Children with disabilities often face discrimination, leading to reduced access to basic social services, especially education, and general lack of recognition, and with the COVID-19 pandemic, they are likely to be disproportionately affected.
In most countries, measures like social distancing are resulting in severe disruptions to daily routines, which can be especially problematic for children with disabilities. Remote home schooling for these children involves not only access to the Internet and computer skills but also books and other learning materials. It may also require specific assistive devices or a tailored education that allows for continuous learning at home. Concerns are also growing about the possible effects of social isolation, including increased anxiety and depression. Furthermore, children with disabilities also face barriers in accessing public health information, considered the first line of defence in preventing the spread of the virus. Lack of essential health services and water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities is another constraint, not only because many persons with disabilities live in poverty, but also because of the limited ability of health systems to deliver inclusive services.
The increased risks faced by children with disabilities during the pandemic mean that added effort and inclusive policy responses are required to meet their individual needs. However, addressing discrimination and promoting inclusion can only be accomplished through information, and evidence-based advocacy and policy, and the development of relevant policies and programmes has been constrained by a lack of accurate data. Indeed, even in the absence of a global threat, persons with disabilities tend to be underidentified, underrepresented, or even excluded altogether from official statistics and monitoring efforts.
When absent from official statistics, persons with disabilities remain politically and socially invisible.
This increases their marginalization and their vulnerability to human rights violations. Therefore, inclusive data are key to eliminating discrimination on the basis of disability and to accelerating global efforts towards inclusive programming. The production of inclusive data demands the involvement of persons with disabilities in all data collection processes and outcomes. This will help ensure that their experiences and needs are adequately reflected in the evidence being generated.
Generating disability-inclusive data will help countries become better equipped to transition through the pandemic’s various stages. Such data can also inform differentiated policy responses for children with disabilities. This will help guarantee that newly collected information on the burden and impacts of COVID-19 does not leave children with disabilities behind.
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