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UN ESCAP Workshop on Women and
Disability: Promoting Full Participation of Women with Disabilities in the Process of
Elaboration on an International Convention to Promote and Protect the Rights and Dignity
of Persons with Disabilities |
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UN ESCAP Workshop on Women and
Disability: Promoting Full Participation of Women with Disabilities in the Process of
Elaboration on an International Convention to Promote and Protect the Rights and Dignity
of Persons with Disabilities |
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Materials : Reference
DocumentsEconomic and Social Commission for Asia and the PacificPathfinders:
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| Projected population of children with disability in the age-group 5-14 years | 3.19 |
| Locomotor handicap | 1.48 |
| Hearing handicap | 0.65 |
| Speech Handicap | 0.19 |
| Visual | 0.15 |
| Intellectually disabled children in the age group 5-14 | 3.60 |
| Children with disability in the age group 16-18 | 2.20 |
| Total | 12.59 |
Traditionally, most children with special needs were being served in the residential schools. These residential schools have survived and grown in number over the years. At present, 3,000 such schools serve about 100,000 children with disabilities. Both the State and Union governments have made allocation for future expansion of these schools. In addition, many NGOs prefer to establish residential schools rather than to promote inclusive education because they find it easier to mobilize public support for them. However, some schools have modified their approach and these are emerging as resource centres as well as teacher training centres for the promotion of inclusive education.
Integrated education in India was, to some extent, compelled to emerge rather than developed as an option in a cohesive school system. In the process of including more special needs children in the education system, integration was identified as a cost-effective approach and therefore, promoted. To date, approximately 90,000 children with disabilities have benefited from this approach in 18,000 general schools across the country. In addition to providing the right to education for special needs children, the integration approach has improved educational practices in the general school system.
Various studies on enrolment of children with disabilities have established that children with physical mobility disabilities benefit the most from the integrated approach. Many of the benefits and limitation of this approach are also defined for children with hearing and visual impairments. However, the issue of mental retardation/intellectually challenged children is unclear and seems to depend largely on the approach used. In addition, the children are being enrolled owing to a variety of initiatives taken by the States to achieve the goals of UEE.
(a) Performance of integrated education in Gujarat
Gujarat is located in the western part of India and is known to be a progressive state taking the lead in a variety of different fields. People are service minded and the NGO network is very strong with good government support. The total number of people with disabilities is estimated to be about 700,000. More than 140 institutions are working for disabled people in all parts of the state. Residential education began in 1915 and the first regular school started admitting children with disabilities in 1964. However, special residential hostels were also established for them at that time. In 1981, a Pilot Project on Itinerant Model of Integrated Education (IE) was started. When the project started there where just two teachers and 10 students.
B. Main features of the project
One of the features of the Integrated Education system under the pilot project is that education of special needs children is the responsibility of a number of different government departments:
During the first decade of its implementation, the project had grown from 10 special needs children to 692 in 1990.
To enhance coverage of persons with disabilities under the Scheme of Integrated Education, all the leading NGOs in Gujarat who were implementing the Scheme united and took the following initiatives:
Department of Primary Education, invited the Director for monthly review meetings and identified alternative sources of financial support.
Figure 8. Gujarat Integrated Education Project growth 1981–1990
C. Achievements
The table below shows the increase in the number of children integrated in the schools. Despite many departments promoting education of children with disabilities, in 1998, nearly two decades into the project, the coverage of such children was limited to a few thousand, merely 5 per cent of the estimated number of school-age children with disabilities, But little over a year later there was a dramatic increase in the numbers, nearly ten fold to over 17,000. A major factor in this achievement was a visit by the Principal Secretary, Department of Education to an international seminar in Japan. He decided to visit various integrated education projects and to meet professionals in the field. Impressed by the effective implementation of integrated education in Japan, he gave his fullest cooperation in the expansion of the IE Scheme. Within six months of his visit to Japan, the scheme’s financial allocation increased from 10 million rupee to 30 million rupee. During this period the coverage of children with disabilities increased from 1,765 to 17,287. The allocation for the year 2001 is 70 million rupee and the target for integrated education is 31,870 children with disability.
Figure 9. Gujarat Integrated Education Project growth 1991-2000
D. Key lessons learned
This case study illustrates that proper planning, inter-agency cooperation and sensitization of the relevant officials can result in unprecedented expansion of a government programme for integrated education. The concerned NGOs developed effective interagency relations and came together on one united platform. This cohesive and coordinated approach by a group of NGOs was key to the success of the project. A second factor was the acceptance by the group of the norms developed by the Government.
E. Sustainability
The following factors have been identified as important to the future sustainability and expansion of the approach:
All these measures have resulted in making the expansion of integrated education low-cost, sustainable, and economically viable. Perhaps the most sustaining aspect of the success of this project is the joy that comes from bringing to mind the human face of this expansion. From a handful of children and two teachers only two decades ago, this pilot project has grown into an integrated education system that now embraces over 17,000 children with disabilities. Children once denied access to schooling now have the opportunity to participate fully in education and experience the benefits and the promise of the future that it brings.
The illustrations below put a more human face on the achievements of the project
X. TRADITIONAL THAI MASSAGE: VOCATIONAL TRAINING FOR BLIND PERSONS IN THAILAND [17]
A. The nature of the problem
As is the case with many people with disabilities, blind people experience extreme difficulty gaining access to education, vocational training and employment opportunities. In the fiscal year 1998 to 1999, the Government of Thailand launched a programme of Social Investment for Job Training. This was in response to the economic crisis facing Thailand at that time. Many factories had closed down and businesses had to lay off part of their workforce. Many unemployed workers left the cities and returned to their home villages in the provinces where there were no employment opportunities. The Government launched the programme to provide unemployed people with appropriate vocational training so that they could become reemployed. The Government had secured part of the funds for this project from the Asian Development Bank.
