Accessibility and Design

Overview

Bangladesh

In pursuit of true accessibility: How infrastructure fails persons with disabilities in Bangladesh:

“Dhaka's chaotic urban fabric poses significant challenges to implementing large-scale accessibility changes. However, small, targeted initiatives could create a meaningful impact”. (Feb, TBS)

Canada

Barriers to accessibility related to behaviours, misconceptions or assumptions. Analysis of 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability:

“This report demonstrates the importance of considering severity and type of disability, unmet needs, age, gender, 2SLGBTQ+ identity and place of residence (urban/rural) when examining experiences of accessibility related to behaviours, misconceptions or assumptions among persons with disabilities. By identifying disability-related and sociodemographic factors that place persons with disabilities at higher risk of experiencing such barriers, these findings can inform programs and interventions aimed at creating more inclusive environments regarding attitudinal barriers.” (Jan, Statistics Canada)

India

Accessibility in Chennai: “Broken pavements, insufficient ramps, lack of proper toilets, poor seating facilities in bus shelters, and open drains pose problems to PwDs” (2024, The Hindu)

Ukraine

At Least One in Four Ukrainians Needs Accessibility Olena Zelenska: “The uniqueness of Ukraine’s defense lies in the fact that we strive to develop even now, without postponing it for ‘after the war.’” (2024, President of Ukraine)

United States

How can we make the world a more sensory inclusive place? (Jan, Vox)

Housing

Canada

“We don't want to live on the street. We want a roof” profile of two young people with intellectual disabilities who have been living in the Montreal metro for two years. (In French, Jan, La Presse)

France

Locked out of decent housing, disabled residents in France struggle for dignity. (Feb, France 24)

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Ageing

International News

The Intersection of Ageism and Ableism in Development and Humanitarian Policy and Practice. According to one organisation:

“Older people’s disabilities just aren’t treated the same as younger people’s disabilities. If you have a disability as an older person, you’re very often not given reasonable accommodations and supports and people simply don’t think to apply for themselves or their relatives to the relevant ministries that could give them a wheelchair or a walker, or hearing aid or whatever else, they simply necessary.” (Feb, Fred Hollows Foundation and CBM)

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Assistive Technology

International News

Rights of persons with disabilities and digital technologies and devices including assistive technologies: “goes into more detail on digital technologies and assistive technologies as elements of care and support for persons with disabilities”. (Jan, OHCHR)

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COVID-19

Living with COVID-19

New Zealand

Today I have had Long Covid for 1000 days:

“I have watched and supported countless people, previously able-bodied, process the immense feeling of betrayal when they've realised there's no support at all.” (2024, Te Puāwai o ngā Kahukura)

United States

Dismissed and Disbelieved: Some Long COVID Patients Are Pushed Into Psychiatric Wards (Jan, Time)

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Civil Society and Community

Egypt

Cooperation between Al-Azhar and UN Special Rapporteur to empower persons with disabilities. (Jan, Youm7)

Europe

Who Has Been Denied Equality and Why? Disability Movements in Changing and Eroding Democracies of Central and Eastern Europe:

“though the inclusion of disability movements in policy-making has been established through formal consultative and monitoring platforms, disability movements’ participation in policy-making remains mostly tokenistic in CEE. Democratic backsliding affects movements’ coalition-building capacities, and mobilization becomes harder. Where democratic erosion is stronger, movement organizations exercise self-censorship and avoid open criticism of government politics.” (Feb, CEU Democracy Institute)

Hungary

“What happened to us?” A history of disability policies in Hungary since 1998, from a disability movement perspective:

“Since the 2010s, the disability movement has avoided open criticism of the government, though more confrontational movement actions have sometimes been able to achieve results. By the end of the 2010s, progressive disability policy-making essentially stopped.” (2024, Socio.hu)

Malaysia

Reflections on Power, Advocacy and What’s Next for Our OKU Community in Malaysia:

‘And disempowerment doesn’t just come from “outside” forces. It comes from within our community too. I have seen how quickly people shift from support to isolation based on whose “side” you’re on. I have experienced how I am praised when I am friendly with certain individuals or organisations, and how I am siloed the moment I challenge them. It feels like walking a tightrope—balancing on the thin line of who I can be friends with, whose side I am on, and which relationships are considered “acceptable” or “dangerous.”’ (2024, Make the Right Real)

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Climate Crisis and Environment

International News

No Planet Without Us: Disability Ingenuity as Key to Climate Action. (Jan, Anna Landre)

Pakistan

Disability advocacy meets climate action: profile of activist Kashaf Alvi. (Feb, The Nation)

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Communication and Language

Sign Languages

International News

25 years of International Mother Language Day: A call to recognize sign language nationally:

“To date, an overwhelmingly 119 countries are yet to recognize sign language in national legislation, jeopardizing inclusive education for deaf learners” (Feb, IDA)

Colombia

Key components in the professional ethics of sign language interpreters in healthcare contexts: a qualitative study in Colombia. (Feb, BMJ Open)

