1 minute read
Study by Turkish Spina Bifida Association
from 29th International Conference on Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus 'Diverse Needs, Same Rights'
by The International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus
How to Ensure Effective Participation of Disabled Children in Decision-making Processes: a Case Study by Turkish Spina Bifida Association
Papatya Alkan-Genca, Cevval Ulman, Aslihan Aykara, Selma Calik, Nurdan Anli, Selen Kaynak Turkish Spina Bifida Association, Turkey
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Background: Turkey signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in 2007 and ratified it in 2009. However, there has not been a child-friendly version in Turkish, nor has there been substantial research on how children with and without disabilities perceive and understand UNCRPD and disability rights.
Methods: Advocating for the rights of people with Spina Bifida and the importance of children’s participation in decision-making processes have always been top priorities for Turkish Spina Bifida Association (TSBA). TSBA is also keen on promoting UNCRPD through collaborative work with other NGOs and ensuring children with and without disabilities know these rights. To this end, TSBA launched an EU-funded project titled “CHIP IN: Effective Participation of Disabled Children in Decision-Making Processes” in collaboration with Hacettepe University Research and Application Centre for Children’s Rights and Association of Dyslexia and ADHD.
Results: The project is three-fold: (1) provide training for NGOs working with various disability groups on how to engage and ensure participation of disabled children in decision-making processes; (2) produce the child-friendly version of CRPD in Turkish through several workshops with children and experts; and (3) develop a board game and its digital version through which children can learn about the rights identified in CRPD. In this presentation, the project will be introduced as well as its preliminary results on the designed game in its digital and real-life form, and call for its adaptation/implementation in other languages and countries.
Conclusion: The project titled “CHIP IN: Effective Participation of Disabled Children in Decision-Making Processes” shows how using games as a means of teaching UNCRPD to children as well as to NGOs working or hoping to work with children can improve advocacy efforts. Collaboration between different NGOs also enriches and strengthens this advocacy work. Further projects should be developed so that the designed game can be translated and adapted into different cultural contexts
