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

Authors

  • Lynn Cockburn Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto
  • Louis Mbibeh Disability Inclusive Development, Bamenda, North West Region
  • Jacques Chirac Awa Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services, Bamenda

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5463/dcid.v30i2.838

Keywords:

Cameroon, professional networks, rehabilitation, disability inclusive development, professional development

Abstract

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.

Author Biographies

Lynn Cockburn, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto

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, Disability Inclusive Development, Bamenda, North West Region

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, Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services, Bamenda

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.

Downloads

Published

2019-10-04

How to Cite

1.
Cockburn L, Mbibeh L, Awa JC. The GRID Network: A Community of Practice for Disability Inclusive Development. DCIDJ [Internet]. 2019 Oct. 4 [cited 2024 Apr. 19];30(2):84-9. Available from: https://dcidj.uog.edu.et/index.php/up-j-dcbrid/article/view/333

Issue

Vol. 30 No. 2 (2019): Summer 2019

Section

Brief reports

License

Copyright (c) 2019 The Author(s)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License By-NC-ND 4.0 that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC