Consultant on assistive technologies and inclusive education

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

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

Children with disabilities are the world’s most marginalized children. In the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region today, there are as many as 5.1 million children with disabilities, of whom 3.6 million are not counted in social registers. Negative social attitudes towards children with disabilities deepen their invisibility and vulnerability. Children with disabilities in ECA Region are still routinely deemed “uneducable”. They are identified too late, if at all, and the formal assessment is based on a diagnosis which leads to segregated education provision. The medical model known as defectology pays little or no attention on addressing the physical and social barriers that deny children with disabilities to access school and learn. As children with disabilities are increasingly entering regular schools, they face huge barriers: teacher capacity is low; additional support to meet their individual needs is lacking; and stigma and discrimination by other children and their parents still persist. As a result, more than 3.8 million children with disabilities in ECA Region do not have access to education.

According to the State Statistical Service of Ukraine, 2,703,006 persons with disabilities are registered in Ukraine as of January 2020, 163,886 of whom are children. The recent Law of Ukraine on Education (2020) formally secures the right of children with disabilities and special educational needs (SEN) to receive education in mainstream settings. This is an important step towards modernizing the system of education through embracing the rights-based approach to inclusion, but the shift away from the long-standing medical model will required continued transformations in attitudes, policies and practices. Currently, of the 78,380 children with SEN and disabilities enrolled in the institutions of secondary education, nearly 37,000 (47%) still attend segregated special schools, often located far from the family’s home. In 2018, Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MoES) started to build a network of Inclusive Resource Centers (IRCs), aiming at supporting children as they receive inclusive education close to their family residence. So far, the IRCs have remained focused on assessment and screening to identify children with SEN, but the ability of the Centers’ staff to ensure a competent ICF-based assessment for learning needs to be further improved. Likewise, the capacity of IRCs to provide quality classroom support and accommodation once a child is identified is admittedly low due mainly to the lack of knowledge and available resources.

Therefore, assistive technology (AT/AAC) is seen as a critical means to empower and enable children with disabilities to function and actively participate in school and community life. Still, the potential and the benefits of AT/AAC are not widely known to persons with disabilities, their families or professionals working with them. Globally, UNICEF estimates that in many low-income countries, only five to 15 percent of people, including children, who need assistive technology are able to obtain it.

That is why this project will help strengthen the Ukrainian education system by addressing the issue of inequitable access to education for children with disabilities. UNICEF Ukraine and Akelius Foundation will engage the existing stakeholders and build new partnerships to improve systems, and legislation through modelling effective use of AT/AAC for education in selected communities of Ukraine. This pilot will leverage the AT/AAC to ensure successful inclusion of children with disabilities into mainstream primary school environment and help develop an ecosystem for provision and use of AT/AAC in Ukraine.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of assignment:

UNICEF is looking for an Individual Consultant to support implementation of the project. The education reforms are currently on-going; therefore, this project will promote and enable use of AT as an entry point to build the key pillars of a national AT/AAC system provision to benefit all children with disabilities in need of AT. The following areas will be addressed: national markets to offer AT for all types of impairments; establishment of a national procurement AT mechanisms; revision of national legislation and polices across sectors revised to ensure availability, affordability, accessibility of AT; establishment of AT services and training of teachers and professionals, and raising awareness of children, persons with disabilities on the benefits of AT/AAC and increase demand for its use.

The project is implemented on regional levels (Kyiv and Lviv oblasts).

Deliverables:

Deliverables outlined below, to be due in accordance with the following timeline

• Project technical coordination of implementing partner (NGO). Undertake a desk review of the reports and conduct needs assessment and prepare needs assessment report in coordination with WHO. Collect baseline data on participation and learning outcomes of Children with SEN. In coordination with the Ministries, WHO, UIED and families, support and facilitate translation, adaptation and endorsement of materials and software by the Ministry of Education and Science. By 15/11/2021
• Support developing training curricula in coordination with the NGO for educators, representatives on IRC and parents as well as methodologies on assessment, provision, application and services of assistive products, support to inclusive education and cooperation with Regional AT Centers. Contribute to the steering committee establishment and activity, meeting organisation and provide support to multi-sectoral advisory task force (organize meetings, provide inputs). Conduct 6 trainings for educators, representatives of IRC, and 2 seminars for parents and facilitating workshops in coordination with the Ministry and NGO. By 31/01/2022
• Provide inputs and technical expertise to policy documents (e.g. MoES's decree 414), contribute recommendations to National APL and to National Strategy of IE on updating AT, and its specifications and ensure the Decree is updated. Conduct monitoring visits to Lviv and Kyiv oblasts. Support promotion of inclusive education and AT with AT producers in Ukraine, the MoES, community, NGO. Coordinate activities and cooperate with the provider of the AT/AAC and also with the IRC. Contribute to development of monitoring mechanism to facilitate implementation of the pilot. Support project monitoring and evaluations and contributing to development of online instrument/questionnaires for teachers, parents and other actors, as relevant, for the monitoring and documentation of the process. By 01/04/2022
• Provide expertise to the development of communication materials. Identify cases and provide inputs for a human interest story. Coordinate project implementation with NGO. Drafting documentation of the progress and lessons learned reports. Contribute to reports. By 15/08/2022

Local travel during the assignment:

The consultant will travel to Kyiv oblast and Lviv oblast. All travel must comply with the Government recommendations on COVID-19.

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

Education: Education with focus on inclusive education, Social Studies.

Professional experience:

• At least 5 years of experience in inclusive education
• Knowledge of MS Office
• Experience in conducting trainings in the thematic area
• Experience in working with civil society organizations, local authorities, Government, international organizations and UN agencies will be considered an advantage
• Flexibility and ability to adapt to changing environment
• Demonstrated ability to work well as part of a team and to forge and manage partnerships

Language: Ukrainian - Proficient/Native [C2]; English is an advantage.

Skills and competencies:

• Good organizational and coordination skills
• Excellent written and oral communication skills

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.

Please fill in the form properly and indicate your daily fee, travel lump sum, and total fee to complete the assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, and on any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.