Cluster and sector leads88

For this section, refer to IASC policy on accountability to affected populations.89

Preparedness
  • Involve national and local OPDs in clusters and sectors and seek their advice on good practices and challenges.
  • Appoint a disability focal point in each cluster.
  • Identify the safety and protection risks, and the disability-inclusive services that are available, in each sector. Assess the capacities of persons with disabilities and ensure they are included in sector-specific contingency plans. Ensure contingency plans include prepositioning of assistive devices (such as wheelchairs, crutches, white canes, hearing aids, peer-support systems) to replace those that are likely to be lost or damaged.
  • Ensure contingency plans put clear communications systems in place, including early warning systems, and inclusive feedback and response mechanisms. Communication arrangements should take account of the communications requirements of persons with disabilities and should be accessible to them.
Needs assessment and analysis
  • Ensure that needs assessment processes that estimate the severity of needs consider the impact of the situation on persons with disabilities and their families.
  • Ensure that multisectoral needs assessments consider the requirements, risks, skills, capacities, and views and perceptions of persons with disabilities.
  • Ensure that needs assessments identify persons with disabilities and their requirements. When primary data are collected, consider using tools tested in humanitarian contexts, such as the Washington Group Short Set of Disability Questions.
  • Consult affected populations, including persons with disabilities. Allocate 15–20 per cent of consultation time and resources to persons with disabilities.
  • Ensure that joint needs assessments include OPDs representing the diversity of persons with disabilities in their teams.
Strategic response planning
  • Involve OPDs representing the diversity of persons with disabilities in strategic response planning processes, including analysis of information relating to persons with disabilities.
  • Develop and use appropriate indicators to measure the inclusion of persons with disabilities, applying the recommendations of these guidelines.
  • Design a twin-track approach and response strategy, including standard operating procedures (SOP), based on sector-specific guidelines and standards on inclusion of persons with disabilities. The approach and the strategy should take account of the intersectionality of gender, age, disability and other diversity factors.
Resource mobilization
  • Ensure that sectoral budgets and the funding needs overview allocate adequate sums to disability-inclusive programming. Include universal design of new or temporary structures, modification of existing structures, providing reasonable accommodations, outreach mechanisms, sign language interpreters, etc.). Seek advice from OPDs and disability focal points when budgets are planned and prepared.
  • Involve OPDs representing the diversity of persons with disabilities in the review committee of selected projects (for example, emergency response funds and pooled funds) to ensure that proposals adequately and appropriately include and address the requirements of persons with disabilities.
Implementation and monitoring
  • Monitor and report on the degree to which persons with disabilities are able to access assistance and protection; disaggregate information by sex, age and disability.
  • Ensure that persons with disabilities are included in cluster reporting.
  • In partnership with OPDs, develop and disseminate advocacy messages on the rights and protection of persons with disabilities who are affected by the crisis.
Evaluation
  • Organize sector evaluations, and participate in intersectoral evaluations, that examine inclusion of persons with disabilities.
  • Systematically include disability focal points, disability task teams, and OPDs that represent the diversity of persons with disabilities, in evaluation processes.
Coordination
  • Ensure that sectors and clusters harmonize the work they do on disability-inclusive programming, in and across clusters and sectors.
  • Encourage OPDs, disability-related organizations and service providers to participate in cluster meetings. Make sure that meetings are in accessible locations; provide reasonable accommodations when needed.
  • Coordinate the development of an inclusive inter-cluster system, for referrals and to monitor accessibility for persons with disabilities.
Information management 90
  • Ensure information management systems include information on the degree to which persons with disabilities can access assistance and protection and participate in activities that are relevant to them.
  • Make certain that information collected on persons with disabilities is reliable, updated, and identifies good practices with respect to protection of, assistance to, and participation by persons with disabilities. Share information in cluster reports that use accessible formats. Adhere to data ethics and protection principles.91