Dilshan Fernando, Kathryn Reinders, and Deborah Stienstra have published a new chapter called “A Disability Livelihoods Approach to Including Communities Meaningfully in Development.”
This publication comes out of the Disability and Livelihoods in Canada (DLC) project, a partnership funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Development Grant. Project partners contributed to three pilot projects—volunteering; arts and artistry; and young women and pre-employment supports—and an overall broader livelihoods framework. Researchers examined gaps between policy and lived experiences and sought to develop a sustainable framework that promotes diverse livelihoods.
Deborah was the Director of this project, guiding researchers in identifying important questions and policy shortcomings. Dilshan previously worked on the DLC project as a graduate student, with a focus on the political and economic aspects of disability and how they impact development. Kathryn is a PhD Candidate in the Social Practice and Transformational Change program at U of G. She also worked on the DLC project as a graduate student, with a focus on policy analysis.
In their new publication, these researchers discuss the practice of community-based inclusive development (CBID) and how significantly it is influenced by people’s livelihoods. They evaluate how existing approaches to CBID neglect the knowledge and experiences of diverse people living with disabilities. Using empirical evidence, Dilshan, Kathryn, and Deborah share three cross-cutting characteristics of meaningful inclusion within CBID:
- involving civil society organizations and community members in setting the agenda for community-based development aims,
- fostering a sense of belonging for disability inclusion,
- and, belief in community as a source of expertise in development.
The authors explore the importance of these three characteristics and provide recommendations for how they can be mobilized.
Access their new chapter on the Springer Nature site and read more about the project on the LWWRC’s Disability and Livelihoods in Canada project page.