The Association for the Blind in Thailand realized that a large number of blind people in the cities had also been affected by the economic crisis. There were also many blind people in the provinces who had never had the opportunity for education or for vocational training. They existed on the charity of their families and the local community. The Association for the Blind in Thailand took this opportunity to explore whether part of these government funds could be used to help train visually impaired people. After careful study of government policy it was learned that, in providing part of the funding, the Asian Development Bank had clearly specified people with disabilities as one of the target populations of the programme for local job training.
Discussions were held with the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare in order to clarify how to access part of the funding to benefit blind people. A project proposal was prepared and presented to the Prime Minister of the Government of Thailand. The project proposal was accepted, and funds made available to the Association for the Blind in Thailand.
B. The main features of the project
The objective of the project, which had been submitted for funding, was to train blind persons in the techniques of traditional Thai massage. It had been determined that 55 projects would be implemented in 39 provinces. Steps taken in the planning and implementation process of the project included the following.
• Key blind people from the planned projects and participating provinces were brought to Bangkok. Orientation training was conducted on the aims and objectives of the programme and the responsibilities of each organization involved. Training was provided on house-to-house survey techniques, and project management, implementation, supervision, monitoring and evaluation.
• On return to their home provinces, discussions were held with local officials to obtain their support, and provincial working groups were established. These were composed of local officials and authorities, government officials from the Departments of Public Health and Social Welfare, teachers, parents and relatives of persons with disabilities.
Having such a diverse local working group proved very productive. This guaranteed wide support. Group members were willing to contribute their time, and their contacts were useful in conducting surveys to locate blind people at no cost to the project. They also assisted in finding premises in the community, free of charge, where training could be carried out. The only costs incurred were for water and electricity. This provided substantial savings to the project, as no funds had to be used to build training facilities.
Trained and experienced blind masseurs were identified by the Association for the Blind in Thailand from among its members. They were asked to act as master trainers to train blind people in the skill of traditional Thai massage. Although these blind masseurs were mostly working in Bangkok, many had been born in the provinces and were willing to participate in the project. Working together with the Association, these blind masseurs developed a curriculum for a four-month training. The master trainers were then assigned to 1 of the 55 projects in the 39 target provinces. Whenever possible, efforts were made to assign the master trainers to their home provinces.
In the home province the provincial working group met with blind people who had been identified in the surveys, and their families, and they were offered the opportunity to participate in training in Thai traditional massage. Those who accepted were assigned to groups of 20 people, who were then brought together for training at provincial training sites. In most provinces, several groups were trained concurrently. In other provinces the training was consecutive. Five sighted women from poor families were invited to join the training. These women participated in the training in exchange for acting as cooks, cleaners, and general caretakers of the training premises, thus providing an essential service and, in return, gaining a useful vocational skill. Trainees were given free transport to and from the training center, where they stayed free of cost.
In addition to training in traditional Thai massage, trainees also received instruction in orientation and mobility, daily living skills, Braille and basic education. The Association recognized that some of the trainees had not received any previous training. Vocational training skills were taught by members of the Association. Instructors from a number of schools for the blind provided orientation and mobility skills training. Recently graduated blind students from universities taught Braille, and basic education courses were provided by the Department of Non-Formal Education. The blind trainees learned much from each other. For many, this was the first time they had been with a community of blind people.
Training was held for a four-month period. This was followed by a two-month practicum, during which trainees were placed in massage clinics. Supervision and follow-up training were provided by the Association. The practicum period was important in that it allowed trainees to work under trained blind masseurs and to start earning income to help set up their own clinics. At the end of the practicum training period, a final test and individual evaluation assessment of each trainee was conducted. Graduates of the training received a certificate co-signed by the Association of the Blind in Thailand and the provincial Governor. Loans were made available by the Department of Public Welfare to trainees who needed them in order to establish their own clinics.
Figure 10. Group of visually impaired trainees learn how to give traditional Thai massage
C. Achievements
The training project has had very successful outcomes:
After the project was finished, follow-up activity was continued by the key blind people in the provinces, now acting as volunteers. They have reported that most of the trainees have set up their own clinics and are now earning between 6,000 and 7,000 baht a month, which is comparable to the salary of a college graduate employed by the government. The blind people who participated in the training have a stronger sense of independence and more personal freedom to live their lives as individuals. Some of the trainees have married. Others have continued with non-formal education and have graduated from primary school. Some will soon graduate from secondary school.
The total cost of the project was approximately 28 million baht, 6 million from the Association and 22 million from the Government. All the money was used directly for training expenses, including allowances for trainers, food costs, local transport costs and training materials. The mattresses used in the training were given to the trainees. No money was spent on building premises.
D. Key lessons learned
• Although funds for the Social Investment Job Training initiative had been fully disbursed, by using tact and diplomacy in negotiation with Government, it was possible to achieve funding for the purpose of training blind people in vocational skills.
• The local government sector was cooperative and willing to work directly with the Association of the Blind in Thailand. This close working relationship ensured smooth implementation of the project.
• Families were motivated to send their blind family members for training. They now recognize these family members as skilled and productive members of the family, and no longer view them as a burden.
• Local communities were very supportive and interested in the progress of the training, because it was taking place locally and not in a distant urban locality. Many people donated food, which helped to contain costs.
