Draft:CDD

The Centre for Disability in Development (CDD) is a [non-profit organization] focused on creating an inclusive society for persons with disabilities in Bangladesh. Established in 1996, CDD has been working alongside various partner organizations to promote the participation and rights of individuals with disabilities.

CDD

Formation	1996
Type	Nonprofit organization
Registration no.	Dha-03632 of Department of Social Services & 1115 of NGO Affaires Bureau
Headquarters	A-18/6, Genda, Savar, Dhaka-1340, Bangladesh
Key people	A.H.M Noman Khan (Executive Director)
Award(s)	The Executive Director of CDD was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2010, Best organizations of the country working for persons with disabilities in December 2018
Website	https://cdd.org.bd/

History

The Centre for Disability in Development (CDD) was established in 1996 with the aim of fostering an inclusive society for persons with disabilities in Bangladesh. Over the years, CDD partnership with a network of over 350 organisations both nationally and internationally to advance the rights and meaningful participation of individuals with disabilities.

Mr. A.H.M. Noman Khan, the Executive Director of CDD, receiving crest for best organizations of the country working for persons with disabilities  from the Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Programmatic Focus Areas and Initiatives

Health and Rehabilitation

Persons with disabilities face challenges accessing rehabilitation services. Such services are limited and not available in proximity, especially in rural areas. In addition to specialized rehabilitation centres, all mainstream health facilities at community to national level should provide rehabilitation and inclusive health services.

1. Established as demonstration ‘One Stop Service Centre’ on rehabilitation services, which is now scaled up by the Government.
2. Established the National Resource Centre on Assistive Technology (NRCAT), which is producing and distributing prosthetic, orthotic, metal and wood devices all over Bangladesh.
3. Extending outreach rehabilitation services in rural areas through mobile vans and ship as a demonstration for replication & scaling-up.
4. Capacity building of partner organizations staff to provide primary rehabilitation services and producing assistive devices in the communities.
5. Supporting in strengthening an effective referral process with the partner organizations of CDD and other related service providers.
6. Conduct of screening and assessment camps in rural communities to identify persons with eye and visual problems, make referrals and provide glasses & hearing aids.
7. Conduct camps to identify people with mental health conditions requiring treatment and counseling support. And raising awareness of mental health issues at the community level.
8. Inclusion of rehabilitation services into mainstream health services, like government hospitals.

Rights and Empowerment

Promotion and protection of Rights is a must for the empowerment of persons with disabilities, which can ensure their effective, constructive, and dignified participation in society.

1. Strengthening capacity of persons with disabilities on human rights, governance, leadership, laws & policies, resource mobilization, gender equality, advocacy, etc.
2. Supporting formation and functioning of Self-help Groups and their Apex bodies.
3. Facilitating meaningful engagement of persons with disabilities and SHGs with local development initiatives of Union Parishads and other LGIs.
4. Facilitating increased participation of persons with disabilities, especially women with disabilities in decision-making process at all levels.
5. Promote inclusion of persons with disabilities in different government and nongovernment committees like Union Parishad Standing Committees, School Management Committees, Bazar Committees, etc.
6. Supporting initiatives of partner organizations and SHGs to protest violence committed against persons with disabilities and to seek justice through different actions like case files, human chains, submitting memorandums, and linking with legal aid agencies.
7. Advocacy to ensure rights and meet needs of persons with disabilities.
8. Use of social accountability tools like community score card, participatory budgeting, public hearing, Right to Information Act – 2009 to ensure effective participation and increase voice of persons with disabilities.

Disability Inclusive Local Governance

To strengthen the capacity of LGIs on Disability inclusive local governance for ensuring inclusive development planning and create access for persons with disabilities in all initiatives of LGIs, leaving no one behind.

1. Strengthening capacity of local government functionaries including elected women representatives on disability, human rights and inclusive development.
2. Facilitating active citizen’s engagement through social accountability tools like public hearing, participatory budgeting, community score cards, and application of Right to Information Act – 2009.
3. National level advocacy from practice to policy through Horizontal Learning Programme (HLP) by identifying and disseminating good practices on disability inclusion by LGIs.
4. Working closely with Local Government Division (LGD) and National Institute of Local Government (NILG)    
5. Advocacy to Local Government Institutes to allocate budget on disability issues reflected in their annual budget book.
6. Engaging Union Parishad Helpline to conduct telephonic survey to assess status of disability inclusion at Local Government Institutes in CDD’s working areas, including Union Parishads, Municipality and Community Clinics.
7. Strengthening capacity of partner organizations, Self-Help Groups, and community on laws, policies and functions of Local Government Institutes.
8. Facilitating inclusion of persons with disabilities in different standing committees of Union Parishads and other local community development committees.
9. Supporting LGIs (UPs & Municipalities) to conduct Ward Savas, Open budget, Union Development Coordination Committees, etc in compliance with LGI Acts.

