Disability Resource Library
Welcome to the Disability Debrief library, a catalogue of hand-picked news and resources from over 150 countries and regions.
Browsing the library you will find disabled people's stories, analysis, entertainment and the latest research. Explore disability around the world, and the ways it intersects with all areas of social life.
You can explore by subjects or countries. There's also a dedicated guide on climate change.
Below you can see some of the recent highlights. The latest update was in October 2024.
Travel through the resources by region:
Started in 2022, the library now contains 5,370 links.
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There's a page with every single link, and you can find-in-page.
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Recent Highlights
The Charter of Solfagnano G7 commitment on disability inclusion:
“We strongly reaffirm our commitment to show leadership and ambition, in line with the UNCRPD, and to collaborate, towards its full implementation with all international institutional partners representing persons with disabilities, associations, third- sector organisations, local communities and the private sector that intends to support the recognition of the right of all to full and effective participation in the civil, social, political, economic and cultural life of our countries.” (Oct, G7 Italia 2024)
Discuss, curse and flirt Debrief discussion of signed communication in Nepal and International Sign. (Oct, Disability Debrief)
What went wrong? Exclusive coverage on the Debrief of the crisis at the International Disability Alliance and exploration of the changes needed in disability leadership. (Sep, Disability Debrief)
Paralympic Paradoxes Debrief feature on the tensions between Para sport and disability advocacy:
“Disability rights are about levelling the playing field without any exceptions. Sports are about fairness of competition that leads to winners and losers.” (Sep, Disability Debrief)
New ILO working paper exposes significant ‘disability wage gap’. “Higher unemployment rates, lower earnings and a tendency towards self-employment characterize the world-of-work experience of many people with disabilities:”
“The paper, which includes new data, finds that those with disabilities who are working are paid 12 per cent less per hour than other employees, on average, and that three-quarters of this gap – 9 per cent – cannot be explained by differences in education, age and type of work. In low and lower middle-income countries this disability wage gap is much larger, at 26 per cent, and almost half cannot be explained by socio-demographic differences.” (Aug, ILO)
Localization and organisations of persons with disabilities: case studies on inclusion in humanitarian funding. One of the key takeaways is:
“Local OPD funding landscape is done as ‘indirectly as possible’. Donors prefer to fund project delivery INGO intermediaries. These intermediaries channel their funding to national umbrella OPDs/federations that then channel funding to other OPDs who are engaged to deliver smaller bits of the project. The amount that trickles from donors to smaller OPDs is small as huge chunks of budgets are retained by the INGOs and national OPD associations.” (Aug, GLAD)
In Azerbaijan:
Azerbaijan sees significant drop in disability pensioners: What's behind the change?
“In January 2019, there were 390,100 recipients of disability pensions. By January 2024, this number had fallen to 258,700.” (Sep, JAM News)
In Georgia:
What type of country we become Disabled people between Georgia’s Soviet legacy and European future:
“As disabled people, whatever happens in the world affects us. In article I explain how larger geopolitical battles also play out in the disability community. On the one hand the legacy of the Soviet Union is still present. And on the other hand Europe gives us an ideal of what rights can look like, even as they are held out of reach.” (Oct, Disability Debrief)
In India:
Working to work Disabled people fighting for accessible livelihoods in India:
“Despite the hurdles, disabled people continue to work the best with what we’ve got. So many of us don’t just have to contribute to the workforce but also look after ourselves and advocate for our rights to work at the same time. We’re stretching ourselves thin just to be able to secure a livelihood. The hard-won successes of working as a disabled person are bittersweet.” (Oct, Disability Debrief)
It is hard for me to say I am disabled My struggle with a sacred word:
“Another day, at another airport, I spot a standee that encourages passengers to speak to the staff if they need help with any 'invisible disabilities'. My heart sings. They see me! I am tempted to walk up to someone. Perhaps they know how to help people attacked by their own luggage? Perhaps what I need, what I've always needed, is a kind airport concierge, not another doctor?” (Aug, Sanity by Tanmoy)
In Malaysia:
Dubious disabilities, duping doctors “Three doctors and a woman were among 33 people remanded yesterday for falsifying Socso disability claims amounting to RM2.1mil [483,000 USD] since 2017.” (Sep, The Star)
In Palestine:
“They Destroyed What Was Inside Us” A report on Children with Disabilities Amid Israel’s Attacks on Gaza. In the words of Ghazal, a 14-year-old girl with cerebral palsy in Gaza:
“From the day the war broke out, they destroyed what was inside us. They demolished my house and my room, which held all my memories. They took everything that helped me to live, like my devices, my boot, and my wheelchair. How can I go back to how I was without all this?” (Sep, Human Rights Watch)
In the United Kingdom:
Beyond Disability Stigma: Examining Tolerance and Intolerance toward Disability Issues:
“Recent advances from social psychology suggest that intolerance is conceptually distinct from stigma and prejudice and results from value-driven reasons to interfere with a person’s beliefs or practices that have little to do with their identity or characteristics like impairment. However, study of (in)tolerance has so far been neglected in the disability context. In this paper, we address this gap. We argue that studying disability-related (in)tolerance is crucial for understanding disability discrimination and designing interventions to combat it.” (Sep, Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research)
In the United States:
American Airlines to pay record $50 million fine over its treatment of disabled passengers. As well as allegedly mishandling or damaging 1000s of wheelchairs between 2019 and 2023:
“In an investigation into the carrier, the Transportation Department said it uncovered numerous infractions, including cases of American providing "unsafe physical assistance" to passengers. The alleged treatment "at times resulted in injuries and undignified treatment of wheelchair users," the agency said in an announcement Wednesday.” (Oct, CBS News)
In Uruguay:
More Support Needed for Independent Living. A report on gaps in support systems for people with disabilities:
“Uruguay is among the first countries in the Americas to provide personal assistance for people with disabilities in their care system, but has yet to provide services for everyone who require them for independent living.” (Sep, Human Rights Watch)