The GRID Network: A Community of Practice for Disability Inclusive Development

Lynn Cockburn , Louis Mbibeh , Jacques Chirac Awa
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5463/dcid.v30i2.838
Submitted: 2020-09-14 12:29:23
Published: 2019-10-04

Purpose: This paper aimed to provide an overview of the evaluation of the GRID Network (Groups for Rehabilitation and Inclusive Development) and the impact it had on its members.

Method:  Information was collected through a compilation of the resources developed during the project, and a summative evaluation process was employed at the end of the project. The paper is a short report on the summative evaluation.

Results: GRID Network members reported that the network was effective and beneficial. They developed new information and knowledge that was relevant to their local contexts; shared knowledge from local, national, and international sources; and, increased their skill in using social media for professional purposes. Recommendations include continuing with this kind of community of practice, with greater opportunities for more engagement and training; inclusion of more partner organisations; large group workshops and conferences; increased attention to advocacy for policy change; and, for more research to be carried out locally.

Conclusion and Implications: This project demonstrated that it is possible to develop and maintain a community of practice in a low-resource context on a minimal budget, even during times of political crisis. Further programme development, evaluation, and research are warranted to ascertain how this model can be scaled up to include a broader group of rehabilitation and other practitioners involved in disability inclusive development.

Keywords

Cameroon professional networks rehabilitation disability inclusive development professional development

Authors

Lynn Cockburn

Lynn Cockburn, Ph.D., M.Ed., MSPH, OT Reg. (Ont) is Assistant Professor, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto. She was the GRID Network Project Lead from 2015 to 2018. Her research interests centre on social inclusion, poverty, disability, rehabilitation, and occupational therapy. She has been involved in research, education, and professional development in Cameroon for over 15 years, including as Chair of the International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation’s ICDR – Cameroon group.

 

 

Louis Mbibeh

Louis Mbibeh, PhD was the Coordinator of the GRID Network Project. He is currently an Independent Researcher and Project Evaluation Consultant in Disability Inclusive Development, Bamenda, Cameroon. His research interests are - disability inclusive development, inclusive education, communication, and professional development.  He has experience in project management and development, project monitoring, and evaluation.  Dr. Mbibeh is editor and reviewer for several academic journals and has a number of publications in peer reviewed journals.

 

 

Jacques Chirac Awa

Awa Jacques Chirac is Coordinator of Services for Persons with Disability, and Program Manager of the Socio-Economic Empowerment of Persons with Disability (SEEPD) Program and the Cameroon Clubfoot Care Project, all of the Cameroon Baptist Convention (CBC) Health Services. He is a seasoned project manager with wide national and international experience in project development and management and in project monitoring and evaluation.  He is well grounded in disability, rehabilitation and in inclusive development.

How to Cite

Lynn Cockburn, Louis Mbibeh, Jacques Chirac Awa (2019-10-04). The GRID Network: A Community of Practice for Disability Inclusive Development. Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development, Vol. 30 No. 2 (2019): Summer 2019, 84-94. https://doi.org/10.5463/dcid.v30i2.838

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