Israel

Word of mouth: Mouthing patterns in a bimodal multilingual deaf community, and how they relate to signed and spoken language. (2024, Language in Society)

United States

‘Friendly Signs’ Documentary Follows One Man’s Quest to Create Community for Deaf Prisoners. (Feb, The Marshall Project)

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Conflict and Peace

Overview

International News

Wading into the Mainstream Building Disability Rights Bridges across Institutional Silos to Strengthen the Global Sustaining Peace Agenda. (Feb, HPOD)

Guidance Note on Persons with Disabilities and Prevention of Genocide, War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity. (2024, UN office on Genocide Prevention)

Indonesia

TNI commander reveals plan to recruit disabled people. “The commander general noted that the concept was influenced by the National Police (Polri), which has already opened positions for people with disabilities.” (Jan, Antara News)

Israel-Palestine Conflict

Israel

How Israeli nonprofits support those with disabilities during wartime. (Feb, Jerusalem Post)

Gaza’s Genocide and the Fragility of Israel’s Disability Rights Claims:

“The horrific violence against Palestinians is casting a harsh light on the deep contradictions between Israel’s supposed advocacy for disability rights and the devastating reality on the ground, where the production of impairment is wielded as a weapon of the settler colonial regime.” (Jan, Irish Centre for Human Rights)

Palestine

Palestinian Disability Coalition Launches Media Campaign Highlighting War Crimes Against Persons with Disabilities. (Feb, Palestine News Network)

The forgotten victims: Gaza's disabled Palestinians in the face of Israel's brutal war. (Jan, Wafa News Agency)

Gaza’s Seniors Desperately Need Medical Care Including Evacuations (Jan, FPIF)

Explosive weapons left 15 children a day with potentially lifelong disabilities in 2024. (Jan, Save the Children)

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Culture, Entertainment and Media

Overview

United States

Deaf and Disabled Artist Employment Research on Work. (Jan, Creatives Rebuild New York)

Crip Coin: disability, public benefits and guaranteed income. (Jan, Kevin Gotkin)

TV and Film

Pakistan

“There is nothing ‘motivational’ about this web series” Feature on ‘Fruit Chaat’, a new web series made by Tanzila Khan. (Feb, Reframing Disability)

Uganda

The ‘Obuntu Bulamu’ Visual Narratives: Participatory Research and Film Making About Inclusion of Children With Disabilities in Uganda. (2024, Journal of Participatory Research Methods)

United Kingdom

‘We want to take the sting out of shame’: Kyla Harris and Lee Getty on narratives, nudity and normalising disabled bodies. (2024, the Guardian)

United States

‘Friendly Signs’ Documentary Follows One Man’s Quest to Create Community for Deaf Prisoners. (Feb, The Marshall Project)

How “Wicked” Reimagines Disability Representation in Hollywood (Feb, Reelabilities)

Reimagining Hollywood: a report: A New Lens on Disability Inclusion (Jan, ATB)

Media

Switzerland

This is not an activist: Malick Reinhard on why he sees his work not as activism but “embodied journalism”. (In French, Feb, Couper L'Herbe Sous les Roues)

United States

Why I risked my health to photograph disability rights advocates crawling up steps of Pa. Capitol:

“Ignorance about disability is what keeps me going. Few people cover this movement or my community with the diligence, seriousness and knowledge that it requires.” (Jan, The Washington Post)

Clothing and Fashion

United Kingdom

Primark launches clothing range designed for people with disabilities: “Range of womenswear and menswear contains 49 pieces adapted from brand’s bestselling items to suit variety of needs”. (Jan, the Guardian)

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Data and Research

International News

The global epidemiology and health burden of the autism spectrum: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. An estimated 61.8 million individuals were on the autism spectrum. (Feb, The Lancet Psychiatry)

Closing the mortality gap for people with disabilities an editorial. (Jan, The Lancet Public Health)

Australia

All-cause and cause-specific mortality inequalities between people with and without disability: a nationwide data linkage study in Australia:

“Following-up more than 15 million individuals over 9.2 years (138 540 359 person-years), we found that males and females with disability have higher all-cause and cause-specific mortality than do males and females without disability. The greatest absolute mortality inequalities were seen in cancer and cardiovascular disease. Causes of death where rates were lower among people without disability—neurological diseases, diabetes and other endocrine diseases, chronic lung diseases, and digestive diseases—had substantial absolute inequalities and pronounced relative inequalities. We also found substantial inequalities in mortality caused by suicide and unintentional injury. Mortality for most causes increased with age for both disabled and non-disabled groups, with consistently higher rates in the disabled group across all age groups.” (Jan, The Lancet Public Health)

Canada

Barriers to accessibility related to behaviours, misconceptions or assumptions. Analysis of 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability:

“This report demonstrates the importance of considering severity and type of disability, unmet needs, age, gender, 2SLGBTQ+ identity and place of residence (urban/rural) when examining experiences of accessibility related to behaviours, misconceptions or assumptions among persons with disabilities. By identifying disability-related and sociodemographic factors that place persons with disabilities at higher risk of experiencing such barriers, these findings can inform programs and interventions aimed at creating more inclusive environments regarding attitudinal barriers.” (Jan, Statistics Canada)

