Promoting the Rights of Children with Disabilities, UNICEF
Promoting the Rights of Children with Disabilities, UNICEF
Promoting the Rights of Children with Disabilities, UNICEF
- No tags were found...
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
cases <strong>of</strong> physicians in both income-rich and incomepoorcountries who have chosen to deny children<strong>with</strong> disabilities access to essential operations. 37 Inextreme cases, doctors, sometimes backed by <strong>the</strong>courts, have refused to intervene to save <strong>the</strong> life <strong>of</strong> achild <strong>with</strong> a disability, even when <strong>the</strong> child’s parentshave sought such intervention. 38 Studies have alsosuggested that physicians may <strong>with</strong>hold medicaland rehabilitative services from people <strong>with</strong> severeimpairments because <strong>of</strong> assumptions that <strong>the</strong>y aretoo severely disabled to benefit. In o<strong>the</strong>r respects,health care providers may lack awareness <strong>of</strong>underlying causes that have a persistent influence on<strong>the</strong> health and well-being <strong>of</strong> persons <strong>with</strong> disabilities.Yet in o<strong>the</strong>r instances, children <strong>with</strong> disabilitieshave been subjected to clinical and pharmacologicalinterventions that would be considered unacceptableif carried out on children <strong>with</strong>out disabilities in<strong>the</strong> same community, <strong>with</strong> examples includingelectroshock <strong>the</strong>rapy, excessive medication androutine hysterectomies. 39 The result in all suchinstances is that children <strong>with</strong> disabilities are deprived<strong>of</strong> individualized or appropriate care.The basic and continuing education and training <strong>of</strong>doctors and o<strong>the</strong>r health pr<strong>of</strong>essionals should alwaysinclude up-to-date information on childhood disability.This recommendation is reinforced by <strong>the</strong> CRPD. Anumber <strong>of</strong> resources are available to provide basicknowledge and skill development concerning persons<strong>with</strong> disabilities for health care workers. 40Persons <strong>with</strong> disabilities and family members have<strong>of</strong>ten played a key role in sharing <strong>the</strong>ir experienceand have made valued contributions to <strong>the</strong> training<strong>of</strong> health care pr<strong>of</strong>essionals. Opportunities shouldalso be available for paediatricians and o<strong>the</strong>r healthpr<strong>of</strong>essionals to meet children <strong>with</strong> disabilitiesin community settings, such as play centres andschools, as well as adults <strong>with</strong> disabilities in collegesand workplaces, ra<strong>the</strong>r than in hospital clinics.Parents across <strong>the</strong> world have expressed concernthat physicians tend to underestimate <strong>the</strong> potential <strong>of</strong>children <strong>with</strong> disabilities to benefit from education andtraining or to make a positive contribution to society. 41Ill-defined policies, objectives and an ambiguousposition on <strong>the</strong> part <strong>of</strong> national governments <strong>of</strong>tenexclude or fail to ensure <strong>the</strong> provision <strong>of</strong> welfareservices for children <strong>with</strong> disabilities, across differentregions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world. Different definitions <strong>of</strong> disabilityand poor coordination between departments <strong>of</strong>health, social services and education are reportedin many developed countries and have seriousimplications for <strong>the</strong> extent to which children <strong>with</strong>disabilities enjoy <strong>the</strong>ir rights to support and o<strong>the</strong>rservices. This also makes it difficult for parents andchildren to determine <strong>the</strong> benefits to which <strong>the</strong>y areentitled, creating wide variations in <strong>the</strong> availabilityand quality <strong>of</strong> support and services for children and<strong>the</strong>ir families. 42Legislative barriers can be exacerbated by administrativedivisions that indirectly perpetuate marginalizationand discriminatory attitudes. Services for children<strong>with</strong> disabilities are <strong>of</strong>ten organized differently thanthose for children <strong>with</strong>out disabilities, leading to inefficiencyand confusion for families. In many countries,different phases <strong>of</strong> education have different funding,administration and legislative systems, thus creatingbureaucratic barriers. In sectors such as education,health and social work, services for adults may beorganized differently than those for children. As aresult, after reaching a certain age, young people maylose welfare support to which <strong>the</strong>y were entitled ormay have to renegotiate this support. 43Access to educationThe child’s right to education is enshrined in humanrights treaties, including articles 28 and 29 <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>CRC. A critical implication is <strong>the</strong> requirement forprimary education to be compulsory and availablefree to all; and secondary education to be availableand accessible to every child, <strong>with</strong> <strong>the</strong> provision <strong>of</strong>financial assistance when needed. The CRPD buildsupon this principle and makes recommendationsabout access to lifelong learning opportunities. Inmany parts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world, however, <strong>the</strong> majority <strong>of</strong>children <strong>with</strong> disabilities and especially those <strong>with</strong>moderate, severe and pr<strong>of</strong>ound impairments, are stillfar from enjoying access to any kind <strong>of</strong> school, letalone to regular education.In many Western countries and throughout Easternand Central Europe, special schools have played animportant part in providing education for children <strong>with</strong>disabilities. Some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se have been residential,especially in large countries <strong>with</strong> scatteredpopulations, but many day special schools have beenestablished <strong>with</strong> pupils living <strong>with</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir families.In recent decades, however, <strong>the</strong> role <strong>of</strong> special schoolshas come under critical scrutiny, <strong>the</strong> lead being takenby Italy when it closed most <strong>of</strong> its special schools in<strong>the</strong> 1970s, relocating <strong>the</strong> pupils to local schools andproviding individualized support through <strong>the</strong> recruitment<strong>of</strong> support staff (see box 6.6 on page 29).Experience in many countries has shown thatmany children who would previously have beenautomatically referred to special schools can besatisfactorily educated in mainstream schools, givensupport tailored to <strong>the</strong>ir individual needs, <strong>of</strong>tenthrough an individual educational programme. Thisincludes children <strong>with</strong> intellectual disabilities suchas Down’s syndrome, a number <strong>of</strong> whom haveconfounded expectations by completing secondaryeducation and successfully passing <strong>the</strong> nationalschool-leaving examinations. 44Successful inclusive education experiences in numerouscountries are also linked to <strong>the</strong> expansion <strong>of</strong> earlyintervention programmes – guaranteeing an earlyInnocenti Digest No. 13<strong>Promoting</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Rights</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Children</strong> <strong>with</strong> <strong>Disabilities</strong>16