Enhancing Self-Reliance of Self-Advocates with Intellectual Disabilities and Their Families

Organization

Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD)

Location

Bangkok, Chiang Mai Province and other neighbouring provinces, Thailand

Duration

February 2021 - May 2022

Target group

Three self-advocate groups of persons with intellectual disabilities: Dao Rueng (Marigold) Group in Bangkok; Healing Family Foundation in Chiang Mai Province; and Dulabhatorn Foundation in Chiang Mai Province.

 

A. Project design

a. Context and background

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the well-being of persons with disabilities in Thailand. Persons with intellectual disabilities face additional challenges in accessing quality food and nutrition, as well as undertaking regular physical exercises. They also have limited skills in advocating for their own needs and living independently in the context of the pandemic.

Against this background, through close collaboration with self-advocates with intellectual disabilities, their parents and family members, as well as supporters (Triangle Collaboration Strategy), ACPD seeks to empower persons with intellectual disabilities so that they can regain their confidence to lead healthy, food-secured and independent lives during the pandemic and beyond.

Monthly online meetings among self-advocates with disabilities, their family members, supporters, and APCD staffMonthly online meetings among self-advocates with disabilities, their family members, supporters, and APCD staff

Monthly online meetings among self-advocates with disabilities, their family members, supporters, and APCD staff

 

b. Objective and expected outputs

Objective: To improve the quality of life for persons with intellectual disabilities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand.

Outputs:

  • A comprehensive capacity development programme to equip persons with intellectual disabilities with the requisite skills to lead healthy, food-secured and independent lives during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

c. Partnerships

This project was implemented in partnership with the following organizations:

Dao Rueng (Marigold), self-advocate group of persons with intellectual disabilities in Bangkok, as well as Healing Family Foundation and Dulabhatorn Foundation, self-advocate groups of persons with intellectual disabilities in Chiang Mai Province:

  • Encouraged and selected members to participate in the project;
  • Provided substantive input to the training programme;
  • Participated in monthly online meetings;
  • Worked with APCD to monitor the COVID-19 situation in the project locations; and
  • Assisted members in getting vaccinated.

Golden Jubilee Museum of Agriculture (public organization); House of Hope Foundation; Tawanchai Foundation; Foundation of Children with Disabilities; BlueDot Partnerships Co., Ltd.; United ID Network Mekong Sub-region; Association of Parents of Person with Intelligences Disability of Thailand; and Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities:

  • Recommended training materials, resource persons and learning centres for field visits; and
  • Shared good practices on leading healthy, food-secured and independent lives.

The "Triangle Collaboration Strategy" is a powerful tool for a self-advocate groupMs. Siriporn Praserdchat, Logistics Officer, introducing the outline of the training programme

Good practices on sufficiency economy philosophy were presentedMs. La-Ong Maneeterm, resource person, discussing the current situation in Nangrong District, Buri Rum Province

Knowledge sharing during online training sessions

 

B. Achievements and lessons learned

a. Impact and results

A total of 20 participants attended the training programme, including nine self-advocates (four women and five men), six parents and five supporters.

  • Monthly meetings among project participants, resource persons and APCD staff were held to assess participants’ needs; identify and develop training content; and provide coaching, advice and support for persons with intellectual disabilities to enable them to lead independent lives amid the pandemic.
  • Training workshops were organized in Lamphun Province (April 2022) for the self-advocate groups from Chiang Mai Province and in Pathum Thani Province (May 2022) for the group from Bangkok. Participants attended sessions on (1) skills in self-advocacy for persons with intellectual disabilities, including the concept and good practices through application of the Triangle Collaboration Strategy; (2) physical exercise; and (3) food security and sufficiency, including technical knowledge and skills in growing and marketing organic crops for self-consumption and selling.

First training workshop

First training workshop

 

  • A three-day follow-up workshop was organized in the last week of May 2022 in Bangkok to facilitate dialogue and networking between self-advocate groups in Chiang Mai Province and Bangkok.

  • An online webinar was organized on 27 May 2022 to share experiences from the training programme with diverse stakeholders. More than 30 participants attended the webinar, discussing key issues addressed by this project, such as “leave no one behind”, gender equality, food security, healthy body and mind, as well as sustainable organic farming.

Second training workshop

Second training workshop

 

b. Challenges

The COVID-19 pandemic had a severe impact on project implementation. As a core area of capacity-building was food sufficiency, in-person training, including relevant field trips to study real-life applications of good practices on food security, would be more effective than online training. Due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, the workshops, initially scheduled in July and November 2021, were postponed. The training location was adjusted as well. Some participants could not attend in-person workshops due to COVID-19 infection.

To address the challenges imposed by the pandemic, APCD actively consulted various stakeholders and developed alternative plans. Instead of organizing workshops in Buri Ram Province for all project participants, APCD held two separate training courses - one in Lamphun Province for the Healing Family Foundation and Dulabhatorn Foundation and the other in Pathum Thani Province for the Dao Ruang Group. APCD staff conducted several field visits to find appropriate training locations and arrange logistics for the delivery of workshops. ATK testing was conducted every two days during the training period. APCD helped participants, particularly self-advocates with intellectual disabilities, understand the importance of testing.

