ºÚÁÏÉçÇø

What if our world were designed so that every child, including those living with disabilities, had the care, support and opportunities they needed not just to survive, but to flourish? The children of today are growing up amid many unprecedented uncertainties, including economic instability, armed conflicts, pandemics and climate change — each posing compounding threats to their well-being.
According to a UNESCO report, one in every seven children in the Middle East and North Africa region is living with a disability, totaling about 21 million children. Conflicts, displacement and under-resourced social services have left many children with disabilities isolated or excluded. Even in more stable settings, policy frameworks warrant greater attention to ensure they deliver universal, inclusive, affordable and quality support. As such, children living with disabilities and their carers disproportionately bear the brunt of multifaceted challenges.
Even with the delivery of fragmented services, scaling is urgently needed in terms of reach, quality and funding. Without adequate scale-up, children with disabilities will continue to fall through the cracks of limited and disconnected programs, unable to access the full spectrum of services and support required for maximum impact.
For instance, the exclusion of children with disabilities from early childhood centers and schools significantly reduces their access to crucial early interventions and denies them their right to learn, play and socialize with their peers.
A number of gaping challenges are still present, such as a lack of inclusive education policies, inaccessible school facilities, curricula that are not adapted to special learning needs, and a shortage of adequately trained teachers to support children with special educational needs. During conflicts, schools are susceptible to destruction and become unsafe, forcing children to be cut off from vital school-based services, such as learning, psychosocial support and nutrition programs.
Children with disabilities also face significant disparities in accessing quality healthcare. This includes challenges in early detection, accurate diagnosis and access to essential rehabilitation services and treatments. During conflicts, access to healthcare, lifesaving medications and rehabilitation services becomes ever more challenging and restrictive, exacerbating existing impairments and resulting in a spike in new disabilities due to conflict-related injuries or illnesses.
Insufficient social protection programs for families of children with disabilities places immense financial strain on households, as families often have to incur high costs for care and treatment. At the same time, physical barriers significantly isolate children with disabilities, as public spaces, transport and buildings may lack accessibility features.
Furthermore, children with disabilities are more likely to be abandoned or separated from their caregivers during conflicts or sudden displacement, leaving them not only physically vulnerable, but also defenseless to compounded trauma from fear, anxiety, isolation, stigma and exclusion in emergency settings.
Governments can play an essential role in transforming the lives of children with disabilities. Safeguarding their well-being requires a well-designed mix of policies, programs, services and regulations, anchored by clear targets, sufficient budget allocations and clearly defined roles and responsibilities. 

Children living with disabilities and their carers disproportionately bear the brunt of multifaceted challenges.

Sara Al-Mulla

Part of the solution lies in gathering reliable, up-to-date and comprehensive data on the status of children living with disabilities in order to understand their real-time needs and design high-impact programs and services accordingly. This information must then be tied to the work of government agencies — such as those responsible for disaster preparedness or disability-inclusive urban planning — to ensure a more coordinated approach.
Inclusive education must be prioritized. This means investing in teacher training, designing inclusive-friendly curricula and making schools physically accessible. Schools could also be fertile grounds to improve access to sports, the arts and recreational activities for children with disabilities. In conflict zones, education efforts should include safe and accessible temporary learning spaces, remote learning options and training for teachers and humanitarian workers on how to support children with disabilities during emergencies.
Psychosocial support services could help alleviate the burdens faced by children with disabilities, and their carers, and assist them in navigating the myriad challenges confronting them. This transformative service is crucial for directly addressing prevalent mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression and trauma, which can significantly impact both children and those who care for them.
Caregiver stipends and flexible work policies ought to be offered to significantly lighten families’ financial burdens, while deploying vocational training programs tailored for caregivers and offering support for home-based income-generating activities are other options to improve the economic self-sufficiency of households.
Regulatory frameworks must protect the rights of children with disabilities to access education, healthcare, social protection and participation in society, and prevent incidents of violence, abuse or neglect, and exploitation. In tandem, robust monitoring mechanisms should be deployed to ensure that all stakeholders comply with standards and are accountable for delivering these commitments.
Healthcare services are imperative for protecting children with disabilities, starting with birth registration. Early detection and diagnosis programs must be supported, while simultaneously expanding access to affordable, quality rehabilitation services and offering disability-related services within hospitals and clinics across urban and rural areas. Moreover, governments can empower community health workers to deliver essential services to children with disabilities in rural areas.
For children living in conflict zones, it is vital to include disability-related healthcare within humanitarian aid delivery, ensuring emergency medical teams are trained in alleviating the many healthcare burdens faced by children with disabilities. Sustained funding is essential to ensure undisrupted access to medication and specialized therapies, in addition to the provision of nutritious meals to counter critical levels of malnutrition.
Furthermore, emergency response plans should commit to safeguarding the well-being of children with disabilities. This includes tracking their locations and ensuring essential services are available for them, such as psychosocial support, meals provision, healthcare services and caregiving assistance. Moreover, it is imperative that child protection schemes are put in place so that children do not fall prey to abuse and neglect.
There remains a window of opportunity to improve the lives of children with disabilities and ensure they move from exclusion to empowerment.

• Sara Al-Mulla is an Emirati civil servant with an interest in human development policy and children’s literature. She can be contacted at www.amorelicious.com.