FIRAH General Call for Projects - Applied disability research
The FIRAH General Call for Projects is broad-based complementing the other Calls for Projects on specific topics launched in 2020.
This year, the General Call for Projects has the following priorities: education for children and young people with disabilities from to pre-school to university; exercise of citizenship and representation.
Nonetheless, these 2 topics are not obligatory and other topics could be presented.
What applied research on disability encompasses
Applied research complies with the rules that apply to all forms of scientific research with regard to ethics, methodology, rigour, and evaluation. The goal of applied research is to provide solutions to the difficulties encountered daily by persons with disabilities and their families. Applied research must be construed as concrete collaboration, throughout the research process, between the persons with disabilities, their families, carers, professionals and researchers.
As in all other fields of research, findings should be disseminated through all possible channels to the research communities, particularly through open databases or scientific articles published in peer-reviewed journals.
Knowledge generated by research projects must be disseminated to the field stakeholders (persons with disabilities, their families, carers and professionals). It is essential to share information with non-scientific audiences for the purpose of ensuring that research findings are truly applied and improve the daily lives of the disabled persons and their families. Information must be presented using language and materials that are adapted to the targeted audiences.
The “field stakeholder” refers to persons with disabilities and their families, organisations representing them, human rights defence organisations (to encourage them to include disabled persons in their activities); service providers and other organisations working with disabled persons or who need to take into account the requirements of persons with disabilities, (e.g. architects, teachers, business firms, industry…), policymakers at the local, national and international levels.
The implementation support tools are findings and knowledge from applied research will be developed into products, services and content that meet the expectations and needs of persons with disabilities. Through proper adaptation they should help the field stakeholders improve their practices. These implementation support tools must include training and application tools, adapted written texts, videos, etc.
The six selection criteria applied in the Call for Projects
The six criteria that will be used to evaluate and select applied research project proposals are described below.
Everyone submitting a proposal should read them carefully and present projects that correspond to them. The criteria should serve to structure the letter of intent and the complete application.
The current document, particularly pages 3 to 6, will assist you when completing the Letter of Intent Application Form (available to download on the FIRAH website).
- Criterion no. 1 – Overall objective of the project
The overall objective of the research project should be to contribute to obtaining greater access to human rights for persons with disabilities, in compliance with the principles of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities:
- Respect for inherent dignity, individual autonomy including the freedom to make one's own choices, and independence of persons;
- Non-discrimination;
- Full and effective participation and inclusion in society;
- Respect for difference and acceptance of persons with disabilities as part of human diversity and humanity;
- Equality of opportunity;
- Accessibility;
- Equality between men and women; and
- Respect for the evolving capacities of children with disabilities and respect for the right of children with disabilities to preserve their identities.
These principles will be used as the first frame to assess research project proposals.
- Criterion no. 2 – Originality and innovative nature of the project
It is necessary to include an initial review of the literature for the thematic of the research proposed.
Special attention will also be given to the taking into account of new approaches, evolutions in concepts and terminology related to disabilities.
If relevant, project proposals may include ways of transitioning from traditional ways of working to innovative and inclusive methods and should clearly highlight issues affecting resistance to change.
The originality of the research must also be demonstrated in the methods used to measure quality of life, quality of social participation, levels of satisfaction, self-determination and empowerment of the people involved.
The project’s particular context and any elements in the context that generate change will also be seen as sources of innovation.
- Criterion no. 3 – Presentation of research project leader and partners and their respective roles in the project
Priority will be given to participatory research projects that are able to demonstrate an organised and cohesive structure with strong links between field stakeholders (with special attention to persons with disabilities and their relatives, disability people organisations and professionals) and researchers.
The involvement of field organisations must be demonstrated through their intentions as well as their role in the planning, coordination and evaluation of the research project and in the dissemination of its findings.
Persons with disabilities, their families, and organisations that represent them must be seen as the ‘subject’ of the research and not only as the ‘object’ of the research. Priority will be given to projects that address problems identified by persons with disabilities and their families. Proof of this participatory approach must be provided by the description of their role in the different phases of the research.
The proposal must specify the names of the participating researchers, their areas of expertise, their respective role in the project, their previous involvement in relevant and funded research projects and any articles they have published that may be of importance to the proposal.
Research project leader and partners must demonstrate their ability to meet their goals by citing previous research outcomes and by describing their knowledge of current problems encountered by persons living with disabilities and their families.
Unless there are exceptional circumstances, which must be explained in the application file, the team of researchers must be comprised of at least one scientist working in an institutional or academic setting whose official responsibilities include a research.
- Criterion no. 4 – Methodology and expected outcomes
The research hypothesis or question should be clearly stated.
Clear and coherent scientific methodology is required. Expected results will be clearly announced. The methodology of data collection as well as those concerning data analysis will be presented.
The expected results will not be limited to description or ascertainment but will also provide concrete, operational recommendations, solutions and tools for driving change.
- Criterion no. 5 – Tools produced to disseminate and capitalise on knowledge generated by the research project (and methods for transferring these tools)
Special attention must be given to the means used to facilitate the transfer of the knowledge generated by research, quantitatively and qualitatively.