Europe

Exploring statistics on disability and social participation looking at volunteering and active citizenship. (Feb, Eurostat)

United States

Prevalence of discrimination experienced by autistic youth as compared to neurotypical youth and youth with other neurodevelopmental diagnoses:

“We found that autistic youth experience higher rates of discrimination based on race or ethnicity and sexual orientation or gender identity compared to youth who are typically developing and do not have a diagnosis (such as a speech or language disorder).” (Jan, Autism)

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Digital Accessibility and Technology

Artificial Intelligence

International News

Evaluating overlay-adjacent accessibility products a guide on criteria to use. (Feb, Eric Bailey)

Creating accessibility systems to fix accessibility issues:

“At the same time, accessibility work often reveals strengths and weaknesses in teams’ existing processes and workflows. For example, teams that struggle with using automated accessibility tools can be ones that already struggle with automated tooling. Teams that struggle to talk about accessibility across roles can often struggle to communicate in general. Accessibility work usually finds the cracks in systems, so we often end up doing accessibility work and also work to shore up or change those systems.” (Jan, Assistiv Labs)

United States

Empowering or Excluding: New Research and Principles for Inclusive AI. (Jan, American Foundation for the Blind)

Social Media

Nigeria

Profile of Pelemo Ava Nyajo and how she is pushing for change on social media. (Feb, HumAngle)

United Kingdom

Meet the ‘sickfluencers’ of TikTok and don’t be fooled by the outrage obscuring the real scandal:

“That desperate people have to look online for help with disability and sickness benefits is what should truly upset us” (Feb, the Guardian)

United States

Elon Musk keeps tweeting the 'R-word.' (Feb, USA Today)

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Disaster Risk Reduction and Crisis Response

United States

Elderly, alone and unable to escape the L.A. fires “Most of the victims of the Los Angeles fires were elderly. Their deaths offer a warning to the entire country about the threat climate disasters pose to society’s oldest and most vulnerable members.” (Feb, Washington Post)

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Economics and Social Protection

Social Protection

International News

The devaluing of disability support in Australia and New Zealand:

“In both countries, the last year has seen significant shifts entrenching the disabled-people-as-cost/burden narrative.” (Feb, Overland)

Rethinking Disability Social Protection Policy a policy brief and also animated video outlining the status quo and what is needed for more inclusive social protection:

“Social protection policies must go beyond providing an income floor to providing resources to persons with disabilities to ensure they have the same opportunities as their peers without disabilities to participate in the social and economic lives of their communities. As a result, programs must address higher poverty rates while considering the diverse set of extra costs of disability.” (Jan, Center for Inclusive Policy)

Interoperability Standards Released between the Disability Registry (DR) and Social Protection Management Information Systems (MIS). (Jan, Digital Convergence Initiative)

Argentina

National Disability Agency is accused of discriminating and stigmatising when assessing beneficiaries for disability pensions. A review resulted in re-emphasizing medical criteria for assessing disability and using offensive terms for people with intellectual disabilities. (In Spanish, Feb, La Nacion)

Australia

Take the Time for Codesign: 255 Organisations Demand More Time to Codesign NDIS Reforms. (Feb, Every Australian Counts)

Bolivia

National Standard for Identification of Persons with Disabilities announced, to reduce processing time to get the disability card. So far 115,816 people have a disability card. (In Spanish, Jan, Ministry of Health and Sports)

Egypt

Ministry of Solidarity initiatives for persons with disabilities in 2024: includes 1.5 million identity cards, and Karama benefits to more than 1.26 million persons with disabilities. (In Arabic, Jan, Youm7)

Nigeria

Struggles to register for National Identification Number (Jan, Sahara Reporters)

United States

Crip Coin: disability, public benefits and guaranteed income. (Jan, Kevin Gotkin)

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Education and Childhood

Overview

International News

What we can learn from families of children with disabilities about inclusive family, school, and community engagement:

“Families of children with disabilities commonly report fewer opportunities to be involved in their children’s learning and school as they are less likely to receive report cards and may be excluded from family days and other family engagement events at schools. Families, especially mothers, around the world reported experiencing blame and shame, as children’s behavior and school performance are often attributed to poor parenting” (Jan, Brookings )

Supporting Families to Become Conversation Leaders on Inclusive Education. A toolkit “designed to help families of children with intellectual disabilities advocate”. (2024, Inclusion International)

Jordan

Jordan launches inclusive education campaign to promote equality, accessibility for all students. (Jan, Jordan Times)

Lebanon

Revisiting Inclusion: An Exploration of Refugee-Led Education for Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Lebanon. (2024, Social Sciences)

Tanzania

A one-sided deal: Disability Debrief feature on how inclusive education can mean getting rid of our differences:

