Leaving no one behind and reaching those most marginalised first are the central, transformative promises underlying the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Those who have been left out of development progress, in relative or absolute terms, include persons with disabilities. Around the world, and across multiple indicators of poverty (including education, employment, food security, health), persons with disabilities fare worse. They are also more likely to live in households exposed to economic insecurity and shocks. Disability-inclusive education and work are critical pathways to secure sustainable livelihoods for persons with disabilities. Yet many persons with disabilities are trapped in intractable cycles of exclusion and remain at the periphery of labour markets.
Society in general and the economic sector in particular, conceptualises the contribution of persons with disabilities in terms of dependency, rather than equal players in building inclusive economies. Promoting the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the world of work is not only a matter of human rights and social justice but a viable avenue for sustainable growth and development. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimated the macroeconomic losses related to the exclusion of persons with disabilities from the labour force to range between three and seven per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in low- and middle-income countries. Stimulating labour participation rates amongst persons with disabilities (whether in the form of self-employment, supported employment or inclusion in ‘open’ employment) without an equal focus on what this participation looks like can however exacerbate marginalisation, stigmatisation, and the untapped potential of persons with disabilities. In this sense inclusion can become exclusionary.
Our work in this research stream focuses on advancing sustainable livelihoods through programming and evaluation with a specific focus on livelihoods interventions for persons with disabilities in the Global South. We are committed to respond meaningfully to sustained calls for systems transformation by leveraging multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary collaborations, engaging in action-oriented research, and applying social innovation frameworks, southern theory, and critical disability studies to challenge traditional norms and discourses around disability, and co-create systemic change processes.
Our stream has five key objectives, namely:
- Bringing evaluative thinking and evaluation practices closer to disability inclusion.
- Building strategic and equitable partnerships with relevant stakeholders (persons with disabilities and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities, practitioners, change agents, social actors and emerging/established researchers) for knowledge exchange and meaningful collaboration, and in the process identify operational synergies.
- Showcasing the contributions, lived experiences and unique insights of persons with disabilities regarding all matters that pertain to them. We recognise that persons with disabilities are a heterogenous group with intersecting identities and agencies. They have resilience capacities and unparalleled insights into what is essential for them to lead decent and sustainable lives. This recognition is at the core of our work.
- Curating and disseminating engaged research through publications, podcasts, and other media channels, amplifying critical narratives and advocating for inclusive policies and practices.
- Building capacity and providing thought leadership on disability-inclusive programming and evaluation.
Active Research Projects
Testing the assumptions underlying social protection systems for persons with disabilities in the Global South
This research project examines the implicit assumptions that shape the design of social protection systems for persons with disabilities (referred to as theory of change in programme evaluation). The aim is to surface the complex web of assumptions which underpins provision of disability grants (from different vantage points) and subject these to a plausibility assessment. For instance, the legislative framework in South Africa distinguishes between two cohorts of persons of disabilities – those who are eligible for the disability grant and those who are not, based on the medical model of disability. This differentiation, along with the predetermined value of the disability grant, is laden with implicit assumptions regarding disability. These assumptions and their manifestations have a profound influence on the participation of persons with disability across a number of spheres.
Revisiting the role of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities and North-South Partnerships
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) positions Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) as key players in achieving the commitments set out in the convention. However, the prevailing narrative is that there is misalignment between the envisioned role of OPDs in the Global South and their capacity to deliver on their mandate (i.e., operationalise the expectations of the UNCRPD in their local contexts). In this research project, we determine whether this narrative resonates with the existing evidence and apply a Southern theory lens that challenges our thinking about issues relating to capacity, sustainability and North-South partnerships.
