State of the World's Children 2013 - Unicef

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PERSPECTIVE Open the doors to education – and employment By Ivory Duncan Born in 1991, Ivory Duncan is pursuing a degree in Communications Studies from the University of Guyana. She advocates for the rights of youth with disabilities through the Leonard Cheshire Disability Young Voices network and volunteers at the National Commission on Disability in Guyana. Like me, countless other young people with disabilities are striving towards a future that cannot be taken for granted. Will we overcome the physical and financial barriers to higher education? If we make it through to graduation from university or vocational school, what jobs await us? Will we have equal opportunity, or face discrimination? Will we get the chance to prove ourselves in the competitive world of employment? And if not, how are we to be full citizens and producers, members of society in equal standing with those who do not have disabilities? I lost my right leg following a traffic accident when I was 15 years old. My parents, people of humble means, persevere in helping to meet my expenses so I can pursue a university education, even as they try to raise two other children with disabilities. Life can be hard, but I am grateful for my good fortune: I have a loving family and am working to accomplish my dream of getting a degree and having a career. Fulfilling our dreams takes effort not required of young people without disabilities. To get from home to the university, I have no option but to go by taxi because the only other way would be to take a boat or cross the Demerara Harbour Bridge, neither of which I can do in my wheelchair. Paying for a taxi is expensive, and my parents struggle to make ends meet. Attending university is also a physical challenge. It is difficult making my way to classes because the classrooms are often not accessible to wheelchair users. There are long flights of stairs, and when I finally manage to get to a class, I am tired and frustrated and find it hard to focus on the lectures. But I am trying because I know it is better to try and fail than to fail to try. The challenges begin long before reaching higher education. Children with disabilities can easily become shut-ins, hidden away from society and unable to attend school or make a meaningful contribution to society. They should be encouraged to attend mainstream schools if possible, while special schools that include vocational training and support services should also be available. Specialneeds schools should offer a 78 THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN 2013: Children with Disabilities
I would like to be confident that when I graduate and look for a job, I will not be discriminated against because of my disability, but instead be recognized for my abilities, qualifications and potential. complete curriculum for students with disabilities, to help to develop their minds and give them opportunities to achieve academic excellence. Many children and young people with disabilities want to go on to higher education, so it is very important that they be included in schools and other learning institutions and given the same options as other students in terms of choosing courses and activities. It is up to educational institutions and governments to accommodate and support students like me, so that we are able to pursue the education we need to achieve whatever goals we may have. Accommodating children and young people with disabilities includes things like adjusting the entry requirements and criteria for passing, and making sure that learning materials, examinations and class schedules take our needs into account. Teachers need to be properly trained and given a chance to pursue additional overseas instruction in order to improve the quality of education. Schools should teach Braille and other forms of communication where necessary, and there is also a great need for special equipment, which many schools in Guyana do not have. Making educational institutions disability-friendly also means setting up facilities and transportation services that persons with disabilities can use; there should be ramps for wheelchair users, accessible toilets and elevators for people who cannot take the stairs. All aspects and all levels of education, from elementary school to university, need to be made accessible. The ministries for education and public service should also work together to assist academically inclined students with disabilities who wish to go beyond secondary school. Because financial difficulties are a major reason why young people with disabilities are unable to continue their education, this assistance should include grants, loans and scholarships. Governments also need to make sure that education opens the same doors for students with disabilities as for everybody else. My parents have put in a lot of effort and more money than they can really afford to help me to get through school and to university – and now I am working hard, in spite of the challenges, to come to classes and learn, because I know that is what I need to do to get the best out of life. So I would also like to be confident that when I graduate and look for a job, I will not be discriminated against because of my disability, but instead be recognized for my abilities, qualifications and potential. As a young person with a disability who has worked hard to educate herself, I deserve as much as anyone else the opportunity to fulfill my dreams, make a good living for myself and contribute to our society. AN AGENDA FOR ACTION 79