“For me an inclusive education would have been not just a place where I was academically challenged but where I was safe amongst my peers to share my more intense sides, my fears of daily tasks, panic over changes. I needed teachers to validate my feelings and make adjustments without posing them as favours.” (Feb, Disability Debrief)

Uganda

The ‘Obuntu Bulamu’ Visual Narratives: Participatory Research and Film Making About Inclusion of Children With Disabilities in Uganda. (2024, Journal of Participatory Research Methods)

United States

Department of Education Helps Students With Disabilities Don't Let It Disappear. (Feb, Newsweek)

Higher Education

Brazil

USP offers a unique inclusion and accessibility course to students of all undergraduate courses in all state universities in São Paulo. (In Portuguese, Feb, USP Journal)

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Employment, Business and Work

Canada

Women with disabilities less likely to have accommodations in work:

“more than a quarter of those women (28%) did not receive accommodations for their disabilities when they requested them, compared to 19% of men.” (Jan, Canadian HR Reporter)

China

Quarantined Justice, Compromised Diversity: Barriers to Disability Inclusion in China’s Public Sector Employment:

“Through proactive power expansion, the Supreme People’s Court has played a crucial role in scrutinizing employment discrimination in the private sector. However, the judiciary has paid less attention to the fact that government agencies failed to consider the value of workplace diversity and maintained ableist standards that preclude many disabled candidates from public sector positions. Due to the intrinsic political embeddedness within Chinese judicial systems, courts tended to adopt a strategy known as “quarantined enforcement” when confronted with discriminatory recruitment clauses issued by government‐tied entities.” (Jan, Social Inclusion)

Lebanon

Discrimination against people with disabilities in the labour market and organisations that isolate them from daily routine and customers. (In Arabic, Feb, The Independent)

South Africa

Deaf farmer champions greater accessibility in agriculture (Jan, Food For Mzansi)

Ukraine

Inclusion in times of crisis: Efforts of Ukraine business to “address labour shortages caused by the war through the recruitment and integration of people with disabilities”. (Jan, ILO)

United States

U.S. workers with chronic conditions manage them at work, haven’t told employer:

“The poll, conducted among a national sample of U.S. employees, found that three-fourths (76%) of those with chronic conditions—such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and asthma—need to manage their conditions during work hours. Yet a majority (60%) have not formally disclosed their conditions to their employer.” (Feb, Harvard T.H. Chan)

Deaf and Disabled Artist Employment Research on Work. (Jan, Creatives Rebuild New York)

Screened Out: The Impact of Digitized Hiring Assessments on Disabled Workers:

“Disabled workers felt discriminated against and believed the assessments presented a variety of accessibility barriers. Contrary to the claims made by developers and vendors of hiring technologies that these kinds of assessments can reduce bias, participants commonly expressed that the design and use of assessments were discriminatory and perpetuated biases”. (2024, Center for Democracy & Technology)

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Gender Equality and Women with Disabilities

International News

Thirty years of implementation of the Beijing Declaration: its potential for women and girls with disabilities, a report. (Jan, Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Person with Disabilities)

Europe

Gender stereotypes against women with disabilities. A position paper. (Feb, EDF)

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Health

International News

A closer look at Global Disability Summit health commitments. (Feb, Global Disability Summit)

Closing the mortality gap for people with disabilities an editorial. (Jan, The Lancet Public Health)

Access to health insurance amongst people with disabilities and its association with healthcare use, health status and financial protection in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review. (2024, International Journal for Equity in Health)

Australia

All-cause and cause-specific mortality inequalities between people with and without disability: a nationwide data linkage study in Australia:

“Following-up more than 15 million individuals over 9.2 years (138 540 359 person-years), we found that males and females with disability have higher all-cause and cause-specific mortality than do males and females without disability. The greatest absolute mortality inequalities were seen in cancer and cardiovascular disease. Causes of death where rates were lower among people without disability—neurological diseases, diabetes and other endocrine diseases, chronic lung diseases, and digestive diseases—had substantial absolute inequalities and pronounced relative inequalities. We also found substantial inequalities in mortality caused by suicide and unintentional injury. Mortality for most causes increased with age for both disabled and non-disabled groups, with consistently higher rates in the disabled group across all age groups.” (Jan, The Lancet Public Health)

Colombia

Key components in the professional ethics of sign language interpreters in healthcare contexts: a qualitative study in Colombia. (Feb, BMJ Open)

Dominican Republic

Guidance for health centres to ensure access and respecting rights of persons with disabilities, with an emphasis on women with disabilities. (In Spanish, Jan, Acento)

United States

Trump’s Medicaid Cuts Would Leave Millions of Americans Without Health Care. (Feb, Mother Jones)

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History and Memorial

Egypt

Disability in Ancient Egypt and Egyptology a partially open-access book, looking at the history of disabled people in ancient Egypt and Egyptology. (2024, Routledge)

Disability in Ptolemaic Egypt and the Hellenistic World a book that uses “Critical Disability Studies and the lens of embodiment to comprehensively unveil, explore, and celebrate disability in Ptolemaic Egypt and the Hellenistic world”. (2024, Routledge)

