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This paper discusses issues affecting the transport and mobility needs of people with disabilities in middle- and low-income countries and how disability intersects with a range of other factors to impact on transport needs, use and engagement. The paper is intended to stimulate discussion and identify areas for further research, and identifies a number of key issues that are salient to discussions around equitable and inclusive transport provision, including patterns of transport use, behaviour and experiences, solutions and policy directions, measuring access and inclusion, policies and intersectionality. The paper also identifies gaps in knowledge and provision, barriers to addressing these gaps, and some possible solutions to overcoming these barriers. These include shifting the focus from access to inclusion, reconceptualising how ‘special’ transport might be provided, and most importantly listening to the voices and experiences of adults and children with disabilities. Despite lack of transport often being cited as a reason for lack of inclusion of people with disabilities, there is surprisingly little evidence which either quantifies this or translates what this lack of access means to people with disabilities in their daily lives in low- and middle-income countries.
Maria Kett; Ellie Cole; Jeff Turner. Disability, Mobility and Transport in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Thematic Review. Sustainability 2020, 12, 589 .
AMA StyleMaria Kett, Ellie Cole, Jeff Turner. Disability, Mobility and Transport in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Thematic Review. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (2):589.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMaria Kett; Ellie Cole; Jeff Turner. 2020. "Disability, Mobility and Transport in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Thematic Review." Sustainability 12, no. 2: 589.
Evidence suggests that people with disabilities are the most marginalised and vulnerable group within any population. However, little is known about the extent of inequality between people with and without disabilities in contexts where the majority of persons experience extreme poverty and hardship. This includes in Liberia, where very little is understood about the lives of disabled people in general. This study uses a multidimensional wellbeing framework to understand perceived relative inequality associated with disability by assessing several facets of wellbeing across and within households containing disabled members (N = 485) or households with no disabled members (N = 538) in Liberian communities (Total individuals surveyed, N = 2020). Statistical comparisons (adjusted for age, sex, education and wealth differences and clustered at the household, village and county level) reveal that disabled Liberians are managing similarly to non-disabled Liberians in terms of income and education, but experience many perceived relative inequalities including in life satisfaction, transport access, political participation and social inclusion. Our results further suggest that disability may lead to perceived relative inequality at the household level in terms of trust held in neighbours. However, they also show that being the head of a household may protect against perceived relative inequality in certain dimensions (e.g. healthcare and transport access, political participation) irrespective of disability status. Results are discussed in terms of practical implications for development efforts in Liberia and for disabled people in other low- and middle-income settings.
Mark T. Carew; Tim Colbourn; Ellie Cole; Richard Ngafuan; Nora Groce; Maria Kett. Inter- and intra-household perceived relative inequality among disabled and non-disabled people in Liberia. PLOS ONE 2019, 14, e0217873 .
AMA StyleMark T. Carew, Tim Colbourn, Ellie Cole, Richard Ngafuan, Nora Groce, Maria Kett. Inter- and intra-household perceived relative inequality among disabled and non-disabled people in Liberia. PLOS ONE. 2019; 14 (7):e0217873.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMark T. Carew; Tim Colbourn; Ellie Cole; Richard Ngafuan; Nora Groce; Maria Kett. 2019. "Inter- and intra-household perceived relative inequality among disabled and non-disabled people in Liberia." PLOS ONE 14, no. 7: e0217873.
