Disability Policy Requires Adequate Funding! If we all imitate the US $8M award, what would be the gaps?

It is of course important that most countries in Africa have reached a certain stage of Disability Policy Development, however, the political will to fund the effective implementation of such policies is always a hidden story. Disability-inclusive budgeting by the government always creates hegemonic and antagonistic conundrums fraught with political expediency.

One of the important pillars for effective policy implementation is adequate budgeting from the government side. The United Nations Resident Coordinator, Ms. Maria Ribeiro said "We continue encouraging the scaling of disability-inclusive budgeting by the government". This was said during the launch of the National Disability Policy of Zimbabwe in 2021

US Department of Labor awards $8M to support policy development center for equal, inclusive employment of people with disabilities.

The reality is that no one plans to be born with a disability or desire to acquire a disability. Hence, everyone has an equal chance of becoming a person with some kind of disability at any time. Guided by the values of Ubuntu, Hunu and the legislative obligations, both state and non-state actors have the collective obligation to do all which is possible for the fulfillment of the aspirations of this sector.

President Mnangagwa- Zimbabwe

On August 26, 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor announced the award of $8 million to support a four-year cooperative agreement with the National Disability Institute to operate a policy development center focused on employment for people with disabilities. Administered by the department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, the cooperative agreement awards about $2 million each year, with total availability of approximately $8 million during its 48-month term.

Funded under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, the center will complement the work of ODEP’s National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities.

“Working with the National Disability Institute and Social Policy Research Associates, we look forward to ensuring people with disabilities have equal and inclusive access to opportunities to succeed,” said Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy Taryn Williams. “This effort will raise awareness about disability employment data collection and improve financial empowerment and career pathways. By doing so, we can help create more competitive integrated employment opportunities for people with disabilities.”

The institute and Social Policy Research Associates – a provider of evaluation, organizational development, and facilitation services – will establish and manage the policy development center. It will seek to promote greater and more equitable access to WIOA programs and services, competitive integrated employment opportunities, and economic advancement resulting in improved outcomes for individuals with disabilities.

If we all imitate the US $8M award,?what would be the gaps?

Insufficient funding creates a kind of false promise to the public. There are just enough resources to launch a new initiative, but no plan for the long-term financial sustainability of the program. What happens to the services when the initial funding runs out? Will they disappear? What happens to the people who have started to rely on those services?

Going forward, we need to make our representatives understand that an un-funded or under-funded mandate represents a false promise to the public. More than that, we need them to redefine their understanding of what constitutes adequate funding. No new mandate can be implemented without people's power, and people's power must be valued and properly resourced if we want new mandates to be effective.