This review examines whether interventions for people with disabilities in [low- and middle-income countries] LMICs result in improved livelihood outcomes, including acquisition of skills for the workplace, access to the job market, employment in formal and informal sectors, income and earnings from work, access to financial services such as grants and loans, and access to social protection programmes. This review includes studies that evaluate the effects of interventions on livelihood outcomes for people with disabilities in LMICs. The authors found nine interventions which used eligible study designs. Countries represented are Bangladesh, India, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Brazil, China and Vietnam. All included studies have some important methodological weaknesses.
All included studies reported positive impacts on livelihoods outcomes. However, due to variation between studies, we did not conduct as analysis of effects across studies. As such, it is hard to draw firm conclusions about what works, for whom and how. Most studies focused on improving access to the workplace. For example, people without disabilities were involved in programmes to improve their social attitudes to working with people with disabilities. People with certain disabilities were provided with wheelchairs. And some people with disabilities were placed in supported employment. Studies examined the effects of vocational training programmes, a 'motivation to work' programme, community-based rehabilitation and social skills training. All of these approaches showed positive impacts on livelihood outcomes, including finding employment and gaining social skills for work.
The included studies all reported that their programmes improved outcomes related to the livelihoods of people with disabilities, including acquisition of skills for the workplace, access to the job market, employment in formal and informal sectors, and access to the formal and informal social protection measures. Future research should evaluate these approaches with more rigorous study designs. This would develop a firmer evidence base, which would also inform the delivery of interventions at scale.
Excerpts from publisher's website.
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