Count Me In for AccuData!

Through training of trainers’ workshops, youths with disabilities will co-develop a technical, mobile-based solution designed and used to improve disaster related data on PWDs. This will create the foundations for them to become technically skilled disaster risk reduction (DRR) leaders in their communities in South-East Asia, starting with the Philippines.

The United Nations states that people with disabilities (PWDs) are four times more likely to die in a disaster than those without disabilities and current climate change projections suggest that disaster risk will escalate in the future. However, the data on PWDs living in high-risk areas is incomplete and out of date. The 2010 census for PWDs in the Philippines indicated that only 1.57 percent of the Philippines 92.1 million people had a disability. The 2015 census excluded PWDs completely. This lack of data greatly increases their vulnerability to disasters because government and disaster responders have no way of knowing where PWDs are located and what support and resources are needed to aid PWDs when disasters occur.

The 2015-2030 Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) mandates stronger inclusions of PWDs in DRR.  Our Global Resilience Partnership research revealed that 85% of Filipino Deaf youths under the age of 24 are unemployed, most of them living in high-risk disaster areas.

Our solution of developing a technical, mobile-based solution designed to improve data on people with disabilities (PWDs) in high-risk disaster areas in South-East Asia in collaboration with youths with disabilities will:

·    Create an innovative technological tool that helps increase skills development and employment opportunities for disadvantaged youth in Southeast Asia where disaster risk is increasing;

·    Generate opportunities for youths with disabilities to think critically about adaptable DRR solutions and to test a data collection system that could revolutionise the way DRR and disaster related data is collected in remote locations; and

·    Produce an innovative solution that places youths with disabilities at the centre of technological advancements in DRR approaches, thereby ensuring equal access and inclusion of people with disabilities to quality skills development to a problem - disaster risk - that is expected to increase.

The Sendai Framework for DRR mandates that PWDs must be actively included at all stages of DRR from inception to delivery to ensure that DRR practices are tailored to specific requirements and honor universal design principles. To date, there are no initiatives that provide youth with disabilities the skills needed to work within and contribute to DRR processes.  Our solution fulfills this need, starting with the production of an innovative tool led by youths with disabilities that will benefit DRR government departments/agencies and provide work opportunities for the PWD communities, especially those living in high risk disaster areas.  

Drawing from our work from the Global Resilience Partnership, the data indicated that a high percentage of PWDs are unemployed and skill-based trainings available for them did not include any within the disaster space. Our solution requires a specific skill that youths with disabilities have: their networks with the PWD communities. Youths with disabilities, especially those in high risk disaster areas, are much better placed to advise on how to reach people within their own communities because they are themselves PWDs, they would know best on what works to reach them--positioning them with that benefit in the DRR space.

We aim to target youths with disabilities between 18-24 who will be trained to co-develop an innovation mobile-based tool to be used in collecting data information on PWDs in high-risk disaster areas in Southeast Asia. All youths with disabilities participants will attend regional trainings of the trainers to build on the technical skills needed to become leaders in DRR, which can serve as a revolutionary model for others in the DRR fields to follow.

Monitor each youth who have demonstrated their understanding of using the data collection software through the training of the trainers. - At least 100 PWD youths in teams of 4 to 6 persons from 18 different regions in the Philippines trained to use the data collection software electronically.

All data information received from each region submitted by youth with disabilities data collectors.

- Data collected of PWDs in high-risk disaster areas tested.

Track how many PWD youths represents in the DRR fields.

- Increased number of PWDs working in DRR fields.

There are no initiatives that support training youths with disabilities the skills to work in DRR in Southeast Asia, making our solution unique: training youths with disabilities to become technically skilled DRR leaders working within the disaster space.     

To effectively achieve this, face-to-face regional trainings of trainers will be conducted to youths with disabilities in creating, using, and delivering the data information through a computer tablet. This mobile-based tool can also be used offline for those working in remote areas.

This tool will empower youths with disabilities to lead progressive changes for PWDs to work within DRR.

Our goal is to have youths with disabilities initiate a project that includes them in the process to benefit the PWD communities within the DRR field. Our solution will have youths with disabilities be involved from the start by working with their partner, Sahana Foundation, in developing a mobile-based data collection tool that will be used to collect data information on PWDs in high risk disaster areas. The access and usage of this tool will be defined and used by youths of different disabilities.

Once the mobile-based data collection tool is completed for deployment, youths with disabilities will undergo a face-to-face regional training on how to use the data component software using computer tablets prior to piloting. Data information can be fed through the mobile-based tool online. Alternatively, this can also be downloaded for those situated in remote high-risk disaster areas.  

The regional training will involve youth with disabilities leaders from high-risk disaster areas attending one hub within their regions for the training before returning home to pilot the mobile-based data tool on PWDs in their respective communities and submit all the findings online.

We will need to gain financial support through this project to secure funding for the research and pilot. However, once we have adequate data to share with the local and national DRR government departments and agencies, we will work with them to get their internal support in shouldering the costs to scale the solution nationally in their respective countries. Buy-in support requires some form of data to justify funding from the local and national governments.

We will also seek financial and in-kind contributions from our local partners and DPOs when value of assisting us with our solution is proven. There are opportunities for local DPOs to request reasonable funding from their local government.

Some cultures support ‘medical’ or ‘charity’ models towards PWDs, which see disability as something that ‘needs to be fixed and/ or helped’. This solution supports a ‘community view’, which doesn’t focus on the disability itself, but what skills can be contributed to the society. Achieving this, PWDs will see their own abilities through: working with teams from different regions supporting each other and mentors skilled in community development, empowerment and DRR to consult with.

Having youths with disabilities in DRR leadership roles can help change attitudes and awareness on what PWDs can offer when given the chance and support. 

Training opportunities for PWDs in South-East Asia are often focused on how to prepare for and respond to disasters but none that offers skill-based training to work in DRR. As people with disabilities ourselves supporting and leading this initiative in South-East Asia, we would like to see these trainings be moved up to the next level where PWDs can be trained the skills needed to work in the DRR field. Through Solve, we are seeking expertise on how we can move forward in producing the next generation of PWDs working as professional DRR practitioners in South-East Asia.  

• University of Sydney

• Stockholm Environment Institute Asia Centre

• Monash University

• Cambodia Disabled People’s Organisation

• Inclusive Development Empowered Agenda (IDEA)

• KPC Consultant Co. Ltd.

• Deaf Disaster Assistance Team-Disaster Risk Reduction

• Philippine Red Cross

• Philippine Federation of the Deaf

• Philippine National Association of Sign Language Interpreters

• Sahana Foundation

We do not have any competitors that we know of that are part of or involved in this process.