Humanitarian Crises Resource Group, IAACD: Call for Volunteers
Background
The International Alliance of Academies of Childhood Disability (IAACD) would like to bring together interested people to create a collection of useful resources (e.g., toolkits, checklists, videos, infographics) for humanitarian crisis situations (natural disasters, man-made disasters, health crises, famine and food insecurity, refugee displacement or complex emergencies of multiple overlapping crises). These resources will be designed for use by families, young people and service providers.
The IAACD is an apolitical organisation. The work and the resources will not include any political advocacy.
The resources will address both acute emergencies (e.g. earthquakes, floods) or long term challenges (e.g. climate change, displacement). Resource types will cover disaster preparedness, awareness, mitigation and survival. The primary target audience will be children with disabilities and their families.
The resource development process will be one of co-creation and we would like to have involvement of families, young people, clinicians, educators, policy makers and all those with an interest in this work. The curated resources would be hosted under the Global Professional Education Committee (GPEC) of the IAACD with free global access.
What is the work?
The work will be led by a core group with global representation, which will co-ordinate smaller teams focused on reviewing and curating specific types of resources. We recognize that there are many good quality existent resources. Our aim is to identify and curate the most relevant and best available resources for children with disabilities and their families Where gaps are identified, the group may consider developing new resources. Where possible, efforts will also be made to translate materials into multiple languages.
Who can apply and what are the expectations?
We invite anyone with an interest in this area of work to get in touch (details provided below).
The initial phase of the project is expected to run for a year in the first instance, starting September 2025. There is a possibility that the work may extend beyond for willing volunteers.
There will be group meetings once a month (approximately), plus some additional hours for the work of identifying and selecting resources
The meetings and work will be done online, with scheduling designed to accommodate different time zones. There will be no travel involved.
This is voluntary, unpaid position. There will be no renumeration or reimbursement for this work.
There will be no direct involvement of the group in any actual humanitarian crisis situation.
The work will be hosted under the Global Professional Education Committee (GPEC) of the IAACD. Volunteers do not need to be members of the GPEC, IAACD or any Member Academy. However, for those who are a member of any IAACD Member Academy, the applicant should inform their home academy.
Closing Date for application: 30th September 2025. Send details to hcrg@iaacd.net
Thank you for considering this. We need your help and support!
Arnab Seal, President, IAACD
Jenny Carroll, Chair, Global Professional Educational Committee (GPEC), IAACD
Gaela Kilgour, Member, GPEC, IAACD
Selamenesh Tsige Legas, Member, GPEC, IAACD