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THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN
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THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN
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FOREWORD Is there a child who does
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FOCUS Violence against children wit
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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Reports such
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Under the Convention on the Rights
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People with disabilities are becomi
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Education is the key to stopping th
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(continued from p. 3) the right to
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CHAPTER 2 FUNDAMENTALS OF INCLUSION
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hierarchy and traditional expectati
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to education and health-care servic
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An inclusive kindergarten in Nizhny
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Assistive technology products Categ
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We need to make media more accessib
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CHAPTER 3 A STRONG FOUNDATION Good
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Early childhood stunting, which is
Page 35 and 36: are particularly important. Develop
Page 37 and 38: the needs of all children. In an in
Page 39 and 40: Look at Hanif and you will see that
Page 41 and 42: terms for 20 schools at a time, wit
Page 43 and 44: epilepsy. The ketogenic diet is an
Page 45 and 46: Reading Braille at a school in Ugan
Page 47 and 48: Saja opened my eyes to my own abili
Page 49 and 50: CHAPTER 4 ESSENTIALS OF PROTECTION
Page 51 and 52: Independent States, institutionaliz
Page 53 and 54: Children with disabilities are at g
Page 55 and 56: It is much harder to protect childr
Page 57 and 58: CHAPTER 5 HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE Hum
Page 59 and 60: Explosive remnants of war (ERW) on
Page 61 and 62: esist, than children without disabi
Page 63 and 64: Since monitoring began in 1999, the
Page 65 and 66: FOCUS (continued) Child casualties
Page 67 and 68: Child casualties by type of explosi
Page 69 and 70: If people with disabilities can’t
Page 71 and 72: CHAPTER 6 MEASURING CHILD DISABILIT
Page 73 and 74: Mental Development Scale, 120 canno
Page 75 and 76: single set of questions for both gr
Page 77 and 78: FOCUS Lessons learned Since 1995, U
Page 79 and 80: A strategy for intervention on beha
Page 81 and 82: Data can be hard to gather: Indigen
Page 83 and 84: CHAPTER 7 AN AGENDA FOR ACTION The
Page 85: discrimination is vital in reducing
Page 89 and 90: Support families The CRC states tha
Page 91 and 92: Being visually challenged, I’ve h
Page 93 and 94: Six-year-old Nemanja (far left) sit
Page 95 and 96: We [in government] must understand
Page 97 and 98: 33 South African Disability Institu
Page 99 and 100: 106 Mental Disability Rights Intern
Page 101 and 102: Statistical Tables Economic and soc
Page 103 and 104: under-five mortality rate (per 1,00
Page 105 and 106: TABLE 10. THE RATE OF pROGRESS The
Page 107 and 108: under-five mortality rankings The f
Page 109 and 110: TABLE 1 BASIC INdICATORS Countries
Page 111 and 112: TABLE 1 BASIC INdICATORS Countries
Page 113 and 114: TABLE 2 NuTRITION Countries and are
Page 115 and 116: TABLE 2 NuTRITION Countries and are
Page 117 and 118: TABLE 3 HEALTH Countries Use of imp
Page 119 and 120: Countries Use of improved drinking
Page 121 and 122: TABLE 4 HIV/AIdS Prevention among y
Page 123 and 124: TABLE 4 HIV/AIdS Prevention among y
Page 125 and 126: TABLE 5 education Countries and are
Page 127 and 128: TABLE 5 EduCATION Countries and are
Page 129 and 130: TABLE 6 dEmOGRApHIC INdICATORS Coun
Page 131 and 132: TABLE 6 dEmOGRApHIC INdICATORS Coun
Page 133 and 134: TABLE 7 ECONOmIC INdICATORS Countri
Page 135 and 136: TABLE 7 ECONOmIC INdICATORS Countri
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TABLE 8 WOmEN Countries and areas L
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TABLE 8 WOmEN Countries and areas L
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TABLE 9 CHILd pROTECTION Countries
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TABLE 9 CHILd pROTECTION Countries
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TABLE 10 THE RATE OF pROGRESS Count
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TABLE 10 THE RATE OF pROGRESS Count
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TABLE 11 AdOLESCENTS Countries and
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TABLE 11 AdOLESCENTS Countries and
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TABLE 12 disparities by residence C
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TABLE 12 dISpARITIES By RESIdENCE C
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TABLE 13 dISpARITIES By HOuSEHOLd W
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TABLE 13 dISpARITIES By HOuSEHOLd W
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TABLE 14 EARLy CHILdHOOd dEVELOpmEN
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