Promoting the rights of Children with disabilities innocenti digest no

participation in sports clubs and societies, and 
inclusion in projects established by governments, 
NGOs or international agencies. This may be a result 
of prejudice, inaccessible information or venues, or 
because these children are simply overlooked. 
For persons with disabilities, the transition 
from childhood to adulthood is complex, in part 
because they may be denied new experiences and 
information considered essential for their peers 
without disabilities. Adolescents with disabilities 
often receive little or no information about health, 
life skills and sexuality, putting them at greater 
risk of sexual abuse and of acquiring sexually 
transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS.
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Similar challenges exist with respect to substance 
abuse, yet many of the factors that increase 
pressure on any young person to drink, smoke or 
take illicit drugs – social isolation, loneliness and 
depression – are frequently found among young 
persons with disabilities.
Very few young persons with disabilities succeed 
in finding work in any country. Even if they do, 
it is likely to be of lower status, less secure and 
more poorly paid than that of their peers without 
disabilities. In many of the transition economies, 
workers with disabilities who enjoyed guaranteed 
employment under socialist regimes now find 
themselves without work, while in all countries 
the chances of persons with disabilities finding 
stable salaried employment are far smaller than 
for their peers without disabilities. Many more 
young persons with disabilities enter the informal 
economy. Inside the home this may involve 
performing domestic tasks, assisting with home-
based work or tending animals, while outside the 
home it is likely to mean performing menial tasks or 
even begging. 
While some children with disabilities will wish 
to continue with formal education on leaving 
school, others may welcome the opportunity to 
prepare for the working world. Whatever their 
priorities, well-planned and coordinated transition 
arrangements are essential. These might include 
the provision of vocational training; meaningful 
work experience for individuals of at least the 
minimum age of access to employment; and tax 
incentives to mobilize employers wherever feasible. 
Employers, employees and workers’ organizations 
such as trade unions have important roles to play 
in the promotion of equal opportunities in the 
workplace. In particular, this involves establishing 
conditions in the workplace aimed at the inclusion 
of young persons with disabilities who have 
access to employment in conformity with relevant 
international standards. Employment structures 
and social security support will, in turn, need to be 
tailored to the needs of individuals.

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Innocenti Digest No. 13
Promoting the Rights of Children with Disabilities
The important question for children with disabilities 
is not 
whether
, but 
how
they can be fully included, 
as members of their families, schools, communities 
and society.