Disabilities

Introduction

Our work on disability is guided by a human rights-based approach, the social model of disability (also commonly referred to as the human rights model of disability), with a focus on equity and reaching the most marginalized.

According to the World Report on Disability, 1 billion people have a disability with at least 1 in 10 being children and 80% living in developing countries. In accordance with the social model outlined in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), children with disabilities have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others (CRPD, Article 1).

While the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) applies to all children, the CRPD further strengthens the rights of children with disabilities. It does not introduce additional rights, but it imposes additional obligations on Governments to take action to remove the barriers keeping children with disabilities from realizing their rights.

All-Staff Disability Orientation including ASL, subtitles and audio description

The web-based Disability Orientation for staff is a multi-media, 40-minute video that includes interesting and thought provoking statements, resources and good practices from UNICEF and partners from across the globe. The objective of the orientation is to strengthen understanding of, and capacity to support, programming for children and women with disabilities.

The Disability Orientation consists of two main modules, each module has five lessons. The first part of the Orientation provides an overview of the disability movement and what disability means according to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The second part of the Orientation focusses on how to mainstream disability through our work.

The Orientation on Disability can be taken individually or in groups.

The Disability Orientation is currently available in English, with English subtitles as well as with accessibility options like voice over and American Sign Language. The whole module with accessibility features will become available in French and Spanish next year.