Accessibility and Design

Overview

Canada

Mapping Our Cities For All A Research Study on City Accessibility from the Perspective of People with Disabilities:

“nearly 60% of mapped buildings in each major city remain in the Not Accessible or Partially Accessible category.” (Jan, Access Now)

Living with a spinal CSF Leak: making your home more accessible a detailed feature by Jodi Ettenberg on her accessibility modifications. (2023, Jodi Ettenberg)

Jamaica

Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD) has launched the Accessibility Checklist “which is designed to identify architectural and communication barriers encountered by persons with disabilities in private and public facilities.” (2023, Jamaica Information Service)

Spain

Spain's San Cristóbal wins EU Access City Award 2024 “For example, all vehicles and all stations of the city’s tram network are fully accessible, and the city centre has acoustic traffic lights and tactile paving to guide visually impaired people.” (2023, Disability Insider)

Türkiye

How 'Accessible Everything' makes changes (2023, Daily Sabah)

Ukraine

Ukrainian reconstruction efforts lack commitment to accessibility. (2023, Euractiv)

United Kingdom

Choice is not an option The experiences of people with dwarfism using self-service technology. (2023, Alter)

United States

Philadelphia is the country’s first “sensory-inclusive city.” What does that mean for people with other disabilities? (2023, Philadelphia Inquirer)

Housing

New Zealand

The intersecting issues for disabled women experiencing homelessness “Disabled women experiencing homelessness often contend with heightened levels of social isolation, exacerbating the difficulties connecting with support services.” (2023, Coalition to end women's homelessness)

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Ageing

International News

Global Report on Older People with Deafblindness (2023, WFDB)

Ukraine

They live in the dark a report on the situation of older people and people with disabilities:

“Russia’s invasion has fuelled a crisis in Ukraine’s already overburdened care system. In many communities, younger relatives who previously supported older people with disabilities have fled or enlisted in the military, while older people have stayed behind. Despite the individual heroism of social and healthcare workers, who have continued providing support to older people and people with disabilities in the face of great personal risks and often with minimal pay, there are simply not enough workers – nor enough transportation – to serve this growing need. Because most temporary shelters are physically inaccessible to older people with disabilities, and private accommodation is unaffordable to them due to extremely low pensions and rising rents, older people in Ukraine are often placed in segregated institutional settings, where they are isolated from their communities and loved ones.” (2023, Amnesty)

United States

Mobility-Friendly Travel Guide a “comprehensive guide designed to make travel accessible, enjoyable, and worry-free for those using wheelchairs, walkers, and canes.” (2023, NCOA)

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Assistive Technology

International News

Unlock the everyday a new campaign for assistive technology in low and middle-income countries. (Jan, Unlock the Everyday)

What Works highlights report a summary of learnings in data, innovation, implementation, capacity and participation. (2023, AT2030)

Why Assistive Technology matters thematic briefs explore its relations to inclusive education and climate action. (2023, ATScale)

China

Prosthetic hand, Chinese Braille designers awarded Design Intelligence Awards. (2023, Shine)

Turkmenistan

Speak my language: a first for digital voice communication in Turkmen. “Thanks to this project, people with screen readers will be able to download the text-to-speech voice in Turkmen.” (2023, ATScale)

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Black Lives Matter and Racial justice

United States

Listening to Black Californians with Disabilities on healthcare experiences. (2023, California Health Care Foundation)

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COVID-19

Living with COVID-19

Canada

COVID: 1 in 9 Canadian adults have had long-term symptoms. “Almost 80 per cent of those people with long-term symptoms have them for six months or more, the report said, including 42 per cent who had them for a year or more.” (2023, CTV News)

United States

1,374 Days My life with long covid. (2023, NYT)

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Civil Society and Community

Africa

Churches in Africa agree on guidelines for disability inclusion (2023, World Council of Churches)

Asia-Pacific

Solution Seekers for an Inclusive Future profiles of advocates across the region. (2023, UNFPA)

Europe

Inclusive Philanthropy: Foundations and Disability Rights a series interviewing foundations and development actors. (2023, EDF)

Georgia

A crisis within the disability rights movement Publication with an interview with Esma Gumberidze exploring corruption and how disability activists can be silenced. (2023, Swedish Development Forum)

Honduras

People with disabilities protest in Choluteca, demanding fulfillment of state promises. “Those affected indicate that they require wheelchairs, vouchers, food, medicines and other supplies, which, despite requests sent to the authorities, have not been given a response.” (In Spanish, Jan, HCH)

India

Parents of special school students take to streets in Goa. “The parents said that they were told to stop sending the students to the center based in the old SCERT building [...] following a student's death”. (Jan, Times of India)

Ireland

Coalition of disability groups set for mass protest outside Dáil against plans to reform welfare payments. (2023, The Irish Times)

Portugal

An interview with Rodrigo Santos, president of ACAPO, the Association of Blind and Visually Impaired of Portugal. (Jan, European Blind Union)

Russia

Human rights defenders secure prosecutors’ attention to problems of people with disabilities in Dagestan. “Officials of the Pension and Social Insurance Fund of Dagestan may face criminal prosecution in connection with regular violations of the rights of people with disabilities to medical products and rehabilitation means.” (2023, Caucasian Knot)

South Korea

Seoul Metro to ban all subway protests by disability advocacy group “Seoul Metro claimed that delays totaling over 86 hours have been caused by the subway protests on 471 occasions since 2021, resulting in some 780 million won (US $600,936) in losses.” (2023, Yonhap)

Disabled activist files complaint with human rights watchdog over arrest during subway protest: “I held on to my wheelchair not to be arrested, but I could not move because the police took my arms and twisted them”. (2023, Korea JoongAng Daily)

Spain

Three Kings with disabilities go to the streets of Madrid to raise awareness. They gave symbolic gifts to the mayor, rector of the university and the bishop to represent accessible heritage, inclusive education and a more diverse society. (In Spanish, Jan, Discapnet)

Inclusive volunteering a guide to help voluntary organizations become inclusive of persons with disabilities. (In Spanish, 2023, CEDID)

United States

Why Fund Disability Rights and Disability Justice? a fact sheet for funders. (2023, Disability & Philanthropy Forum)

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Climate Crisis and Environment

Overview

International News

Why Assistive Technology matters thematic briefs explore its relations to inclusive education and climate action. (2023, ATScale)

Asia-Pacific

People with disabilities and the climate crisis short video from disabled people across the region. (2023, CBM Australia)

Bangladesh

Displacement in Bangladesh behind the scenes videos from reporting on disability and climate change. (2023, Lens 15)