APCD staff introducing physical activities that can be performed at home

APCD staff introducing physical activities that can be performed at home

 

c. Sustainability

Participants have enhanced their capacities to lead healthy, food-secured and independent lives through the Triangle Collaboration Strategy in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. They have also strengthened connections among themselves for future collaborative efforts towards disability inclusion in the community.

A strong partnership has been formed between participants from Chiang Mai Province and Bangkok, including resource persons and new potential partners such as the BlueDot Partnerships Co., Ltd., through monthly online meetings. Participants from the two project locations will maintain the existing communication channels and support each other in running their social enterprises and advocating for the rights of persons with intellectual disabilities.

Project participants can further disseminate knowledge on food security and sufficiency through their networks and become resource persons to promote healthy and independent living.

Training in food securityTraining in food security

Training in food security

 

d. Good practices and lessons learned

Fostering close collaboration among three parties – self-advocates with intellectual disabilities, their family members and supporters (Triangle Collaboration Strategy) – was key to empowering project participants, especially women with intellectual disabilities and divorced mothers. Participants were also inspired by role models with physical disabilities during the training. The project successfully promoted the inclusion of persons with intellectual disabilities in communities and equipped them with skills to take control of their lives.

Although online meetings are useful and helpful for communications during the COVID-19 pandemic, they are not a perfect substitute for in-person training. The workshops, including relevant field trips, played an important role in helping project participants understand real-life applications of good practices on food security and sufficiency.

Training in sustainable organic farmingTraining in sustainable organic farming

Training in sustainable organic farmingTraining in sustainable organic farming

Training in sustainable organic farming

Training in sustainable organic farming

 

C. Feedback and resources

a. Voices of participants
Ms. Thipphawan Wongsom, self-advocate with intellectual disabilities, Healing Family Foundation, Chiang Mai Province

“I made a lot of new friends through this training programme. The Triangle Collaboration Strategy was introduced to me by friendly APCD staff. They showed me how to do gentle physical activities. My mother and I both benefited from these exercises. Also, I learned how to make plant protein from fruit bio-fermented water and herbal salted eggs, and I wanted to sell them to my neighbours in the community.”

--- Ms. Thipphawan Wongsom, self-advocate with intellectual disabilities, Healing Family Foundation, Chiang Mai Province

Ms. Nittaya Prasertsri, mother, Healing Family Foundation, Chiang Mai Province

“The COVID-19 outbreak has affected our quality of life. I am a divorced mother. During the pandemic, I am struggling financially. As the pandemic is not likely to end soon, I will use food preservation techniques gained through this programme to help my family save money and strive towards self-sufficiency. I am planning to make herbal salted eggs and sun-dried fish with my daughter. We must learn to live with COVID-19.”

---Ms. Nittaya Prasertsri, mother, Healing Family Foundation, Chiang Mai Province

Ms. Phatcharin Sujaritwattanasak (Som), Secretary of Dao Ruang (Marigold) Self-advocate Group of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, Bangkok

“This project taught us how to create vegetable gardens, make mushroom baskets and herbal salted eggs, and grow green chiretta for our fundamental food needs and health care at home. I learned how to do physical exercises easily at home and enjoyed the field visit to the Golden Jubilee Museum of Agriculture. I highly appreciate the training in making Thai herbal soaps. We can increase income by selling them on Facebook.”

---Ms. Phatcharin Sujaritwattanasak (Som), Secretary of Dao Ruang (Marigold) Self-advocate Group of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, Bangkok

Ms. Sugunya Srisawang, parent leader, member of Dao Ruang (Marigold) Self-advocate Group of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, Bangkok

“During the COVID-19 lockdown, we faced difficulty in purchasing food and daily necessities. Prior to taking the training programme, I could not imagine how vegetables could be grown with only a few resources. We have now acquired a great deal of knowledge on how to grow vegetables and mushrooms in a basket for food security without spending a lot of money. The programme taught us to access materials for small gardening at home. It is crucial that we have the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to increase the independence of individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families during and after the pandemic. This project is very helpful to us. Thanks a lot!”

---Ms. Sugunya Srisawang, parent leader, member of Dao Ruang (Marigold) Self-advocate Group of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, Bangkok

Mr. Thanawat Lumpongpaung, external resource person, Tawanchai Foundation

“I shared my experience in organic farming with participants with intellectual disabilities. During the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, I believe they are capable of using the concept of organic gardening to live a healthy, food-secured and self-sufficient life. Parents and supporters, as well as a favourable environment, can assist persons with intellectual disabilities in effectively participating in society. Collaborative efforts are needed to make progress in promoting disability inclusion.”

---Mr. Thanawat Lumpongpaung, external resource person, Tawanchai Foundation

 

b. Resources

Web page

Newsletter

 

Others