime Consulting Ltd, Addis Ababa University, University of Nairobi, Global Advocacy and Research Group and MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Group. It was funded by Mastercard Foundation.
Phase 1 study reports, on the policy landscape, are available here. Phase 2 reports, based on interviews with young people with disabilities in each country, will follow. A film, about the research findings, created with young people with disabilities who participated in the study can be seen here.
COVID-19 Support and Guidance
The situation with COVID-19 is rapidly changing. We have gathered a list of resources about COVID-19 to share with caregivers, children & young people and education, health and social care practitioners to navigate the dynamic situation of the COVID-19 response, and the many impacts that it will have. We hope that they are helpful and we will continue to add new resources as they become available.
- Information on how parent groups have been run post ‘lock-down’ in Rwanda
- Guidelines on what to consider to run groups safely in the context of COVID-19
- A range of free digital COVID-19 educational resources for children: download Axel Scheffler’s book, download a copy of Lydia Monk’s book
- Share your story and contribute to voices of people with disabilities during the COVID-19 outbreak: voices
- LSHTM’s free online course for anyone who is interested to learn about what we know about COVID-19, and how we should respond to the outbreak
- A course that introduces COVID-19, created for teenagers and young adults
- Presentation from the International Centre for Evidence in Disability: making the response disability-inclusive
- Paper on what we can learn from a disability inclusive response
- Working with parent groups – a training resource for facilitators and caregivers
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These manuals (Getting to Know Cerebral Palsy, Juntos and ABAANA EIP) aim to increase knowledge and skills in caring for a child with developmental disabilities. Research highlighted the significant needs of the caregivers, and how they can gain a huge amount of support from meeting with each other in an understanding environment.
It promotes a participatory learning approach with an emphasis on working with groups and the empowerment of parents and caregivers.
Download the manual (in various languages)
“Before, my family and people in my community used to say ‘this child’s suffering is a result of parent’s sin’. After taking the training I have explained what causes cerebral palsy to others. Now, no-one says anything like this.”
Parent, Sirajganj, Bangladesh
Animated videos on child development and developmental disability
Download and use these animated videos from ICED on child developmental and developmental disability, with versions in English, Portuguese and Spanish. The first of these videos provides information on child development across different domains and considers how this process can be disrupted for some children. The second explores the challenges and barriers in the lives of people with a developmental disability, and how support strategies can help an individual better participate in their community.
Please use these videos in your own teaching, support groups or in any other forum, appropriately acknowledging the International Centre for Evidence in Disability at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
The videos are available in English, Portuguese (Brazil) and Spanish.
View the English videos below:
View the English videos with subtitles here:
- Child development video with English subtitles
- Developmental disability video with English subtitles
View the Portuguese (Brazil) videos with subtitles here:
- Child development video with Portuguese (Brazil) subtitles
- Developmental disability video with Portuguese (Brazil) subtitles
View the Spanish videos with subtitles here:
Supporting Families Affected by Zika virus
Children with developmental disabilities and their families
Join a global community to share ideas, access the latest research, find solutions, meet new people and collaborate on innovative and exciting projects.
Community Ear and Hearing Health Journal
This annual publication promotes good ear and hearing health in low and middle-income countries.
It's a forum for exchanging ideas, experience and information that facilitate continuing education for all levels of health worker. It is delivered to almost 4,000 healthcare providers worldwide. Some issues have been translated into French and Spanish.
