Collecting basic information helps to identify what is already known about people with disabilities, their families and the situation in which they live, especially the kinds of mainstream services that are available in the community. It also provides a baseline that may be helpful for evaluation in the future (see Stage 4: Evaluation).

Information should be gathered about the physical environment and the social, economic, cultural and political situation at the national, regional and local levels.

For example, information could be collected about:

• population: the number of people with disabilities, their age, sex, types of impairment, etc.;
• living conditions: the types of housing, water and sanitation, etc.;
• health: mortality rates, causes of death and illness, local mainstream health and rehabilitation services, etc.;

• education: the number of disabled children attending mainstream school, literacy rates, etc.;
• livelihood: sources of income, average daily wage, etc.;
• government: policies and legislation, level of interest in disability, ratification and implementation status of the CRPD, accessibility standards and regulations, etc.;
• mainstream services: health and social services, education and employment services, transportation services, etc.;
• culture: cultural groups, languages, practices and attitudes towards disabilities, etc.;
• religion: local religions and religious groups, etc.;
• geography and climate;
• administrative and service delivery options;
• disaster risks and vulnerability: occurrence of natural disasters, climate variations, epidemics, armed conflicts, etc.

It is important to identify all key stakeholders and involve them from the beginning of the management cycle to:

• ensure their participation;
• help establish a sense of community ownership; and
• increase programme sustainability.

A stakeholder analysis helps to identify those stakeholders (individuals, groups or organizations) that might benefit from, contribute to, or influence a CBR programme. There are many tools that can be used to identify stakeholders, document their levels of influence and map their activities. For example, a SWOT analysis could be used to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of each stakeholder group, along with the external opportunities and threats the group faces.

Roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders

The stakeholders that may be identified during a stakeholder analysis include the following.

• People with disabilities and their families and other members of the community
  Members of the community, including people with disabilities and their families, play an extremely important role in CBR. They may help in managing a programme, participating in local CBR committees, volunteering or working as CBR personnel. People without disabilities can learn more about disability in this way, perhaps changing their beliefs and attitudes, and can help to identify and address the barriers that people with disabilities face in the community.
• Community administrators and local authorities
  These members of the community are especially important for the success and sustainability of CBR programmes. By making changes at the administrative level, such as changes in laws, regulations or policies, and linking with higher levels of regional and national governments, administrators can help to ensure that disability-inclusive development at the community level is well-resourced and sustainable.
• Civil society, such as nongovernmental organizations, religious organizations and women’s groups
  Whether international, national, regional or community, and depending on the extent of their experience and involvement in disability and CBR, these groups have historically been at the centre of CBR work. They have been involved in developing and implementing programmes, providing technical assistance, resources and training for CBR programmes, and supporting referral networks between stakeholders. They include faith-based organizations and nongovernmental organizations specializing in disability-inclusive development, organizations that match volunteers to people in need in the community, and even private-sector individuals and organizations that provide products or services for people with disabilities.

• Government authorities
  Although civil society will always play an important role, it will become increasingly important for CBR to create links with all levels of government – from local administrators to regional and national governments in all sectors – to secure funding and the continuity of CBR programming. Since the ultimate goal of CBR is to mainstream disability into existing programmes and services – to achieve full disability-inclusive development – the important role of civil society must be augmented by the government at all levels.

  Governments can take the lead in implementing and managing national CBR programmes, providing a home base for a multistakeholder CBR programme. They can ensure that appropriate facilitating legislation and policy frameworks are in place to support the rights of people with disabilities; this may include developing a national policy on disability and disability-inclusive development, in which CBR is a prominent strategy. Governments can identify CBR as a service delivery mechanism and disability-inclusive development strategy for providing person-centred, comprehensive and universal rehabilitation across the country. Finally, governments at all levels can provide the human, material and financial resources for the continuity of CBR programmes. (Some government agencies also provide supplementary services such as disaster prevention and management for the community.)

• Disabled people’s organizations
  Disabled people’s organizations play a vital role in representing the interests of people with disabilities, advising and educating them about their CRPD rights and advocating and lobbying governments to ensure that these rights are implemented. These organizations are a great resource for strengthening CBR programmes, and many currently play important roles in CBR programmes (see Disabled people’s organizations in the Empowerment module).
• CBR personnel and programme managers
  CBR personnel are at the core of CBR and are a resource for disabled people, their families and all community members. Their roles and responsibilities extend across all the CBR activities described in this training programme: identifying and assessing needs of persons with disabilities, educating and training family members, organizing self-help groups and other means of empowerment, and advocating for improved accessibility and inclusion in mainstream services for all people with disabilities. Programme managers, however the programme is organized, must provide a vision of what is possible beyond what is already available. As managers, they are responsible for each stage of the management cycle and for day-to-day activities, such as:
1. mobilizing and managing resources;
2. supporting, supervising and training CBR personnel;
3. ensuring that policies, systems and procedures are in place for managing the programme;
4. building and maintaining networks and partnerships both inside and outside the community;
5. ensuring that all key stakeholders are involved in each stage of the management cycle and are kept well informed of accomplishments and developments;
6. building the capacity of communities;
7. coordinating with organizations doing similar work in the community to avoid duplication of efforts and resources;
8. ensuring that disability issues are mainstreamed into the development sector; and
9. managing information systems to monitor progress and performance.
Select the following link to see an example of the key stakeholders connected with the national CBR programme in Viet Nam.

