This learning guide is a companion resource to It’s About Ability: An explanation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, developed by UNICEF and the Victor Pineda Foundation. Designed to empower children and young people aged 12–18 to speak out on the convention and become advocates for inclusion in their communities, the learning guide offers lesson plans and suggested activities to be used by young leaders, peer educators, teachers and other educators at the community level.To read the guide, please visit: English/French/Spanish

The first ever World report on disability, produced jointly by WHO and the World Bank, suggests that more than a billion people in the world today experience disability. People with disabilities have generally poorer health, lower education achievements, fewer economic opportunities and higher rates of poverty than people without disabilities. This is largely due to the lack of services available to them and the many obstacles they face in their everyday lives. The report provides the best available evidence about what works to overcome barriers to health care, rehabilitation, education, employment, and support services, and to create the environments which will enable people with disabilities to flourish. The report ends with a concrete set of recommended actions for governments and their partners.

This pioneering World report on disability will make a significant contribution to implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. At the intersection of public health, human rights and development, the report is set to become a “must have” resource for policy-makers, service providers, professionals, and advocates for people with disabilities and their families.

To read the report, please visit here

The 2013 edition of The State of the World’s Children is dedicated to the situation of children with disabilities. The report examines the barriers – from inaccessible buildings to dismissive attitudes, from invisibility in official statistics to vicious discrimination – that deprive children with disabilities of their rights and keep them from participating fully in society. It also lays out some of the key elements of inclusive societies that respect and protect the rights of children with disabilities, adequately support them and their families, and nurture their abilities – so that they may take advantage of opportunities to flourish and make their contribution to the world. To read the report, please visit here

This study is the result of research conducted between May and September 2011 by UNIPSIL Human Rights Section with a focus on analyzing the obstacles and barriers faced by persons with disabilities in Sierra Leone and identifying the means of overcoming these obstacles. It builds on existing studies, legislation and policies relevant to the rights of persons with disabilities in Sierra Leone eternise interaction with key stakeholders as well as primary research in a limited but representative number of urban rural communities. The study focuses on five key areas pertaining to the rights of persons with disabilities in Sierra Leone, notably customs and traditions, employment and equal opportunities, health, political participation and international cooperation. To read the report, please visit here.