Maldives

Maldives Above the Surface The sea is rising, but no clear plan for people with disabilities. Behind the scenes on reporting. (2023, Lens15)

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Copes With Climate Change After decades of instability, people with disabilities confront another man made disaster. Behind the scenes on reporting. (2023, Len15)

Uzbekistan

Climate change highlights the need for disability-inclusive adaptation (2023, World Bank)

Conference of Parties (COP)

International News

COP 28: the disability movement calls for inclusion in climate action “This Summit witnessed an increased presence of disability advocates and more discussion on disability issues.” (2023, EDF)

Towards COP28: Key Advocacy Messages to Include Persons with Disabilities (2023, IDA)

A Call for Disability-Inclusive Climate Action in India and Globally (2023, The Sangyan)

Nepal

This 28-year-old from Nepal is telling COP28: Don't forget people with disabilities. (2023, NPR)

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Communication and Language

Overview

International News

Hatiye Garip’s whimsical comic embraces tactility and audio to create an accessible publication. “With raised spot gloss and an audio bundle, The Land of Uncertainty is paving the way for publications that attend to the needs of blind and low-vision folk.” (2023, It's Nice That)

Sebastião Salgado releases photography book for the blind. Providing tactile transcriptions of a photo project. (2023, Digital Camera World)

Israel

"Nagish" opened its app to the deaf and hard of hearing for free and unlimited use, for real-time transcription of phone calls. (2023, Vertex Ventures)

Turkmenistan

Speak my language: a first for digital voice communication in Turkmen. “Thanks to this project, people with screen readers will be able to download the text-to-speech voice in Turkmen.” (2023, ATScale)

United States

A disability advocate preserves his voice with iPhone For physician and disability advocate Tristram Ingham, Apple’s new speech accessibility features provide reassurance amid an uncertain future (2023, Apple)

Personal Voice Should be a Game Changer for Me. It's Not. “If you know you are at risk of losing your speech, chances are you - like Nick - may not be able to read and recite sentences in these optimal conditions.” (2023, Reach Every Voice)

Sign Languages

Ireland

Ireland's first sign language café opens in Dublin (2023, Irish Examiner)

New Zealand

Deaf community hopeful airline safety videos will feature NZSL Chief Ombudsman ruled the regulatory body's decision not to include it is "unreasonable". (2023, 1 News)

United Kingdom

British Sign Language GCSE set to launch in 2025 (2023, TES magazine)

United States

NFL Player learning ASL and bringing his own flair to the language (2023, NPR)

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Conflict and Peace

Overview

International News

In war zones, disabled people must fend for themselves “Despite facing neglect and discrimination, disabled Palestinians and others in Sudan, Lebanon, and the Congo are advocating for themselves and their communities to demand solutions and systemic change.” (2023, Reckon)

Israel-Palestine Conflict

Europe

Critical situation of persons with disabilities in Gaza Letter to the President of the European Commission. (2023, EDF)

Israel

Thousands of Israelis amputated, disabled: “Around 2,000 Israeli civilians, soldiers and police officers have had limbs amputated or become disabled in other ways since Oct. 7.” (Jan, Intermountain Jewish News)

Predictions of number of Israeli soldiers that will acquire disabilities. “As of late December, the defence ministry said the number of Israeli soldiers injured since 7 October had reached 3,000, with the Israeli army saying over 2,300 have been disabled.” (Jan, Middle East Eye)

Israeli State Watchdogs Find Defense Ministry Has Neglected Disabled Veterans With PTSD “State comptroller finds that huge parts of the budget allocated to expand the rehabilitation department haven't been utilized, IDF veterans are unaware of their rights and plagued by bureaucratic hurdles, lack of digital accessibility” (Jan, Haaretz)

Paralympians to help war-wounded heal from trauma “A new initiative established by the Israel Sports Association for the Disabled and the Israel Paralympic Committee aims to help the wounded adapt to their new reality, both physically and mentally.” (2023, Israel 21c)

Young Israeli artists with disabilities express emotions amid war “Over the past few weeks, Shalva’s art therapists have guided adolescents and adults to express their feelings through a variety of art forms.” (2023, The Jerusalem Post)

Palestine

Gaza's child amputees face further risks without expert care “More than 1,000 children had undergone leg amputations, sometimes more than once or on both legs, by end-November, according to U.N. children's agency UNICEF” (Jan, Reuters)

Video shows Israeli soldier shooting mentally disabled Palestinian in West Bank:

“When Tarek Abu Abed told the men that he did not have identification, an argument ensued that culminated in Tarek being shot, according to his brother.” (2023, CNN)

How do deaf people live in the Gaza strip during the war? A short video (In Arabic, 2023, BBC)

Disabled NZ resident battling to get out of Gaza “Despite Ghada Alree being unable to walk and reliant on family for mobility, New Zealand initially told her this week they would not allow her mother to be added to a list with her for evacuation from Gaza to Egypt.” (2023, NZ Herald)

Israeli Forces Attack Gaza Church Just Days Before Christmas The patriarchate said that the Convent of the Sisters of Mother Theresa, part of the church compound was home to 54 disabled people. “The 54 disabled persons are currently displaced and without access to the respirators that some of them need to survive,” (2023, Huffpost)

Amputations, nerve injuries and fractures - New report on injuries caused by heavy bombing. (2023, Humanity & Inclusion)

New catastrophic plight in Gaza: Israel’s attacks leave more than 5,000 Palestinians disabled. (2023, Euro Med Monitor)

12-year-old Dunia lost her leg in an Israeli airstrike that killed her whole family. Dunia speaks in her recovery. She was killed a few weeks later. (2023, Defense for Children)

UN expert demands unconditional humanitarian access and relief for people with disabilities:
“This region has increasing disability rates among the population because of exposure to repeated armed conflicts in addition to the current bombardment of the Gaza strip, and all relief teams and international bodies must take this into account.” (2023, Relief Web)

Trapped and traumatised, Gaza's disabled face death sentence (2023, The New Arab)

United States

Palestine is Disabled “A free Palestine is a disability justice issue. Disability justice will not win without a free Palestine. Where disabled people live in a land that is at peace. Where we get to just be.” (Jan, Disability Visibility Project)

Why Palestinian Liberation Is Disability Justice “I’m no expert but I know what it means to be dehumanized, rendered disposable, and oppressed. I know that all people deserve freedom. I know that genocide is a mass disabling event and a form of eugenics.” (2023, Disability Visibility Project)

