TEHRAN – Under a globally unique program called “Earthquake Preparedness Education for Children with Disabilities”, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its partners are working with different stakeholders: parents/caregivers of children with disabilities. We have developed three books aimed at students, teachers, and educators. Policy makers.
UNICEF and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in collaboration with the International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (IIEES), provide guidelines on disaster management, including mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, throughout the book. So far, the focus has been on children with hearing impairments, motor disabilities and autism spectrum disorders, the UNICEF website announced in a January 19 press release.
The development process of these books involved consultation with children with disabilities and their families, organizations of persons with disabilities (OPD), teachers from special education institutions, social workers from national welfare agencies, and aid workers from the Iranian Red Crescent Society. It was included (IRCS).
In addition, four consultation training workshops were held where teachers, social workers, and aid workers learned about and provided feedback on strategies to support children with disabilities before, during, and after the earthquake.
Looking ahead, UNICEF Iran will work with partners to incorporate these resources into annual earthquake and safety drills in schools and develop comprehensive guidelines for the drills.
As a first step, and for the first time, earthquake and safety drills will be held at special schools for children with movement disorders. It aims to advocate comprehensive training, strengthen children’s earthquake preparedness, and collect feedback on the developed plans. Guidelines.
The program’s journey doesn’t end here. Plans are already underway to update the guidebook to include guidelines for children with visual impairments and expand resources to accommodate all types of disabilities. This initiative represents a major step towards comprehensive earthquake preparedness that will ensure a safer and more resilient future for all children in Iran, regardless of their disability.
TOT Workshop on Inclusion of People with Disabilities
IRCS organized a Training of Trainers (TOT) workshop based on UNICEF’s training package on ‘Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities for Frontline Workers’.
A two-day training-the-trainer pilot workshop, organized in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), was held from 8 to 9 September 2024 at the IRCS Physical Rehabilitation Center in Tehran, UNICEF website said in a press release. It was announced at September 26th.
The UNICEF Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy (DIPAS) 2022-2030 is based on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS). .
The report highlights a more inclusive world by 2030, where all children, including those with disabilities, live in barrier-free and inclusive communities.
The two-hour session aimed to train IRCS experts from the three governorates of Khorasan Razavi, Sistan Baluchestan and Tehran on best practices for early identification and referral of persons with disabilities.
The session included educating participants on appropriate attitudes towards people with disabilities and their caregivers, and making them understand the concept of “disability inclusion” and the importance of their participation.
The overall training program aims to ensure that people with disabilities, especially those living in remote areas, are identified and referred to access rehabilitation services in a timely manner through IRCS Primary Rehabilitation Centers across the country. It was.
Notably, people with disabilities and their families were invited to share their experiences throughout the workshop, providing unique perspectives on the challenges they face. Their voices reaffirm the principle that “without us we are nothing” and help shape the way forward.
Following this workshop, IRCS participants will conduct training sessions with selected volunteers from IRCS at Heral Houses (IRCS Community Based Centers) in their respective cities.
This pilot implementation will form the basis for designing a major TOT program targeting all states nationwide in the first quarter of 2025. ”
DIPAS has established six strategic priorities. Improving services, programs, and workplaces that are inclusive of people with disabilities. Access to comprehensive community care and support services. Access to assistive technology. Disability-inclusive action in humanitarian, emergency and fragile situations. Full and meaningful participation of people with disabilities.
MT/MG