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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The Dangers of Voluntourism: When Good Intentions Are Not Enough

Tania DoCarmo, Charlie Smith-Brake, and Julia Smith-Brake, Prism Magazine, 15 Oct 2013

In this article for Prism Magazine, a publication of Evangelicals for Social Action, the authors ask challenging questions about the role of 'orphanage tourism', where Westerners visit or volunteer to work at a residential care center (orphanage) in the developing world, whether the trip is arranged by a tour or travel company, a nonprofit, or by a church.

Joint Memorandum: Community Living for All - The Need to Provide Clarity in Thematic Conditionality 10

NUI Galway, Lumos, European Foundation Centre, The Equal Rights Trust, AGE Platform Europe, European Disability Forum , 12 Oct 2013

This joint memo was issued by a group of European organizations to clearly state their belief that the draft language on community living in the proposed EU Structural Funds Regulations should be amended to enhance the effect and to better advance the rights of children, persons with disabilities, and older people.

Rapid FTR: An innovation to speed up and improve the efficiency of family tracing and reunification in emergencies

UNICEF, 01 Oct 2013

RapidFTR is a versatile open-source mobile phone application and data storage system that seeks to expedite the Family Tracing and Reunification (FTR) process by helping humanitarian workers collect, sort and share information about unaccompanied and separated children in emergency situations so they can be registered for care services and reunited with their families.

Ending the Placement of Children Under Three in Institutions: Report from the International Ministerial Conference, Sofia, November 2012

UNICEF , 01 Oct 2013

This Report from the international ministerial conference, held in Sofia, 21–22 November 2012, entitled 'Ending the placement of children under three in institutions: support nurturing families for all young children', brings together the presentations, political commitments and priority actions identified by the participants, including 20 governments from Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Children’s Rights to Survival and Development: Ensuring access to treatment for children with hydrocephalus

Lumos, 01 Oct 2013

This report provides a summary of work undertaken by Lumos - together with governmental authorities, international partners, local medical professionals and families - to ensure that all children born with hydrocephalus receive the life-saving treatment they need, and which is their fundamental human right.

Preventing violence: evaluating outcomes of parenting programmes

University of Cape Town, WHO, UNICEF, and the WHO-led Violence Prevention Alliance, 23 Sep 2013

This report seeks to increase understanding of the need for, and the process of, conducting outcome evaluations of parenting programmes in low- and middle-income countries. The guidance is aimed at policy-makers; programme planners and developers; high-level practitioners in government ministries; representatives of nongovernmental and community-based organizations; and donors working in the area of violence prevention.

A Better Way to Protect ALL Children: The Theory and Practice of Child Protection Systems, Conference Report

UNICEF, UNHCR, Save the Children and World Vision, 15 Sep 2013

This report of a major conference held in New Delhi in November 2012 entitled “A Better Way to Protect ALL Children: The Theory and Practice of Child Protection Systems”, encapsulates the substantive content of the presentations and related discussion; provides an analysis and documents the journey; and suggest an agenda, or at least direction, for future work on Child Protection systems.

Understanding Children's Perspectives on Wellbeing: The Australian Child Wellbeing Project: Phase One Report

Jen Skattebol, Myra Hamilton, Grace Skrzypiec, Tammy Burnstock, Gerry Redmond, Bridget Jenkins and Kirk Dodd , 14 Sep 2013

This document reports on Phase One of the Australian Child Wellbeing Project, a child-centred study in which young people’s perspectives are being used to design a major nationally representative survey of wellbeing among 8-14 year olds, and to interpret findings from that survey. It uses focus groups and in-depth interviews with young people in six groups who are often seen as experiencing high levels of marginalisation or as having particular experiences and needs, including young people living in out of home care and young people living with disability.