Public Education Strategy in ILO Projects to Promote the Employment of Disabled Persons
By Robert Ransom, ILO Vocational Rehabilitation Branch, Geneva
Technical Co-operation
Why Public Education
Examples of Public Education
Programme Goals
Target Groups
Activities and Products
Botswana
Zambia
Swaziland
Zimbabwe
Results and Impact
Impact Evaluation
Future Programmes
ILO Technical Co-operation
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is mandated by its member States to provide technical support, on training and employment issues among others, to requesting developing countries, and countries with economies in transition. The ILO provides such support either directly or through *technical co-operation* projects, funded by donor agencies.
During the 1980s, ILO technical co-operation projects in the field of vocational rehabilitation were designed, implemented and evaluated in a number of countries. The purpose of these projects was to increase government capability to provide vocational rehabilitation services to, and to promote the employment of, persons with disabilities, with particular attention to the needs of disabled women.
Several of these projects, particularly in Africa, included a media component with the objective of increasing public awareness of the work abilities of youth and adults with disabilities. Among those countries where specific public education efforts were made were Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
More recently, two ongoing interagency (ILO, UNESCO, WHO) technical co-operation projects, to assist government national Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) programmes in Ghana and Namibia, include a media component.
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Why Public Education?
The ILO has long recognised that negative public attitudes are among the obstacles impeding the access of persons with disabilities to employment in the competitive labour market. Many governments have likewise come to the conclusion that despite the provision of vocational rehabilitation, skills training and job placement services, unless public attitudes are changed, little progress can be achieved in trying to place disabled persons in open employment.
The need for public education was also recognised by the UN General Assembly, which included in the UN Standard Rules on the Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, adopted in 1993, Rule 1 on Awareness-raising, which declares that: "States should take action to raise awareness in society about persons with disabilities, their rights, their needs, their potential and their contribution."
Also, it says that in Rule 7, on Employment: "States should initiate and support public awareness-raising campaigns designed to overcome negative attitudes and prejudices concerning workers with disabilities."
For these reasons, governments and the ILO decided to include public education components in the technical co-operation projects in the field of disability being prepared for donor funding. Commonly referred to as Îmedia componentsÎ, they have often included project activities such as the preparation of a media campaign strategy, usually with the assistance of an international media consultant, the organisation of awareness-raising seminars for the personnel of local radio, TV and print media, the production of radio and TV spots, the commissioning of articles for inclusion in local newspapers, the preparation of promotional videos for use by local TV stations and workshops on the use of the media for staff and members of disabled persons organisations.
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Examples of Public Education Activities
One major ILO technical co-operation programme is illustrative of the variety of public education activities often undertaken by ILO projects.
An ILO promotional programme, to improve the livelihood of women with disabilities, was im-plemented from 1989 to 1995 in five countries in the southern African region (Botswana, Lesotho, Swaz-iland, Zambia and Zimbabwe). The Programme was considered experimental because activities were to be carried out in conjunction with local Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) rather than with government entities.
With German government funding of US$1.75 million for an initial three year period, the ILO launched the Improved Livelihood for Disabled Women: A Regional Promotional Programme for Southern African Countries. The Programme sought to promote women with disabilities as income earners; be they wage-workers, co-operative members, or self-employed. Emphasis was placed on preparing disabled women for employment in an integrated (i.e. disabled and non-disabled) work place.
One objective of the Programme was to increase public awareness about disability. This was done by utilising various educational and entertainment media. Mass media- broadcast (TV and radio) and print (newspapers and magazines), small media (drama, music, dance and public meetings), literature (poetry) and fine arts (painting, textiles) were all used by the Programme in order to have as wide and profound an impact on the public as possible.
The Programme was directed by an international Chief Technical Adviser (CTA) based in Harare, Zimbabwe, with project activities in each country co-ordinated by a national co-ordinator (one each for Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe) as well as one income generating activities expert to serve the entire region. The Programme team itself included several women with disabilities.
At the regional level the Programme established a link with the Southern Africa Federation of the Disabled (SAFOD), which was already well established with member organisations in each country. SAFOD provided trainees to the Programme from among its staff members, each of whom served a nine-month internship in the Programme's head office.
