2. Introduction- The purpose of this manual and how to use it
Disability is often seen as a "specialist" issue which is difficult to deal with. This manual is not designed to make you a disability specialist. It aims to provide the basic information that you need to include a disability perspective in your daily work, with a specific focus on including a disability dimension in Project Cycle Management (PCM).
What is the purpose of this manual?
- For Operational staff of the European Commission (EC)
- To assist other stakeholders concerned with inclusion of a disability perspective in development projects
The purpose of this Manual is to give practical tools and guidance to operational staff of the EC for including a disability perspective in their management of the project cycle. Thus, this manual is clearly based on the EC's own PCM guidelines and tools. It aims to support the inclusion of the perspectives of persons with disabilities throughout the project management cycle; from programming though to evaluation.
The general political and legal framework on disability is given by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) (1) and the EC's Guidance Note on Disability and Development (2) . More specifically, the European Parliament resolution on disability and development (3) (P6_TA(2006)0033) stresses "that disability issues should be reflected in the Commission's development policies and in its specific programmes" and calls on the Commission to develop "a detailed, technical implementation action plan to implement its Guidance Note, including guidelines on (.) an inclusive Project Cycle Management handbook" . This manual will contribute to the EC's efforts to make these guiding texts operational.
Since this manual is addressed to all operational staff of the EC experienced in using the PCM guidelines both at Brussels and at Delegation level, it does not describe in detail what the PCM principles are. For readers unfamiliar with the EC PCM Guidelines, these can be downloaded from the EC web-site (5) . Tools developed in Leaflet Two specifically follow the PCM internal guidelines used by EC staff and directly refer to sections of the PCM guidelines.
While the manual is specifically designed to accompany the PCM of the EC it can also assist other stakeholders such as Civil Society Organisations, or consultants engaged in the design and delivery of EC supported projects and programmes; they can either use the guidance or practical tools themselves, or share them with their interlocutors in Delegations.
What will this manual not cover?
This manual is developed by cbm within the framework of the project 'Breaking the Cycle of Poverty and Disability in Development Cooperation financed by the EC, DG Employment and Social Affairs, and coordinated by members of the International Development and Disability Consortium (IDDC). Due to time limitations and activity constraints, this manual cannot cover all areas where a disability perspective should be included. This first edition is limited to the EC's project cycle management and some specific, high priority sectors.
The manual does not cover other aid instruments of the EC such as global budget support and sector policy support programmes. In the future, the IDDC does intend to develop specific guidance for supporting disability-inclusive practices for other major aid instruments.
The manual does not cover PRSPs or other broader national frameworks, except for those directly related to the PCM: Country Strategy Papers (CSPs), National Indicative Programmes (NIPs) and Regional Strategy Papers (RSPs). An overview of existing guidelines and manuals in relation to these frameworks can be found in the section "Resources on disability and development". Nevertheless, you will find in the on-line tool-box, practical disability-inclusion tools that can also applied in other contexts. (see: Tools for disability-inclusive project planning and management for general use)
How to use this manual
The manual is divided into three parts:
- Part I "Concepts and Guiding Principles "
- Part II "A Practical Guide"
- Part III The Online Toolbox
Concepts and guiding principles are presented in concise form, with only one or two pages per concept. At a glance, this part will give you the key messages and information you need to know for including a disability perspective in your project. Throughout the first part you will find examples, resources and web links. This allows you to link concepts on disability inclusion with practical tools (see part II and online toolbox).
This section directly refers to the PCM Guidelines. Thus, it aims to support inclusive practices throughout the project management cycle, from programming, through identification and formulation, to implementation and evaluation. The second part has been designed to correspond with the phase of the project cycle you are concerned with; and you have the option to download the relevant tools. For each phase of the PCM you will find basic information the inclusion of a disability perspective, its purpose, expected results and possible difficulties you may encounter, as well as the cost implications. Case studies illustrate at each phase how the perspectives of persons with disabilities can be included in practice.
A list of the practical tools which can be used during the different phases of the project cycle are contained in part III. You will find a quick guide to Part III-the online toolbox, with direct links to the tools which can be downloaded in pdf format.
Our intention is to adapt, change and expand this manual in the future in accordance with user feedback
(1) http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/rights/convtexte.htm
(2) http://ec.europa.eu/development/body/publications/docs/Disability_en.pdf
(3) http://www.guengl.eu/upload/docs/P6_RC(2006)0031_EN.doc
(4) (P6_TA(2006)0033) - http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/disability.pdf
(5) http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/multimedia/publications/documents/tools/europeaid_adm_pcm_guidelines_2004_en.pdf
