GCRF Network Plus: Disability under Siege

冲突和长期不稳定与不良发展成果之间存在既定联系（世界银行，2011年）。对于许多低收入和中等收入国家（LMICs）来说，在其境内或邻国存在的暴力及其遗留问题阻碍了促进发展的现有努力，同时也给国家带来了额外的负担。冲突和危机的后果回荡在整个社会，但它对残疾人教育的挑战尤为严峻。不稳定侵蚀了现有的能力，同时，由于身体或心理创伤造成的残疾人口比例上升，需求也在增加。联合国儿童基金会委托进行的研究表明，85%以上的残疾儿童从未上过学（Mizanoya et al. 2016），尽管如此，冲突、残疾和受教育机会之间的联系仍未得到充分研究。“被围困的残疾”网络Plus的总体目标是为当地从业人员提供所需的智力、财政和后勤资源，为受冲突影响国家的残疾儿童提供转折性的教育。通过实现这一目标，该项目将挑战目前导致受冲突影响的低收入中低收入国家的大多数残疾儿童无法上学的现状，并将显著改善那些接受教育的儿童的教育供应。为了最大限度地发挥“网络+”的影响，该项目将把重点放在一个特定区域：中东，特别是黎巴嫩、约旦和巴勒斯坦（西岸和加沙地带）国家。之所以选择该地区，是因为以下因素使其成为为残疾人提供更好结果的绝佳地点：i)严重漏报残疾情况，部分原因是社会歧视，部分原因是主流的狭隘残疾医疗模式；ii)这三个地区与冲突相关的致残率很高，来自更广泛地区（叙利亚和伊拉克）的难民潮造成了额外的负担；Iii)该地区有大量青年人口；iv) 95%的残疾儿童被小学拒之门外（人权观察，2016年）；v)有一个有效的，但资源不足的本地合作伙伴网络，他们能够有效地利用网络+提供的机会。为了真正理解和应对这一挑战，跨学科的方法是必要的。如何在卫生科学、法律、宗教和文化的各个领域理解残疾，是教育政策和实践以及资源的优先次序和分配的基础。此外，艺术和人文学科的作用在塑造公众对残疾的认识方面具有重要的潜力，例如，20世纪70年代英国的残疾艺术运动为1995年《残疾歧视法》的最终通过做出了重大贡献。因此，项目团队由来自全球北方和全球南方各个学科的研究人员组成，他们共同致力于改变脆弱和受冲突影响国家一些最脆弱人群的教育提供方式。

There is an established link between conflict and protracted instability, and poor development outcomes (World Bank, 2011) . For many Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) the presence, and legacy, of violence within their own borders or in neighbouring states hinders existing efforts to enhance development, while also placing additional burdens upon the state. The consequences of conflict and crisis echo throughout society, but the challenge it poses for education provision for those with disabilities is particularly acute. Instability erodes existing capacity, whilst simultaneously increasing demand, as the proportion of the population with a disability, either as a result of physical or psychological trauma, rises. Research commissioned by UNICEF indicates that over 85% of children with disabilities have never attended school (Mizanoya et al. 2016), yet despite this, the link between conflict, disability and access to education is under-examined.The 'Disability Under Siege' Network Plus, has the overarching objective of providing the intellectual, financial and logistical resources required by local practitioners to deliver a transformational step change in education provision for children with disabilities in conflict affected states. By achieving this, the project will challenge the status quo that currently results in the majority of children with disabilities in conflict affected LMICs never attending school, and will significantly improve education provision for those that do receive education.In order to maximize the impact of this Network Plus the project will focus on one specific region: The Middle East, and specifically the countries of Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine (West Bank and Gaza Strip). This region has been chosen as the following factors make it an excellent location to deliver improved outcomes for those with disabilities: i) there is significant under-reporting of disability, in part due to societal stigma, and in part due to dominant narrow medical models of disability; ii) there are high rates of conflict-related disability in all three locations, with refugee flows from the wider region (Syria and Iraq) creating an additional burden; iii) the locations have a large youth population; iv) 95% of children with disabilities are excluded from primary school (HRW, 2016); v) There is an effective, but under resourced, network of local partners who are able to effectively engage with the opportunities offered by the Network plus. In order to truly understand and make progress against this challenge, a cross disciplinary approach is necessary. How disability is understood in the various domains of health sciences, law, religion and culture underpins education policy and practice as well as the prioritisation and allocation of resources. Furthermore, the role of arts and humanities have a significant potential for shaping public knowledge on disability, for example, the 1970s Disability Arts movement in the UK, contributed substantively to the culmination of 1995 Disability Discrimination Act. Consequently, the project team comprises of researchers from a range of disciplines, based in both the Global North and Global South, all with a shared commitment to transforming education provision for some of the most vulnerable populations in fragile and conflict affected states.