KABP Survey – participation and access of organizations and people with disabilities to to services and recovery approaches

Terms of Reference (TOR)

A Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviors, and Practices (KABP) Survey
to design ways to strengthen the meaningful and inclusive participation
as well as the access of organizations and people with disabilities to
services and recovery approaches, in East Ukraine

1. Context

Humanity & Inclusion (HI) is an independent and impartial aid organisation working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. For more than 35 years, the organisation has worked alongside people with disabilities and vulnerable populations, taking action and bearing witness in order to respond to their essential needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights.

Following the escalation of the conflict, HI re-opened its country programme in Ukraine to deliver a multi-sectorial emergency response addressing the immediate needs of the vulnerable conflict-affected population. In 2022-2024 includes interventions in Protection, Basic Needs, MPCA, Health, Hospitals, P&O, and Armed Violence Reduction (Mass Media/EORE/Demining Drones)

2. Purpose of the consultancy

To conduct a comprehensive assessment aims at identifying the key gaps in knowledge, attitudes, and practices of key Health & Rehabilitation service providers in Kharkivska and Dnipropetrivska oblast concerning the accessibility and inclusivity of services. The consultant will provide key recommendations aligned with the expectations and needs highlighted by persons with disabilities in Ukraine. The final aim is to further facilitate the access of persons with disabilities and organizations of people with disabilities (OPDs) towards services and ensure a meaningful connection towards ongoing recovery approaches.

Background

Prior to conflict, Ukrainian census data from 2019, shows that approximately 6% of the population are persons living with disabilities, this is equivalent to 2.7 million people. However, actual numbers of persons with disabilities living in Ukraine are more likely to be closer to the international disability prevalence rate of 16%, recognizing the data collection around persons with disabilities is scarce in Ukraine[1]. Due to the protracted armed conflict, the number of people with disabilities is growing.

HI implement interventions aimed at providing inclusive and accessible humanitarian services to the affected population, including people with disabilities.

Although Ukraine ratified the UNCRPD in February 2010, physical, legal, informational, communicational and attitudinal barriers as well as financial hardship prior to conflict were reported to continue to limit the access of persons with disabilities to social participation and social and health services. These challenges have increased during conflict and in conflict-affected areas, where services are disrupted as well as the social support systems people rely on. Many people with disabilities have moved or been evacuated to other regions of Ukraine, also losing their usual support networks that may also lead to challenges with access to services at a new place. Persons with intellectual and psycho-social disabilities are highly excluded from participation in society in Ukraine, due to their systematic institutionalization and persisting stigma within society. As people with disabilities are often in institutions, they have limited access to needed Health and Rehabilitation services.

Considering IHA willingness to move towards a community-based approach, more in-depth data is required to understand the service providers’ knowledge and attitudes towards inclusion of people with disabilities – how do they understand disability, how do they perceive people with different disabilities, what do they know about the rights of people with disabilities, how well are they able to communicate and interact with people with disabilities and which impact it has on the people with disabilities’ access to health and rehabilitation.

The results of the survey are intended to be used as basic data and for further planning of HI’s project activities

3. Objective of the consultancy

This consultancy aims at identifying the gaps in knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviour and Practices of key service providers in the targeted locations (Dnipro and Kharkiv) in relation to including persons with disabilities into their services. It also aims at identifying the institutional, environmental, in addition to the attitudinal barriers that persons with disabilities face in their daily lives to get an access to the basic services. The results of the KABP survey should identify key priorities for actions to be taken to ensure disability inclusive service provision.

Scope of work and methodology

HI is looking for a consultant to conduct a KABP survey in selected conflict-affected regions on the East of Ukraine to:

• Conduct a mixed-method survey[2] grounded in Social Behavioural Change (SBC) theory using mixed methodology;
• Assess the current knowledge, attitudes, behaviours, and practices of the targeted service providers in Ukraine towards inclusion of people with disabilities;
• Identify the most at-risk gender, age, disability groups at risk of being excluded from Health and Rehab services in Ukraine and elaborate on the roots of the negative attitudes (i.e., unaware, uninformed, intentional, and misinformed);
• Explain socio-economic and cultural factors influencing on knowledge, attitudes, behaviours, and practices towards inclusion of people with disabilities within the healthcare services in Ukraine;
• Provide recommendations to the current HI strategies and Theory of Change in Ukraine.

The KABP Survey is expected to focus on areas of Kharkiv and Dnipro Oblasts – currently deemed safe for operations by HI HAS Team in Ukraine – as well as potentially other areas not currently accessible for security reasons in Kharkiv Oblast, if phone survey is assessed to be feasible. Ideally, the survey will differentiate between settlements never occupied, previously occupied settlements, and those close to the contact lines, as well as between rural and urban areas. For sufficient quality of survey results, HI recommends a minimum of 100 survey respondents in each selected Oblast (for a total of 200 survey respondents), 5 FGDs with identified at-risk groups and disability networks, and 150 KIIs within each prioritised Oblasts. A gender and age balance should be sought, as well as the inclusion of persons with disabilities to the extent possible.

