The impact of COVID-19 on children with disabilities

Even before the pandemic, exclusion of children with disabilities was prevalent in every country across East Asia and Pacific.  

Many had limited access to basic services, such as education, protection, and psychosocial support, that would lead to the full enjoyment of their rights. COVID-19 has added another layer of complexity to the unique challenges children with disabilities were already facing.  

These stories illustrate the realities that children with disabilities across the region have faced in the last two years.  

They also, however, shed light on the power of inclusion – what happens when we start to see the world through an inclusive lens. One in which the barriers to access the basic services every child needs to thrive are removed, especially for those most vulnerable and marginalized.  

From one school’s transformation of its facilities to a mother’s vision for her son’s future, these are the stories from Cambodia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines.