The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities describes people with disability to include those “who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others” (1).
The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF-11) defines disability as an umbrella term for impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions:

 

Disability-inclusive humanitarian action

The UNICEF publication The state of the world’s children 2013: children with disabilities (4) describes disability-inclusive humanitarian action as informed by, and grounded in:

• “A rights-based approach, based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Article 11 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities specifically calls on duty bearers to take all necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of conflict, emergency, and disaster, signifying the importance of the issue.
• An inclusive approach that recognizes that children with disabilities, in addition to their disability-specific needs, have the same needs as other children, disability being only one aspect of their situation: They are children who happen to have disabilities. Such an inclusive approach also addresses the social, attitudinal, informational and physical barriers that impede participation and decision-making by children with disabilities in regular programs.
• Ensuring accessibility and universal design of infrastructure and information. This includes making the physical environment, all facilities, health centers, shelters and schools, and the organization of health and other services, including communication and information systems, accessible for children with disabilities.
• Promoting independent living so that children with disabilities can live as independently as possible and participate as fully as possible in all aspects of life.
• Integrating age, gender and diversity awareness, including paying special attention to the double or triple discrimination faced by women and girls with disabilities.”

The CBM publication Inclusion made easy (5) lists four key principles for inclusion.

• Awareness of disability and its implications is the crucial first step for development programmes to become inclusive.
• Participation of people with disabilities is essential for genuine empowerment and community change.
• Comprehensive accessibility ensures that physical, communication, policy and attitudinal barriers are both identified and addressed.
• Twin track as an approach explicitly identifies particular actions for people with disabilities together actions for their mainstream inclusion.

Disability survey instruments for children and adolescents

The WHO’s Model Disability Survey (MDS) is a general population survey that provides detailed information about how persons with disabilities live and the difficulties they face (6). The brief version of the survey may be appropriate for use in humanitarian screening contexts (7). The current versions are most appropriate for adults or older adolescents, but a child module is being developed.

References

• UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. New York: United Nations; 2006 (https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities-2.html, accessed 2 February 2020).
• International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF-11). Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018 (https://www.who.int/classifications/icf/en/, accessed 2 February 2020).
• Disability and health. Fact sheet. Geneva: world Health Organization; 2019 (https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health, accessed 2 February 2020).
• The state of the world's children 2013: children with disabilities. New York: United Nations Children’s Fund; 2013 (https://www.unicef.org/publications/index_69379.html, accessed 29 January 2020).
• Inclusion made easy. A quick program guide to disability in development. Bensheim: CBM; 2012 (https://www.cbm.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/cbm_inclusion_made_easy_a_quick_guide_to_disability_in_development.pdf, accessed 29 January 2020).
• Disability and rehabilitation. Model Disability Survey. Geneva: World Health Organization and World Bank; 2017 (https://www.who.int/disabilities/data/mds/en/, accessed 29 January 2020).
• Brief Model Disability Survey (Brief MDS). Implementation guide. Geneva: World Health Organization and World Bank; 2017 (https://www.who.int/disabilities/data/Implementation-guide-Brief-MDS.pdf?ua=1, accessed 26 April 2020).