• There were positive outcomes from using local blind people as key people in the project. It gave them a sense of ownership of the project, and satisfaction in their capacity to help their blind peers. They have continued to act as volunteers to the programme, to provide ongoing follow-up and supervision. Their involvement in the programme has developed their leadership skills, so that they have continued to provide leadership after the end of the project.
• Many of the blind trainees have continued with non-formal education. Others have decided that they wanted more advanced training in traditional Thai massage and have enrolled in massage training programmes offered by several foundations of, and for, blind people in the Bangkok area. The training helped build a sense of personal worth and confidence in their abilities on the part of the trainees.
• The project demonstrated that non-government organizations can implement projects more economically than the Government. The training mattresses were bought directly from the local market at a significantly lower cost than would have been incurred if they had been put to public tender as would have been required by government.
E. Sustainability
Non-government agencies need to pay careful attention to government initiatives, and to explore carefully how these initiatives can be used to serve their needs. Active advocacy and lobbying is needed to ensure that existing, and future, government projects and funds include the needs of people with disabilities. The key to the success of this project was the ability of the Association for the Blind in Thailand to lobby successfully for funding under the Social Investment Job Training programme, with full awareness that people with disabilities had been specified as a target group for this initiative.
The impact of the training has been felt in 39 provinces, in many local communities, and in the families of blind people who were trained. Attitudes to people with disabilities, and blind people in particular, have changed in a positive direction. The capabilities of blind people have been demonstrated, and their new role as productive and skilled members of their communities accepted. This group of graduates, skilled traditional Thai masseurs actively employed within their communities, will serve as role models to many younger blind people. Their expectations for their own future will be raised, and their belief in their own capabilities enhanced.
XI. MUSHROOM PRODUCTION FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES 18
A. The nature of the problem
People with disabilities have long been excluded from various activities with the excuse that “they are not able to do it”. Yet, in rural areas, people with disabilities are capable of working in the rice fields and in farming activities alongside others. Others have been going to the cities to learn new trades, far from their home and their farming activities. Separation from their family and community has an impact on the emotional state of the people. Why should people with disabilities need to go away in order to earn a living?
Even with their extensive effort to become an active part of their family and community, their input is often considered as supplemental rather than equal to that of others and that often makes people with disabilities feel inferior or not useful.
Many training projects are being established in rural areas but they usually exclude people with disability because trainers generally assume that they will slow down the training course. They seem not to realize that people missing a leg or an arm have not lost any of their intellectual capabilities and that they can often do the same as other people, though sometimes in a different way.
What people need, whether disabled or not, is a sustainable life which can be ensured through income generation. This allows people to provide for their family and become independent. Helping people with disabilities become independent and self-reliant not only relieves the burden of disability from family and society, but also gives strength, courage, and satisfaction to the person with a disability. There is therefore a need to increase the number of programmes in rural areas in order to train people with disabilities to become self-reliant. One way is by preparing them for self-sufficiency through income generation.
In the past, sheltered workshops were promoted as an appropriate income generation method. In many cases, this meant that people with disabilities were exploited, working for factory owners at less than minimum wage simply because they were disabled. It was considered that to offer a job to disabled persons was doing them a favour and, therefore, the salary was an additional incentive rather than a payment against work. Then came the idea that people with disabilities should become entrepreneurs. This would ensure that they would not be exploited by employers. However, not all people, whether disabled or not, can become entrepreneurs. There are special skills needed to be a good and successful entrepreneur, which not all people possess. To make this approach work it is important to identify which people are capable of setting up and managing their own enterprise. This in turn implies the importance of careful selection of trainees for specific training programmes.
B. Main features of the project
The activities of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in the Asian and Pacific region are aimed at the reduction of poverty and food insecurity in rural areas. To highlight the potential of people with disabilities living in rural areas, FAO has initiated a support programme which aims at demonstrating practical capacity-building for training on productive small enterprise activities that could offer both improved food security and income generation at household level.
Within the FAO Regional Office, the Rural Development Unit is providing assistance to member countries to build institutional capacity to enhance people’s participation in sustainable agricultural, natural resource development and management activities. In collaboration with government agencies, organizations of rural poor and NGOs, rural development project activities are implemented at middle (province/district) and local (village/household) levels. These projects include self-help organizations and enterprise development by small farmers, tribal/indigenous population groups, landless and rural disabled people. The rural development section in Bangkok, in collaboration with the ESCAP secretariat, prepared an overview of current experiences in a unique pilot project implemented in Thailand. This project provided technical assistance to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare of Thailand as part of its strategy to extend its provision of vocational training to small farmers with disabilities in the north-eastern part of the country. This project, which ran from February 1999 to October 2000, provided small farmers who had physical or mental disabilities technical training on enterprise development for mushroom cultivation. As part of further promotion of these activities in the Asian and Pacific region, FAO and ESCAP present the following case study of good practice on equalization of opportunities.
The project has three main objectives: (1) to promote economic self-reliance for disabled people, (2) to strengthen capability for training, and (3) to encourage equal participation. In this project, economic self-reliance was to be achieved by income generation through enterprise development. A training programme was established in mushroom cultivation, processing, and marketing. The training included all tasks required in mushroom cultivation such as spawning, substrate bag preparation, inoculation, incubation, fruiting body stage, drying, processing, packaging, and marketing. In addition, disabled trainees learned about the importance of bookkeeping, business management, and precautions to be taken for business expansion.
Strengthening the capacity of trainers for training rural disabled and farmers with disabilities was also part of the project. FAO worked closely with the Department of Public Welfare of Thailand to capacitate the local institution in new training techniques. Rural poor people with disabilities learned new ways to become self-sufficient through relevant agriculture activities. Because all trainees were already involved in farming activities within the family, it was easy for them to relate to other agriculture activities. Special tools were developed, including special selection criteria and use of adapted training methodologies, which will be used in future project replication.