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Programme Goals
One of the goals of the Programme was to promote and assist the employment of disabled women. To this end the Programme engaged in the establishment and support of mainstream income-generating projects (small businesses, co-operatives etc.) within the communities in which women with disabilities live. The rationale was that persons with disabilities involved in such activities are not only being integrated into work, but also into the community at large and ultimately into society. In addition, such self-sufficiency goes a long way in changing attitudes of the public toward persons with disabilities as well as increasing their self-esteem.
Although the Programme targeted women with disabilities, employment and training projects supported were not necessarily made up entirely of women. They were required, however, to include women with disabilities in critical numbers and roles.
The one overriding goal of the Programme was to change attitudes towards women with disabilities- both those held by the general public and those that women with disabilities hold toward themselves. A major objective in all of the Programme's activities was to show women with disabilities in a positive light. This was done in an effort to dispel the negative stereotype that many people have of persons with disabilities. The Programme chose not to use the typical approach of showing women with disabilities as passive and incapable of doing for themselves (and therefore, the necessity of our doing for them). Although this approach has long been successful in raising funds from the public through guilt and not a small amount of pity and fear, it was decided by the Programme Team that this approach also degrades the women it depicts and puts them in the role of victims. The purpose of the Programme was to combat these negative myths and stereotypes.
To show women with disabilities in the proper light, it was decided to ensure that everything produced by the Programme be of a high standard. All products and productions prepared were not only educational and well-informed, they were also attractive and entertaining, showing women with disabilities integrating community life in positive ways. In sum, every activity of the Programme was designed to ultimately enable and empower women with disabilities.
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Target Groups
In addition to raising the general awareness of the public about women with disabilities, efforts were made to influence the opinions of those in positions that have a direct impact on the lives of persons with disabilities. To this end the Programme identified specific sectors of the community as target populations for its activities. First, employers were targeted. It was recognised that they must be shown that women with disabilities are able and competent workers. Second, parents were targeted, as they must be informed about the options open to children with disabilities and the importance of sending their children to school as early as possible. The third target of the Programme were government representatives, as they must be made more aware of their role and responsibilities in addressing the needs of persons with disabilities.
With this in mind the Programme oriented its promotional campaign activities to these pivotal individuals in the community. Specifically, personnel officers and other employers, staff members of training institutions and schools, government officials and other decision makers, NGO personnel as well as the general public were the focus of the Programme's media campaign.
The significant role that the media plays in shaping public opinion is widely known. Even the presentation of news and information can have an unconscious influence by portraying subjects in a negative or positive light. Often in the case of women with disabilities, when they are portrayed at all in the media, the uninformed bias of the reporter or journalist will give a negative cast to the disabled individual. Realising the power of the media, the Programme gave a high priority to using media of various sorts to inform and sensitise.
In order to accurately assess the situation of women with disabilities in the participating countries, a survey of the attitudes and living circumstances of 150 women with disabilities was conducted. To get as balanced a picture as possible, it was decided that half of the respondents be from rural settings and half be from urban areas.
Once a basic understanding of the issues was established, the Project Team was able to set its specific target groups. Activities were then tailored so as to be most appropriate for each specific group. This was done in much the same way as a commercial advertiser, who promotes a product by building an advertising campaign around the tastes and habits of the market being targeted as potential buyers of the product.
In this case the "product" being promoted were the abilities of women with disabilities; the Îbuyers" were the various sectors of the public who impact on the lives of women with disabilities. These promotional campaigns were planned in conjunction with the Programme's counterpart NGOs and with input from women with disabilities. In this co-operative manner, every angle of the "market" was assessed and planned for.
An important aspect of the Programme's media campaign was the decision to focus on the *small* media (drama, music, dance and public meetings). This decision was made because it was seen that while mass media has the potential to reach a larger audience, it does not allow for meaningful two-way communication. The small media presents an audience with a live, face to face presentation and allows it to question and interact with the new information about and images of women with disabilities.
