Promoting the rights of Children with disabilities innocenti digest no

partnership among 12 European organizations, 
with the objective of promoting, in a coordinated 
manner, the mainstreaming of disability issues in the 
development cooperation policies of the member 
States of the European Union, EU institutions and 
relevant NGOs. Particular focus is given to building 
the capacity of public institutions and NGOs working 
in the development field, including organizations 
representing persons with disabilities.
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The development of much closer collaboration 
between the many international agencies working in 
this field presents a major challenge for the future. 
The needs of persons with disabilities cut across the 
mandates of different departments and agencies, 
at both national and international levels. In planning 
for the future, the voices of adults and children with 
disabilities and their families need to be much more 
clearly heard in the councils of the world. 
Progress depends on the ability to think beyond 
traditional ’boxes’. This may mean thinking of 
disability in the wider context of other marginalized 
groups and joining forces to work for a more 
inclusive society. A challenge for both international 
and national agencies concerns the extent to 
which they can create opportunities or strengthen 
mechanisms for working together in a more holistic 
way to meet the needs of children, families, adults 
and communities. Where traditional administrative 
boundaries have been crossed in order to pool 
resources, persons with disabilities have benefited 
from an approach that recognizes that their needs 
do not correspond to the narrowly focused remits 
of departments such as health, education, social 
services, income support and employment. 
At the local level, creative solutions to these 
problems have been found by the appointment of 
a key worker who supports the child particularly 
at points of transition between home and school 
and between childhood and adulthood. At the 
national level, bodies responsible for initiating and 
coordinating policy for persons with disabilities 
across the board have achieved a great deal in many 
countries. Supplementing previous international 
standards and commitments, the UN Convention 
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities provides 
an ideal opportunity to develop more effective 
mechanisms to ensure that children with disabilities 
attain their full human rights in the years to come. 

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Innocenti Digest No. 13
Promoting the Rights of Children with Disabilities
The inclusion of children with disabilities is not simply 
a charitable act. It is a process inspired by the promo-
tion of human rights that benefits the entire popula-
tion of a country and provides a clear statement of 
a government’s commitment to 
all 
its citizens and 
to the principles of good governance. International 
human rights instruments, including the Convention 
on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the 
Rights of Persons with Disabilities, provide critical 
policy imperatives, frameworks and guidance for the 
development of inclusive practices. 
Inclusion represents the recognition of fundamental 
rights and freedoms of a group of children who have 
been historically among the most marginalized. It 
allows them to realize their full potential and frees 
them from the discrimination and prejudice that have 
kept them hidden and on the margins of society. Pro-
moting inclusion requires mobilizing and increasing 
the capacity of those key individuals most influential 
and supportive for this process – especially the ex-
tended family, teachers, community members, health 
staff and other carers.
Reliable and objective statistics are important to as-
sist planning and resource allocation and to place 
children with disabilities more clearly on the map. 
Although the statistical databases necessary for this 
purpose require time to develop, planning and pro-
gramming must move forward. Denying or delaying 
services to children with disability on the grounds 
that more data are needed is not acceptable. Plans, 
policies and budgets should be designed to allow 
changes and modifications, as additional data are 
made available over time.
This 
Innocenti Digest
has emphasized a number 
of principles for advancing inclusion: consulting and 
listening to children with disabilities and their fami-
lies themselves; adopting a life-cycle and integrated 
approach that responds to the evolving capacities 
of the child, and working with parents, other family 
members, peers and communities – as well as with 
service providers, policy-makers and key leaders. 
Specific strategies based on these principles include 
the planned shift of children with disabilities from 
segregated, institutionalized care and enabling them 
to be included within their families, local schools and 
communities, with all the required support systems 
and services.
A strong message from the World Conference on 
Special Needs Education held in Salamanca in 1994 
was that child-centred schools are a training ground 
for societies that respect the differences and dignity 
of all human beings.
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Developing educational sys-
tems and learning opportunities that are capable of 
responding to the needs of all children is not only a 
matter of justice; it is also an essential investment in 
the future of every society that is committed to be-
coming or remaining democratic and participatory.
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The movement towards developing truly inclusive 
societies is already underway in many parts of the 
world. It is gaining strength from the Millennium 
Declaration and the Millennium Development 
Goals, from other international commitments 
such as Education for All and ‘A World Fit for 
Children‘, and above all from the Convention on 
the Rights of the Child and the new Convention on 
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. With the 
necessary national and international commitment 
to establishing more just and inclusive societies, 
this momentum will decisively grow. Day by day, 
diversity is coming to be understood as a resource 
and more children and adults with disabilities are 
being given the opportunity to contribute to the life 
of their family, community and country.