IRIN interview with World Bank's disability adviser, Judith Heumann

Ethiopia must put the needs of the disabled at the heart of its development strategies, says Judith Heumann, the World Bank’s disability adviser, who is herself disabled by polio. During a five-day visit to the country, she told IRIN in an interview that its organisations for the disabled needed to start lobbying government more aggressively.

QUESTION: Why are disabled people not on the agenda in Ethiopia?

ANSWER: I don’t want to single Ethiopia out; I think it is fair to say that many governments are beginning to recognise that disabled people, because they are coming together in organisations, want to be able to be a part of the poverty eradication agenda.

For many many years people have looked at disabled people as those who should benefit from charity, and have not looked at disabled people as being able to contribute to society. And what is happening very much over the last 20 to 30 years is that disabled people, with all types of disabilities, have been coming together and saying: "We are poor, but we don’t need to be poor, and we have disabilities, but that doesn’t mean we cannot make contributions."

Q: And how is the World Bank going to help?

A: We are trying to elevate the profile of the disabled. We are helping the Bank’s staff [not only to] understand who the population of disabled people are but how we can benefit from education, nutrition, good health care and gender-related issues etc. So I have been
travelling to a number of countries and in the Bank's office not only to say who we are but also to explain the possibilities, to help the governments and Bank understand projects that have been developed that are getting children into school, where children are learning and growing up able to get jobs.

Q: And what are the possibilities?

A: The possibilities are limitless. We recognise that in a country like Ethiopia, where there are so many issues that the government is dealing with, that they are moving forward step by step. But my hope is that as the government move forward on working in conjunction with other donors that it will recognise that the population of disabled people need to have equal play in the discussions.

One thing I have been impressed about is how hard-working disabled people are here. So many of them have been saying how they want to be working and not have to rely on begging, to earn their own money, and how education is so important. Many disabled children have never been to school. We believe as the government moves forward to educate all children that disabled children need to be a part of those efforts. But there is some very impressive work going on like work to help reintegrate disabled soldiers.

Q: And what support are you offering disability groups?

A: When we talk to the disability associations, what we are saying is that the government of Ethiopia makes its decisions on how it wants to spend its money. It is important for the disability organisations and those organisations that do work for disabled people to be meeting with the government and expressing more clearly why they believe it is important that disabled people be integrated into the work of the government. We are also encouraging other disability groups to work more closely with other African disability groups.

Q: But Ethiopia, with one of Africa’s lowest levels of foreign aid, has other priorities?

A: What we are saying is that disability needs to be mainstreamed into the agenda. So, if one of the issues is feeding, providing food, then disabled people need to be part of that.

As the country is moving forward in developing its infrastructure, its roads, its sidewalks, they need to look at making sure that curb cuts are being developed. As they expand their education programme, it would be very helpful if their teachers were receiving some basic training on how to include disabled children in class. We are not asking the government to create a new agenda at all, what we are asking is that consideration be given to this population that are very affected by poverty.

Q: But it clearly isn’t a priority – it is not in their poverty reduction strategy paper nor is there a minister for disabled?

A: The ministry of social affairs and labour is responsible for dealing with issues around labour and special needs. But [the] education [ministry] has responsibility and so do other ministries. They are talking now in the government about the creation of an organisation that will bring government and nongovernmental organisations together to be able to talk more about solutions to problems. They do have legislation dealing with employment of disabled individuals.

If you look back 30, 40, 50 years to what was going on in countries like the USA and UK and others, we didn't have the same significant problems, but disabled people were not faring well there either. What is very promising is that disabled people here are following a similar path of what has happened in other countries. They are coming together, they are articulating an agenda, they are learning how to become more involved, how to become more political, how to lobby, to really not just be a number on a piece of paper, but a real political entity.

Q: What should the government be doing as far as you are concerned?

A: It is our hope that the government will include some language on disability in the poverty reduction strategy paper. How they do it I am not about to obviously say, but an acknowledgment, even if it is to say that they need assistance in learning how to do more work in this area.

But there are some very good people in government and outside of government. Many of the ideas people have are not complicated, and the most important issue is that there becomes a more visible acknowledgement that this is an important population, and that as projects more forward slowly, that this population will benefit. Inclusion of disability issues is what we are talking about.

Q: There seems to be little public acknowledgement by politicians about the disabled?

A: They do have a project that is funded by the Bank and the government for soldiers. There is a component in the project that is dealing with disabled soldiers. That is a particularly good project, because it is helping people get homes that are acceptable, moving them back into the communities, looking at artificial limbs, wheelchairs, crutches – things of that kind of
nature. That says the government is aware of it and the government is doing some work in the area of education of disabled children. They do have a person in charge of special education and the ministry of labour and social affairs, so there is some activity.

Q: Would you like to see greater political leadership in this area?

A: We have just visited South Africa and Uganda, and disabled people are gaining greater visibility in the political structure because they are members of parliament. As members of parliament, they participate in the dialogue that takes place in the government. I know that’s one of the issues that people are talking about here.

I think, for example, the commission on women, which right now doesn’t have representation from disabled women, [it] would be a very good gesture if disabled women were invited to join the commission like what happened in Uganda. I think there are little things that could happen that would be a very important message. At the end of the day what is going to be very important is if the disability groups themselves become stronger, and as they become stronger they will receive more political attention.

Q: And is the World Bank providing funding?

A: The way the funding of the World Bank primarily goes right now is that we work with the government on the government’s plan of action. And we can’t insist that the government put something into its plan that it doesn’t wish to do. I know that the staff at the Bank is sensitive to this issue, and we will see what happens over the next couple of months.

Q: Is the World Bank suggesting that additional funding might be offered to help with these issues?

A: I don’t think the issue is around additional funding. I think the question is in the funding that will ultimately be negotiated both from the Bank and other donors being able to have disability [component] being included in the government’s plan. I know that the Bank will be
willing to discuss that issue with the government, but at the end of the day why it is critically important that the government take the leadership role is because the government makes the ultimate decisions. The Bank can’t force the government to do anything.

What we are hoping is that by bringing someone in my position as the adviser on disability and development we can get governments to recognise that in whatever activities they are engaging, this issue needs to be considered.