Activities and Products
The Programme supported income generating projects in three countries in the region: garment and patchwork production and a grinding mill in Zimbabwe; concrete block making, shopkeeping and bookbinding in Botswana and poultry-raising, concrete block making and bookbinding in Zambia.
Training Guides on how to start and operate a small business were produced and a guide for community workers was written and translated into vernacular languages. These publications were tailored to the specific conditions and day to day lives of women with disabilities in the region.
However the main activity of the Programme was promotion and it was this priority that received the major portion of Programme resources. The Programme pursued a multi pronged approach to its aim of heightened awareness of disability and gender issues through: workshops for media personnel, writing and public speaking workshops for women with disabilities, production of a television advertisement, a series of sensitisation seminars, a four part television talk show series, production of promotional materials and finally, the mounting of roadshows. Each of these activities can be seen as one part of a comprehensive campaign to promote women with disabilities. Each part of this promotional campaign is detailed below.*
Workshops for media personnel
The campaign targeting the mass media began with a regional seminar for personnel working in the mass media. One objective of this seminar was to interest media personnel in disability issues. It is important that those reporting the news and shaping public opinion be aware that persons with disability are members of the community and that issues of their concern are news-worthy. Once interest was sparked, it is important that media people come to an understanding of how best to accurately report disability-related issues. This is where attitudes and negative stereotypes were dealt with and appropriate use of language offered, so that a positive approach to such issues could be established.
The regional seminar was followed up by a national media seminar in each of the five countries in the region. The national seminars allowed the Programme to bring members of the local disability movements into direct contact with media personnel.
A key to the success of the media workshops was the inclusion of people with disabilities themselves. This reinforced the idea that persons with disability are active and capable members of society and brought discussions to a concrete and personal level. In addition, establishing personal contacts between the media people and members of the disability movement provided appropriate resource contacts for both sides.
Writing and public speaking workshops for women with disabilities
If women with disabilities are to be actively involved in community affairs and self promotion, they must possess the skills to represent themselves effectively. It was found that many of the women lacked the confidence to do so. Consequently several workshops were held for those women who exhibited an interest and talent in writing. Writing as well as speaking skills were practised and works of prose and poetry were produced by individual participants.
Television Public Service Announcement-PSA
It was decided that one of the best ways to promote women with disabilities to the employment sector would be through television. The majority of potential employers of women with disabilities reside in the urban areas where TV has a significant impact. For this reason a 30 second TV spot was produced. The PSA showed women with disabilities as diligent and enthusiastic workers. Not only were these women shown in a positive light as capable workers, but some of them were shown in jobs not traditionally held by women (much less by women with disabilities) such as electricians, lab technicians and computer programmers. The theme of the PSA was "Women with Disabilities Get the Job Done."
In Zimbabwe and Swaziland, the PSA was aired free of charge preceding the regular evening news programmes. Such an arrangement lends an air of factualness and professionalism to the PSA and the timing assures that a large number of viewers, employers as well as members of the general community, can be reached. Because of the economic situation in the country, Zambia TV did not offer air time free of charge so the PSA was not shown there. The PSA was also sent to Lesotho TV, but because of the limited amount of air time available in the country (half an hour per evening), free airing of the PSA was difficult.
Sensitisation seminars
The Programme team realised that certain members of the service sector who are likely to impact on the lives of women with disabilities needed to be reached. Sensitisation seminars were thus organised, geared for field workers of relevant NGOs (such as Girl Guides, Women's Clubs, etc.), staff members of relevant government ministries (such as Ministry of Community and Co-operative Development and Ministry of Rural Development), councillors and members of local development committees.
In Zimbabwe alone, over forty of these two day seminars were held. Again, women with disabilities themselves played key roles in the seminars, in which efforts were made to sensitise participants to gender and disability issues and to extract a commitment to further the integration of women with disabilities. The approach was to both educate and persuade. Topics of these seminars were: causes of disability, integration of persons with disabilities (what it means and how it can be done), and development of skills for integration and appropriate interaction techniques.