People with disabilities are always referred to as “disabled people”; they need the opportunity to show their abilities to prove their capabilities. Successful training of people with disabilities also shows that they can learn and are capable of running a sustainable mushroom production farm and generating income, making them economically self-reliant. Through the project trainees learned new knowledge and skills that others in the family and community did not possess. In this way they taught others and became a focal point of a new activity. Equality was achieved because of balance of knowledge and exchange of ideas. People with disabilities that have achieved success feel different and therefore consider that others also see them differently. People see them as being stronger and therefore they feel stronger. They feel equal and therefore, become “more equal”.
1. Location
The mushroom cultivation training project was established on the grounds of the North-eastern Rehabilitation Centre for Disabled Persons in Ubon Ratchathani, an area that allowed for the participation of a large number of people. The north-eastern part of Thailand is recognized as the poorest part of the country with the highest number of people with disabilities. The centre is fully owned and managed by the Department of Public Welfare. Constructed on 45 rai of land, it has been offering various training courses in motorcycle repair, leather sewing, welding and massage. A three rai plot of land was allocated for the mushroom cultivation project. Buildings and facilities were constructed so as to offer a small yet complete commercial mushroom production farm.
2. Selection of product
There are several reasons why mushrooms were selected for the project. There is a high demand in Ubon Ratchathani and their production is relatively risk free. Mushrooms are a good source of protein, providing a low-cost and highly nutritional food. In addition, people in the Ubon Ratchathani region are familiar with both wild and cultivated mushrooms and most consume them in their daily diets. There is also an increasing interest in processed mushrooms. Not only can they be used in food preparation or dried, they can also be converted into snacks, candies, cookies and even chili paste. Cultivation of mushrooms can be done on a small or large scale. Return on investment can be as short as three months, thus offering an attractive business opportunity. Mushrooms will start fruiting within two to four months, and can be sold fresh on the local market. Initial investment is also quite low; in Ubon Ratchathani, some people actually built their mushroom houses with products found in the forest, therefore with virtually no investment except for their time. On average, a mushroom house can be built at a cost of 500 to 2,000 baht (US$12 -US$50). Spawn or seeds along with spawn bags can be bought through the Department of Agriculture Extension (DOAE) or from local mushroom producers, including the training centre, at a reasonable cost. Because of the great demand for mushrooms on the Ubon Ratchathani market, all extrainees have insufficient quantities of mushrooms to supply local markets. Market saturation is always a danger, especially for mushrooms as these tend to fruit all at the same time but, at present, this poses no major problem. Because mushrooms grow in the shade, there is less physical exertion when compared with rice or other crop cultivation, making mushroom production suitable for people who are older or have physical limitations.
3. Trainees’ selection criteria
Specific selection criteria were developed in order to decrease the number of dropouts and to ensure that training would be given to people genuinely interested in mushroom cultivation rather than to people who had nothing else to do. The selection process in this pilot project was an essential criterion and was carried out carefully to ensure sustainability and replicability of the mushroom cultivation training project.
Trainees in the pilot project came from the province of Ubon Ratchathani, within a radius of approximately 150km from the training centre. Their selection was based on eight specific criteria, including those noted below.
• Review of registration list. The list containing the names of disabled people (approximately 7,000 in the Ubon Ratchathani region) was supplied by the Disability Matters Section of the Department of Public Welfare and the local Department of Public Welfare.
• Pre-selection. Age and disability were reviewed. Most people were between 20 and 35 years old, however some exceptions were made for younger and older candidates who proved to be successful. People with multiple disabilities were largely excluded because of their special needs in terms of mobility, understanding, and replicating potential. Exceptions were made for those accompanied by a friend or family member. Candidates with basic literacy were favoured.
• Diversity of location. People were selected from different communities to ensure replicability. Further, it was necessary to limit the number of trainees who came from the same community as to avoid saturation of local markets.
• Verification of commitment. Trainers verified the commitment of both family and potential trainees so as to ensure that candidates were highly motivated to participate in and then implement the training. Such factors as personally liking to cook and eat mushrooms or having learned about mushrooms from their ancestors were considered positive.
• Verification of availability. Trainees had to be prepared to leave home to learn about mushroom cultivation for a period of two months.
4. Training
Training was conducted first for the trainers, and then training of disabled trainees took place. Not only did trainers need to be taught mushroom cultivation techniques, but they also needed to know how to develop new skills for enhancing capacities of rural disabled people as entrepreneurs. They also had to develop strategies to build self-confidence and to develop management skills. Although some of the trainers already had experience in training people with disabilities, none had any knowledge in mushroom cultivation. In fact, the objectives of this project were more centred on acquiring self-reliance rather than building a mushroom farm. Self-esteem had to be improved along with the acquisition of enterprise development skills. Trainers, therefore, received several training sessions from consultants and invited lecturers. The diversity of people also allowed the review of various approaches in mushroom cultivation and business management. Consequently, especially designed training tools and materials were developed to be better suited to disabled people in the region. It should be noted that in future regular seminars will be organized to keep trainers updated with new technologies and market trends. Resource people may also be necessary for troubleshooting in case of technical problems. Specialists will be contacted at the Department of Agriculture and at local universities to assist both trainers and trainees. In Ubon Ratchathani, national consultants remain the major resource people.
The complete training lasted 60 days and included all aspects of mushroom cultivation. However, its duration may be reduced or extended depending on the trainees needs. For example, the topic of spawning may not be included as few farmers are involved in spawning because equipment is costly, and the step is time-consuming because of the delicate nature of the tasks. Training was divided into five distinct sections, each equally important.
