Resources search

This guidance provides links to websites that help young disabled people find and stay in work. It is aimed at young disabled people, their parents and the professionals who work with them

Of all groups of youth, the group about which we know the least are youth with disabilities. In transition between childhood and adulthood, these are the years when all young people go through physical and psychological maturation, are expected to complete their education, acquire skills and assume a social identity that will enable them to fully participate in their communities and societies. This working paper discusses the issues faced by young people with disabilities and what is known and not known about this distinct age group

Working Paper 23

All students want to feel like they belong and that they are valued in their school community. School is a centrally important place to young people — not only where they learn fundamental academic knowledge, but also where skills in making and keeping friends, relating to peers, and social justice principles are learnt and practiced. What happens when young people feel like they don’t belong?

This paper examines a series of key issues about belonging and connection for students with disability and demonstrates research that shows:

• Feeling a sense of belonging and connection makes a positive difference to school life

•There are a number of key elements to belonging and connection — friendship, peer acceptance, capability, being valued and supportive relationships with key adults

• When belonging and connection are threatened, there are several areas in which the impact is seen. The friendships of students are limited; they are lonely; the places they can go within the school are controlled; there are tensions in negotiating support relationships; students feel and are excluded; and kid’s strengths aren’t seen by other students or adults in their school communities

• Bullying is a particularly strong threat to a felt sense of belonging and connection

Youth with disabilities, as a subgroup of both persons with disabilities and of youth, are often left out of both legislation and advocacy networks. One step towards addressing the needs of youth with disabilities is to look at their inclusion in both the law and civil society in various national contexts. This article, which is descriptive in nature, presents research findings from an analysis of public policy and legislation and qualitative data drawn from interviews, focus group discussions, and site visits conducted on civil society organizations working in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Jakarta, Indonesia. Data was collected during two separate research visits in the Spring and Summer of 2011 as a part of a larger study measuring youth empowerment. Key findings indicate that youth with disabilities are underrepresented in both mainstream youth and mainstream disability advocacy organizations and networks and are rarely mentioned in either youth or disability laws. This has left young women and men with disabilities in a particularly vulnerable place, often without the means of advancing their interests nor the specification of how new rights or public initiatives should address their transition to adulthood.

Disability and the Global South (DGS), 2014, Vol. 1 No. 1

Students with profound intellectual disabilities disorders (IDDs) have the right to participate in educational opportunities that recognize their unique resources and needs, as do all children. Because of their specific communication challenges, positive relationships with attentive communication partners are critical for success. In fact, the power of positive relationships in schools is recognized to be connected to student well-being more broadly. This article examines the case of one young man with profound IDD and his relationship with his music therapist using a duo-ethnographic informed paradigmatic case study. Video analysis based on multi-voice perspectives is used to generate hermeneutic phenome- nological findings to closely examine the relationship between a young man with profound IDD and a music therapist. The voices of four allied health researchers were also gathered to inform the authors’ construction of an informed commentary on the phenomenon. The results suggest that the essence lay in a combination of attentive, responsive and creative being with the other person over time. Four principles of musical engagement were identified in the video footage as critical to the meaningful relationships through music: the music therapist listens; the music therapist takes responsibility for structure; spontaneous initiation is sought from the young person; and the relationship is built over time. These concepts are contextualized within a discussion of student well-being that is underpinned by positive relationships and leads to students achieving their full potential within diverse school contexts.

This 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. The report also lays out some of the key elements of inclusive societies that respect and protect the rights of all children, regardless of disability, and progress in helping all children to flourish and make their contribution to the world"

This video presents a compilation of many events conducted over the course of two years of Handicap International Sri Lanka's "Sport for All" project with short video clips of the different activities and some commentary from the project manager and staff members on sporting activities. It highlights the achievements of the project, level of participation of children/youth with and without disabilities, and the interest generated both at a local and national level

“"This film features disabled children and young people, their siblings and family members talking about why allies are important. They also talk about the support they get, the support they want and what changes need to be made in education, health and social care services so that they can have real choice and control. It is useful for anyone interested in inclusive education"

"This training manual 'Sport and Play for All' provides tips, guidance and advice on disability and inclusion, with the primary aim of enhancing users’ knowledge and practice on inclusion. It brings together many training materials used during the Sports for All Project in Sri Lanka, including materials on disability, social inclusion and models of inclusive sport. It features many games and sports which have been field tested and adapted to enable children with disabilities to participate"