In conducting these seminars it was found that role playing was particularly effective in giving participants a "hands on" experience of disability through having them use a wheel chair, walk with crutches, move about while blindfolded and try to communicate without speaking. There has been some debate as to the effectiveness of such exercises because the issues of disability can too easily become either over-blown or trivialised.. However, in this case the exercise was conducted by the Zimbabwe National Co-ordinator (herself a woman with a disability) who carefully controlled the situation to be sure that participants came away with the correct understanding of the issues. Participants were not only exposed to the difficulties of disability but were also shown some of the coping strategies used by persons with disability.
Television talkshow series
As a result of the mass media seminar held early in the campaign, the Programme was offered an opportunity to develop a four part television series (one programme each Sunday for four consecutive weeks). The programme, ÎThe Breakfast TV Show", is a regular production of Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC). It is done in Shona (the local language) and is very popular with the general public.
Each week, different people with disabilities were featured guests. Discussions were lively and covered a range of topics relevant to the viewers such as prevention and early detection of disabilities, educational and governmental policy relating to persons with disability, and public attitudes (including marriage and family issues) related to persons with disabilities.
The disabled individuals who were featured on the programme presented a variety of personal opinions and viewpoints, but together they presented an image of persons with disability as articulate, active, intelligent and capable citizens.
The Breakfast TV Show provided the Programme with an excellent opportunity to raise public awareness and reach a large sector of the community at a minimal cost. Since it is a regular production of ZBC the Programme's only major expense in producing the programmes was the provision of transportation for the various featured guests.
Production of promotional material
T-shirts, tote bags, posters and ballpoint pens were produced and sold in all five countries for fund-raising. These particular types of products are very popular in the region and therefore they also serve as vehicles in spreading the word. All of these products included on them the message of the Programme- "Improved Livelihood for Disabled Women: Count Us In!*.
The tote bags, T-shirts and one of the posters have a print of a painting done by the Weya Women's Co-operative in Zimbabwe. The picture is a colourful scene of a typical rural African village: women pounding grain, preparing food, carrying children on their backs, fetching firewood, preparing meals, etc. This folk scene instils a feeling of the good and simple things in life and celebrates the routines of ordinary people. The "selling point" is that all of these ordinary people happen to be disabled.
Besides being sold in local galleries and shops, these items were distributed to relevant government offices, volunteer organisations, NGOs and United Nations Development Programme offices.
The roadshows
Music, dance and drama form an integral part of the heritage and culture throughout much of Africa (as well as much of the world's folk traditions). In the African context particularly, such "theatric events, are often used to educate and inform about life and the world. Thus, most people in the region have an already developed appreciation for theatre and an understanding of the informative as well as emotive power of theatre. Through the use of travelling dramatic presentations, or roadshows, the Programme capitalised on this ready channel of reaching the public.
Mounting a roadshow is expensive and earnings from admission cannot recover the costs of renting facilities, paying writers and actors, constructing sets and other costs involved. A roadshow does have the potential, however, to reach a very wide audience. A roadshow brought to a rural area where people probably have little or no access to other media and entertainment forms can have a far reaching effect.
Roadshows were mounted by the Programme in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Swaziland and Botswana. Each of these countries have their own traditions of music and dance performance as well as a unique set of social and cultural conditions.. Therefore it was decided that the Roadshow in each country would be developed by local writers to be performed by local groups. This was done to ensure that the issues of women with disabilities would be presented from a local and readily accessible perspective.
Because facilities as well as money making potential are better in urban areas, the roadshows were mainly performed in cities and towns in the region; particularly at colleges and universities. However, two rural areas (Gwanda and Gokwe in Zimbabwe), where the Programme was opening income generating projects for disabled women, were targeted for performances. Five performances were presented in each area and the roadshow was seen as a vital step in educating the surrounding community and fostering goodwill towards the fledgling projects in the area. The Programme wanted very much to cover more rural areas, but the huge geographical area and the high costs of transport and accommodation of the actors precluded it. For example, to cover the whole country the drama groups would be busy for two and a half years (assuming five performances per week)!
It was decided that although local people were to be enlisted to write scripts for the roadshows, those contracted would be professional writers and theatre groups, as far as was possible. This was done for several reasons. First of all, as with all other promotional activities, a well done and professional quality product was desired. Furthermore, professionals are more dependable and a higher quality as well as punctuality can be expected.