Germany

On eugenics, disability, and dignity:

“The Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring introduced on July 14, 1933 mandated the forced sterilisation of individuals with physical and mental disabilities, people who were regarded as so-called “asocial (criminal) elements”, homosexuals, and Roma and Afro-German ethnic minorities. Between 1933 and 1945, it is estimated between 310 000 and 350 000 people belonging to these groups were coercively sterilised and thousands died of medical complications resulting from these procedures.” (Jan, The Lancet)

Hungary

“What happened to us?” A history of disability policies in Hungary since 1998, from a disability movement perspective:

“Since the 2010s, the disability movement has avoided open criticism of the government, though more confrontational movement actions have sometimes been able to achieve results. By the end of the 2010s, progressive disability policy-making essentially stopped.” (2024, Socio.hu)

Malaysia

Tan Kuan Aw activist and artist. Remembering the art he published on Disability Debrief. (Feb, Disability Debrief)

Netherlands

From Institutions to Families? The Changing Allocation of Responsibility for Cognitively Disabled Children in Dutch Postwar Long-Term Care Policies:

“By tracing how responsibility for long-term care has been allocated in the postwar Netherlands in the specific case of children with (cognitive) disabilities, the author will show how ‘the family’ has increasingly been embraced by policymakers as the main responsible party. This is remarkable because the Dutch postwar welfare state sought to loosen family ties in favour of individual arrangements. However, attempts by different stakeholders to deinstitutionalize Dutch health care during the 1990s unintentionally moved the state's responsibility for long-term care not so much onto individuals as onto families.” (2024, Journal of Modern European History)

United Kingdom

Redefining Family Relationships: The Impact of Disability on Working-Class Families during the Industrial Revolution in Britain. (2024, Journal of Modern European History)

From Darkness to Sunshine: Blind Babies, Families and the Sunshine Homes, 1918–1939:

“The narrative of the overwhelmed and neglectful mother was juxtaposed with the benefit of institutionalisation, which justified the removal of some blind infants from their homes. The metaphor of the dark home and unenlightened mother was replaced by one of light and knowledge emanating from the brightly painted environs of the Sunshine Homes for Blind Babies.” (2024, Journal of Modern European History)

United States

Walter E. Fernald: Brief life of a complex pioneer of care for the intellectually disabled: 1859-1924. (Feb, Harvard Magazine)

Nazi Ideals and the Disabled Inmates of Oregon's Fairview Home how five “inmates” fled from the institution after hearing a discussion of plans to euthanise them. (Jan, (Un)Hidden)

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Humanitarian, Migrants and Refugees

Overview

International News

The Intersection of Ageism and Ableism in Development and Humanitarian Policy and Practice. According to one organisation:

“Older people’s disabilities just aren’t treated the same as younger people’s disabilities. If you have a disability as an older person, you’re very often not given reasonable accommodations and supports and people simply don’t think to apply for themselves or their relatives to the relevant ministries that could give them a wheelchair or a walker, or hearing aid or whatever else, they simply necessary.” (Feb, Fred Hollows Foundation and CBM)

Disability Inclusion in Humanitarian Crises an open access book:

“humanitarian donors, mainstream humanitarian organizations, recipient states, inclusion-focused organizations, OPDs, and persons with disabilities have changed their practices, but only imperfectly so. Fostering disability inclusion is a long and arduous process that involves many actors across the various levels of global governance. Norms effect change, but only through perseverance and patience of these actors, especially during translation and implementation. There are setbacks; disability inclusion is not a linear process but requires constant reinforcement.” (Jan, Springer)

Lessons on meaningful participation in humanitarian action:

“Meaningful participation involves more than just engagement; it requires placing people with disabilities and older people in decision-making roles, thus acknowledging their pivotal role in shaping humanitarian actions” (2024, Elrha)

Call To Action for Commitments: Persons with Disabilities Affected by Humanitarian Emergencies. (2024, Disability Reference Group)

Chad

Disabled, sick and injured victims flee Sudan’s genocide (Feb, The Telegraph)

Migration

International News

Migrants with a disability: insights from a report on disability and migration studying labour inclusion of Venezuelan migrants in Argentina and Chile:

“Perhaps the most revealing finding of the study is that disability was a key reason for migrating for the majority of those who participated in the study.” (Jan, World Economic Forum)

Australia

Indonesian family granted permanent residency after ministerial intervention. It had been denied previously due to their son's disability. (Feb, ABC News)

Europe

Navigating Disability and Irregular Status in Europe:

“The access of migrants with disabilities to basic rights and services is a persistent challenge. Key issues include limited access to social services (healthcare, disability benefits, etc.), barriers to legalization, and difficulties in obtaining stable and permanent residence permits.” (Jan, Generation 2.0)

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Independent Living and Deinstitutionalization

Overview

Switzerland

On the paradoxical relationship with home assistants:

“As you will have understood, being an employer of your care workers, while being in a situation of high dependency, is a constant game of chess. An iron fist in a velvet glove. Stay the course, without offending. Be diplomatic, without flinching. A very Swiss thing: you have to know how to master the Art of consensus.” (In French, Jan, Couper L'Herbe Sous les Roues)

United Kingdom

Shut away and ignored: thousands of disabled adults are at the frontier of the human rights struggle:

“If you are not disabled and you regularly go to a yoga class, choir practice, a book group or just the pub, when was the last time you did so with even a single disabled adult present?” (Jan, the Guardian)

United States

The Labor Crisis Putting People With Disabilities at Risk “The workers who care for people with disabilities are underpaid, overwhelmed, and increasingly leaving the field.” (Jan, The Nation)

Community Integration of People with Disabilities a Quarter Century After Olmstead v. L.C, on the “as-yet to be realized right of Americans with disabilities to live in the community”. (Jan)

Conditions in Institutions

Belgium

A psychologist from a center for disabled people charged with serial rapes. (In French, 2024, RTBF)

Nigeria

The Neglect and Death of a Young Woman.

“Hauwa's story is tragically emblematic. Over the years, I've met hundreds of other people with disabilities and mental health conditions in Nigeria who, without access to any affordable services in the community, ended up in traditional healing centers, Christian and Islamic faith-based facilities, or state-run rehabilitation centers where they were often neglected.” (Jan, AllAfrica)

Romania

Inhumane conditions and abuse at centers for children with disabilities. (In Romanian, Jan, Stirile Pro-tv)

Spain

Work starting on a residence for disabled people an institution to be called: “living like at home”. (In Spanish, Jan, Diario de Almería)

United Kingdom

Scotland is not meeting human rights obligations on progress from institutions to independent living:

“The Scottish Human Rights Commission finds that people with learning disabilities and autistic people are still being held in institutions in breach of their human rights, and no evidence of a human rights based approach to end this practice.” (Jan, SHRC)

From Darkness to Sunshine: Blind Babies, Families and the Sunshine Homes, 1918–1939:

“The narrative of the overwhelmed and neglectful mother was juxtaposed with the benefit of institutionalisation, which justified the removal of some blind infants from their homes. The metaphor of the dark home and unenlightened mother was replaced by one of light and knowledge emanating from the brightly painted environs of the Sunshine Homes for Blind Babies.” (2024, Journal of Modern European History)

United States

Walter E. Fernald: Brief life of a complex pioneer of care for the intellectually disabled: 1859-1924. (Feb, Harvard Magazine)

Dismissed and Disbelieved: Some Long COVID Patients Are Pushed Into Psychiatric Wards (Jan, Time)

Nazi Ideals and the Disabled Inmates of Oregon's Fairview Home how five “inmates” fled from the institution after hearing a discussion of plans to euthanise them. (Jan, (Un)Hidden)

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International Cooperation

Overview

International News

US aid freeze Disability and Development Partners UK on the impact of USAID freeze on their project supporting grassroots organisations in Nepal. (Short video, Feb, DDP UK)

The Crucial Role of OPDs in Inclusive Development Cooperation. (Feb, Inklusion leben)

The Intersection of Ageism and Ableism in Development and Humanitarian Policy and Practice. According to one organisation:

“Older people’s disabilities just aren’t treated the same as younger people’s disabilities. If you have a disability as an older person, you’re very often not given reasonable accommodations and supports and people simply don’t think to apply for themselves or their relatives to the relevant ministries that could give them a wheelchair or a walker, or hearing aid or whatever else, they simply necessary.” (Feb, Fred Hollows Foundation and CBM)

US targets diversity, equity, inclusion at United Nations (Feb, Reuters)

Five things organisations should think about when supporting organisations of people with disabilities in capacity strengthening. (Feb, CBM Australia)

Stop work: Disability Debrief feature on the US aid freeze's devastating impact on disabled people:

’People with disabilities are impacted both as general beneficiaries of these programmes and also recipients of aid targeted directly towards them. Organisations responsible for service provision or advocacy for disabled people have been sent reeling, with many having to stop work and send staff home. Specialists see this as having “dreadful long term consequences” and even causing “multigenerational harm” to persons with disabilities and their families.’ (Feb, Disability Debrief)

Meaningful Participation of Marginalized and Underrepresented Persons with Disabilities: a guidance note. (Jan, UNPRPD)

Amending IDA constitution to address governance matters: “towards better transparency, inclusion and effective representation”. (Jan, IDA)

Europe

Donors must urgently fund disability organisations affected by US aid cuts:

“Disability organisations and services in the Balkans, Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus have been directly and severely affected by the stop-work order and cuts to US Government funding. Thousands of persons with disabilities have lost support, and disability organisations face existential threats.” (Feb, EDF)

USAID cuts harm European disability groups “Disabled people in Ukraine, Albania, Georgia and more are at risk due to the US freezing their foreign aid.” (Feb, Euractiv)

EU must urgently fund disability organisations affected by US aid cuts: “a partial analysis of publicly available information points to funding of around 5 million US dollars in the last 3 years.” (Feb, EDF)