- Read previous issues
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- Issue No. 21 (2020) Ear and hearing care in the midst of a pandemic
- Issue No. 20 (2019) Noise-induced hearing loss
- Issue No. 19 (2018) Hearing aid systems in low-resource settings
- Issue No. 18 (2017) Focus: Ear and Hearing Health in Schools
- Issue No. 17 (2016) Common ear conditions underdiagnosed at primary level
- Version Française No. 3 (2021) Soins de l’oreille et de l’audition en temps de pandémie
- Version en Español No. 2 (2021) Cuidado del oído y la audición en media de una pandemia
- Version française No. 2 (2016) Sensibiliser la communauté à la santé de l’oreille et de l’audition
- Version en Español No. 1 (2016) Abordando los problemas de oído
- Version française No. 1 (2015) Lutter contre les affections de l’oreill et de l’audition au niveau primaire
- Issue No. 16 (2015) Testing small children’s hearing with little or no equipment
- Issue No. 15 (2014) Early detection of hearing loss in newborn and preschool children
- Issue No. 14 (2014) Living with hearing impairment
- Issue No. 13 (2013) Increasing community awareness of ear and hearing health
- Issue No. 12 (2012) Addressing ear and hearing problems at primary level
- Issue No. 11 (2011) Projects in the Philippines
- Issue No.10 (2010) Less noisy cities Issue No. 9 (2009) Noise: an ubiquitous pollutant
- Issue No.8 (2008) Tinnitus: a common and manageable complaint
- Issue No.7 (2008) Screening for hearing impairment
- Issue No.6 (2007) Chronic suppurative otitis media: a disease still waiting for solutions
- Issue No.5 (2007) Rehabilitation of the deaf and hard of hearing
- Issue No.4 (2006) Deafness caused by ototoxicity in developing countries
- Issue No.3 (2006) Congenital infections and hearing impairment
- Issue No.2 (2005) Current practice for ear syringing
- Issue No.1 (2004) Congenital deafness in developing countries
Press articles
Read articles on ICED activity in the international press and on SciDev.net. Use disability resources from across the web.
- Read press articles on our work
-
- Disability in the Global South Journal focusing on Disability and the SDGs, edited by Hannah Kuper and Shaun Grech. July 2017
- National Survey of Disability in Guatemala 2016 – Case Study, International Institute for Sustainable Development, June 2017
- Hannah Kuper discusses the exclusion of children with disabilities from education around the world – Al Jazeera News Hour (live), 18 August 2015
- Many disabled children in poorer countries left out of primary education – The Guardian, 18 August, 2015
SciDev.net columns
- February 2016: ‘Zika babies’ need support now
- January 2016: Kids at risk from El Niño
- December 2015: Monitor birth defects to save lives
- November 2015: Rethink healthcare for the ageing world
- October 2015: Defend girls’ sexual health rights
- September 2015: Reshape mental healthcare in crises
- August 2015: Give SDG monitoring some bite
- July 2015: Community care cuts NTD burden
- June 2015: Better data on disaster victims
- May 2015: A better way to find disabled kids
- April 2015: The next hurdle for Ebola survivors
- March 2015: Universal Health Coverage: Bearing the Brunt of Violence
- February 2015: Reaching Patients with Smartphones
- January 2015: Universal Health Care can happen
- December 2014: HIV and Disability November 2014: Ageing and Disability
Global Health and Disability
All files and contents in this folder are © LSHTM unless otherwise stated. You are welcome to reuse, adapt and share these files for non-commercial teaching and learning purposes without asking for permission. You must acknowledge the International Centre for Evidence in Disability, LSHTM as the original creator and provide a link to our website: www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/centres/international-centre-evidence-disability. We would also very much appreciate hearing how you are using the content, please let us know at disabilitycentre@lshtm.ac.uk.
- Download full course
- Download content from each week
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- Week 1: Disability and its importance to the global development agenda
ZIP (522MB)|ZIP (no videos) (9MB) - Week 2: Health, wellbeing and disability
ZIP (807MB)|ZIP (no videos) (19MB) - Week 3: Access to health care and rehabilitation services
ZIP (904MB)|ZIP (no videos) (154MB)
- Week 1: Disability and its importance to the global development agenda
- Download individual resources
-
Video: Welcome to the course
Week 1: Disability and its importance to the global development agenda
Video: Welcome to week 1
Video & teaching slides: Why does disability matter globally?
- Video (MP4 74.9MB)
- Step text and transcript (PDF 80KB)
- Teaching slides (PDF 954KB)
- References (PDF 88KB)
Video: Why does disability matter – Personal perspectives
Article: Why does disability matter – individual case studies
Article: Why does disability matter to International Development? Part 1
Article: Nothing about us without us
- Article (PDF 122KB)
- References (PDF 188KB)
- Disability and the SDGs – How relevant is each SDG to disability? (PDF 632KB)
Video: What does disability mean – personal perspectives
Video: Attitudes to disability
Video: What does disability mean – a framework
Article: Measuring disability: Why would you want to and how do you do it?
Video: What is the relationship between impairments and disability?
Video: what are the common impairments related to disability?
- Video (MP4 42MB)
- Step text and transcript (PDF 81KB)
- Teaching slides (PDF 2MB)
- References (PDF 266KB)
Article: Why does impairment matter?
Video: Summary of week 1
Video: Welcome to week 2