IHR’s Community Engagement Program is dedicated to developing and sustaining mutually beneficial relationships with community partners in all areas of IHR’s engagement. Our goal is to elevate the voices that usually go unheard in research, education, and outreach and center people with lived experiences related to violations of human rights. Over the course of its existence, IHR has cultivated and maintained relationships and collaborations with community partners at the local, national, and international level. These include non-profit organizations, governments, businesses, schools, and international organizations.
Community Education
Our Community Education Program includes trainings on human rights and human rights-based approaches for community organizations and other entities. Designed to empower individuals with knowledge about fundamental human rights and advocacy strategies, we offer interactive workshops, engaging discussions, and expert-led sessions aimed at fostering awareness and equipping participants with the tools to address pressing social justice issues in their communities. By bringing together diverse voices, the program seeks to inspire action, promote equality, and build a network of informed advocates committed to advancing human rights locally to globally.
Other initiatives include our human rights blog, which offers free access to human rights information and provides analyses and context to current social issues. Project Hope, our anti-bullying program, provides teachers with a comprehensive social action curriculum on preventing bullying in schools and online.
Community Research
Research with community partners and people with lived experiences is at the front and center of IHR’s research program. Community partners have been involved in the co-creation of research projects, in the data collection and data analysis, and in the interpretation and dissemination of findings.
Supporting People with Lower Limb Impairments in Sri Lanka
In collaboration with Meththa Foundation, IHR has co-developed a study examining access to prosthetics and health care for people with lower limb impairments. People in Sri Lanka experience amputations at higher rates than people in other places because of landmines left over from the Sri Lankan Civil War and from motorcycle accidents, the primary form of transport in rural areas. Many amputees lack the financial resources to afford rehabilitation services and modern prosthetics. Our findings show that access to this assistance is crucial for low-income amputees to be able to support their families. Meththa Foundation will use the outcome of IHR’s study to change policy and find funding to develop Sri Lankan-made prosthetics that can be produced and distributed at lower cost.
Photo caption: Team METHTHA, The Meththa Team with IHR’s representatives. Credit: Achala Gunasekara-Rockwell, IHR Research Associate
Enhancing the Accessibility of the Built Environment and Transport for People with Disabilities
The built environment and transportation affect the ability of people with disabilities to access health care, participate in education and the workforce, and engage in social activities. The IHR, in collaboration with Lakeshore Foundation and Fundades and Universidad Privada Del Norte, investigated how the level of accessibility of sidewalks, ramps, and public transportation impacts the quality of life and health status of people with disabilities in Birmingham, Alabama and Lima, Peru. Through walk audits, a method to assess the built environment, surveys, interviews, and photos, the research team could show how the lack of accessibility negatively impacts people with disabilities’ lives, health, and social inclusion. The results were used for the Birmingham World Games Accessibility Assessment in 2022 and to map the residence areas of people with disabilities in selected neighborhoods in Lima, Peru.
This research has been funded by the UAB Sparkman Center for Global Health, the UAB Center for the Study of Community Health, and the UAB College of Arts and Sciences.
Photo caption: Jaime Huerta Peralta, disability rights specialist in Peru and the study team assessing neighborhoods in Lima, Peru. Photo credit: Courtney Andrews
Enhancing Women and Girl’s Rights in the Massai Mara, Kenya
The IHR’s LadyPad project, developed in collaboration with Nashulai Maasai Conservancy Women’s and Girl’s Empowerment Initiative studies the impact of teaching women in a rural community in Kenya how to sew reusable menstrual pads that can be distributed to girls in local boarding schools. The findings show that girls are more likely to stay in school with access to menstrual hygiene products and that women who are able to sew are able to earn their own money, which makes them more likely to invest in their communities, including sending more girls to school. Read the 2020 Spring issue of Arts & Sciences Magazine to learn more.
Photo caption: IHR local collaborator and coordinator of Nashulai Maasai Conservancy Women’s and Girls’ Empowerment Initiative Maggie Reiyia with girls of Sekenani Girls High School
Birmingham – Needs Assessments and Research Support for Community Organizations
IHR offers research support for community organizations, including needs assessments, data collection, data evaluation, and scholarly, community-centered, and policy focused dissemination. This includes surveys and questionnaires, interviews and focus groups, story-telling, photo- and arts-based data collection and analysis. If you are interested in working with us,
Community Advisory Board
IHR is committed to fostering community-academic partnerships, which are facilitated by the expertise and guidance provided by our Community Advisory Board.