TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR) For Consultancy Services to Conduct a Comprehensive Baseline Assessment for the AMPLIFY Project

Job Description

About the Job
Background

The Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development (ECDD) is an Ethiopian Development Organization established in 2005 and re‑registered under Proclamation № 1113/2019. ECDD works to promote and facilitate the inclusion of persons with disabilities in mainstream service delivery and development programs, envisioning an inclusive Ethiopia where persons with disabilities enjoy equal rights and opportunities.

With funding from the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission (FELM), ECDD is implementing the AMPLIFY Project (2026–2029). The project aims to empower persons with disabilities and their representative organizations (OPDs), enhance social inclusion, and strengthen government duty bearers to adopt disability‑inclusive policies and practices.

As a preliminary activity, ECDD intends to conduct a baseline assessment in the six target areas including Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, Gondar/Bahir Dar (Amhara), Jimma (Oromia), Hosaena (Central Ethiopia), and Mekelle (Tigray) , to generate reliable evidence on participation, leadership, access to services, stigma reduction, and institutional capacity for disability inclusion. This assessment will guide project implementation, set benchmarks, and measure progress throughout the project cycle.

General Objective

To generate baseline data through a comprehensive survey on participation, leadership, access to mainstream services, and key factors affecting inclusion of persons with disabilities in the six target areas.

Specific Objectives

Assess the current status of OPDs’ organizational capacity, leadership, and advocacy initiatives.
Identify barriers and enablers to social inclusion and community attitudes toward persons with disabilities.
Assess government duty bearers’ and service providers’ capacity to adopt disability‑inclusive policies and practices.
Provide reliable quantitative and qualitative data to inform project targets, indicators, and monitoring frameworks.
Recommend strategies to address identified challenges and strengthen disability inclusion.
Methodology

The baseline assessment will adopt a mixed‑methods approach, combining both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the situation of persons with disabilities in the six target areas (Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, Gondar/Bahir Dar, Jimma, Hosaena, and Mekelle), as well as at the federal level.

Quantitative Methods

Household Surveys: Structured questionnaires administered to a representative sample of persons with disabilities from both host communities and urban/peri‑urban settings to gather data on demographics, participation, leadership, access to services (health, education, livelihoods, justice), and social inclusion.
Institutional Surveys: Data collected from OPDs, government offices, service providers, and educational institutions to quantify service coverage, accessibility, and inclusion gaps.
Policy and Strategy Review: Collection and analysis of existing federal‑level disability inclusion policies, strategies, and frameworks (e.g., National Social Protection Policy, Education Sector Development Program, CRPD commitments, National Plan of Action for Persons with Disabilities).
Secondary Data Review: Existing data from government offices, OPDs, health facilities, schools, and prior studies will be reviewed to complement primary data.
Data Analysis: Statistical software will be used to analyze quantitative data, identify trends, gaps, and correlations, and establish baseline indicators for project monitoring.
Qualitative Methods

Key Informant Interviews (KIIs): Conducted with government officials (both federal and regional), The Federation of Ethiopian Associations of Persons with Disabilities (FEAPD), regional OPD leaders, service providers, and community actors to explore perceptions, policies, and practices related to disability inclusion.
Focus Group Discussions (FGDs): Organized with persons with disabilities (segmented by gender, age, and disability type) to capture lived experiences, challenges, and recommendations.
Observation and Site Visits: Visits to health centers, schools, OPDs, workplaces, and community facilities to assess physical accessibility, inclusive practices, and service delivery.
Policy Dialogue Interviews: Engagement with federal ministries (MoWSA, MoE, MoJ, EDRMC, EMA, NEBE, etc.) to assess their current disability inclusion strategies, institutional capacity, and alignment with CRPD and SDGs.
Thematic Analysis: Qualitative data will be systematically analyzed to extract insights on barriers, enablers, and stakeholder perspectives, and triangulated against quantitative findings.
Sources of Data

Primary Data: Surveys, interviews, FGDs, and observations with persons with disabilities, OPDs, government stakeholders, and service providers.
Secondary Data: Federal policies, national strategies, OPD records, government reports, published research, and other relevant sources.
Sample Size

Determined scientifically to ensure representativeness across the six target areas.
Must include persons with disabilities, OPDs, government duty bearers, and service providers.
Sampling will consider gender, age, type of disability, and displacement status where relevant.
The consultant is expected to use scientific sampling techniques and tools to determine the total sample size, ensuring accuracy and reliability of findings.
Data Analysis

Quantitative Data: Analyzed using statistical software to identify trends, gaps, and correlations.
Qualitative Data: Thematically analyzed to extract insights on barriers, enablers, and stakeholder perspectives.
Triangulation: Findings from quantitative and qualitative data will be crosschecked to ensure validity and reliability.
Analytical Models: The consultant may apply frameworks to identify major barriers faced by persons with disabilities in accessing services.
Ethical Considerations

Informed consent from all participants.
Data confidentiality and sensitivity to disability‑related issues.
Inclusive and accessible communication methods (sign language, braille, plain text, easy‑to‑read formats).
The consultant is expected to propose participatory, accessible, and inclusive data collection approaches in consideration of the types of impairments of persons with disabilities.
Key Deliverables

Inception Report: Outlining the proposed methodology, including research methods, sampling framework, data sources, procedures for data collection and analysis, and a draft table of contents.
Research Tools: All proposed data collection tools will be reviewed and approved by ECDD and its partners prior to fieldwork.
Draft Assessment Report: A preliminary version of the baseline report submitted for review and feedback.
Revised Draft: A second round of revisions may be requested by ECDD before final approval.
Final Report: A comprehensive final baseline report incorporating all comments, submitted in soft (both PDF and editable Word formats) and in hard copies not later than 5 calendar days after receiving comments on the first draft from ECDD.
Supporting Materials: An electronic copy of all approved data collection tools and the complete study dataset.