What Does Disability Justice Mean in Gaza? On debility, drones, and solidarity. (2023, Sluggish)

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Culture, Entertainment and Media

Overview

International News

Sebastião Salgado releases photography book for the blind. Providing tactile transcriptions of a photo project. (2023, Digital Camera World)

Hatiye Garip’s whimsical comic embraces tactility and audio to create an accessible publication. “With raised spot gloss and an audio bundle, The Land of Uncertainty is paving the way for publications that attend to the needs of blind and low-vision folk.” (2023, It's Nice That)

The Dynamics of Photography and Disability: interview with Jaklin Romine. (2023)

Australia

'I believe deaf people are the best listeners in the world': Just another day as a deaf music critic. (2023, ABC News)

Seeing the story — just another day working as a blind critic (2023, ABC News)

United States

How Alien We Seem: On Being Blind and Obsessed with Photography. “M. Leona Godin Considers, Among Other Things, the Enduring Trope of the Blind Pencil Vendor” (Jan, Lithub)

Her Guide Dog Inspired Her Art. “After losing her sight in an accident, Emilie Gossiaux found meaning and art in a bond with her dog, London, celebrated at the Queens Museum.” (2023, New York Times)

TV and Film

International News

The rule-breaking audio descriptions of Netflix's All the Light We Cannot See. Netflix accessibility consultant Joe Strechay talks inclusivity on set. (2023, Mashable)

8 Times When Films Or Shows Got Disability Representation Right (2023, Feminism in India)

United Kingdom

Doctor Who's disability representation proves why small moments matter (2023, Radio Times)

United States

Exploring the Imaginative Worlds of Blind Children in “The Unicorn in Snowpants Suddenly Ran Off”. “Philipp Schaeffer’s film is a glimpse at the overlap of play and perception.” (2023, The New Yorker)

Media

International News

Stories you won't read elsewhere Disability Debrief stocktake for 2023 on making media for the disability movement. (2023, Disability Debrief)

Australia

Five disability-led Australian podcasts that are a must listen. (2023, ABC News)

‘Volunteering has made a big impact on my career’: The ABC’s disability affairs reporter Nas Campanella shares her story. (2023, The Australian Volunteers Program)

Pacific

Capturing Vision Through Sound and Touch Disability Justice Project Fellows Harness iPhone Technology to Spotlight Climate Crisis in the Pacific. (Jan, Disability Justice Project)

United States

The Media, Disability, and Me ‘Working in media has always been an uphill battle for disabled writers, but an ever-shrinking industry gives “hard” a whole new meaning.’ (2023, The Nation)

Clothing and Fashion

United Kingdom

Vogue model Ellie Goldstein: 'Doctors said I wouldn't walk or talk'. (2023, BBC)

United States

Will fashion ever be truly diverse? A new program at Parsons School of Design aims to close the gap for designers with disabilities (2023, Washington Post)

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Data and Research

Overview

Afghanistan

Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Findings Report 2022 to 2023 survey. Percentage of children age 5-17 years with functional difficulty in at least one domain is 35%. (2023, UNICEF)

Canada

Canadian Survey on Disability, 2017 to 2022:

“New findings from the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD) showed that 27% of Canadians aged 15 years and older, or 8.0 million people, had one or more disabilities that limited them in their daily activities. The rate of disability in Canada has increased by 5 percentage points since 2017, when 22% of Canadians, or 6.2 million people, had one or more disabilities. This increase can be partially attributed to both the aging population and the large increase in mental health-related disabilities among youth and working-age adults. In 2022, the rate of disability was higher among women (30%) than men (24%), following the same pattern from 2017.” (2023, Statistics Canada)

COVID: 1 in 9 Canadian adults have had long-term symptoms. “Almost 80 per cent of those people with long-term symptoms have them for six months or more, the report said, including 42 per cent who had them for a year or more.” (2023, CTV News)

Europe

Children with Disabilities in Europe and Central Asia: A statistical overview of their well-being (2023, UNICEF)

Nigeria

Only 4,500 out of 35.1m PWDs in Nigeria officially registered (2023, News Digest)

Palestine

The number of persons with disabilities has doubled in Gaza Strip between 2007 and 2017. (2023, Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics)

United States

The United States Census Bureau’s Decision to Switch to the Washington Group Questions a justification of reasons for the change. (2023, Center for Inclusive Policy)

Yemen

Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Findings 2022-2023 across 20,000 households. Percentage of children age 5-17 years with functional difficulty in at least one domain is 21%. (2023, UNICEF)

Research

United States

Do you hear what I see? How blindness changes how you process the sound of movement (2023, The Conversation)

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Digital Accessibility and Technology

Overview

International News

How to improve digital inclusion and accessibility for girls with disabilities. (2023, UNICEF)

More Than Half Of All Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II Players Used The Game's Graphical Accessibility Settings (2023, Game Informer)

6 Reasons Why Accessibility is Maintained, Not Attained (2023, AccessiCart)

Try Venngage to make accessible infographics. It's now easier to create professional quality business visuals anyone can access (2023, Wonder Tools)

Kenya

How Kenya's ICT Accessibility Standards can create more inclusive workplaces (2023, The Standard)

Artificial Intelligence

International News

ChatGPT is not ready to handle web accessibility remediation (2023, Karl Groves)

Estée Lauder's Makeup App is the Tool for Blind People Voice-enabled Makeup Assistant is here—and Cosmo chatted with four of the app’s users. (2023, Cosmopolitan)

Belgium

'He Would Still Be Here': Man Dies by Suicide After Talking with AI Chatbot, Widow Says. (2023, Vice)

Ireland

Can we use AI to tackle internet accessibility? “We visited Vision Ireland and its spin-out IA Labs, which is looking at AI as a way to make the internet more accessible for people with visual impairments.” (2023, Silicon Republic)

United States

A disability advocate preserves his voice with iPhone For physician and disability advocate Tristram Ingham, Apple’s new speech accessibility features provide reassurance amid an uncertain future (2023, Apple)

Personal Voice Should be a Game Changer for Me. It's Not. “If you know you are at risk of losing your speech, chances are you - like Nick - may not be able to read and recite sentences in these optimal conditions.” (2023, Reach Every Voice)

Online Accessibility

International News

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2:

“The new updates in WCAG 2.2 focus on improving accessibility for users with cognitive, learning or mobility disabilities and low vision users. This is a beneficial update, showing a positive step forward for the web accessibility standards.” (2023, AbilityNet)

ChatGPT is not ready to handle web accessibility remediation (2023, Karl Groves)