Steady progress, serious shortfalls: Disability inclusion in European Union Official Development Assistance (ODA). The majority of EC ODA projects in 2022 “still did not aim to be disability-inclusive”. (Jan, EDF)

Nigeria

The Door Shuts on Inclusive Education: Lost Hope for Children with Disabilities in Northeast Nigeria. (Feb, Inclusive Development Partners)

United States

Profile of Inclusive Development Partners and how it is hit by the USAID cuts. (Feb, cjonline)

Testimony from Rachel Chaikof on working in international development as a person with disability. (Feb, Short video on linkedin)

Global Disability Summit

International News

The Global Disability Summit 2025 is censoring Gaza and Palestine: A Statement by the Disability Justice for Palestine Collective. (Feb, Disability Justice for Palestine Collective)

Thematic Pre-Summit on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities Leading up to the Global Disability Summit 2025. (Feb, UNPRPD)

A closer look at Global Disability Summit health commitments. (Feb, Global Disability Summit)

Call To Action for Commitments: Persons with Disabilities Affected by Humanitarian Emergencies. (2024, Disability Reference Group)

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Justice Systems and Legal Capacity

Australia

Convictions quashed for Queensland boy who couldn’t understand charges and didn’t enter pleas. (2024, the Guardian)

Europe

For the right to legal capacity! “The EU is working on legislation that would reverse progress achieved. ENIL is mobilising advocacy resources to contain the threat.” (Feb, ENIL)

India

The Supreme Court as protagonist in a 'crip' story: some plaudits, some anxieties:

“In its 75 years, the SC has struggled to accommodate those disabled who don’t fit the pre-decided rubrics of the neo-liberal nation-state”. (Jan, Supreme Court Observer)

New Zealand

New research reveals police bias toward disabled people.

“A first-of-its-kind study has found disabled people are more likely to be stopped by police, have force used against them, and ultimately end up in the courts and justice system - even when they have done nothing wrong.” (Jan, RNZ)

United Kingdom

Dyslexia and Crime: the ‘school-to-prison’ pipeline and why it happens. (Jan, Asia Pacific Journal of Developmental Differences)

United States

Georgia must stop executing the disabled (Feb, Georgia Recorder)

Venezuela

Venezuelan NGOs concerned over arrest of disabled youth. A 19-year-old with an intellectual disability arrested on charges of “terrorism” after an opposition rally. (Jan, Efecto Cocuyo)

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Lived Experience and Opinion

India

Unshrinking my body: a journey back home. Debrief illustrator Sonaksha with a deeply personal illustrated essay. (Jan, Heinrich Böll Stiftung)

New Zealand

Today I have had Long Covid for 1000 days:

“I have watched and supported countless people, previously able-bodied, process the immense feeling of betrayal when they've realised there's no support at all.” (2024, Te Puāwai o ngā Kahukura)

Nigeria

Profile of Pelemo Ava Nyajo and how she is pushing for change on social media. (Feb, HumAngle)

United Kingdom

Beyond / Tu Hwnt an anthology of Welsh Deaf and Disabled Writers. (Jan, Lucent Dreaming)

United States

Forgotten Debrief essay, on “finding my own worth in a frightening shadow world”:

“My disabled life is not glamorous, nor is it particularly beautiful. This life is unbearably lonely, often painful, and filled with fear of the unknown about the future. But it deserves to be witnessed.” (Feb, Disability Debrief)

The Patient Is an Unreliable Historian A new poetry collection from Brody Parrish Craig that “upends narratives around current psychiatric treatment models to focus on the lived experience of survivors”. (Jan, Chicago)

How to Be Seen and Heard as a Wheelchair User Advice on how to avoid “socially disappearing”. (Jan, New Mobility)

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Mental Health

United States

The Patient Is an Unreliable Historian A new poetry collection from Brody Parrish Craig that “upends narratives around current psychiatric treatment models to focus on the lived experience of survivors”. (Jan, Chicago)

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Mobility, Travel, Transport and Tourism

Overview

Australia

Woman takes Uber to Federal Court over repeated guide dog refusals. (Feb, ABC News)

Poland

Making Polish nature accessible for people with disabilities. (A short video, Feb, DW)

Air Travel

United States

Airlines Challenge Biden-Era Wheelchair Accessibility Rule “They said in a court filing that the US Department of Transportation had exceeded its authority and abused its discretion.” (Feb, Bloomberg Law)

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Policy and Rights

Overview

International News

Wading into the Mainstream Building Disability Rights Bridges across Institutional Silos to Strengthen the Global Sustaining Peace Agenda. (Feb, HPOD)

World Report 2025 Annual review of human rights around the globe includes extensive material on rights of persons with disabilities. (Jan, Human Rights Watch)

Guidance Note on Persons with Disabilities and Prevention of Genocide, War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity. (2024, UN office on Genocide Prevention)

Australia

Australia now has a national autism strategy. The strategy makes commitments across social inclusion; economic inclusion; diagnosis, services and support; and health:

