This talk presents some preliminary findings from a three year DFID/ESRC-funded research programme undertaken with persons with disabilities in Liberia. Attempts are being made to improve the lives of persons with disabilities in line with broader rights-based approaches, including in national Poverty Reduction Strategies. The government has placed great emphasis on the rights of its citizens, developing a National Human Rights Action Plan in 2013.
However, to date, the impact that this progress has had on the lives on persons with disabilities has not been measured; nor has the impact of the recent Ebola crisis. This research seeks to redress this by examining the comparative wellbeing of persons with and without disabilities in five districts in Liberia. The survey assesses wellbeing across different domains including employment, health and community. This research will contribute to the limited literature on wellbeing of persons with disabilities, and provide greater understanding of the political and institutional factors that can affect the effectiveness of poverty reduction programmes in reaching persons with disabilities.”
Speaker: Dr Maria Kett
Maria Kett is the Assistant Director of the Leonard Cheshire Disability and Inclusive Development Centre, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, UCL. This role involves collaborating with a wide range of UK- and field-based colleagues on research, policy and strategic planning issues, providing first-hand experience of the challenges and opportunities involved in linking research and practice. An anthropologist by training, Maria has extensive experience of applied anthropology in the disability and international development arena, with a particular interest in international health, education and measures to alleviate poverty. Maria also has a strong focus on research in conflict and disaster-affected countries, and is also co-editor of the journal Medicine, Conflict and Survival.
The seminar will be livestreamed via: http://bit.ly/LSTMsem23