Special Talent Exchange Program (STEP)

Overview

Special Talent Exchange Program (STEP) for better, more inclusive policies that adequately and systematically address the needs and rights of persons with disabilities. STEP advocacy strategy on inclusive development concentrates on strengthening the inclusion of persons with disabilities particularly focusing on women and girls with disabilities facing double discrimination, sexual harassment, and gender-based violence.

STEP’s advocacy is embedded in the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and its “Leave no one behind” principles, as well as in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

Under this project, STEP with UNFPA support aims at providing evidence, analyses, and recommendations to policymakers to help them implement the commitments they have made and the legal human rights obligations they are accountable for.  STEP is seeking the services of a consultant for conducting an accessibility audit of essential services related to Persons with disability, especially women facing gender violence.

Scope of Accessibility Audit Assignment:

Women with disabilities, face enormous attitudinal, physical, and informational barriers to access GBV service facilities in police, hospitals, centers, etc. and their buildings/premises are not accessible for them. This prevents persons with disabilities, especially women with disabilities from accessing appropriate, accessible, and inclusive services. The consultant will conduct the Accessibility Audit of Essential service providers, as per international standard format. Structured accessibility audit report where measurements, photographs, and interviews are collated and cross-referenced, tools, summaries of findings, prioritized action plans for each building of service provider. Action plans included building upgrades and management.

The consultant will follow the scope, mentioned below:

The audit will take into consideration the needs of women with different types of impairments and not merely mobility impairments, facing gender-based violence. Perform Accessibility Audit for the area of the identified building based on international standards for accessible services. Women with disabilities are a key focus of this project, therefore, this assignment aims to examine different barriers to inclusion and accessibility with respect to the selected service providers in Punjab, KPK, and ICT. The consultant will provide recommendations on how the material, services, and buildings can be accessible for women with disability, facing GBV. It needs to be based on good practice examples from around the world.

STEP will hire a consultant to conduct an Accessibility Audit to the GBV essential service providers and will list down the facilities and problems prevailing, which will create hurdles for women with disability in availing these services. The consultant will be responsible to prepare and submit a detailed methodology based on the specific requirements of the project and the donor.

• Photographs of prescribed locations
• Tools for conduction of accessibility audit
• Interviews conduction
• Structured audit reports
• Action plans for GBV services included building upgrades and management to make buildings accessible.

• A strategy for coordinating with the ESPs and encourage them to accept recommendations of the AA, and make their documents, services, and institute(s) accessible through installation of ramps, etc. and to make information, communication, and other GBV emergency services including electronics accessible.

The Accessibility audit is commissioned by STEP and the Consultant will be responsible for all logistical arrangements including transport, accommodation, venue, and arrangement of material for the collecting or gathering of the information related to the consultancy. STEP and its donor would require 10 days to provide feedback on the report and approve after reviewing and providing feedback on the draft final report.

Qualification and required expertise

• A Master’s degree in social science, or related field.
• Experience in working with persons with disabilities for at least 01 years.
• Prior Experience in conducting Disability Accessibility Audits, with a sample report
• Knowledge on GBV and women with disability matters.
• Having knowledge of UNFPA objectivise and UN ESPs.
• Having a person with a disability within the team will be an added advantage.
• Extensive experience in managing large field-level surveys in underserved areas or slums such as project strategy development, design, and evaluations and must have demonstrated experience with research and participatory methods.
• Good knowledge of the methods of collection (electronic or paper), data management, analysis, and presenting results.
• Strong capacity and experience in conducting surveys for marginalized communities, women, and persons with disabilities.
• Excellent demonstrated oral and written English skills, proficiency in English desired.
• Possessing excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to engage and motivate a wide range of stakeholders.
• Own lived experience with a disability will be considered a strong asset.

 Ethical Considerations:

Consultants must respect the rights of interviewees by guaranteeing them confidentiality and security. The generated reports are the property of STEP which decides on its use. The Consultant is also expected to follow national COVID-19 public health measures and international best practices during conducting an Accessibility Audit.

The Consultant will be responsible to provide the following deliverables and documents:

• Inception report detailing methodology and tools to conduct the a
• Prepare an accessibility audit tools, and travel plan
• Final report with findings, recommendations, accessibility Audit action plan for ESPs to make it accessible.

 Note: Proposals must be submitted in hard copy sealed envelope through courier

At STEP office.
Flat 109, 1st Floor, Khudadad Heights, Main Margalla Road, Sector E-11, Islamabad

The proposal must include the following documents:

• Technical and financial proposal
• CVs and profiles of the team members and their respective roles
• One recent report

Application submission deadline: The deadline for application is 28 February 2022.