Australia

A new playground: the digital lives of young people with disability. (2023, Analysis & Policy Observatory)

Ireland

Can we use AI to tackle internet accessibility? “We visited Vision Ireland and its spin-out IA Labs, which is looking at AI as a way to make the internet more accessible for people with visual impairments.” (2023, Silicon Republic)

United States

Blind Leader Wins $2 Million Settlement Over Inaccessible California Parks Website. (2023, Tre Legal)

OMB Releases Digital Accessibility Guidance to Ensure All Americans Have Ability to Access Critical Government Resources. (2023, The White House)

Technology

International News

How people with disabilities can use Alexa to help them lead more independent lives (2023, Amazon)

Pacific

Capturing Vision Through Sound and Touch Disability Justice Project Fellows Harness iPhone Technology to Spotlight Climate Crisis in the Pacific. (Jan, Disability Justice Project)

Social Media

Peru

Why aren't there inclusive cities and societies? A video profile of Andrea Burga. (In Spanish, Jan, DW)

Spain

“Fake Autism” a campaign to combat disinformation on social media about autism. (In Spanish, 2023, Laboratorio de Periodismo)

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Disaster Risk Reduction and Crisis Response

International News

A Resilient Future for All: a policy brief on Advancing Disability Inclusion in Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery for Building Resilience and Leaving No One Behind. (2023, UNDP)

India

When Disasters Strike Odisha Taking disability inclusive planning to the next level: behind the scenes on disability reporting. (2023, Lens15)

Maldives

Maldives Above the Surface The sea is rising, but no clear plan for people with disabilities. Behind the scenes on reporting. (2023, Lens15)

Nigeria

Flood: Farmers with Disabilities Receive Support In Anambra “The International Organization for Migration has provided support to farmers with disabilities in flood-affected areas of Anambra, offering credit cards with 30,000 naira [33 USD] each.” (2023, Inclusive News Networks)

Pakistan

“We can only move forward together”: Ensuring inclusive post-disaster recovery. (2023, World Bank)

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Economics and Social Protection

Overview

Ghana

Energy poverty and functional disability nexus: (2023, Energy for Sustainable Development)

Qatar

The disability price tag: The economic costs of caring for children with disabilities in Qatar:

“Quantitatively, within the small sample, the total disability price tag of raising CWNDs in Qatar was found to be between QAR 2,700 [741 USD] and 40,000 [10,987 USD] per month, which can represent between 15 and 420% of the average family’s median income.” (2023, Doha International Family Institute Journal)

Financial Inclusion

Australia

Accessibility and Inclusion Principles for Banking Services (link to pdf, 2023, Australian Banking Association)

Europe

Enhancing the accessibility of payment terminals for people with visual impairments. (Link to pdf, 2023, European Blind Union)

United Kingdom

Disability and financial wellbeing: barriers and accessibility. (2023, FTAdviser)

Social Protection

International News

Social protection for people with disabilities: A brief overview of global approaches:

“Only one third of persons with severe disability around the world receives a disability-related benefit. Often the design of these benefits is not aligned with international standards.” (2023, ILO)

Australia

Accessing Formal Supports in Australia: The Experiences of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Women with Disabilities. (2023, Women With Disabilities Australia)

Working together to deliver the NDIS an independent review into the National Disability Insurance Scheme. “People with disability must be at the centre of the NDIS. But more than that, they must be at the centre of a new comprehensive disability support ecosystem.” (2023, Australian Government)

Honduras

People with disabilities protest in Choluteca, demanding fulfillment of state promises. “Those affected indicate that they require wheelchairs, vouchers, food, medicines and other supplies, which, despite requests sent to the authorities, have not been given a response.” (In Spanish, Jan, HCH)

Ireland

Coalition of disability groups set for mass protest outside Dáil against plans to reform welfare payments. (2023, The Irish Times)

Kenya

137,119 persons with disability to benefit from Inua Jamii cash transfer programme. (2023, The Star)

Maldives

The Impact of the Disability Allowance on Financial Well-Being Quasi-experimental Study:

“Overall, this study found a modest impact of the Disability Allowance, mainly in food security. Receipt of the Disability Allowance was attributable to a decrease in the use of negative coping mechanisms in response to food insecurity and an increase in the food proportion of household consumption expenditures.” (2023, The European Journal of Development Research)

Nigeria

Only 4,500 out of 35.1m PWDs in Nigeria officially registered (2023, News Digest)

Nigerian govt dedicates 10% social interventions to PwDs (2023, Daily Nigerian)

Saudi Arabia

More about what Saudi Arabia offers for persons with disabilities (In Arabic, 2023, Alarabiya)

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Education and Childhood

Overview

International News

Do children with disabilities have the same opportunities to play as children without disabilities? Evidence from the multiple indicator cluster surveys in 38 low and middle-income countries. “Children with disabilities have approximately 9% fewer play opportunities than those without disabilities“. (Jan, eClinicalMedicine)

How to improve digital inclusion and accessibility for girls with disabilities. (2023, UNICEF)

Always included a report on uninterrupted education for children with disabilities before, during, and after a crisis. (2023, Humanity and Inclusion)

How to make education inclusive for students with disabilities: Youth perspectives on inclusive education and what actions world leaders need to take to improve the education of students with disabilities. (2023, Global Partnership on Education)

Why Assistive Technology matters thematic briefs explore its relations to inclusive education and climate action. (2023, ATScale)

Afghanistan

Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Findings Report 2022 to 2023 survey. Percentage of children age 5-17 years with functional difficulty in at least one domain is 35%. (2023, UNICEF)

Ethiopia

China wins praise for its educational assistance to Ethiopia's vulnerable students. “This came during a special ceremony held Tuesday to mark the topping-out of a Chinese-funded, multi-purpose school building for Alpha School for the Deaf in Addis Ababa” (2023, Xinhua)

Europe

Children with Disabilities in Europe and Central Asia: A statistical overview of their well-being (2023, UNICEF)

Guinea-Bissau

Students with disabilities hit the books to make their parents proud “Bengala Branca is the country’s first inclusive school, bringing together children with and without disabilities.” (2023, WFP)

India

Parents of special school students take to streets in Goa. “The parents said that they were told to stop sending the students to the center based in the old SCERT building [...] following a student's death”. (Jan, Times of India)

Peru

Inclusive Education For Children With Disabilities a program from UNICEF. (2023, Forbes)

Philippines

Intersection of Gender and Disability on Returns to Education A Case from Metro Manila, Philippines. (2023, Merits)

