Children with Disabilities

A disability includes a physical impairment such as mobility, hearing, visual, and language difficulties, and developmental delays which affect a person’s behaviour, emotional expression, and learning abilities. It includes mild to severe disabilities, from cerebral palsy, paralysis and amputation, to blindness, deafness, autism, and dyslexia. Children may be born with an impairment, or develop one as a result of disease, abuse, or an injury, e.g. many children are the victims of shootings, bombings, and explosions in conflict affected areas.

The degree of disability a person experiences is frequently related to society’s adaptation to meet the needs of people with varying abilities. This is known as the social model of disability which highlights the role of the environment in reducing or increasing the ability of individuals to participate equally in everyday life. For example, a person in a wheelchair has the impairment of not being able to walk. The disability, however, may be that he cannot take up services due to a lack of building access. Protection workers must consider any additional needs or risk factors a person may have as a result of his impairment and disability. Children in developing countries are more vulnerable to disability since poverty and conflicts increase the incidence of impairments, and reduce the provision of necessary health, education, social services, and adaptive provisions to help include children of all abilities.

Children with impairments or special needs are highly vulnerable to discrimination, abandonment, abuse, exploitation, injury and death, since they are more reliant on the cooperation and support of others to meet their basic needs, and may be less able to express their wishes. In some cultures, children with special needs are actively excluded from participating in society since they may be viewed as a source of shame, or unworthy of care and protection.

Government policies should seek to reduce the incidence of injuries and diseases via adequate health care, including education, immunizations, nutrition, and sanitation. All programming and policies for children should promote the social inclusion of children with disabilities at every level. Children should benefit from the reduction of physical and social barriers, adaptation of services and/or rehabilitation assistance in order to enable them to participate as fully as possible in their communities. This includes family support, health facilities, access to education, and respite services to enable children to fulfill their potential. Children of all abilities must be empowered to express their views and to influence their own lives.

The resources in this section focus on children with disabilities in developing countries, and those affected by conflict. They highlight their vulnerability to exclusion and abuse, and provide examples of projects to address the needs of children with special needs.

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Country Care Review: Mongolia

Better Care Network, 12 Jul 2017

This country care review includes the care-related Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child during the seventy-fifth session (15 May 2017 - 2 Jun 2017) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Country Care Review: Cameroon

Better Care Network, 06 Jul 2017

Measuring child functioning: The Unicef/ Washington Group Module

Mitchell Loeb, Claudia Cappa, Roberta Crialesi, Elena de Palma - Salud Pública de México, 30 Jun 2017

This special note describes the development of a joint question module for the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), developed by the Washington Group on Disability Statistics (WG) and UNICEF, to measure data on child disability.

Country Care Review: Antigua and Barbuda

Better Care Network , 30 Jun 2017

Country Care Review: Qatar

Better Care Network, 22 Jun 2017

Country Care Review: Lebanon

Better Care Network , 22 Jun 2017

Straightjackets and Seclusion: an investigation into abuse and neglect of children and adults with disabilities in Hungary

Mental Disability Advocacy Centre (MDAC), 10 May 2017

This report by the Mental Disability Advocacy Centre (MDAC) in Hungary contains information collected during visits to Topház between 15 February 2017 and 18 April 2017 by an MDAC team with expertise in law, human rights, disability rights, specia

Country Care Review: Armenia

Better Care Network, 08 May 2017

This country care review includes the care-related Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities during the seventeenth session (20 March 2017 - 12 April 2017) of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Country Care Review: Canada

Better Care Network , 08 May 2017

This country care review includes the care-related Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities during the seventeenth session (20 Mar 2017 – 12 Apr 2017) of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Country Care Review: Honduras

Better Care Network, 04 May 2017