The Consultant will provide a detailed methodology and will be required to prepare detailed work plan indicating how the objectives of the project will be achieved, and the support required from HI.

NB: Depending on access and security situation, the methodology might be shifted from mixed to qualitative. The modifications shall be agreed with IHA PM/IHA Specialist.

4. Deliverables

The Consultant will submit the following deliverables as mentioned below:

• A secondary data analysis of situation of people with disabilities, framework for supporting people with disabilities in accessing Health and Rehab services on the East of Ukraine and submit a summary of findings
• A KABP survey and produce a KABP Survey report, compliant with HI’s Design Guide.
  • As a minimum, the report will include an Executive Summary of the main findings (maximum 2 pages); background information on the context; description of the KABP Survey aim and objectives; detailed description of methodology and data collection methods (including its limitations); a map of survey’s geographical coverage; findings of the survey; analysis of findings through SBC theory; conclusions and recommendations (at the minimum HI’s strategies, the Theory of Change, and IHA programme design in Ukraine – available to the successful applicant); lessons learnt on conducting a KABP Survey in Ukraine; and annexed questionnaires, interview questions, and other methodological tools provided by IHA / Consultant. For this:
• Investigate and document key barriers and facilitators (knowledge, attitudes, and practices) that affect people with disabilities in accessing crucial Health & Rehabilitation services on the East of Ukraine (Kharkiv and Dnipropetrivsk oblast)
• Measure the level of knowledge of targeted service providers on inclusion of people with disabilities;
• Identify existing knowledge (and knowledge gaps), attitudes/beliefs, social norms, behavioural patterns and practices that create barriers to access to Health & Rehabilitation services for people with disabilities;
• Identify potentially harmful attitudes/beliefs, social norms, behavioural patterns and practices about people with disabilities, paying attention to intersecting factors (age and gender), that lead to exclusion of people with disabilities from services and provide recommendations for minimizing their impact.
• Assess the current state of inclusivity and accessibility within Health & Rehabilitation services.
• Collect data via FGDs and KIIs, clean, analyse, and hand over the entire raw survey data plus cleaned database of the survey;
• Provide recommendations based on the findings of assessment on how to use the data to adapt the HI projects activities, develop new materials or adjust existing materials to meet the needs identified in the needs assessment.
• Develop and present the survey via a PowerPoint presentation, including infographics of KABP Survey results, compliant with HI’s Design Guide

NB:

– HI will provide tools and resources that will need to be adapted to the Ukranian context.

– HI IHA specialist will provide technical training, guidance, and approval on all products developed to ensure technical validity, relevance, and quality.

– All deliverables are to be provided in English and Ukrainian, following professional proofreading services

The Consultant will provide the documentation in digital forms by email in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF versions (depending on the deliverable).

5. Duration, timeline, and payment

The total expected duration to complete the assignment will be no more than 44 working days. The consultant shall be prepared to complete the assignment no later than date 23rd of May 2024.

6. Proposed composition of team

• Consultant
• Enumerators (the team of enumerators should preferably include persons with disabilities).

7. Eligibility, qualification, and experience required

• Qualification:
  • At least a master’s degree in international development or related social sciences.
• Experience:
  • A minimum of 5 years of research and/or academic work with experience in conducting (applied) research in difficult contexts;
  • Previous experience in conducting KABP or similar surveys.
  • Preferably a good knowledge on disability rights and inclusion.
• Skills and knowledge:
  • A solid understanding of Ukrainian or similar context.
• Language requirements:
  • Written and spoken fluency in English.
  • Ukrainian and Russian is an asset.

8. Technical supervision

The selected consultant will work under the supervision of:

• HI IHA Project Manager
• HI IHA Specialist

9. Location and support

HI Ukraine offices in Dnipro, Kharkiv. HI will allocate a table and a chair in every office for the consultant – the use of conference rooms will be possible with advance notice. The Consultant will provide her/his own computer and mobile telephone.

10. Travel

Since the KABP Survey will be conducted in (at least) four two Oblasts in the East Ukraine, extensive traveling will be required. A tourist visa for Ukraine will last for three months; a longer (work) visa cannot be provide for the consultant by HI.

While the consultant will have to budget for and book the international flight (with Rzeszow, Poland, being the closest international airport), HI will manage all in-country travels and accommodations. Costs for these do not need to be included in the budget of the consultancy. Enumerators, however, would ideally be recruit locally and hence it is not expect that they will incur accommodation, travel, or per diem costs.

Note: – All international Firms/company/organization/individual will be responsible for their visa management and arrangement. HI will not provide any Support in regards to visa arrangement/process

[1] See UN Policy Options: disability (2021), p.1

[2] Including, at a minimum, secondary data review; Key Informant Interviews (KII); a combination of household, individual and/or phone interviews depending on accessibility of location; and Focus Group Discussion (FGDs), together with establishing confidence levels of collected information.