United Kingdom

British Sign Language GCSE set to launch in 2025 (2023, TES magazine)

United States

Few Interpreters, a Byzantine System, and a Child in Need of Learning —Welcome to New York. “Navigating the city’s services for students with disabilities is hard. Even more so for non-English-speaking parents.” (2023, Mother Jones)

America Promises Equality for Disabled Students. It’s Failing. A project exploring “how our country’s education system underserves them—and the fight to change that.”:

‘It has been nearly 50 years since the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) passed, guaranteeing a “free appropriate public education” to disabled students. But our system is not living up to this promise. More than one-third of these students don’t graduate high school. The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has more than 2,500 open investigations into complaints from parents of children with disabilities; some have been unresolved for over a decade.’ (2023, Mother Jones)

Yemen

Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Findings 2022-2023 across 20,000 households. Percentage of children age 5-17 years with functional difficulty in at least one domain is 21%. (2023, UNICEF)

Higher Education

International News

Chemistry is Inaccessible: How to Reduce Barriers for Disabled Scientists (2023, Educating All Learners)

Australia

Students living with a disability are falling behind at university due to lack of accessible, flexible study options. (2023, ABC News)

Palestine

Accessible and Inclusive Higher Education for Palestinian Students with Disability: Policies and Practices Review:

“The results showed absence of factual information about Palestinian students with disabilities, lack of support to adopting in IHE in almost all existing policies and strategic goals, a mixture of practices facilitating and hindering implementation of core elements of IHE, and experience-based policies and practices proposed by the participants to make higher education more accessible and inclusive.” (2023, Apollo)

United Kingdom

Disability landscape report highlights barriers still facing disabled chemists (2023, Chemistry World)

United States

Work Will Not Save Us: An Asian American Crip Manifesto (2023, Disability Studies Quarterly)

UCLA has a new disability studies major (2023, Los Angeles Times)

STEM PhDs with disabilities are underpaid and underrepresented in U.S. academia, earning “$14,360 less per year in academia than those without disabilities.” (2023, HUB)

Uncharted: stories about people with disabilities in STEM fields. (2023, The Story Collider)

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Employment, Business and Work

International News

Workplace Wellness Programs Have Little Benefit, Study Finds

“The study, published this month in Industrial Relations Journal, considered the outcomes of 90 different interventions and found a single notable exception: Workers who were given the opportunity to do charity or volunteer work did seem to have improved well-being.” (Jan, NYT)

Businesses leading the way on disability inclusion a handbook compiling corporate good practices. (2023, Global Business and Disability Network)

'Disability and Labour in the Twentieth Century: Historical and Comparative Perspectives' a book review:

“In the epilogue, Monika Baar explains that the ideological divide that existed between socialist Eastern European and democratic Western countries in the postwar period was less structure forming than often assumed and that the different welfare state regimes had provoked similar development trajectories on the poor employment situation for people with disabilities” (2023, H-Disability)

Mental Health and Wellbeing at Work Policy Review (2023, International Organisation of Employers)

Asia-Pacific

Catalysts of Change: Disability Inclusion in Business in Asia and the Pacific. “The publication presents fundamental concepts, key components of fostering disability-inclusive business, and good practices and data, and provides recommendations for businesses and governments.” (2023, UNESCAP)

Brazil

Proposal to make quota law more flexible provokes demonstrations. (In Portuguese, Jan, Diário PCD)

Kenya

How we navigate our careers despite disability an interview with Senior Probation Officer and Football player for Kenya Women Amputee team Caren Musungu. (2023, Business Daily)

Nigeria

Flood: Farmers with Disabilities Receive Support In Anambra “The International Organization for Migration has provided support to farmers with disabilities in flood-affected areas of Anambra, offering credit cards with 30,000 naira [33 USD] each.” (2023, Inclusive News Networks)

United Kingdom

Top Disability Confident members ‘do no better on jobs than non-members’ (2023, Disability News Service)

United States

Disability Inclusion Imperative a report showing how:

“the business case for hiring persons with disabilities has become even stronger. Specifically, companies that have led on key disability inclusion criteria over that time saw 1.6 times more revenue, 2.6 times more net income and 2 times more economic profit than other companies in the Disability Equality Index.” (2023, Accenture and Disability:IN)

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Gender Equality and Women with Disabilities

International News

How to improve digital inclusion and accessibility for girls with disabilities. (2023, UNICEF)

Gender-Based Violence and Disability Inclusion Fact Sheet. (2023, UNFPA)

Australia

Accessing Formal Supports in Australia: The Experiences of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Women with Disabilities. (2023, Women With Disabilities Australia)

Europe

Intersections: a survey on experiences of LGBTI persons with disabilities in Europe. (2023, ILGA Europe)

Kyrgyzstan

Abused by Relatives, Ignored by the State Domestic Violence Against and Neglect of Women and Girls with Disabilities in Kyrgyzstan (2023, Human Rights Watch)

Philippines

Intersection of Gender and Disability on Returns to Education A Case from Metro Manila, Philippines. (2023, Merits)

Spain

10% of women killed by gender-based violence had disabilities (In Spanish, 2023, Efemenista)

Yemen

Successes and Setbacks a Debrief feature on the life stories of women with disabilities. (Jan, Disability Debrief)

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Health

Overview

International News

Health-worker education for disability inclusion in health:

“in many settings, the competence and understanding of reasonable adjustments among health workers are inadequate to provide the same quality of care to people with disabilities as to individuals without disabilities.” (2023, The Lancet)

Report on the Assessment of National Eye Health Strategies on Inclusiveness and Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities (2023, CBM Global)

Do people with disabilities experience disparities in cancer care? A systematic review:

“Compared to people without disabilities, PwD had worse cancer outcomes, in terms of poorer survival and higher overall and cancer-specific mortality. There was also evidence that PwD received poorer quality cancer care, including lower access to state-of-the-art care or curative-intent therapies, treatment delays, undertreatment or excessively invasive treatment, worse access to in-hospital services, less specialist healthcare utilization, less access to pain medications and inadequate end-of-life quality of care.” (2023, PLoS One)

Canada

Dismantling systemic ableism in health research “An unheralded accessibility plan from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research is a step toward wider awareness of entrenched disability barriers.” (2023, Policy Options)

Finland

Young adults with severe physical disabilities Negative public health care experiences after their health care transition in Finland (2023, Alter)

Guatemala

Healthcare Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Challenges in the Provision of Quality Primary Healthcare for People with Disabilities in Three Regions of Guatemala: A Qualitative Study:

