Consultancy - Disability Inclusion, LACRO, Panama City (11 Months)

Consultant Teaching & Training Programme & Policy

Contract

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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, opportunity

How can you make a difference?

Background

UNICEF promotes the rights and welfare of all children and adolescents in everything we do. Together with our allies, we work in 190 countries and territories to transform this commitment into practical actions that benefit all children, especially focusing our efforts on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded, worldwide.

The UNICEF Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office is based in in Panama, operating in 36 territories, including 24 country offices. UNICEF works to put the rights and well-being of the most disadvantaged children at the heart of the social, political, and economic agenda, in line with our equity focus, working across our organization and with our partners in government, civil society and the private sector to support shifts in public policy, fuel social engagement, and increase investment for children.

For more information about UNICEF and its work. (www.unicef.org/lac)..)

All children can learn and should be given the opportunity to reach their full potential, but most children with disabilities are out of school and lack access to inclusive quality learning. SDG 4 guarantees universal access to inclusive and equitable quality education for all. To make SDG4 real for all children including children with disabilities, quality, inclusive education, accessible and affordable learning materials are required. An accessible digital textbook gives all learners, including those with disabilities, access to information in alternative accessible formats therefore ensuring better access to the learning process and enhanced educational outcomes in an inclusive school setting even in low resource contexts as demonstrated through pilots in Uganda, Kenya, and other countries. Through specific features in digital formats, printed books have been made accessible to learners who are blind or have low vision, those who are deaf or hard of hearing, those who have intellectual or developmental disabilities or learning disabilities, or those who prefer to access information without visual input. By bringing together global and local writers, publishers, teachers, organizations of persons with disabilities (OPD), technology developers, MOE representatives and other stakeholders, the initiative ensures the development of the standards and guidelines needed to produce textbooks and learning materials in accessible digital formats and languages.

Though the exact number remains unknown, an estimated 240 million children under 18 years of age worldwide have disabilities (UNICEF, 2021). Children with disabilities remain one of the most marginalized and excluded groups and face multiple barriers and challenges related to accessing education. In Kenya, for example, estimates stress that 80 per cent of children with disabilities are out of school. In Uganda, only 9 per cent of children with disabilities are enrolled in primary school as opposed to 93.2 per cent for those without disabilities. In addition, lack of access to quality education continues to be one of the largest challenges for children with disabilities. In accessible education facilities, inflexible curricula, the lack of assistive devices, stigma and discrimination, inaccessible learning materials and teachers who are not yet prepared to support diverse learning needs in the classroom can all serve as major barriers to the education of students with disabilities. The lack of these essential components can result in students not enrolling in schools, dropping out or remaining in school but not achieving their full developmental potential. Accessible digital textbooks can help address the issue of accessible learning materials, which is one of many elements needed to promote an inclusive learning environment for students with disabilities.

More specifically in education, all students learn differently so giving access to digital textbooks using Universal Design for Learning principles can answer that need. The ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to education fails to recognize the various learning styles that benefit different learners, including those with disabilities. As a result, teaching methods tend to address only one or two learning styles, often leaving the other students frustrated, less engaged and less motivated to learn. Providing differentiated learning, and/or providing instruction and materials that meet different learning styles, can help improve learning outcomes.

The initiative has been world-wide piloted in 9 countries, including 6 in LACR, and UNICEF technically and financially supported them at different levels. Since 2021, the Eleva funds have funded the implementation in 4 countries and have now expanded to 2 more countries for 2022-2024. LACRO together with the COs’ teams will continue to address the need to eliminate barriers and seek innovative tools for effectively include all types of learners in the education system. We have learned from the experiences undertaken by Paraguay, Uruguay and Nicaragua with this initiative, that ADTs could be powerful and positive tools to engages all learners through different experiences. The regional package of accessible activities will reach 350,000 children in grades 1-2 over the course of 3 years. While the early stages of the initiative will continue to focus on the learning materials specific to the foundational years of education, including pre-school and the early grades of primary school, the goal is for all learning materials to be made available in accessible digital formats.

For more information about the ADT Initiative in LAC: https://www.unicef.org/lac/en/regional-initiative-accessible-digital-textbooks-all

UNICEF´s Disability Policy and Strategy (DIPAS) was developed through intensive internal and external consultations, including UN Agencies, governments, Organizations of Persons with Disabilities, and youth with disabilities and it is guided by 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). https://www.unicef.org/unicef-disability-inclusion-policy-and-strategy-dipas-2022-2030

DIPAS is the roadmap for greater cross-sectoral coordination for disability inclusion to be mainstreamed across the organization at every level to meet the needs of the world’s 240 million children with disabilities. The vision is a more inclusive world by 2030 where all children, including those with disabilities, live in barrier-free and inclusive communities. The DIPAS sets out six strategic priorities: prevention of stigma and discrimination; improvement of disability-inclusive services, programs, and workplaces; access to comprehensive community care and support services; access to assistive technology; disability-inclusive action in humanitarian, emergency, and fragile contexts; full and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities.

Purpose of the Assignment

Under the overall guidance of the Education Specialist (Inclusive Education), the selected consultant will provide technical guidance, monitor, systematize and report the different actions taken by the regional and country offices to implement the new Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy (DIPAS), with a focus on all 6 countries (Colombia, Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Uruguay, Nicaragua and Jamaica) of the LAC region where the Accessible Digital Textbooks Initiative is being implemented.

