Issues
Disabilities
The Challenge
The devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, resulted in approximately 300,000 injuries. People suffered bone fractures, paralysis, limb loss (estimates as high as 4,000 earthquake-related amputations), spinal cord injuries, peripheral nerve damage, and mental trauma. In response to the sudden increase in the need for services for people with disabilities (PWDs), USAID developed a new disabilities program to increase access to quality services for PWDs, as well as establish systems and programs within key government ministries and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to ensure that government and civil society have the capacity to provide care and rehabilitation services for PWDs and re-integrate them into society.
USG Strategy
The new disabilities program aims to achieve better access for PWDs by 1) strengthening services for people with disabilities; 2) training health staff; 3) strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Affairs to support PWDs; and 4) providing technical assistance to disabled people’s organizations and other local organizations working with PWD.
USAID Response
Following the earthquake, USAID funded St. Boniface Spinal Cord Injury Center to:
- Provide clinical and therapeutic rehabilitation services, long-term reintegration and follow-up care services for up to 30 spinal cord injury patients.
- Promote local capacity – building & professional training for 15 Haitian medical professionals
- Engage in local and national advocacy efforts through workshops with local community members, and the Haitian Ministry of Health.
Twelve individuals benefiting from the program remain at the hospital, while another twelve have been successfully discharged back into their communities where their families have been trained to care for them.
In early November 2011, USAID signed a three-year agreement with the Organization of American States (OAS), entitled Strengthening of the Legal Framework for Disabilities in Haiti. This project provides technical assistance to the Ministries of Health and Social Affairs to build capacity in standard setting, accreditation, oversight, and coordination of rehabilitation and reintegration programs. Specifically, the program
- promotes the adoption of Government of Haiti (GOH) policies and laws that fully integrate an inclusive approach to persons with disabilities;
- supports the GOH in institutionalizing sustainable government processes, lines of authority, and programs that promote and enforce the inclusive policies and laws being promoted/adopted; and
- raise awareness and fosters GOH cooperation with civil society to promote government accountability and the sustainability of systems and policies adopted.
In the coming months, USAID plans to expand disabilities programming to develop or strengthen service centers, with the ability to provide health care and psychosocial support, as well as vocational programs for persons with disabilities; train health staff as rehabilitation technicians, specialists in prosthetics and orthotics, and physical and occupational therapists; and build capacity of organizations representing disabled people and local NGOs working for people with disabilities so that these organizations can support the rights of persons living with disabilities through advocacy and education and provide a wide range of services for persons with disabilities.
Disability, considered by USAID as a cross cutting issue, has been integrated into diverse programs; in sectors such as gender, nutrition, education, infrastructure, health, governance, and child Protection. USAID will adopt a Disability Inclusion Plan to increase the knowledge and capacity of staff and partners on inclusive development in all sectors.