‘What stood out in this study, however, were two sentiments expressed by healthcare providers: one, the practitioners appeared to feel the necessity for separate spaces and specially trained staff, with a particular focus on how to interact with people with disabilities; and two, the need for “empathy” in order to provide quality primary care services to people with disabilities.’ (2023, IJERPH)

United States

U.S. medical schools aren’t teaching future doctors about 7.4 million of their patients. (2023, Stat)

Listening to Black Californians with Disabilities on healthcare experiences. (2023, California Health Care Foundation)

Rehabilitation

South Sudan

Rehabilitation centers in South Sudan restore hope for people with disabilities. (2023, Xinhua)

Food Security and Nutrition

International News

How do food insecurity, hunger, and undernutrition affect people with disabilities and how can this problem be addressed? An evidence brief. (2023, Disability Evidence Portal)

United States

Why Food Sharing Is at the Heart of the Disability Justice Movement (2023, Eater)

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History and Memorial

International News

Disability History Resources a guide to information for the study of disability history, signposting resources from ancient history up to contemporary history. (Jan, Bodleian Libraries Oxford)

'Disability and Labour in the Twentieth Century: Historical and Comparative Perspectives' a book review:

“In the epilogue, Monika Baar explains that the ideological divide that existed between socialist Eastern European and democratic Western countries in the postwar period was less structure forming than often assumed and that the different welfare state regimes had provoked similar development trajectories on the poor employment situation for people with disabilities” (2023, H-Disability)

Canada

Beryl Potter Takes On Paratransit Much can be learned from the disability activist’s 1981 protest against Wheel-Trans. An excerpt from Dustin Galer's biography of her. (Jan, The Tyee)

Germany

Book review of 'What Kind of Island in What Kind of Sea' a collection of photographs of people with cognitive disabilities starting in 1980. (2023, H-Disability)

Ireland

A tribute to Selina Bonnie from ILMI “As a professional, academic and activist, Selina has been actively involved in the practical realisation of disabled people’s rights in Ireland and beyond.” (Jan, ILMI)

Italy

Book review of 'Disability and Tourism in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Italy' (2023, H-Disability)

Netherlands

Shifting terminology and confusing representations An examination of intellectual disability terminology in Dutch newspapers from 1950 to 2020 (2023, Alter)

United Kingdom

Book review of Literature and Intellectual Disability in Early Modern England: Folly, Law and Medicine, 1500–1640. (2023, H-Disability)

Disability Histories items in the National Museums of Scotland collection (2023, National Museums Scotland)

In loving memory of Alan Benson MBE. “Alan’s work has had a lasting impact not only on transport accessibility, but the entire disabled community.” (2023, Transport for All)

United States

Mark Bookman: We Miss Knowing That You're There (2023, The Datekeepers)

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Humanitarian, Migrants and Refugees

Overview

International News

Checklist to Ensure the Meaningful Engagement of Young Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action (2023, UNFPA)

Always included a report on uninterrupted education for children with disabilities before, during, and after a crisis. (2023, Humanity and Inclusion)

Bangladesh

Our lessons: A report on AHP III on a disability inclusion journey in the Rohingya crisis. “Substantial progress was seen in the development of Self-Help Groups and the increase in accessible services and uptake of the Washington Group Questions.” (2023, CBM Australia)

Migration

Germany

Concern over rights to naturalization for migrants with disabilities “The amount of money one needs to have in their bank account to prove self-sufficiency will be raised, which could serve as a barrier to people with disabilities who receive social benefits.” (2023, Infomigrants)

Peru

Inclusive Education For Children With Disabilities a program from UNICEF. (2023, Forbes)

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Independent Living and Deinstitutionalization

Conditions in Institutions

Australia

Listening to People with Intellectual Disability about Institutions “This article provides a model of inclusive research for turning the harms of past institutionalisation into an educational and reparative experience.” (2023, International Journal of Disability and Social Justice)

Europe

The role of state aid in the maintenance of institutions for disabled people A case study on Germany and Portugal (Link to pdf, 2023, ENIL)

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Indigenous People and Minority Communities

New Zealand

Exploring te ao Māori and te reo Māori whakaaro from one Pākehā blind person. (2023, Blind Citizens NZ)

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International Cooperation

International News

Cultivating Hope: 15 Years of DRF & the Road Ahead. (2023, Disability Rights Fund)

Putting meaningful engagement with organisations of people with disabilities into practice a short video. (2023, Sightsavers)

The Center for Inclusive Policy’s Strategic Plan 2024-2026. Debrief partners CIP lay out their strategic vision as a "think and do tank". (2023, CIP)

Australia

‘Volunteering has made a big impact on my career’: The ABC’s disability affairs reporter Nas Campanella shares her story. (2023, The Australian Volunteers Program)

Measuring disability equity – why the disability policy marker matters. “In 2021, 18% of Australia’s bilateral official development assistance (ODA) was identified as disability inclusive” (2023, Dev Policy Blog)

Re-establishing DFAT’s leadership on disability equity and rights How the OECD-DAC Disability Marker Can Help (2023, CBM Australia)

Ethiopia

China wins praise for its educational assistance to Ethiopia's vulnerable students. “This came during a special ceremony held Tuesday to mark the topping-out of a Chinese-funded, multi-purpose school building for Alpha School for the Deaf in Addis Ababa” (2023, Xinhua)

Europe

Inclusive Philanthropy: Foundations and Disability Rights a series interviewing foundations and development actors. (2023, EDF)

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Justice Systems and Legal Capacity

United Kingdom

‘Judges know more about their gentleman's club wine than disability rights’ John Horan was flying high in the legal world but then suffered a stroke. (Jan, Camden New Journal)

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Lived Experience and Opinion

Australia

Khadija Gbla is now out of the disability closet and feels more powerful than ever. “It took me 34 years to be able to have the space, the opportunity, the safety to give that to myself and say I am disabled.” (2023, ABC News)

Canada

Living with a spinal CSF Leak: making your home more accessible a detailed feature by Jodi Ettenberg on her accessibility modifications. (2023, Jodi Ettenberg)

France

A lot has been said about me: I had to move forward. Documentaries about the lives of disabled people, “who must learn to live with their bodies, bypass the narratives that we build on their backs and make do with the obstacles that society throws in their way.” (2023, BLAST)

India

What It's Really Like to Date with a Disability! Excerpt from Abhishek Anicca's book The Grammar of My Body. (2023, Penguin)

Kenya

How Baringo mum bounced back after losing both arms Gladys Chepyegon, a 35-year-old mother of three, runs a greengrocer’s in Kabarnet town. (2023, Nation)

