Disability Awareness in Action
The international disability & human rights
network
Rights for Disabled Children Project
The "Rights for Disabled Children" project is a three year (2000 to
2003) project administered by DAA and funded by Swedish SIDA.
The idea for the project was an outcome of the thematic day held by the
Committee on the Rights of the Child in 1997 on the rights of disabled
children. A working group was formed and which had as its focus the aim to
highlight the abuses and neglect of rights experienced by all disabled children
- those with physical, sensory, developmental impairments, as well as those
with mental health difficulties - and to compile and disseminate good practice
in challenging those abuses. Its aims for disabled children are to promote an
environment in which their rights are fully respected and in which they are
included and valued on an equal basis with non-disabled children. Achieving
this respect for the rights of disabled children will involve:
- Legal reform to end discrimination and promote equal rights
- Public education to challenge prejudice and hostile stereotypes
- Removal of the physical barriers to inclusion
- Supported inclusion - for example in education, the inclusion of
disabled children in mainstream schools must be accompanied by special training
and support for teachers, access to equipment to facilitate participation of
deaf and visually impaired children, respect for the linguistic rights of deaf
children, policies which assert the equal rights of all children
- A commitment to, and the introduction of structures for listening to
disabled children and taking seriously their views and concerns.
The work of Rights for Disabled Children includes:
- Reporting to the Committee on the Rights of the Child on states
parties due to be examined under Article 44 of the Convention on the Rights of
the Child on their progress in implementing its principles and standards in
respect of disabled children
- Publication of a report, Its Our World Too! on the situation of
disabled children which was launched at the UN General Assembly Special Session
on children in May 2002
- Undertaking research into the situation of disabled children in South
Africa, Romania, Nepal and El Salvador
- Gathering evidence on violations and good practice in respect of the
rights of disabled children from throughout the world
Membership of Rights for Disabled Children
The group is chaired by Bengt Lindqvist, formerly UN Special Rapporteur
on Disability. Its membership also comprises representation from the World
Blind Union, World Federation of the Deaf, International Save the Children
Alliance, Inclusion International and Disabled People International. It is
attended by a member of the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
RDC Publications
Each of the RDC publications are available (in standard
print, large print, Ascii disk, audio tape), either by contact the DAA office,
or you can now download the RDC publication of your choice by clicking on the
following links:
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