The script requirements were that the shows must be culturally accurate, they must show women with disabilities in a positive and active manner and above all, they must be entertaining. Other than these stipulations, each country was given freedom to develop their script the way they felt would be most effective.
After first drafts were received, it became clear that those involved in the script writing were themselves in need of education about the issues. At this point, the Programme team became heavily involved in collaborating with the scriptwriters.
In choosing venues, the lifestyle and preferences of the target group was carefully considered for each performance in each of the countries. Considerations were first, who the target group was to be; next, the expected size of the audience and finally, what facilities were available in the area. Medium sized theatres in urban areas were sought when the target group for the specific performance were government officials, employers and placement officers. A large community hall in a highly residential area was most effective when the target group was the general public and school children. Teacher training colleges were also specifically targeted. These colleges provide a ready venue as most are equipped with an auditorium or large hall. More importantly, it was recognised that the audience at such performances- future teachers - play a pivotal role in influencing public opinion.
Because the productions launched in each of the countries were unique, each will be described separately.
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Botswana
A community drama group called Reetsenang was commissioned to write the script for Botswana. The play was entitled Dineo (Gift) and is the story of a young woman with a disability and how she struggles to find training and employment. She manages to establish herself as an independent businesswoman and gain the respect of those around her. The actors worked in conjunction with a poetry group, "Mambo Arts" who support the show with a marimba band and recite poetry written especially for the production. A bus was chartered to transport the crew and props to each of the arranged performance venues which were in shopping centres, school auditoriums and community halls around the country.
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Zambia
Two different theatrical events evolved in Zambia. The first was a play, The Drums of Tomorrow which was developed by the Kanyama Township Theatre Group. The drama is a love story, between a non-disabled man and his disabled girlfriend. Throughout the course of the play many conflicts and prejudices are exposed, ranging from personal biases within families to inter-tribal antagonism. The Drums of Tomorrow was performed only at the University in Lusaka, due to travel restrictions caused by the cholera epidemic in the country. The Programme also supported the upgrading of already existing drama groups. The Zambia National Association for the Physically Handicapped (ZNAPH) has a Travelling Theatre group which includes both disabled and non-disabled actors. Because this group was already operating according to the aims and guiding principals of the Programme (i.e. using media to educate the public about integration of women with disabilities), it seemed very appropriate for the Programme to lend its support. The Travelling Theatre received training in acting, dancing, singing and drumming from two theatre professionals (a scriptwriter and an actor) who were contracted by the Project. The outcome of the collaboration was the creation of the theatrical presentation COUNT US IN, consisting of two short plays, three dance pieces and a number of songs. This material was used in a promotional campaign by the Zambia Federation of Disabled Persons.
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Swaziland
My Destiny is the title of the production sponsored in Swaziland. It tells the story of a young woman with a disability, fresh out of university and starting out on her new life as a lawyer and wife. The performance was done by an amateur theatre group, the People's Educational Theatre, but included a well established church choir as extras and for the musical numbers which are part of the story. The script was written by a well known local playwright.
Adding to the effectiveness of "covering the market" in Swaziland was Swazi Television's interest in staging a studio version of the play for broadcast prior to its tour of the country. Because of both the size of Swaziland (one of the smallest nations in Africa) and the availability of automobiles, actors in the play were able to arrange their own transportation to and from performances.
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Zimbabwe
The well known and internationally acclaimed Amakhosi performance group was enlisted to produce a roadshow for Zimbabwe. The Music Drama and Jazzman Show: The Story of my Wife follows a rising Zimbabwean musician and entrepreneur and his first encounters with a disabled woman who applies for a job as his office assistant and ends up becoming his wife. The story exposes many of the traditional beliefs towards persons with disabilities that are held by Zimbabweans as well as the attitudes that keep women with disabilities from gaining equality.
Script writing was assisted by members of the National Council of Disabled Persons of Zimbabwe (NCDPZ), whose personal experiences and anecdotes were incorporated into the performance. This lent validity to the message of the play overall and provided direct exposure to the audience of the actual experiences of women with disabilities.