(a) Motivational sessions
These initial sessions were for trainees to look within themselves and understand their strengths and weaknesses. Motivational sessions were designed to convince trainees that they were capable of doing anything they want and to prepare them in developing entrepreneurial skills in mushroom cultivation. These sessions taught trainees about themselves, they learned about their disabilities and those of others, and they also learned how to accept them. Through positive thinking trainees were made to feel that they “could do”, which gave them the confidence to try activities they normally would not. Any limitations on ability were set by themselves and not by other people who think they know what the disabled person could and could not do. During these sessions, trainees learned that they were now part of a community of trainees; they learned to live and share with others. Techniques included prayer or meditation, physical and mental exercises, games, songs, and plays.
(b) Techniques in mushroom cultivation
A specific training programme was developed to offer maximum hands-on experience. This allowed many people with basic or no literacy to learn mushroom cultivation without having to read or write. Many rural disabled were denied the opportunity to study because they were considered incapable of learning. Trainees then learned by doing. They learned the skills to do every task involved in mushroom cultivation automatically as well as to understand the reason why each step must be done in a specific way. Skills included the preparation of substrate bags, pasteurization to eliminate all contamination, and monitoring the mushroom houses for fungi, plant diseases and pests. Skills needed during incubation were daily cleaning of bags and keeping the mushroom house at constant temperature, humidity, and light. When there were limitations imposed by the person’s disability, alternate ways of accomplishing tasks were developed. Using feet instead of hands is a good example. By repeating the same movement the same way several times over several days, movements became natural and easy and trainees became highly skilled in their work.
Trainees learned about various species of mushrooms as to allow them to select the most appropriate type for their environment and market once they returned home. Some species are much more difficult to grow or require a cooler climate. For training purposes, het nangrom, het nangfa, het khonkao, het lom, het fang and het hoo noo were selected because of their adaptability to the local environment and market demand.
Trainees also came to understand that farming activities are demanding and only successful through discipline and daily hard work. Mushrooms must be collected two to three times per day so as to ensure their freshness and taste; if too big, mushrooms lose their taste and sweetness. When selling to wholesale markets it is necessary to get up as early as two or three in the morning to collect the mushrooms and bring them to the market.
(c) Marketing and enterprise development
Training included marketing and short-term enterprise development courses to teach disabled trainees about the importance of management and administration. It also introduced strategies on how to deal with competition. Marketing is of utmost importance in any business as the main purpose is to generate income through the sale of products. A quality product will encourage customers to return because of the freshness and taste of the product. In the case of mushrooms, the quality of the product can be ensured by collecting mushrooms at the right moment. There is a large demand for fresh mushrooms in Ubon Ratchathani, even during the rainy season when there are many wild mushrooms. People are busy planting rice during this period and therefore have little time to collect wild mushrooms from the forest. Nevertheless, trainees were taught about the potential for market saturation with an increasing number of mushroom growers. Thus, the importance of selecting trainees from different communities to avoid collapse of the market was stressed.
(d) Invited guest speakers
Guest speakers involved in mushroom cultivation, both experts and farmers were invited to meet trainees at the training centre. All could present their own ideas and discuss various approaches to mushroom production and problems associated with their cultivation. Those entrepreneurs who started from nothing and established themselves in the community as mushroom growers received special attention as they came from the same background as the trainees. Trainees were allowed to compare different cultivation systems such as hanging bags for fruiting instead of placing them on racks, or vertical incubation as compared with horizontal incubation. Successful entrepreneurs with disabilities spoke about both their business experience and family life.
(e) Facilities and equipment
One aim of training was to show that within a suitable environment, people with disability are capable of doing everything that is required in mushroom cultivation. As such, accessibility of buildings and adaptation of tools and equipment was highlighted.
The training centre in Ubon Ratchathani is similar in size and facilities to a small commercial farm. This provided realistic practical experience for trainees. Mushroom houses were designed to allow proper ventilation, humidity, temperature and light. In order to allow easy access for wheelchair users inside the mushroom houses, doors and aisles were designed wider than usual. Mushroom holding racks were made at the maximum height allowable for a person to access while sitting in a wheelchair. The commercial pasteurization equipment was built lower than standard.
In addition, alternative housing and equipment were designed in order to allow people with limited funds to set up their mushroom house upon returning home. As part of the training, trainees learned to make simple mushroom houses using readily available materials. Because trainees live in rural areas and often close to the forest, many of the materials could be found locally, including fallen trees and branches, grass to make the roof and leaves or old rice bags to make walls. In cases where trainees wished to make their own bags at home, they were taught to make a pasteurization chamber with old 200 litre drums using old rice bags and plastic as cover and bamboo framing at the bottom of the drum. Trainees also learn that making their own bags could generate higher income. The cost of making a spawn bag is about three baht whereas they are at least five baht per bag in the market. Trainees also learn how to calculate costs of substrate and how to mix the substrate with the appropriate additives to ensure low cost, high yields and sweet tasting mushrooms.
C. Achievements
Nearly two years following the completion date of the first group of trainees, more than 40 per cent of ex-trainees are still actively involved in mushroom cultivation and steadily expanding their business using the profits from the sales of mushrooms. They have now become respectable entrepreneurs within their community, fully integrated in society. They have become full participants in their family and community life.
