Disability is not Inability

::: ADDRESSING THE BALANCE OF BURDEN IN AIDS (ABBA) :

Are persons with disabilities more at risk to HIV/ AIDs? To many of us a resounding YES would be the answer to this question. But where is the evidnece? ABBA seeks to find out over the next five years.

ABBA is mainly a consortium of research partners (RPC) with the objective of finding the real evidence behind the dynamics of HIV/AIDs among the disabiliy communities an area heretofore excluded at all levels in HIV management. Annual Stakeholders NACC monitoring and evaluation (M&E) workshops for HIV/AIDS management within the PWDs sector organised by NACC have pereniually faced one challenge: Lack of conclusive basic data, parameters and therefore strategies for monitoring the effectiveness of the various interventions stated in the National Strategic Plan 2005-2010 or earlier.

Partcipant PWDs have had a big challenge Filling M&E forms, bearing in mind the disconnect between the reality in the disabiliy communities and the expectations of the monitoring framework, given the existing disability un-friendly policy environement, the strategy work plan and implementation of the chosen interventions may not represent effort in the community.

ABBA process begins by assuming there exists a balance of burden that makes PWDs face a higher risk. Through research based process wishes to engage stakeholders in research activities in the next five years to prove the dynamics of this burden. Pursuing a set of ABBA objectives It is hoped that a better policy framework and therefore resources and interventions will be the end product of this great task.

Kenya PWDs ABBA Workshop

The workshop agenda was divided into three main categories to try and achieve the above ABBA objectives and guided through out by Dr. Sam Tororei, a visually impaired Disability AIDS researcher currently the Lead Consultant with a consulting outfit called Empowerment Resources Development Centre (EDRC): Working with RATN, EDRC had made a Survey Report in 2005 called Training Strategy & Adaptations Guidelines for Implementation of Relevant Course Curricula to the needs of Persons with Visual and Hearing impairment. counselling, community care and Antiretroviral treatment.

These included first a background of ABBA which wasfacilitated by Jackie Makoha of RATN. The session involved the objectives and background of ABBA to the participant stakeholders.

This was followed by a session reviewing the current knowledge and work on PWDs in relation HIV/AIDS. it sort to aswer the questions : What do we know? Facilitated mainly Dr. Sam Tororei.

In the plenary sessions for the morning facilitation, participants broken into groups tried to identify research gaps with regard to PWDs and HIV/AIDS.

Part two began after another discussive facilitation by Sam on Policy implications of the challenges of disability in HIV/AIDS. Issues identified in the NACC PWDs M&E seminars like exclusion of PWDs were highlighted. The whys of the invisibility of PWDs at various policy and programmes implementation frameworks were analysed. The Notable invisibility within the National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan 2005-2010 were expounded.

The group discussion tacked various pertinent issues including

a) How have the needs of PWDs been addressed in the national HIV/AIDS strategies and policies.

b) What (additional) policies could address the various vulnerabilities faced by PWDs in relation to HIV?

c) What Training do we require to partcipate in Research as DPOs?

d) What methodologies do we use in training policy makers for better engagement?

After much discussion and presentations at the group level recommendations were made to RPC and RATN to facilitate a way forward in the process.



disabilitykenya.