Specific Tasks

Specifically, the consultant will focus on the following tasks:

• Validate process of the Check list for Inclusive Programming.
• Develop x2 case studies on disability inclusion focused on the involvement of Organizations of Peoples with Disabilities (OPDs), such as META and Grupo Social ONCE, in the advocacy and validation processes of Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADTs) in 3 ADT countries (Dominican Republic, Colombia and Nicaragua).
• Work on and finalize the end-of- the-year report on the development of the new global Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy (DIPAS) in at least all 6 ADTs countries (Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Dominican Republic,Nicaragua, and Jamaica) of the LAC region.
• Work on and finalize 3 booklets with recommendations to mainstream disability inclusion implementation approaches in the areas of education, health, and development for COs and frontliners.
• Produce mid-year report on the development of the new Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy (DIPAS) in at least all 6 ADTs countries (Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Jamaica) of the LAC region.
• Carry out x5 webinars and trainings on how to promote and improve the involvement of key inclusion disability partners (RIADIS, GSO, Special Olympics, META) on the development and content validation of Accessible Digital Textbooks.

Expected Results

• Validate process of the Check list for Inclusive Programming.
• Develop x2 case studies on disability inclusion focused on the involvement of Organizations of Peoples with Disabilities (OPDs), such as META and Grupo Social ONCE, in the advocacy and validation processes of Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADTs) in 3 ADT countries (Dominican Republic, Colombia and Nicaragua).
• Work on and finalize the end-of- the-year report on the development of the new global Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy (DIPAS) in at least all 6 ADTs countries (Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Dominican Republic,Nicaragua, and Jamaica) of the LAC region.
• Work on and finalize 3 booklets with recommendations to mainstream disability inclusion implementation approaches in the areas of education, health, and development for COs and frontliners.
• Produce mid-year report on the development of the new Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy (DIPAS) in at least all 6 ADTs countries (Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Jamaica) of the LAC region.
• Carry out x5 webinars and trainings on how to promote and improve the involvement of key inclusion disability partners (RIADIS, Grupo Social ONCE, Special Olympics, META) on the development and content validation of Accessible Digital Textbooks.

Deliverables

Description

Expected deadline

Validation process of the Check list for Inclusive Programming finalized.

August 2023

x2 case studies developed on disability inclusion focused on the involvement of Organizations of Peoples with Disabilities (OPDs), such as META and Grupo Social ONCE, in the advocacy and validation processes of Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADTs) in 3 ADT countries (Dominican Republic, Colombia and Nicaragua).

October 2023

End-of- the-year report on the development of the new global Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy (DIPAS) in at least all 6 ADTs countries (Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Jamaica) of the LAC region finalized.

December 2023

3 booklets with recommendations to mainstream disability inclusion implementation approaches in the areas of education, health, and development for COs and frontliners finalized.

March 2024

Produce mid-year report on the development of the new Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy (DIPAS) in at least all 6 ADTs countries (Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Jamaica) of the LAC region finalized.

May 2024

x5 webinars and trainings carried out on how to promote and improve the involvement of key inclusion disability partners (RIADIS, Grupo Social Once, Special Olympics, META) on the development and content validation of Accessible Digital Textbooks.

Mid-June 2024

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Education

• Master’s degree in Social Sciences, Education, Law, or related fields.

Work Experience

• Extensive knowledge of inclusive development, children's rights, and disability rights. Senior experience in preparing technical documents, organizing training, and providing technical assistance to countries. Proven professional experience in international organizations, preferably UNICEF or another United Nations Agency, Fund or Program, in the field of disability inclusion. Demonstrated experience in advising countries in responding to the needs of children and adolescents with disabilities.
• Experience in the LAC region is an asset.

Languages

• Fluency in Spanish and English is required.

Technical knowledge

• -Professional knowledge of international standards and proven expertise in inclusive programming, with a focus on education.
• Disability-related context of the LAC Region.
• Extensive knowledge in developing, testing, and validating tools for disability inclusion programming and implementation.
• Knowledge of the Experience in developing and designing technology innovative and educational Apps and software based on Universal Design principles.
• Knowledge of the new global Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy (DIPAS), the Accessible Digital Textbooks Initiative is an asset.

Other skills and attributes

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, excellent technical communication with peers and non-technical stakeholders.-Desire to work in a highly collaborative environment.-Innovative and creative work

Administrative details

Supervision

The contractor will work under the direct supervision of the Education Specialist (Inclusive Education) and in close collaboration with the Education Section.

Workplace

This is a home-based consultancy.

Duration

This contract is expected to start in July with an estimated duration of 11 months.

How to Apply

Application should be submitted online and should include: TMS application form duly completed, Cover Letter and Financial proposal. Qualified candidates are requested to indicate an all-inclusive (lump sum) fee for the services to be provided, including all associated administrative and travel costs (if applicable).

Is travel involved

There is no travel foreseen for this consultancy.

Should travel is included, it will be covered by UNICEF as per policy.

• Travel costs will be estimated and added to the contract once they are determined based on UNICEF Financial Rules and Regulations.
• For agreed country visits, the contractor/consultant will be responsible in administering their own travel. UNICEF will reimburse travel related expenses based on actual costs or on the below criteria whichever is lower and upon presentation of receipts.
• Any travel involved should be budgeted according to UN Travel Standards as a ceiling.
• UN Secretariat Administrative Instruction on Official Travel, ST/AI/2013/3: Sect. 4, para. 4.2,numerals (d) and (e)
• For information on Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA), can be found on the International Civil Service Commission website (all countries and destinations can be found by navigating on the map).

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

*****

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.

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Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unicef.org