The CPA Headquarters Secretariat is looking for a consultant to work on a CPA Parliamentary Academy online course on the Accessibility of Commonwealth Parliaments to Persons with Disabilities.
About the CPA Parliamentary Academy
In May 2021, the CPA launched the CPA Parliamentary Academy – a curriculum of online and physical courses specifically for Parliamentarians and parliamentary officials. These accessible courses offer an adaptive and flexible learning approach, intended to strengthen the capacity of Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff to fulfil their constitutional and statutory obligations as well as to enhance knowledge and understanding of the role of Parliament in the process of democratic governance.
Course Outline
As part of the expansion of the CPA Parliamentary Academy, the CPA is developing several courses specifically for the membership of the CPA networks. This course will seek to address the critical issue of parliaments’ accessibility for PWDs, and how this can be improved to ensure that PWDs can engage with political processes on an equal playing field with others.
The course should introduce how the accessibility of parliaments can be improved, based on case studies of how other public institutions have been improved previously, and the role the issue has more broadly in addressing and improving the inclusion of the disability community in political life. Other modules should cover online accessibility; the financing of adaptions to buildings for disabled access; maintaining the heritage of historic buildings whilst adapting them for those with impairments, and; how new innovative technologies can enhance accessibility.
The course should be designed to provide a comprehensive yet accessible introduction for Parliamentarians, including those with limited prior knowledge on the impact of parliaments being inaccessible for PWDs. As with other courses across the Parliamentary Academy, there is a strong emphasis on making the course practical through information that can be readily transferred to support a Parliamentarian’s work, while also being underpinned by authoritative research and theory
Deliverables
The consultant developing the course material will be expected to:
- Conduct all necessary background research, and in consultation with the CPA Headquarters Secretariat, amend a course outline which includes a list of ‘modules’ and subordinate ‘lessons’
- Develop all of the written course content in English, including references and links to additional research and sources.
- Develop the exams for each module, consisting of 10 multiple-choice questions (and answers) per exam.
The work will require consultation and interaction between the consultant and the CPA Headquarters Secretariat. Draft content will be reviewed throughout with the consultant making necessary changes to the content, as required until the final course content is approved and submitted.
Remuneration and timeline
The Consultant will be paid a total of £5,000 GBP for the work. They will also need to be available between October – December 2021 to conduct the work in collaboration with the CPA Headquarters Secretariat.
How to apply
If you would like to be considered for this role, please submit your interest by sending a CV and Covering Letter by Friday 15 October (23:59 BST/UTC+1) to hq.sec@cpahq.org.
The CPA embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities for all, regardless of physical ability, age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity or faith.
Find out more
For further information please contact Lydia Buchanan, Programmes Manager (lydia.buchanan@cpahq.org) and Clive Barker, Programmes Officer (clive.barker@cpahq.org).
To find out more about the CPA and the CPA Parliamentary Academy, use the links below.