How we navigate our careers despite disability an interview with Senior Probation Officer and Football player for Kenya Women Amputee team Caren Musungu. (2023, Business Daily)

Peru

Why aren't there inclusive cities and societies? A video profile of Andrea Burga. (In Spanish, Jan, DW)

United Kingdom

This is how we do it: ‘His disability might change the sex we have, but we’ll adapt’. (2023, the Guardian)

United States

Your 2024 Disability Horoscopes (Jan, The Squeaky Wheel)

Justin Cooper: The Accessibility Advocate A Black disabled photographer, filmmaker and podcaster. (2023, Chicago Reader)

He hits four L.A. raves a night in a wheelchair: ‘We need more disabled people going out’ (2023, Los Angeles Times)

How to navigate a chronic illness Whether it’s your own or someone else’s (2023, Vox)

1,374 Days My life with long covid. (2023, NYT)

My Tattoos Have Helped Me Reclaim My Chronic Pain “My life involves two kinds of needles.” (2023, Refinery29)

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Mental Health

International News

Workplace Wellness Programs Have Little Benefit, Study Finds

“The study, published this month in Industrial Relations Journal, considered the outcomes of 90 different interventions and found a single notable exception: Workers who were given the opportunity to do charity or volunteer work did seem to have improved well-being.” (Jan, NYT)

Mental Health and Wellbeing at Work Policy Review (2023, International Organisation of Employers)

Ghana

Invest More in Mental Health Services New Video Shows People Living Rich Lives with Community Support. (2023, Human Rights Watch)

Indonesia

Indonesia free from pasung: a policy analysis. “Many people with mental illnesses remain isolated, chained, and inside cages, called Pasung in Indonesia”:

“Pasung policy has generated a sense of awareness but the different directions and ambiguous messaging across all stakeholders, including policy actors, has created a lack of clarity about institutions’ roles and responsibilities in the implementation process, as well as accountability for outcomes.” (2023, International Journal of Mental Health Systems.)

Kenya

Kenya’s troubled 60-year mental health journey from colonial institutions and laws to those making change today. (2023, The Nation)

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Mobility, Travel, Transport and Tourism

Overview

Australia

Introducing Australia’s new wave of accessible beaches (2023, The Independent)

Abrolhos Islands upgrades make paradise more accessible for tourists (2023, ABC News)

New national Fitness to Drive standards are 'discriminatory' and 'humiliating' for autistic drivers, psychologists say. (2023, ABC News)

Canada

Beryl Potter Takes On Paratransit Much can be learned from the disability activist’s 1981 protest against Wheel-Trans. An excerpt from Dustin Galer's biography of her. (Jan, The Tyee)

Italy

Book review of 'Disability and Tourism in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Italy' (2023, H-Disability)

Japan

Disabled people seek accessible Nagoya Castle to be enjoyed by all “After more than 400 years, the iconic Nagoya Castle is under siege, this time by those wanting to make it more accessible to wheelchair-users and those who are determined to keep it as original as possible.” (2023, The Asahi Shimbun)

United Kingdom

Catching up with Amar Latif, the blind adventurer making the world more inclusive. (2023, Wanderlust)

Are we there yet? Research into disabled people's experiences of transport in England: the barriers we face, and priorities for change.

“We do not have equitable access to any mode of transport, and the impacts of this injustice can be felt in every corner of our lives” (2023)

Hacking the underground a book on disability, infrastructure, and London's Public Transport System. “Centering the voices of disabled passengers, Hacking the Underground highlights how marginalized groups subvert and ultimately transform infrastructures, actively shaping them.” (2023, University of Washington Press)

United States

Mobility-Friendly Travel Guide a “comprehensive guide designed to make travel accessible, enjoyable, and worry-free for those using wheelchairs, walkers, and canes.” (2023, NCOA)

Air Travel

Canada

Air Canada Fined For Accessibility Lapses “Air Canada has been slapped with a series of fines for failing disabled passengers in 2023, racking up penalties worth a total of CA$260,000 over the last 12 months.” (2023, Pyok)

Canadian Para athletes not immune to hazards of travel, where damaged equipment can cost shot at a medal. (2023, CBC)

Europe

Passengers with disabilities “grounded” by proposed Passenger Rights Package (2023, EDF)

New Zealand

Deaf community hopeful airline safety videos will feature NZSL Chief Ombudsman ruled the regulatory body's decision not to include it is "unreasonable". (2023, 1 News)

United Kingdom

British Airways improves accessibility for deaf passengers “Changes being implemented include new signed video content containing various helpful travel information being made available to customers both pre-travel and while onboard.” (2023, Aerotime Hub)

United States

Travelers, advocates say airlines can do better for disabled flyers Airlines damaged thousands of mobility aids this year: Here's how 30+ flyers were affected. (2023, USA Today)

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Policy and Rights

International News

The Human Rights System Is Under Threat World Report 2024. Country reports include sections on disability rights. (Jan, Human Rights Watch)

The Routledge International Handbook of Disability Human Rights Hierarchies: “Despite important progress, the disability human rights project not only remains incomplete, but has often created new hierarchies among persons with disabilities themselves or across the human rights it promotes.” (2023, Routledge)

Asia

Assessing disability rights in four Asian countries: The perspectives of disabled people on physical, attitudinal and cultural barriers. (Jan, Political Geography)

Australia

Analysing the recommendations of the Royal Commission on a Disability Rights Act (2023, Disability Advocacy Network Australia)

Brazil

New Disabilities Plan in Brazil Leaves Many Out ‘the plan, New “Living without Limits”, leaves out the thousands of people with disabilities who are living in institutions.’ (Jan, Human Rights Watch)

China

Ongoing Challenges Faced by Persons with Disabilities in the People’s Republic of China (2023, US Congressional-Executive Commission on China)

Europe

Union of equality? Here’s the reality. A report on what the “European way of life” means for 20 million people with intellectual disabilities and their families:

‘Half of EU countries don’t allow people with intellectual disabilities to vote. 700,000 people are forced to live in harmful segregated institutional “care”.’ (2023, Inclusion Europe)

Malawi

Parliament passes new disabilities law (2023, The Nation Online)

Pakistan

Ability in disability: “Are we doing our bit to empower people with special needs in Pakistan?” (2023, Geo.tv)

Persons with disabilities demand true inclusion. Covering the last decade of actions on disability rights. (2023, Fair Planet)

United States

Office of Public Engagement Disability Community Newsletter (Jan, White House)

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Politics and Elections

Cameroon

All eyes on me – being a woman with a disability in politics in Cameroon.