The project demonstrated that people with disabilities are perfectly capable of accomplishing all tasks involved in mushroom cultivation. They may, however, need to adapt their environment or certain techniques to compensate for their disability. A person missing one arm can learn to use his/her feet to make substrate bags, for example. Overall, trainees are happy to learn new skills, which will help them generate income upon their return home. Mushroom cultivation offers the opportunity for regular income. For most ex-trainees, income only comes from farming rice and this occurs only once or sometimes twice a year in the province of Ubon Ratchathani. Whether as supplemental income or as main income, mushroom production now contributes to support the family and the improvement of their livelihood.
All trainees have become trainers upon their return home. They are happy to train family members in the new skills they have acquired. Obviously, their goal was not only to teach their family members but also to show that they, also, could bring some new knowledge to the family. In many cases, ex-trainees or new entrepreneurs in mushroom cultivation have started some research and development projects. They experiment on the types of mushrooms, on the type of shelves, direction of wind in the mushroom house, on different types of spawn, and on a variety of substrate compositions. This allows them to see what works better within their environment.
All appear to have gained self-confidence and increased self-esteem. Many even appear to be physically and mentally stronger. Others started as very introverted and have opened their mind to new things, new options, and new lives. By learning to accept themselves, they learn to feel again. Trainees meet other people with disabilities and therefore start accepting their disabilities and those of others. Trainees became confident and happy. Life at the centre was different and they started feeling good about themselves.
Evidence of the success of the project is seen in the words of the Governor of Ubon Ratchathani, Mr Siva Saengmanee. He announced, in January 2000, that he wanted trainees to become an example of strength, courage, and determination for disabled and non-disabled people in society. The Deputy Governor, Mr Prapas Boonyindee, added that the centre should become a reference in mushroom cultivation. Because of the diversity of activities and tasks involved, mushroom cultivation is well suited for people with various needs, interests, and capabilities.
Following training, many disabled trainees were surprised at what they could do on their own. They liked the fact that “we learn to do things independently” and learned to say, “I can do it”. Because they were expected to do things themselves, they felt they must try harder and realized they could do much more than they thought. Trainees said that the programme stimulated them and gave them hope for a better future.
One ex-trainee, Mr Suphol Noivong, returned to his home and is working on his mushroom farm with his wife, his father, his mother-in-law and his young son. He has become stronger both physically and mentally. He was a small rice grower and has now become a successful entrepreneur. When asked about his business, he says “Our business is steadily growing and if I would compare this to what I could earn growing rice, I’d say that the income from mushrooms is double”. Mushroom cultivation has become his main source of income.
Each trainee has developed different strategies in order to achieve success. Mr Jongjai Taxoonchan says “I keep the spider webs in the farm in order to reduce the number of bugs that could damage the mushrooms”. Jongjai now has four mushroom houses and has a continuous turnover of 4,000 bags, shifting his production from two houses to another two houses with every new batch of bags so as to avoid transfer of contamination. Ms Amporn, one of the female ex-trainees, says “For women farmers, mushroom cultivation offers a good alternative for supplemental income because it can be done close to the house, thus allowing other activities simultaneously”.
The achievements are not limited to financial ones. Mr Suna Saosuwan, notes that his farm provides steady supplemental income and food for his family. His mother is very proud of him and now has many visitors, who come to buy mushrooms, with whom she can talk. The mother of K. Saeng Hatthavong, an ex-trainee who has become a successful entrepreneur, says that she never thought the family could depend on her son. “Now, he is leading the family and successfully growing mushrooms”. An unexpected outcome occurred several months following training. All trainees remained in regular contact with one another and six ex-trainees who had met during training married. The three couples set up joint mushroom cultivation enterprises. Their lives were changed forever and they can now share with others. Here is one story - Ms Darat Banna Kanankaeng thought everyone disliked her since her accident when she lost the use of one of her arms. She was abandoned by her husband and left to care for her two young children and her parents. During training, she met Pramuan who thought he could never marry because he lost both his legs in an accident. Following training, they continued to see each other and eventually married. Pramuan says he will do his best to take care of their family, which now includes a new baby girl. “I don’t care how hard we need to work, I just wish to be healthy, that’s enough to wish for already”. Darat adds, “Now that we live together, we depend on each other. We can do things to help each other”.
Ms Auradee Silichai, a 20-year-old ex-trainee, made a drawing during training, expressing what the group of trainees actually felt about the project through pictures and words. The message in the drawing is as follows:
“We the trainees now have hope and see light for a better future, and with the helping hand of FAO through the joint project with the Department of Public Welfare we will be carried over the difficulties and obstacles placed by a non-understanding society”.
D. Key lessons learned
One of the interesting outcomes of the project is that people with intellectual disabilities have shown that they can also learn to cultivate mushrooms and become successful entrepreneurs. Depending on intellectual capabilities, an intellectually disabled person can also develop marketing strategies. Overall, people who are intellectually disabled can learn to accomplish all tasks, sometimes better than other people. One of the reasons is that some parts of the work may appear insignificant or not interesting for some people while intellectually disabled people find the same activities interesting which allows them to easily focus on the activities for long periods. This has proven true for the maintenance of mushroom houses. Ms Boonlak is a good example. She can spend the whole day in the mushroom house making sure everything is clean, ensuring that there are no bugs, and that no fungus develops on the mushroom spawn bags. She is now expanding her farm with the income received from the sale of mushrooms. Mushroom cultivation has become the main activity in Ms Boonlak’s family.
The fact that training was done on a real farm gave further incentive to trainees to implement what they had learned. They realized that it was a realistic experience, not just a small-scale demonstration unit. Hands-on experience offered another opportunity for trainees to learn about their abilities and their physical limitations as they could exchange their difficulties with their peers. Learning by doing, the ancient principle of apprenticeship, was the best methodology for trainees to become successful entrepreneurs.
