G.S. Kabuga is one of 3,388 schools in Rwanda benefitting from reconstruction and refurbishment efforts, funded by the government of Rwanda and the . In the span of just one year, 22,505 classrooms across all 30 districts of Rwanda were built or refurbished with some accessibility features for learners with disabilities. Despite global setbacks brought-on by the COVID-19 crisis, significant progress has been made in meeting the 10 commitments, identified at the .
Disabled persons
launched a on the inclusion of persons with disabilities for employers in Asia and the Pacific. Using real-life examples, the guide cites how inclusive policies can boost profitability.
Over the past decade, major progress has been made towards increasing access to education, including for persons with autism. However, the COVID-19 pandemic created major disruptions to education globally. Many students with autism have been especially hard hit and studies show that they are disproportionately affected by disruptions to routines, as well as services and support they rely on. This year’s World Autism Awareness Day addresses inclusive education, as a key element in the transformative promise of the SDGs, to . Watch the virtual event on UN WebTV.
Ikran, shown here with her doting twin brother Hassan, is eight years old. She lives with her family near Wajir town, capital of one of Kenya’s poorest counties – the country is grappling with hunger caused by the severe drought in the Horn of Africa. She receives a disability allowance from a programme supported by that allows her mother, Halima, to buy her the foods that suit her needs best. Ikran is quadriplegic and Adan, her older brother, is also disabled. To support her children, and her retired husband, Halima, makes and sells mandazi – a popular fried dough snack – in the school canteen. She also runs a small kiosk next to her hut. “Before disability cash transfers, life was very stressful,” she says. “Feeding a large family of nine children, two of whom need 24-hour care, on a meagre income was very challenging.”
Braille is a tactile representation of alphanumeric symbols using six dots to represent each letter and number, and even musical, mathematical, and scientific symbols. It is used by blind and partially sighted people to read the same books and periodicals as those printed in a visual font. Persons with vision impairment are more likely than those without to experience higher rates of poverty and disadvantage. On World Braille Day (4 January), the United Nations recognizes Braille as essential for education, freedom of expression and opinion, access to information and social inclusion.
The hit documentary film, Not Going Quietly, tells the moving and inspiring story of Ady, who was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 32, as he continues his tireless activism for healthcare access in the US.
Youssef is the youngest of five siblings. Aged 8, he is one of 30,000 students in Aleppo who receive a fresh meal at school each day from the (WFP). These meals are made by more than 100 women – many of whom run female-headed households – taking part in a WFP project. “I want to become a computer engineer,” he says – a musculoskeletal condition he has means he cannot walk, though he is perfectly able to use a keyboard and play chess. He attends a school for children with disabilities that is supported by WFP through a project serving up meals to ensure they receive critical nutrition.
The number of children with disabilities globally is estimated at almost 240 million, according to UNICEF’s most comprehensive to date. “This new research confirms what we already knew: Children with disabilities face multiple and often compounding challenges in realizing their rights,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. The report includes data from 42 countries and covers more than 60 indicators of child well-being – from nutrition and health, to access to water and sanitation, protection from violence, and education.
“When I could no longer pursue the dream of being an artist because my hands became too weak to hold a pencil, I needed [...] a new dream [...] that is, in itself, a gift to be able to [...] change direction and ask yourself, what else? That I still have my spirit. I still have my mind and I still have a deep desire and yearning for an extraordinary life. And I still want to be of service to humanity and the world.” In this episode of Awake at Night, we meet Eddie Ndopu; an award-winning disability activist from South Africa and one of 17 UN advocates for the SDGs. Diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy and given only 5 years to live, he is now 30 and has dedicated his life to ensure that the voices of those at greatest risk of being left behind are being amplified and heard worldwide.
People who identify as living with disability represent 15% of the world’s population, which is currently around 1 billion people.
Globally, 1.5 billion people live with some degree of hearing loss. Get the key facts on this condition.
Erin Brown lost her leg to osteosarcoma, a bone cancer that affects primarily young people and children. In 2010, she started her company to focus on encouraging people with disabilities to get involved in sports. It has since morphed into an enterprise that helps people with disabilities who are trying to find employment, trains people in disability accommodations within workplaces, and advocates for making health care services more accessible for people with disabilities. In 2018, she was involved in a universal health campaign undertaken by the WHO and PAHO for World Health Day. Now she’s working with the Ministry of Health in the Bahamas, trying to build awareness not only about accessibility but about employment within the health sector so that people with disabilities “have a seat at the table.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed how critically important it is to produce essential information accessible to all, including in Braille and audible formats. It has also focused attention on the need to intensify activities related to digital accessibility to ensure inclusion of all people. To raise awareness of the importance of Braille as a means of communication in the full realization of the human rights for blind and partially sighted persons, we observe World Braille Day!
10 playful activities for children with disabilities
Keeping little ones busy can be a full-time job. The best way for children to learn, no matter their abilities, is through play. that you can do indoors with your child. Be patient, listen and enjoy spending time and learning together!
While on their way to school, a terrible bicycle accident left Avni visually-impaired and eventually unable to return to school with her older sister Bina.