Contemporary debates in international development discourse are concerned with the non-tokenistic inclusion and participation of marginalised groups in the policy-making process in developing countries. This is directly relevant to disabled people in Africa, which is the focus on this article. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities delineates the principles of inclusion in society. Furthermore, the African Union (AU) plays a key role in advising its Member States and with regard to disability issues, whose advice should be reflected in disability-inclusive policies. This paper analyses nine policy or strategy documents produced by the AU, covering the policy domains of education, health, employment and social protection that are crucial to the development of disabled people. These were analysed according to seven discrete elements (rights, accessibility, inclusivity, implementation plans, budgetary allocations, enforcement and disaggregated management information systems) using a rating scale of one to four with four being the highest level of inclusion. The process (for example, level of consultation), the context (for example, the Millennium Development Goals and the Sustainable Development Goals) and actors involved in the policy development were reviewed as far as was possible from the documents. None of the policies reached even 50% of the total possible score, indicating poor levels genuine of inclusion. Rights scored a highest rating but this is still at a low level. This suggests that there is recognition of the rights of disabled people to inclusion, but this is not generally integrated within inclusive implementation plans, budgetary allocations, enforcement mechanisms and disaggregated management information systems for monitoring. The limited socio-economic inclusion of disability within AU policies is indeed a lost opportunity that should be reviewed and rectified. The findings have broader ramifications for the non-tokenistic and genuine involvement of poor and marginalised groups in the international policy-making arena.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Raymond Lang; Marguerite Schneider; Maria Kett; Ellie Cole; Nora Groce. Policy development: An analysis of disability inclusion in a selection of African Union policies. Development Policy Review 2018, 37, 155 -175.
AMA StyleRaymond Lang, Marguerite Schneider, Maria Kett, Ellie Cole, Nora Groce. Policy development: An analysis of disability inclusion in a selection of African Union policies. Development Policy Review. 2018; 37 (2):155-175.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRaymond Lang; Marguerite Schneider; Maria Kett; Ellie Cole; Nora Groce. 2018. "Policy development: An analysis of disability inclusion in a selection of African Union policies." Development Policy Review 37, no. 2: 155-175.
This research will address the overarching question 'What political and institutional conditions are associated with effective poverty reduction and development, and what can domestic and external actors do to promote these conditions?' It will do this by focusing on one country, Liberia, and exploring in-depth the relationship between national and international institutions and actors to understand how the linkages and processes between state and society are benefiting one of the most marginalised populations – persons with disabilities. It is argued that persons with disabilities tend to be among the poorest in the world (Groce et al 2011), particularly in lower income and post-conflict countries. They frequently face social exclusion, marginalisation and stigmatisation. This generally implies they have limited "political voice", which is reflected in a lack of attention to disability issues within national policies, in particular those aimed at poverty alleviation. As a result, the living conditions of persons with disabilities tend to worsen over time, facilitating a frequently discussed reciprocal link between disability and poverty – a 'vicious circle' – that produces a spiral of increasing deprivation. However, the Government of Liberia is trying to break this circle. Since the end of the brutal civil conflict in 2003 and the election of Africa's first female President in 2005, Liberia has taken a number of steps to try to improve the lives of persons with disabilities. It has signed and ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), and has supported the establishment of a National Commission on Disability. One of the major international actors, the United Nations, through the Human Rights and Protection Section (HRPS) of the UN peacekeeping mission in Liberia (UNMIL), has been instrumental in facilitating a productive interchange and constant dialogue between the Liberian government and civil society, as well as increasing the human rights focus in national poverty reduction and policy development. These actions are based on the premise that it is possible to promote and foster a 'virtuous circle' in which the efforts of the Liberian Government can be reinforced through an iterative feedback process from persons with disabilities and their organisations. In order to understand this iterative process, further work needs to be undertaken using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to better understand the impact of policies and programmes on the lives of persons with disabilities across Liberia. The promotion of wellbeing for persons with disabilities and their families is crucial in achieving equitable development, as measured by indicators such as the Millennium Development Goals, particularly considering the recent shift in the criteria for measuring country-level development performance from economic production to people's wellbeing (Stiglitz et al. 2009). This shift entails new challenges, different assessment and evaluation procedures, multidisciplinary theoretical approaches and new analytical strategies. This research will represent a first attempt to use an innovative approach to broaden knowledge in this area by surveying families that have at least one member with a disability, assessing quality of life indicators from different members within the same household, and analysing the information using methodologies which take into account the nested nature of this data. In addition, the research will be situated within the on-going international debate on wellbeing. Due to the complexity of both multidimensional poverty and disability issues, a multidisciplinary approach will be used and a broad range of stakeholders will be involved throughout the process, including disabled peoples organisations, NGOs, and universities. If successful, the research project will be submitted to the UCL Ethics Committee for approval.
Maria Kett; Ellie Cole; Mark Carew. Understanding the Political and Institutional Conditions for Effective Poverty Reduction for Persons with Disabilities in Liberia – ESRC. Impact 2017, 2017, 51 -53.
AMA StyleMaria Kett, Ellie Cole, Mark Carew. Understanding the Political and Institutional Conditions for Effective Poverty Reduction for Persons with Disabilities in Liberia – ESRC. Impact. 2017; 2017 (9):51-53.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMaria Kett; Ellie Cole; Mark Carew. 2017. "Understanding the Political and Institutional Conditions for Effective Poverty Reduction for Persons with Disabilities in Liberia – ESRC." Impact 2017, no. 9: 51-53.
This study aimed to investigate the process that leads people to offer or omit help in response to an explicit request for assistance, taking into account both emotional and cognitive factors. Specifically, a hypothetical scenario methodology was used in a sample of 174 Italian youths (50% males) to examine whether and how factors such as empathy, prosocial moral reasoning and moral disengagement influence the propensity to help when providing assistance is not in the individual’s personal interest. While a few previous studies have included moral disengagement as an antecedent of prosocial decision making, we highlight the significance of this factor in the avoidance of moral responsibility towards others in need. The results highlight two ways in which differences in emotional tendencies and moral-cognitive processes may operate in prosocial decision making in high personal cost situations. First, high empathy levels could promote an altruistic response which in turn fosters mature prosocial moral reasoning. Second, personal distress may enhance moral disengagement mechanisms that may facilitate self-centred behaviors.
Marinella Paciello; Roberta Fida; Luca Cerniglia; Carlo Tramontano; Ellie Cole. High cost helping scenario: The role of empathy, prosocial reasoning and moral disengagement on helping behavior. Personality and Individual Differences 2013, 55, 3 -7.
AMA StyleMarinella Paciello, Roberta Fida, Luca Cerniglia, Carlo Tramontano, Ellie Cole. High cost helping scenario: The role of empathy, prosocial reasoning and moral disengagement on helping behavior. Personality and Individual Differences. 2013; 55 (1):3-7.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarinella Paciello; Roberta Fida; Luca Cerniglia; Carlo Tramontano; Ellie Cole. 2013. "High cost helping scenario: The role of empathy, prosocial reasoning and moral disengagement on helping behavior." Personality and Individual Differences 55, no. 1: 3-7.
The decision-making process was investigated in which a request for help was explicit but clearly not in the helper's personal interest. Based on Eisenberg's theory on prosocial moral reasoning, Schwartz's theory on basic human values and Bandura's moral disengagement theory it was hypothesized that personal values influence prosocial moral reasoning and moral disengagement, which in turn support or inhibit the propensity to help in a high-cost situation for the helper. Using moral dilemma scenarios, a sample of 171 adolescents (50% male) were asked to consider whether or not to offer their assistance. Adolescents also filled out the Prosocial Reasoning Objective Measure, the Portrait Values Questionnaire and the Moral Disengagement Scale. Results showed that despite internalization of other-oriented values and more internalized prosocial reasoning, moral disengagement contributed to the avoidance of moral responsibility and allowed potential helpers to prioritize their own needs.
Marinella Paciello; Roberta Fida; Carlo Tramontano; Ellie Cole; Luca Cerniglia. Moral dilemma in adolescence: The role of values, prosocial moral reasoning and moral disengagement in helping decision making. European Journal of Developmental Psychology 2013, 10, 190 -205.
AMA StyleMarinella Paciello, Roberta Fida, Carlo Tramontano, Ellie Cole, Luca Cerniglia. Moral dilemma in adolescence: The role of values, prosocial moral reasoning and moral disengagement in helping decision making. European Journal of Developmental Psychology. 2013; 10 (2):190-205.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarinella Paciello; Roberta Fida; Carlo Tramontano; Ellie Cole; Luca Cerniglia. 2013. "Moral dilemma in adolescence: The role of values, prosocial moral reasoning and moral disengagement in helping decision making." European Journal of Developmental Psychology 10, no. 2: 190-205.