Level	Stakeholders	Roles and responsibilities
Village	People with disabilities and their families	Implementing home-based rehabilitation Adapting home environments Forming associations Working as collaborators and volunteers
CBR volunteers	People with disabilities and their families	Early identification, referral and follow-up Adapting home environments Forming associations Working as collaborators and volunteers
CBR volunteers	People with disabilities and their families	Early identification, referral and follow-up Adapting home environments Forming associations Working as collaborators and volunteers
CBR volunteers	Early identification, referral and follow-up Adapting home environments	Early identification, referral and follow-up Adapting home environments Forming associations Working as collaborators and volunteers
CBR volunteers	Early identification, referral and follow-up Adapting home environments	Early identification, referral and follow-up Adapting home environments Forming associations Working as collaborators and volunteers
CBR volunteers	Early identification, referral and follow-up Adapting home environments	Early identification, referral and follow-up Adapting home environments Forming associations Working as collaborators and volunteers
CBR volunteers	Early identification, referral and follow-up Adapting home environments	Early identification, referral and follow-up Adapting home environments Forming associations Working as collaborators and volunteers
CBR volunteers	Early identification, referral and follow-up Adapting home environments	Early identification, referral and follow-up Adapting home environments Forming associations Working as collaborators and volunteers

CBR programmes are set up to address existing problems in the community for people with disabilities and their family members. A problem analysis helps to identify what the main problems are, along with their root causes and their effects or consequences.

Identifying problems requires a thorough analysis of the needs of all people with disabilities, including those most at risk of exclusion, such as women with disabilities, people with psychosocial disabilities, and refugees with disabilities.

Addressing the most important problems identified becomes the main focus of the CBR programme.

A problem analysis should be carried out in partnership with the key stakeholder groups identified in the stakeholder analysis. A workshop is a useful way to carry out a problem analysis with stakeholders, and helps to build a shared sense of understanding, purpose and action. Several workshops with different stakeholder groups may be required to ensure that more vulnerable groups are able to express their opinions freely.

A problem tree is one of the most common and widely used tools for analysing a problem. A problem tree is a way to visualize the situation in diagram form:

• the name of the problem to be analysed, and the focus of CBR programming, is on the trunk;
• the effects of the problem are the branches at the top of the tree; and
• the problem’s root causes are at the bottom.

In a stakeholder group, it is important to name the problem clearly and then, as ideas are presented, to decide whether each suggestion points to one of the effects of the problem or one of its root causes. Working on the root causes usually helps to find better solutions, and this is why this kind of analysis is important.

Let’s consider the problem “Low mobility of people with disabilities”.

Here is how the causes and effects of this problem might be illustrated in a problem tree.

The causes are:

• no referral system
• lack of participation
• family indifference
• lack of access, and
• poverty

And the effects are:

• isolation
• exclusion
• loss of potential
• increased disability
• loneliness, and
• low life expectancy

An objectives analysis provides the starting point for determining what solutions are possible. An objectives tree is a useful tool for completing this analysis. It is similar to a problem tree, except that an objectives tree illustrates objectives rather than problems.

If a problem tree has been created, it can easily be turned into an objectives tree by completing the following steps.

1. Convert the causes (the roots of the problem tree) into objective statements, or intentions.
2. Turn the effects (the branches of the problem tree) into outcomes that will result from turning the problem around.

The objectives identified during this analysis are important for the planning and design phase, as they form the basis of the programme plan. The outcomes become useful in setting up a monitoring and evaluation plan.

Since many problems and objectives are identified during this stage of the programme cycle, it is important to prioritize key areas for the programme to focus on (see Planning and design).

All communities have resources, even those that are very poor. The purpose of a resource analysis is to identify the resources currently available in a community that a CBR programme could use or build on. A resource analysis should identify the following.

• Human resources: Programme manager, CBR personnel, administrative assistants, meeting facilitators, drivers, people with technical expertise, such as legal advisers or structural engineers, and people with disabilities for their lived experience.
• Material resources: Accessible office space, furniture, computers and (accessible) programmes, vehicles, audiovisual equipment and rehabilitation equipment
• Financial resources: Existing funds, funds shared with other agencies or donor funds – organized by means of a budget.

Time is another resource, often forgotten. It is always important to take into account how much time will be required to prepare and start up the programme, and how long it will take to achieve outcomes as the programme is running. A programme timeline is useful for this, but it will need to be adjusted in response to ongoing monitoring of the programme.

When doing a resource analysis, it is important to assess the capacity of the sources of the resources to address the needs of people with disabilities and to map the location of all resources.

In the resource analysis, it is important to keep in mind that there are hidden as well as visible assets in the community; many of the hidden assets can be underutilized or lost. Among these are:

• people with disabilities themselves, as they are not always seen as people who have something to offer;
• financial assistance for which communities and community members may be eligible but for which they have never applied;
• community centres and public spaces that go unused because they are not currently accessible for people with disabilities;
• retired people who would like to do volunteer work, but are unaware of the ways they can help;
• unwanted items and equipment that can be refurbished or repurposed for community use or fundraising;
• skills and talents that people are willing to trade for services that they need;
• shared advertising with business and private enterprise to raise awareness of community issues; and
• free social media platforms for sharing information.