To be useful to academic and scientific circles, project outcomes must by described in articles published in open databases or in peer-reviewed scientific journals and presented at scientific gatherings.
In addition to scientific articles, the evaluation committee will pay particular attention to the production of other implementation support tools to be used by the stakeholders in the field. The term “implementation support tools” encompasses training tools, videos, practical written materials, computer applications, or any other means required by the target audience to appropriate the knowledge. To reach as large an audience as possible, those documents must be made available online, free of charge. These documents will have to be translated into French and English to ensure the widest possible dissemination.
Project leader must explain how field stakeholders will contribute to the creation of the research-derived material they will use.
Networks and other mechanisms that could have a lasting multiplier effect in circulating and optimising the outcomes must be identified for each target audience.
- Criterion no. 6 – Objectives, activities and resources must be coherently matched
Coherence will be required in the following areas:
- A adequacy of the project in terms of resources (human and material), completion time and funding requested.
- Job descriptions for everyone working on the project and the amount of time allocated to the project.
- The rationale for how financial resources are allocated to research activities, dissemination and practical applications, which includes the creation of implementation support tools for stakeholders in the field and English and French translations.
Features of the 2019 Call for Projects
In this general Call for Projects 2019, the FIRAH wishes to emphasize the following themes, not listed in order of priority. Please note that the FIRAH may also select high-quality projects on other topics, if such projects meet the 6 selection criteria of this call for Projects.
EARLY INTERVENTION
- To evaluate early intervention services that take into account the specificities of the child as soon as the signs appear, before the diagnosis.
- To analyse and represent in models the forms of support provided to parents when they are formally informed of the diagnosis.
- To identify the forms of support provided to children with disabilities during early childhood in places such as nursery.
ACCES TO EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE, FROM PRESCHOOL TO UNIVERSITY
Identify and evaluate inclusive methods and services which have proven their efficacy, specifically the four following points:
- Study means of identification of compensatory needs for pupils and students with disabilities.
- Identify organizations, facilities and teaching methods which improve the functioning of inclusive classrooms.
- Observe the results of collaborations between the social/medico-social sector and teachers on projects for pupils and students with disabilities.
- Measure the benefits in a classroom of the presence of children with disabilities.
THE EXERCISE OF CITIZENSHIP AND REPRESENTATION
- To study the forms of support provided to persons with disabilities and to their organizations which are aimed at obtaining peer representation in bodies and commissions at all levels of government - local, provincial/departmental, regional and national.
- To study the forms of support provided to persons with disabilities to represent their peers in bodies in commissions with oversight of the activities of the institutions and services which provide services to persons with disabilities.
- To identify the forms of support provided:
- for speaking in public;
- on how to organise meetings and discussions so as to facilitate the participation of persons with disabilities.
- To observe and evaluate the measures implemented to exercise the right to vote: awareness raising and training for persons with disabilities in areas such as political life and elections; and those undertaken to promote accessibility to political programmes and to polling stations.
Project leaders may be from any country in the world. For non-French project leaders, particular attention will be paid to projects carried out in partnership with a French organization, promoting international collaboration in this field and promoting the results or the research in France with adequate French translation especially for implementation support tools.
Project leaders who have already received funding may again be eligible only if the previous research project has been finished and all funding has been provided.
The Foundation supports projects worldwide. Its actions and funding are nonetheless centred upon applied research on disability and it does not provide funding for:
- The creation and management of social/medico-social services or institutions.
- Direct aid to a specific person with disabilities,
- Research projects on disease mechanisms (aimed at establishing a prevention, diagnosis or treatment of deficiencies).
- Action-research as part of a project financed by the FIRAH. In the case of this type of project, the FIRAH can finance only the research, and not activities for the implementation of the action.
Research projects may be funded by the FIRAH to a maximum amount of 50 000€ for the entire project, and for a maximum period of three years.
Dates for this Call for Projects
- Call for Projects will be placed online: 7 january 2019
- Closing date for the submission of Letters of Intent: Midnight, 25 march 2019
- Announcement to project leaders of pre-selected and unselected Letters of Intent: 21 june 2019
- Closing date for the submission of completed dossiers: Midnight, 30 september 2019
- Announcement to project leaders of the selected and unselected dossiers: 9 december 2019
The FIRAH form must be used to draft the letter of intent and the complete dossiers. The form can be downloaded from www.firah.org under “Call for Projects” tab.
Applicants whose letters of intent are selected will be asked to submit a full project application. Recommendations for submitting the application may be sent to the project leader as guidance. How the recommendations are addressed will be a key factor in the final project selection process.
For more information and a clear understanding of the type of projects targeted by this Call for Projects, we advise you to consult our Applied Disability Research Resource Centre. You will be able to consult applied research projects funded by the FIRAH, as well as their results.
Methodological tools are also presented, with a view to promoting:
The Resource Centre database holds applied research from different sources, which may prove useful in the preparation of your project.