Teamwork was another key to the success of the project. Close collaboration between FAO, the Department of Public Welfare, trainers and consultants were the main reason for the successful outcome of the project. Unless people fully believe in a project, success cannot be ensured. Furthermore, close cooperation and understanding provide a more stable environment, which enhances learning. Many free training programmes have a large dropout rate, often owing to a lack of comfort and understanding on the part of both trainees and trainers. This was of major concern to the team and therefore all efforts were made to make sure that all trainees, both men and women, felt secure and comfortable, and that they were provided with necessary facilities. To this effect, FAO and the Department of Public Welfare carefully selected a group of consultants who were to oversee the 18-month project set-up and implementation. This group included local experts in mushroom cultivation, in marketing and in training, and an international consultant specializing in disability matters.
Relationships between trainers and trainees and between trainees themselves were very important. A trainee/trainer ratio of five-to-one or six-to-one allowed personal contact between trainers and trainees. It also allowed the trainer to better understand the specific needs of trainees because of their disability and to develop new strategies for accomplishing those tasks required in mushroom cultivation. During the project, men and women exchanged ideas on an equal basis. Trainees developed a bond with each other, which continued months after training.
E. Sustainability
Two aspects of sustainability need to be considered: the training centre’s sustainability and whether the activities initiated by the project are sustained when the trainees return home. At the centre, management has been completely transferred to the Department of Public Welfare as of November 2000. Training is ongoing and has proven viable for trainees upon returning home. Trainers at the centre continue to follow procedures developed during the pilot stage of the project. However, because the project is located on the grounds of a government training centre, its long-term sustainability can only be ensured if there is a will from the government to continue. An annual budget must be allocated to continue training activities and to maintain the mushroom farm operation by offering services, which could help sustain the centre. Mrs Surapee Vasinonta, Project Manager,
Director at the Office of Community Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons, said that in the future, the mushroom cultivation training centre could be managed by disabled persons themselves. She said “in the beginning the government will need to assist, like a baby-sitter, until they are ready to stand on their own”. All training centre management must also believe that people with disabilities are capable of running the centre, and they must slowly shift responsibilities to the new management team. Such training and farm management can be ensured by people with disabilities. Careful selection of qualified people is essential. Nevertheless, ex-trainees have shown that they can manage a mushroom farm and can also train others in their family and community.
From the view of sustainability of activities, many ex-trainees now receive at least supplemental income from mushroom cultivation. In several cases, mushroom cultivation has become their main source of income, generating up to 600 baht per day (approximately US$14). In the north-eastern part of Thailand, people have learned to survive on minimal income as most money goes into rice cultivation. Some families sell part of the harvested rice to generate some income while others work as labourers. If 1,000 bags of mushroom can generate an average of a few kilograms per day of mushrooms sold at 25–30 baht per kilogram, this means that 1,000 bags of mushrooms can sustain one or two people.
However, sustainability is highly dependent on market opportunity. One trainee stopped her farm because a women’s group, subsidized by a local government, set up a mushroom farm at the same time. This group did not have to pay for any of its materials and equipment as the grant covered the whole operation. In order to capture the market, the group was selling mushrooms below cost. This destroyed the local market for mushrooms and two of the ex-trainees located in the village suffered losses. The women’s group could not generate any profit either and therefore, following the end life of the spawn bags, stopped its operation. Unfortunately, both trainees who stopped mushroom cultivation were incapable of buying raw materials to start again following the shut down of the women’s group. Timing can also mean success or failure.
As well as sustainability, there is also the question of replicability. Replicability can be viewed from two perspectives: replication of the training centre and replication of the success of the mushroom cultivation entrepreneurs. In both cases, market saturation needs to be carefully considered. Replication therefore implies capabilities of both trainers and trainees, and the budget available for replication. Many ex-trainees have acquired sufficient knowledge to train others and therefore the Success Case Replication Methodology can be applied for further replication.
A mushroom production farm does not necessarily require the complete training that was offered in the pilot project. For example, mushroom substrate bags can be purchased from the centre, or from other mushroom farmers. Therefore, a training centre could be replicated on a smaller scale, only teaching the basics in mushroom cultivation, which are maintenance of the farm for incubation, fruiting body, and the basics in marketing. A more advanced training course could be developed that included the making of substrate bags, which includes preparation of substrate, pasteurization, and inoculation. This yields lower costs for substrate bags and higher income.
Another example is the topic of spawn making and tissue culture. Because they are very delicate operations, which require extremely clean environments and expensive equipment, very few people wish to start this part of the process. Most ex-trainees have opted to make their own bags but to purchase the spawn. They see themselves as farmers, not as scientists.
Mr Satien Ratnachoti, Deputy Director General of the Department of Public Welfare, said “this pilot project will be replicated in different parts of the country, helping generate income and enhancing the quality of life for members of the community”. The Department of Public Welfare in Nong Khai, also located in the north-eastern part of Thailand, and a border town with the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, plans to establish another training centre within its existing centre. This training centre is to copy the centre in Ubon Ratchathani, offering the full range of tasks involved in mushroom cultivation. There are possibilities for other projects in other centres belonging to the Department of Public Welfare. Replication in Chiang Rai province is presently under consideration. This project would be at the village level and be partially funded by the local Tambon Administration.
In order to facilitate replication, FAO invested in the creation of two important tools, a video presentation of the project and its procedure, along with a Training Manual to be used by both trainers and trainees. The video is a good way to show people, with and without disabilities, that trainees are capable of everything necessary for mushroom production. It also shows success cases and allows trainees to express their feelings. The Training Manual includes explicit pictures, which allows low-literate people to understand the procedure involved in mushroom production. It also gives detailed explanations on special methodologies and procedures that were used in the Ubon Ratchathani pilot project. The second half of the manual illustrates techniques involved in mushroom cultivation. The first part allows trainers to understand that training is not only about mushroom cultivation but also about opening the mind of trainees by increasing their self-confidence. These two documents need to be translated into Thai for Thailand and into local languages for other countries.
The other question in considering the sustainability of the project and the skills acquired by the trainees is their expansion. Every mushroom cultivation farmer must, at one time, make a decision as to whether it is time to expand the farm or not. In most cases, extrainees have expanded their farm up to six times its original size. Each trainee initially started with the viable minimum of 1,000 bags. Most upgraded to 2,000 bags. Today, many have 4,000 and even 6,000 bags in production. In all cases, they have used the income from mushroom cultivation to expand the farm, the strategy recommended in the training. They also need to follow market demand. As long as they are incapable of supplying local needs because of the high demand, it is safe to invest in expansion of the farm.
Expansion also means more work. Visits to the various farms have proven that the yield is directly proportional to the care and cleanliness of the farms. Mushroom houses which are kept very neat and where the environment is comfortable generally give a higher yield per bag when compared with others. Contrary to most people’s beliefs, mushrooms do not grow by themselves, unless they grow in the forest. Constant monitoring of the environment is required and therefore expansion of the farm will require more time and energy.
Expansion of the training centre has also begun. Part of the training centre has been managed by a group of five disabled trainees. Ex-trainees are responsible for selecting tissue culture, spawning, inoculating bags, growing and selling fresh mushrooms, and processing. The group is also selling inoculated bags to other trainees that returned home, or to the public. Most trainees wish to help other people in need, whether poor or disabled. Ms Auradee already provided training to schoolchildren.
There is huge potential for the training centre to expand and to diversify its activities and to involve ex-trainees in a variety of roles. In the future, the training centre can become a reference centre for mushroom cultivation, offering advice and sales of raw materials, various ingredients and materials required in mushroom cultivation, and inoculated mushroom substrate bags. It can also develop into a cooperative type service by becoming a main sales point for fresh and processed mushrooms produced by various mushroom farmers. It can become an official or non-official organization for integrated production, processing and marketing systems for mushroom producers from various communities, allowing ex-trainees to join forces so as to better understand the market and to develop strategic sales strategies.
Both physically and intellectually disabled people have shown that they are capable of learning knowledge and skills in mushroom cultivation and enterprise development in the FAO initiated project. More than 40 per cent of the ex-trainees are still active in mushroom cultivation and have expanded their mushroom production capacity. The majority of trainees who received the 20,000 baht loan from the Department of Public Welfare are slowly paying back the loan with the regular income from mushroom cultivation. The amount of the loan was fixed by the Government and was, in fact, too large for the needs of the project. Therefore, many trainees only used a small part of the loan for the mushroom project, a small part to enhance the household or to buy farm animals, and kept the rest as a security. Any expansion made on the mushroom house is done from the profits of the farm and not from a loan.
Ex-trainees are still in contact with one another, acting as an informal self-help group. They communicate by telephone or letters and monitor each other’s progress. Some join together to buy raw materials in order to get a better price. Ms Auradee hopes that one day they will be able to establish their own self-help organization. She loves to help others and wants to collaborate with other ex-trainees to formalize the organization. One group agreed that they could establish a self-help organization at Ms Darat’s home because she has the space to receive other people. A newsletter could then be written and sent every few months to members. All that is needed is a small group of five to seven ex-trainees to join forces to set up a structure to provide technical and moral support and ensure communications between members.
People from the trainees' families and communities have come to recognize that people with disabilities can be active members of society if they are allowed to demonstrate their capabilities. This is only the beginning, opening the door to future projects that will allow other rural disabled people to gain independence through income generation. People with disabilities must be given the opportunity to show what they can do.
Governments must commit to improving the welfare of people with disabilities and return to them the rights of being persons with capabilities.
This training programme involving commercial horticulture activities in mushroom cultivation was the first one designed for people with disabilities. The response of disabled farmers and the demonstration of both motivation and capacity, resulting in increased self-reliance and income generation, proved that the programme is viable. FAO has proven that it has the tools and capability to capacitate institutions in developing new approaches. The success of the project can certainly be attributed to the close cooperation between FAO and the Department of Public Welfare, along with the trainers and consultants involved. The well-developed training programme and materials (videos, training manual in mushroom cultivation, and an enterprise development guide for rural disabled persons) have been prepared by FAO. These will allow future replication in Thailand and in neighbouring countries and are readily available. These tools can be used towards income generation through project replication within Thailand or in other countries, and in other projects aiming at income generation and enterprise development for people with disabilities in rural areas. Long-term monitoring of the project is required in order to see its long-term effect and to review its sustainability and strengths. Nevertheless, the lives of several trainees have changed forever, whatever the long-term outcome of the project.
NOTES
13 Ann Elwan 1999. “Poverty and disability: a background paper for the World Development Report” (Washington D.C., World Bank).
14 Ann Elwan 1999. Poverty and disability: A survey of the literature, (Washington D.C., World Bank) p.13.
15 Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), 1999. “Early intervention and education for children with disabilities into the twenty-first century: situation in the Asian and Pacific region” (SD/DEC/ED/INF.1) (Bangkok, United Nations).
16 Based on a paper prepared by Blind People’s Association (India), Vastrapur, Ahmedabad, India.
17 Based on a paper prepared by Prayat Punongong, Former President of Thailand Association for the Blind, Khon Kaen, Thailand.
18 Based on a paper prepared by Wim Polman, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Bangkok, Thailand.