Piloting a social innovation framework for disability-inclusive entrepreneurial education
Entrepreneurship has the potential to catalyse social and economic development, and when undertaken by persons with disabilities, the benefits are extended to other marginalised collectives and the multiplying effect of this ‘shared value’ is consequential. Higher education institutions in South Africa are home to many entrepreneurship programmes, but we suspect that few have attracted, enroled, and graduated persons with disabilities. There are two competing issues at hand: (1) the structural, cultural, psychological and physical constraints that persons with disabilities may experience studying at an institution geared towards students without disabilities; (2) the unique multi-level barriers that impede the success of entrepreneurs with disabilities to start and sustain a viable venture (e.g., lack of legitimacy with important stakeholders, power imbalances, internalised stigma, loss of existing income from social security benefits – the “welfare trap”, limited social capital, minimal opportunities for work-based experiences, a “closed” entrepreneurial ecosystem). Preliminary engagements around this project point to the need for a disability-inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystem, responsive to the specific multi-level barriers that persons with disabilities in the Global South face, as aspiring or emerging entrepreneurs. “Scaling out” existing ‘mainstream’ entrepreneurship education programmes, without addressing these barriers, is likely to be counterproductive. On the other hand, having a ‘differentiated programme for persons with disabilities is at odds with the tenets of disability-inclusive development. Until now, most programmes have worked with persons with disabilities in isolation, away from the main thrust of activity. The overarching questions we grapple with in this research project are: How do we build a framework for inclusive entrepreneurial education? What can we learn from lived experiences of entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs with disabilities? How do we operationalise disability-inclusive entrepreneurship education from the vantage point of different stakeholders? How do we influence the larger entrepreneurial ecosystem? How do we identify leverage points?
Our Team
Adiilah Boodhoo (PhD) is Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and an evaluation specialist with 12 years of teaching, research and consultancy experience in Monitoring and Evaluation. She leads the Programming and Evaluation for Sustainable Livelihoods research stream under the NRF SARChI Chair in Creation of Decent Work and Sustainability. Her research focuses on comparative investigations of evaluation practice, and programming and evaluation for sustainable livelihoods. She has a keen interest in disability inclusion and her current projects include promoting the design and evaluation of disability-inclusive interventions using systems-based approaches, understanding how persons with disabilities access and combine different resilience capacities to overcome sustainable livelihood barriers, and testing the assumptions underlying social protection systems for persons with disabilities in the Global South. She served as the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) co-lead at the UKRI GCRF Accelerating Achievement for Africa’s Adolescents Hub and is an Evaluation Associate at the Institute of Monitoring and Evaluation (IME). She specialises in advanced quantitative data collection and analysis techniques.
Dominique Brand (PhD) is a postdoctoral fellow under the NRF SARChI Chair in Creation of Decent Work and Sustainability. She is the co-founder of BFM & Associates and a disability inclusion strategist,with 15 years of research and consultancy experience in the disability sector. She holds a PhD in Disability studies. Her postdoctoral work focuses on co-creating sustainable pathways to promote the quality of life of persons with disabilities in the Global South. She specialises in qualitative methods, particularly the application of the biographical narrative interpretative approach in the context of research with persons with disabilities. Her work challenges conventional views of participation and inclusion. Dr Brand teaches on the Postgraduate Diploma in Disability Studies at the University of Cape Town (Monitoring Disability in Society) and on the Postgraduate Diploma in Disability Studies and Rehabilitation (Policy Analysis) at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
Karina Fischer Mogensen (PhD) is a research associate and director of BFM & Associates. She has 18 years of experience in the disability sector. Her doctoral research focused on skills development and transition to work/employment for persons with disabilities in the Global South. Dr Fischer Mogensen has worked with Danish OPDs and their Global South partners in various capacities, including serving as organisational development advisor, and stakeholder engagement facilitator. She has extensive experience in providing technical support for the development of strategic frameworks for sustainability, partnerships and inclusive development. Her recent engagements include assisting partners in Rwanda, Lao PDR and India to secure funding from the Danish Disability Fund and facilitating a knowledge and co-creation initiative for the Danish Association of the Blind and its nine partners on Community Based Inclusive Development.
Are You Interested in Collaborating?
We believe that impactful research thrives on collaboration and diverse perspectives. We're inviting interested collaborators and key stakeholders passionate about disability inclusion to join us in our efforts.
If you share our commitment and expertise in this field or any of the mentioned projects, we invite you to reach out. Your insights, experiences, and collaboration can significantly contribute to advancing disability-inclusive practices in sustainable livelihoods.
Please email Adiilah Boodhoo to connect with us. Let's work together towards meaningful and sustainable change for persons with disabilities.