Reaction To UNICEF Report On Children With Disabilities

UNICEF recently published a report entitled State of the World’s Children 2013: Children With Disabilities. In it UNICEF asserts, “International commitment to building more inclusive societies has resulted in improvements in the situation of children with disabilities and their families, but too many of them continue to face barriers to their participation in the civic, social and cultural affairs of their communities.”

by Lisa Friedman

Contributor, columnist

Disability Frontline's Lisa Friedman shares her thoughts on UNICEF's global report on children with disabilities, the first of a two part series.

UNICEF recently published a report entitled State of the World's Children 2013: Children With Disabilities. In it UNICEF asserts, "International commitment to building more inclusive societies has resulted in improvements in the situation of children with disabilities and their families, but too many of them continue to face barriers to their participation in the civic, social and cultural affairs of their communities."

I read this as, "we've made some advancement, especially in the US, but we need to do more." This is our charge to do more.

Specific solutions are outlined in the education section. The report reads, "Inclusion goes beyond integration. To take an example from the field of education, integration might be attempted simply by admitting children with disabilities to 'regular' schools. Inclusion, however, is possible only when schools are designed and administered so that all children can learn and play together."

As the UNICEF report states, inclusion is more than just dropping children with disabilities into traditional classrooms. Inclusion requires deliberate mindfulness. To be successful, inclusion must be continually planned and evaluated. It requires hard work and commitment. It requires significant relationships between teachers, administrators, parents, support staff and the child in a way that encourages and develops true partnership.

It means that all of us have to think about the way we teach, the way we act and the way we speak.

UNICEF tells us the welfare of children with disabilities isn't grim and that, "given opportunities to flourish as others might, children with disabilities have the potential to lead fulfilling lives and to contribute to the social, cultural and economic vitality of their communities."

Isn't this what we want for all our children?

Lisa Friedman is a certified special education teacher and has worked in the special education field for almost 18 years She currently oversees the special education program at her synagogue in New Jersey and runs the Jewish Special Needs blog. Friedman received her masters degree in counseling psychology from Rutgers University in 2000.

Follow Friedman @Jewishspecialed and join Jewish Special Needs Education on Facebook.