1. Water and Sanitation for All in emergency operations
Oslo Conference
Hazel Jones
May 2011
Introduce WEDC

2. Water and sanitation service providers:
Providing access to safe water supply and adequate sanitation for the affected population
Key word is access
Let’s take a step back and examine the context – working environment
(Photo: Handicap International Sri Lanka)

3. Who are the affected population?
This conference is about people with disabilities, but my talk is about a wider population scope:
Anyone who for whatever reason may experience difficulty getting to a facility, getting into it or onto it, or using it
People who have difficulty accessing and using existing facilities for whatever reason, e.g.
Disabled people
Frail elderly people
People with chronic (long-term) medical conditions
People who are sick or injured (temporary)
Small children
Women whilst heavily pregnant or menstruating
Overweight people
This is actually a majority of the population
Improving access is not technically difficult – technology not complicated
They’ve just not thought about it
Many examples presented are of disabled people, as they have the most severe difficulties. I want to point out that if we find a solution or approach that benefits disabled people, many others will automatically also benefit.

4. Who are the WATSAN service providers?
Usually young, male, newly qualified engineers
Little supervision
Technology focused rather than people-centred
Forget about users & their range of needs
Young engineers fit active & enthusiastic
Training is technology focused
Difficult for them to put themselves in shoes of users who may have a wide range of needs;

5. How to help WATSAN engineers think about the needs of users?
In other words, how to help them do their job better?

6. Promote collaboration between WASH sector & disability sector
At different levels:
Field level advocacy
Through WASH cluster
With individual relief agencies
Promote collaboration between WASH sector & disability sector - Mostly about process – often needs mediator/facilitator who understands both sectors. Remind engineers to think about users, not only about the stuff
Don’t talk about disability access, talk about access for all.

7. Field level advocacy
1. Field level advocacy – ask how a wheelchair user/small child/ heavily pregnant woman will get into this latrine? (Accessibility audit approach) Make technical people aware that stuff they build is to be used by people. If some people can’t use it they’ve not done their job properly

8. Work through WASH cluster
Take SPHERE principles & translate into practical guidance
Ensure representation of appropriate agencies (DPOs, disability NGOs, older people’s associations, etc.)
2. Work through WASH cluster – co-ordinating structure of main WATSAN agencies, pull people from Multiple organisations together around a common issue. Take SPHERE principles – discuss in clusters – get disability org /DPO reps in clusters) raise awareness & provide solutions - get the big players to agree, and smaller orgs are likely to follow their lead
Donors can prompt agencies to consider accessibility

9. Sphere Guidance on Sanitation
Excreta disposal standard 2:
People have adequate, appropriate and acceptable toilet facilities, sufficiently close to their dwellings, to allow rapid, safe and secure access at all times, day and night.
Key action
Consult and secure approval of all users (especially women and people with limited mobility) on the siting, design and appropriateness of sanitation facilities

10. Essential & ideal elements for toilets
Essential elements
Users (especially women) have been consulted on the location & design of the toilet.
Public toilets are designed, built & located such that:
at least 1 cubicle in 20 can be used by vulnerable sections of the population, including older people, pregnant women, physically & mentally disabled people & those with HIV;
they allow for the disposal of women’s sanitary protection.
All toilets are designed, constructed and located such that
they minimise the threats to users, especially women and girls, day and night;
they provide privacy in line with the norms of the users, a cubicle with a lockable door;

11. Essential & ideal elements for toilets
Toilets on resettlement sites are no more than 50m from the designated families that use them and are accessible in safety by all the users.
Public toilets are designed, built and located such that:
at least one cubicle in 5 can be used by vulnerable sections of the population, including, older people, pregnant women physically and mentally disabled people and those infected with HIV/AIDS;
at least one cubicle in 10 is appropriate for the use of small children;

13. Provide information about technology options
This latrine unit in a makeshift hospital in Pakistan was designed with double space to allow for wheelchair access.
The unit had tarpaulin fixed over the wooden planks for ease of cleaning.
A commode chair should be located over the squat hole.
(Photo: Sarah House)
(Photo: Saira Raza)

14. Coping with raised toilets
Entrance platform for raised latrines
Toilet with poor access (urine diversion toilet)

15. Getting in
Movable ramp
Level access to raised toilet

16. Collaborate with individual relief agencies
to develop accessible designs
to construct and assess different designs
to provide training for relief agency staff
Develop accessible designs – best done when not in the middle of emergencies
Construct and assess: key word assess

17. Additional steps
Informal stakeholder meeting for PWD & families
Select spokespersons for PWD
Raise issue of PWD with Chief
Attends
Family members attend
Attend water point locations
Join if have suitable skills
Community meeting
Form working groups
Participatory analysis
Technical appraisal
Community plan
Existing CAP process
Committee formed
Informal stakeholder groups
Draft process for involving people with disabilities in rural Consultation & Planning (Timor Leste)
Most of these examples are from emergency response
But all these principles continue to apply during the later reconstruction phase.
Consultation – “Nothing about us without us” – already talked about accessibility audits as a practical tool for encouraging dp & engineers to problem solve together.
Here’s an ex from E Timor.
Consultation processes exist for planning watsan – especially water. How should dp get involved?

18. Advocacy Messages We want to help you do your job better
Talk about access for all (majority issue) rather than disability access
Provide information about simple solutions
Make technical people aware that stuff they build is to be used by people.
If some people can’t use it they’ve not done their job properly

19. Examples of training Inclusive design incorporated into MSF training
Webinar for UNICEF on accessible school sanitation
Mixed mode training for WaterAid (distance learning/ online discussion/ workshop
E-learning course: Humanitarian Engineering for Development & Disasters