Role of OPDs in the project cycle
In order to reach all people, the entire cycle of a project needs to be inclusive. An inclusive project cycle can only be achieved by strengthening the focus on the participation of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs). This section highlights what the involvement of persons with disabilities and OPDs can bring to each project phase.
Role of OPDs in the project cycle: Persons with disabilities and their organisations play a double role in the project cycle. First, OPDs can be partners involved in all phases of the project cycle. Second, disability is a cross-cutting phenomenon across age, gender, economic levels, educational levels, etc., so persons with disabilities are an important target group for almost all projects. These projects may be mainstream projects such as developing the public bus transport in a city, or they target a specific group, for example, women, meaning women with disabilities will be important stakeholders within this group. Finally, there may be projects specifically targeted at persons with disabilities.
There are six core interrelated aspects of a disability-inclusive development approach.
- Awareness
- Participation
- Accessibility and Universal Design
- Twin-track approach
- Empowerment
- Gender equality
The following sections of the project cycle management (starting with pre-project analysis) are looking more profoundly at the second core element ‘participation.’
To understand why participation is critical, refer to the section 'Why participation'.
