7.2.2 Organising work

There are many different ways of getting people together to work on issues, among them seminars, working groups, conferences and workshops, just to name a few. The frequency of these ranges from a single to occasional or regular/ongoing meetings and interventions. Everything depends on the local situation, the capacity of organisers and the financial resources available. The report from Tanzania proposes one option for organising a process leading to a representative start-up workshop.

Any results of joint work depend mainly on the number and function of the participants: the more persons participate, the more different views and opinions will surface, and the harder it may become to reach common conclusions. The work may in addition become more difficult and more time-consuming, depending on the group’s specific dynamics. Even given substantial time, energy and discussion, success is not assured. However, the advantages of trying to find a common position are obvious: arguments and issues will be strongly backed up by a majority of national disability stakeholders, who together have a much stronger possibility of getting their voices heard. The alternative approach of having one person who coordinates the different stakeholders and speaks on their behalf may be more efficient and quick in terms of organisation, but does lack representativeness and risk a low level of ownership.

But no matter what approach is adopted, it is important when organising work with people with different disabilities to know about their individual disabilities and to be aware of how these impact on their ability to work and to participate. In the selection of pedagogical tools and didactic methods, the different types of disabilities need to be considered as well as the desires and specific needs of each individual.

Serious consideration needs to be given to the following two components when organising joint work:

• The facilitator: It is always helpful to have an independent facilitator. His/her task is to structure the discussion and encourage all participants to contribute. 
• The per diem/ allowances: In many countries it is common practice to provide participants a per diem. However, finding the right balance is often tricky: if the sum is too low, people may not be able to come because of other obligations or because they cannot afford the travelling expenses, etc. If it is too high, conversely, there is the risk that people will come more because they will be paid well, not because they are interested in the subject.

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