“Today, throughout the country, 204 people with disabilities are either elected local councillors, parliamentarians, senators or official representatives in local working groups, including myself. The number of people with disabilities registered to vote has also risen from 8,000 in 2011 to 40,000 in 2022.” (2023, Missing Perspectives)

Egypt

We did not observe any obstacles to stop disabled people voting. According to the National Council for Persons with Disabilities. (In Arabic, 2023, Youm 7)

Europe

People with intellectual disabilities denied voting rights in seven EU countries (Jan, Euractiv)

Is your election campaign accessible? Assess with our checklists. (2023, EDF)

Guide of good electoral practices in Member States addressing the participation of citizens with disabilities in the electoral process. (2023, European Commission)

Expanding Voting Rights of Persons with Disabilities declaration led by the Spanish Presidency of the Council. (2023, EDF)

India

Do not use derogatory words for persons with disability: ‘The Election Commission of India (ECI) has asked political parties and its leaders to not use “derogatory words” for persons with disability in public speeches. [...] The ECI also released a set of guidelines for political parties to “promote inclusivity and respect” towards persons with disabilities.’ (2023, Hindustan Times)

Hyderabad Prioritizes Accessibility For Disabled Voters:

“essential infrastructure is being installed across 4,119 polling centers in the Hyderabad district to accommodate voters with disabilities. Dedicated thematic polling stations designed for the disabled are being established in 15 constituencies. Ramps and wheelchairs will be readily available at all polling centers to ensure easy access.” (2023, IND Today)

Spain

Mar Galcerán makes history as Spain’s first parliamentarian with Down’s syndrome elected to Valencia's regional assembly. (Jan, the Guardian)

United States

How Disabled People Are Building Political Power (2023) Non Profit Quarterly

Lawmakers With Disabled Children Find Common Ground in Divided Congress “Members of Congress who have children with disabilities have bonded over that shared experience, despite vast political differences and broader polarization.” (2023, New York Times)

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Relationships, Sex and Reproductive Rights

Malta

Forced sterilisation to become illegal in all circumstances Up until now, legal guardians can decide to sterilise people with mental disabilities (2023, Times of Malta)

United Kingdom

This is how we do it: ‘His disability might change the sex we have, but we’ll adapt’. (2023, the Guardian)

United States

Reproductive justice for disabled people post-Dobbs: A call-to-action for researchers (2023, Disability and Health Journal)

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Space Exploration

United States

Zero gravity, equal opportunity: How disabled astronauts are rewriting the rules in space. (2023, ZME Science)

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Sport and Paralympics

Canada

Canadian Para athletes not immune to hazards of travel, where damaged equipment can cost shot at a medal. (2023, CBC)

Chile

Goodbye, Santiago 2023. Hello, sporting legacy for Chile. (In Spanish, 2023, Yo También)

Denmark

6-year-old girl not allowed to participate in sports because of her visual impairment (In Danish, Jan, TV FYN)

Israel

Paralympians to help war-wounded heal from trauma “A new initiative established by the Israel Sports Association for the Disabled and the Israel Paralympic Committee aims to help the wounded adapt to their new reality, both physically and mentally.” (2023, Israel 21c)

United States

NFL Player learning ASL and bringing his own flair to the language (2023, NPR)

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Violence and Harassment

International News

Safe and ethical data collection on disability inclusion in Gender Based Violence (GBV) programming. Disability Inclusion Helpdesk Report. (2023, Social Development Direct)

Gender-Based Violence and Disability Inclusion Fact Sheet. (2023, UNFPA)

Kyrgyzstan

Abused by Relatives, Ignored by the State Domestic Violence Against and Neglect of Women and Girls with Disabilities in Kyrgyzstan (2023, Human Rights Watch)

Spain

10% of women killed by gender-based violence had disabilities (In Spanish, 2023, Efemenista)

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War in Ukraine

Evacuating or Leaving Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine denies rumors of border closure for men with 3rd group disability

“Rumors have circulated on Ukrainian social media that men of conscription age with group 3 disabilities have been denied the right to leave Ukraine, despite being exempt from conscription. A recent scandal on the matter erupted following the removal of 20 individuals from a Poland-bound Ukrainian train.” (2023, Yahoo! News)

Situation in Ukraine

Ukraine

They live in the dark a report on the situation of older people and people with disabilities:

“Russia’s invasion has fuelled a crisis in Ukraine’s already overburdened care system. In many communities, younger relatives who previously supported older people with disabilities have fled or enlisted in the military, while older people have stayed behind. Despite the individual heroism of social and healthcare workers, who have continued providing support to older people and people with disabilities in the face of great personal risks and often with minimal pay, there are simply not enough workers – nor enough transportation – to serve this growing need. Because most temporary shelters are physically inaccessible to older people with disabilities, and private accommodation is unaffordable to them due to extremely low pensions and rising rents, older people in Ukraine are often placed in segregated institutional settings, where they are isolated from their communities and loved ones.” (2023, Amnesty)

The impact of the war in Ukraine on the rights of persons with disabilities a monitoring report from “League of Strong”, together with the KRF “Public Alternative”. (2023, EDF)

Ukraine’s Recruiters Use Harsh Tactics to Fill Ranks “Recruiters have confiscated passports, taken people from their jobs and, in at least one case, tried to send a mentally disabled person to military training” (2023, NYT)

‘I had my chance to die – but I made my choice’: meet the young Ukrainian soldier fighting for amputee visibility. (2023, the Guardian)

Response and Resources

Europe

EU Commission Highlights Disability Rights in Ukraine “Ukraine should go further by ending institutionalization and ensuring everyone, including people with disabilities and older people, can exercise their right to live in the community.” (2023, Human Rights Watch)

Ukraine

Ukraine prepares to serve veterans with disabilities · Global Voices The country faces a dramatic demand for disability-friendly services amid the Russian war (Jan, Global Voices)

Ukrainian reconstruction efforts lack commitment to accessibility. (2023, Euractiv)

Inclusive reconstruction of Ukraine: What’s at stake? “War destruction offers a ‘chance’ to rebuild Ukraine in a way that considers its changing identity — and with special attention for people with disabilities such as soldiers and amputees” (2023, Euractiv)

They understand me like no one else: peer support for injured Ukrainian soldier. (2023, EDF)

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Water and Sanitation (WASH)

Bangladesh

Assessment of WASH and incontinence situation of people with disabilities and older people. (Link to pdf, 2023, LSHTM and icddr,b)

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