The programme supported training for vocational instructors to raise awareness of disability inclusion and the importance of gender-inclusive practices and policies.

PROSPECTS supported the development of a training programme, “How to consult organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs),” which was then applied in Ethiopia. The programme team also helped launch a survey to identify and map the prevalence of people with disabilities, as well the needs experienced and barriers faced by them and their caregivers, to inform targeted interventions and policy development. A Youth Network Committee (YNC) in the country was set up, led by the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs (MoWSA), and had a subcommittee on gender and disability. This helped reinforce the adoption of measures for gender equality and disability inclusion across PROSPECTS activities. In collaboration with the Ethiopian Centre for Disability Development, PROSPECTS provided training to 10-youth-led organizations and 16 members of the Youth Network Committee on disability inclusion in employment and entrepreneurship. The programme collaborated with the ECDD, to develop a draft Disability Inclusion Master Handbook for greater disability mainstreaming. As an example, a technical and vocational education and training system assessment focused on the inclusiveness of institutions and apprenticeship programmes in the Somali and Tigray regions. It looked at the participation of forcibly displaced people through a gender- and disability-inclusive lens. Among its recommendations were the importance of capacity-strengthening, including equipment support to improve teaching-learning processes, as well as training in inclusive skills methodologies adapted to people with physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual and psychosocial disabilities. PROSPECTS worked with the Jijiga Polytechnic University to make its facilites more accessible for wheelchair users.

In Iraq, the ILO collaborated with the Women Empowerment Unit at the Directorate of Youth and Sports in Nineveh to rehabilitate a centre in Mosul. The design and facilities of the centre were developed in consultation with the Unit to help ensure that they met the needs of young women in the area. An EIIP approach was used to ensure specific attention was paid to increasing the participation of women in areas traditionally dominated by men, such as construction work. The physical infrastructure was also constructed to be accessible for all and included accessible walkways, entrance ramps and water, sanitation and hygiene facilities. The consultation on the design and the proactive steps taken to ensure the facilities were inclusive ultimately resulted in a safe space for active participation in development and training programmes.

The programme joined a disability inclusion technical working group in Turkana County that was part of the Kakuma Kalobeyei Integrated Social Economic Development Plan convened by the Turkana County Government and UNHCR. The working group coordinated disability inclusion interventions in the county and built the capacity of actors to champion disability inclusion in trade, through both policy and practice. The working group prioritized conducting a survey using the Washington Group of Questions to update disability data in Turkana West and the refugee camp there.

Consultations were convened with a consortium of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), coordinated under the Lebanese Union for People with Physical Disabilities, to ensure meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in social protection policy dialogues and reform processes. The consultations contributed to the National Social Protection Strategy and the design and rollout of the National Disability Allowance (NDA). A series of capacity-building and awareness raising sessions were conducted with persons with disabilities, including focus group discussions and advocacy workshops. These efforts resulted in information sheets and position papers that consolidated priority advocacy messages on disability-inclusive social protection in Lebanon. In parallel, OPDs participated in regular coordination meetings, technical consultations, and national-level roundtables, contributing directly to the design, communication and implementation of the NDA. 

PROSPECTS  and an ILO-UNICEF partnership funded by the EU collaborated with the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA), on strengthening Lebanon’s disability assessment system. This was  part of broader systems strengthening and policy support efforts related to the NDA. This entailed initiating a comprehensive review of the disability assessment framework, with the aim of aligning it with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and transitioning towards a rights-based model.