Promoting the rights of Children with disabilities innocenti digest no

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Innocenti Digest No. 13
Promoting the Rights of Children with Disabilities
Promoting the rights of 
Children with disabilities
innocenti digest no. 13

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The opinions expressed are those of the authors and 
editors and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views 
of UNICEF.
Front cover photo: © UNICEF/HQ05-1787/Giacomo Pirozzi
Design and Layout: Gerber Creative, Denmark
© 2007 The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
ISBN: 978-88-89129-60-9
ISSN: 1028-3528

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Promoting the rights of 
Children with disabilities
innocenti digest no. 13

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Innocenti Digest No. 13
acknowledgements 
The UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre in Florence, 
Italy, was established in 1988 to strengthen the 
research capability of the United Nations Children’s 
Fund and to support its advocacy for children 
worldwide. The Centre (formally known as the 
International Child Development Centre) helps to 
identify and research current and future areas of 
UNICEF’s work. Its prime objectives are to improve 
international understanding of issues relating to 
children’s rights and to help facilitate the full imple-
mentation of the United Nations Convention on the 
Rights of the Child in developing and industrialized 
countries. Innocenti Digests are produced by the 
Centre to provide reliable and accessible informa-
tion on specific child rights issues.
The underlying research for this issue of the 
Innocenti Digest was carried out by Michael Miller. 
It has been updated and completed by Peter Mittler 
and David Parker. The Digest was prepared under 
the guidance of the Innocenti Research Centre’s 
Director, Marta Santos Pais. 
Thanks are extended to Nora Groce, Gulbadan 
Habibi and Lena Saleh for their expert guidance 
and perspectives. This publication benefited 
from the contributions of participants in an initial 
consultation held at UNICEF IRC including Tony 
Booth, Susie Burrows, Nigel Cantwell, Sunil 
Deepak, Gaspar Fajth, Maryam Farzanegan, 
Garren Lumpkin, Maura Marchegiani, Penny 
Mittler, Michael O’Flaherty, Richard Rieser, Flora 
Sibanda Mulder, Alan Silverman, Sheriffo Sonko, 
Marc Suhrcke, Illuminata Tukai, Renzo Vianello 
and Christina Wahlund Nilsson. Significant 
contributions, including comments on drafts, 
were subsequently made by Naira Avetisyan, Nora 
Groce, Geraldine Mason Halls, Garren Lumpkin, 
Reuben McCarthy, Federico Montero, Kozue Kay 
Nagata, Voichita Pop, Smaranda Poppa, Marta 
Santos Pais, Helen Schulte, Nicola Shepherd and 
Traian Vrasmas. The input of Nicola Shepherd in 
relation to the Convention on the Rights of Persons 
with Disabilities is particularly acknowledged.
Research support was provided by Shaista 
Ahmed, Adam Eckstein, Virginia Dalla Pozza, 
Monica Della Croce, Sarah Enright and Georg 
Stahl. Administrative support was provided by 
Claire Akehurst. The IRC Communication and