Content Topic
Disabilities
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Children with disabilities
Read how we work to uphold the rights of children with disabilities in the region.
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Article
Why children with disabilities need family-based care
The research is clear: children fare best when they are raised in nurturing, supportive family environments. Numerous studies have found that children who are raised in residential care, rather than family settings, are at a greater risk of a variety of negative outcomes, from developmental delays to difficulty wi...
Flagship report
In Focus: Leveling the playing field for children with disabilities
While progress has been made on the inclusion of children with disabilities in schools and communities across the Europe and Central Asia region, many continue to face discrimination that denies them their rights to education, health care, justice, protection and their full participation in society.From the stigma...
Report
Great expectations: Being ambitious for children with disabilities in Slovakia
Throughout Europe children with disabilities remain the least well-served by childcare systems reform. Despite the complexities of measuring disability prevalence and alternative care provision, the percentage of children with disabilities in residential care across the European region is estimated to have increas...
Photo essay
Children don't know barriers: How Mateo's inclusion is creating a world of difference
Embedded video follows, “Mateo is great!”, This what his friends, pupils of second grade at elementary school in Čakovec, think of Mateo, who we met two years ago at kindergarten in Čakovec . Everybody who knows him, describes Mateo as a kind and smart boy. Thanks to, cross-sectoral cooperation and support by expe...
Article
Overcoming barriers for children with disabilities in Georgia
“This is an identical copy of the moon. This is Newton's pendulum, and what we see is the galaxy flying in the magnetic field,” explains Bacho, 15, showing off his collection of miniature galaxy figures. Since young age, Bacho has been passionate about physics. “My goal for the future is to become a physics theor...
Photo essay
“Thanks to experts’ support, Rikardo’s development has improved”
“Our biggest wish is for Rikardo to be healthy and to start walking soon”,, said Igor and Martina, the parents of this happy 20-month-old boy. For the past few months, the, outreach expert team, from Médecins du Monde, gathered as part of the EU Child Guarantee pilot programme, funded by European Union, has been v...
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Case studies on disability and inclusion
To document UNICEF’s work on disability and inclusion in Europe and Central Asia region, UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia has developed a set of five case studies. UNICEF takes a comprehensive approach to inclusion, working to ensure that all children have access to vital services and opportuniti...
Document
Case study 5: “Deinstitutionalization in the ECA region”
This case study describes the situation of children in institutions in Europe and Central Asia and gives practical examples of the transformation process from North Macedonia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Belarus. It highlights the lessons learned from the transformation process towards providing more family-cantered s...
Document
Case study 1: “Open source AAC in the ECA Region”
This case study focuses on UNICEF’s work supporting the development of systems that use open-source technology solutions, including the Cboard and technical resources to provide affordable AAC tools to children in need and strengthen national capacities for early intervention in order to address ...
Article
Access to early childhood interventions ensures Dorotea’s development
Zvjezdana and Marko Oršuš knew that their youngest daughter, Dorotea, soon to be two-years-old had some developmental disabilities, but they were not aware of the full extent of the risks nor did they know who to contact to make sure their daughter could receive adequate healthcare and continue to develop properly...
Report
Deep Dive into the European Child Guarantee - Croatia
The European Commission has partnered with the UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (UNICEF ECARO) to test how the European Child Guarantee could work in practice and provide recommendations for its successful design and implementation. As part of this engagement, UNICEF ECARO has been working since ...
Article
"If I had a magic wand, I would like to see ramps, elevators, because we are humans too..."
Embedded video follows "If I had a magic wand, I would like to see ramps, elevators, because we are humans too..." Today 3 December, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, 10-year-old Panagiotis talks to UNICEF Greece about his everyday life, the challenges he faces as a person with a disability in Greece, and explains why it is important…