Livelihood and Employment

We must not miss the contributions of persons with disabilities in our economic development. Access to skills development, financial resources, market, an enabling working environment and our positive attitudes can ensure meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in self and waged employment.

1. Facilitating access to and extending assistance for vocational skills development training opportunities.
2. Establishing networks with various government (e.g. Department of Social Services, Youth Development, Woman and Child Affairs, Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry) and non-government organizations to engage persons with disabilities in income generating activities.
3. Creating access to and providing financial assistance to persons with disabilities and their families to start and expand income generating activities.
4. Advocacy at different levels to promote disability inclusive working environment.
5. Support initiatives of Self-Help Groups to create livelihood opportunities for persons with disabilities.
6. Capacity building of and extending support to persons with disabilities and their families to ensure alternative livelihood during and post disaster periods.
7. Advisory services extended to Ready Made Garments (RMGs) industries through work environment assessment, orientation, training, technical assistance to create enabling environment, to recruit and retain persons with disabilities as employees.
8. Operating a Helpline to support persons with disabilities and RMGs on employment.
9. Developing Resource Materials on Employment of Persons with Disabilities

Education

Majority of children with disabilities can study in mainstream schools with certain modifications made to the education environment and with the support of trained teachers and sensitized peers.

1. Development of inclusive education training curriculum and resource materials.
2. Strengthening capacity of teachers and education officers on inclusive education.
3. Supporting schools and education institutes to improve education environment for all children (classroom, WASH facilities, adapted teaching & learning strategies, and devices)
4. Facilitating enrollment of children with disabilities into schools.
5. Development, production and distribution Basic Education Kit Access to Education (BEKAS) box for all students including students with disabilities.
6. Production and supply of Braille education materials, Taylor frames and Braille slates for students with visual impairment.
7. Development of Sign Language Manuals, pictorial books, and DVDs for students with speech and hearing disabilities.
8. Capacity building on Sign Language and Braille for teachers and students with disabilities.
9. Providing assistance for establishing Low Vision Resource Centers for students with low vision, Education Centres for Children with Autism.
10. Piloting of continuing education in emergency.

Deaf-blindness

Services and certain modifications to the environment can improve the quality of lives of persons with deaf-blindness.

1. Capacity building of CDD as a resource centre on Deaf-blindness in Bangladesh.
2. Development of resource materials including tactile, teaching & learning aids.
3. Capacity building of field educators of partner organizations and care-givers to provide services to persons with deaf-blindness in the community.
4. Raising awareness of community and development stakeholders.
5. Screening, assessment and development of individual rehabilitation plan on persons with deaf-blindness.
6. Supporting children with deaf-blindness on education and adults for income generation activities.
7. Provide appropriate assistive devices for increasing mobility and functional capacity.
8. Strengthening networking and linkages with concerned stakeholders including partner organizations and government institutes.
9. Policy advocacy - Deaf-blindness is included as a standalone disability group in the Persons with Disabilities Rights and Protection Act, 2013; and in the National identification survey on persons with disabilities.

Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Management and Humanitarian Response

Persons with disabilities are disproportionately more at risk during disaster situation. Disability inclusive DRR can reduce everyone’s risks and ensure contributions of persons with disabilities in the whole process.  

1. Forming self-help groups and increasing their skills on disaster risk reduction, leadership, and rights of the person with disabilities.
2. Promoting safe, accessible water and sanitation during disasters.
3. Facilitating inclusive community risk assessments and development of risk reduction action plans.
4. Technical support to make houses, cluster villages, schools, Local Government buildings, shelters accessible and user friendly for persons with disabilities and all considering disaster risks.
5. Facilitate to form Ward Disaster Management Committees (WDMC) which is coordinated by the community including persons with disabilities.
6. Strengthen capacity on Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction for WDMCs, Union Parishad Disaster Management Committees, school teachers, students, person with disabilities and their family members, and community people.
7. Promotion for implementation of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Dhaka Declaration – 2015, and relevant national & international policies.
8. Piloting and promotion of Inclusive Education in Emergency.
9. Disaster risk considered alternative livelihood in disaster prone locations.
10. Promoting accessible early warning.
11. Inclusive humanitarian response and post-disaster rehabilitation.[Continue with the same format for the other programmatic focus areas: Livelihood and Employment, Education, Deaf-blindness, and Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Management and Humanitarian Response.]

Contact Information

• Address: A-18/6, Genda, Savar, Dhaka-1340, Bangladesh
• Telephone: +8801713021695 (Office)
• Website: www.cdd.org.bd
• Date of Registration:

 - On 31/07/1996 - Under Department of Social Services
 - On 31/12/1996 - Under NGO Affairs Bureau

Awards and Recognition

CDD has received several awards for its contributions to disability rights and inclusive development, including:

• The Executive Director of CDD (A.H.M. Noman Khan) was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award (Asian Version of the Nobel Prize) in 2010.
• CDD was awarded as one of the best organizations of the country working for persons with disabilities in December 2018.

References

Category:Disability and gender Category:Non-governmental organizations