An important part of the experience for audiences in Zimbabwe was the public debate which follows the performance by Amakhosi. This debate, moderated by the National Co-ordinator (who is herself disabled), challenged the audience to discuss the issues raised in the play and for them to think about their own attitudes toward persons with disabilities. The audience was asked a series of questions about people with disabilities and audience members won prizes (T-shirts, posters and other of the promotional materials) for correct answers.
The Music Drama and Jazzman Show: The Story of my Wife toured extensively throughout the country and was performed in every provincial capital. The Programme hired a bus to transport props and crew to each of the performances.
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Results and Impact
An outstanding result of the Programme's use of and work within the professional media was the increased quantity and quality of time given to women with disabilities, and disability issues in general, in the various media. There was a marked increase in the number of stories appearing in newspapers, magazines, TV and radio dealing in some way with disability issues. And along with this increased visibility came an increased awareness and sensitivity on the part of presenters. More and more, such stories took a positive approach to the issue and showed persons with disabilities in less passive and more positive ways. The Programme could count on the goodwill of journalists and other media personnel. However, sometimes much time was spent in trying to convince editors to broadcast the PSA free of charge or place an article at a specific time in a paper. The Programme would have wished to have more direct control, for example by buying airtime and being in the position to determine when, how and how often items were broadcast or printed.
In addition, contributions and participation by disabled persons themselves were specifically requested by the media workers. When women with disabilities are requested to be contributors in the media, these women are more able and confident in presenting themselves as a result of having participated in Programme activities. In addition. a Zimbabwean publishing house published a compilation of poems by women with disabilities, entitled "No Application Form", prepared under the Programme.
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Impact Evaluation
The Programme underwent an impact evaluation in 1994. It found that not only media personnel but government officials also became sensitised and educated to women with disabilities through the activities of the Programme. The evaluation found that government officials interviewed fully understood and agreed with the aims of the Programme and found its activities valuable to the nation. Interest was expressed in seeing the Programme extended and in having government set up similar programmes adopting similar methods.
The evaluation team noted the positive impact that linkage between income generation and overall promotion activities had in target communities. It found that when people with disabilities, and women in particular, are seen to do well in various productive activities, negative stereotypes of disability are challenged. This in turn leads to a change in public perception and a more positive image of people with disabilities in general.
Organisations of disabled persons in the region also saw the value of the Programme and many are attempting to replicate the Programme's approach as a means to strengthen their persuasive capabilities. The Zambia Federation of Disabled Persons produced thirteen TV Shows, dealing with various aspects of disability, using the Programme's two drama productions to make the shows attractive and entertaining.
In Zimbabwe alone, it was estimated that through the sensitisation seminars, 300 government and NGO personnel were sensitised. Through Programme activities over 1,000 women with disabilities were integrated into various social cultural and economic activities in the five countries. As a result of the media workshops, some 135 journalists throughout the region were sensitised and became effective partners in the Programme's promotional network. The Evaluation found that setting and maintaining high quality standards for all activities and by keeping women with disabilities in the forefront created an effective promotional campaign. By targeting the established institutional framework in each country, the goal of integration was effectively furthered, through a great deal of sensitisation of those both within the system as well as members of the general public.
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Future Programmes
Using the *Improved Livelihood Programme* as a model, several new programmes to promote the rights and abilities of women with disabilities are under development by the ILO in the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific and Francophone Africa regions. The proposed programmes are being designed with organisations and networks of disabled women, and will seek to:
- develop effective strategies for the social and economic integration of disabled women;
- formulate and implement effective public education strategies;
- improve the situation of target groups of women with disabilities in selected countries;
- influence national training and employment policies;
- promote the inclusion of disabled women in mainstream development activities in the region. Special attention will be given to measuring the impact of all promotional activities of the programmes, including those implemented with the media.
The Vocational Rehabilitation Branch
Employment and Training Department
International Labour Organisation
Ch 1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland
Tel. 41 22 799 8335
Fax. 41 22 799 6310
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