“Commitments include increasing accessible and sensory-friendly public and online spaces; considering the feasibility and acceptability of current screening and diagnostic tools; exploring ways to make diagnosis and assessment processes more affordable; and supporting employers to hire and retain autistic employees.” (Jan, ABC News)

Barbados

New legislation to bolster rights of disabled and elderly – bills being discussed in Parliament. (Jan, Barbados Today)

Benin

Situation of disabled people in Benin: and directions in the 2025 Finance bill to “systematically integrate” in all ministries and for more research and data. (In French, Jan, La Nation Bénin)

France

Twenty years later, a bitter assessment of France's disability law whose major advances are not yet realized. (In French, Feb, Le Monde)

”We have the right to be angry”: on the 20th anniversary of the disability law, where protestors also critiqued disability organisations supporting segregation. (In French, Feb, Bondy Blog)

20 years of the Disability Act: a more accessible cultural world. (In French, Feb, Ministry of Culture)

India

Union Budget has ignored mental health, persons with disabilities, laments think tank. (Feb, DT Next)

Sri Lanka

Situational Analysis of the Rights of Persons With Disabilities:

“While there has been progress in certain areas, significant challenges remain, particularly in the enforcement of laws, creation of accessibility, and provision of inclusive services.” (2024, UNPRPD)

Tanzania

Landmark judgment on rights of persons with albinism delivered by African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights:

“The African Court judgment is a timely message to other African states to fight against harmful cultural beliefs and practices, endured by persons with albinism for several decades without redress and hold perpetrators accountable. Notably, Tanzania has the highest population of persons with albinism globally. This landmark judgment sets a precedent on which to base enforcement and protection of the rights of persons with albinism in other parts of Africa and globally.” (Feb, Centre for Human Rights)

Assisted Dying and Euthanasia

Canada

Euthanasia and assisted dying - unmasking health care and social failures:

‘Autonomous choice, when stripped of adequate support and resources, ceases to be a form of empowerment and instead becomes a hollow justification for abandonment and the exercise of privilege and power over consideration of the common good. By focusing on “choice” while failing to address the suffering that underpins it, MAiD shifts the medical profession’s role from healing to facilitating death.’ (Jan, MLI)

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Politics and Elections

Ecuador

Voting at home will guarantee voting rights of disabled people. (In Spanish, Jan, Crónica)

Germany

Inclusion on the ballot paper: political parties positions on disability. (In German, Feb, Die Neue Norm)

United States

The Overlooked Target: Accessibility in the Crosshairs of the Trump Administration's Backlash Against DEI Programs:

“While many people and organizations have rallied to defend diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, the threat to accessibility has received surprisingly little pushback.” (Feb, Mind Ramps)

Is Disability:IN quietly renaming the Disability Equality Index (DEI)? It ‘seems to be partially renamed to “Disability Index”’. (Feb, Semantic Fish Net)

The Trump Administration’s Recent Actions on DEIA, and the Impact on Disabled Americans:

“This will most significantly affect disabled people, especially disabled people of color and disabled LGBT people, who work for the federal government or federal contractors or work in federally funded initiatives that focus on equity. This is important because the federal government is the largest employer of people with disabilities.” (Feb, AAPD)

Donald Trump’s Next Diversity Target: People With Disabilities. “The president’s disdain for disabled people—and obsession with genetic superiority—harks back to a grim past.” (Feb, The Nation)

Elon Musk ridiculed a blind person on X. Then a mob went to work. (Feb, Washington Post)

Top Lawyers in 16 States Push Back on anti-DEIA Executive Orders. (Feb, Law Office of Lainey Feingold)

Accessibility Initiatives Are Taking a Hit Across the Sciences “Confusion has ensued about the future of programs and research supporting people with disabilities as a result of President Trump’s executive order.” (Feb, New York Times)

Americans with disabilities warn protections are vanishing in Trump's DEI rollback (Feb, Axios)

Texas v. Becerra: What it is and How You Can Help Stop the Attack on Section 504. (Feb, DREDF)

Elon Musk keeps tweeting the 'R-word.' (Feb, USA Today)

Department of Education Helps Students With Disabilities Don't Let It Disappear. (Feb, Newsweek)

Trump blamed DEI for the D.C. plane crash. “People with intellectual disabilities do lots of jobs — but they don't direct air traffic” (Jan, NPR)

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Relationships, Sex and Reproductive Rights

India

Reproductive Rights Of Women With Disabilities: “An analysis of the recent judgment on women with disabilities shows the ableist as well as patriarchal mindset of the courts.” (Jan, Feminism in India)

Japan

Japan enforces compensation law for forced sterilization victims

“According to the Children and Families Agency, an estimated 25,000 people are eligible for compensation as victims of forced sterilization, with about 8,400 still alive.” (Feb, The Japan Times)

Spain

LGTBQI persons with disabilities face double discrimination that dehumanizes and isolates them, according to research. (In Spanish, Jan, El País)

United States

The Remarkable Normalcy of Being Disabled and in Love ‘In a new essay collection, the influencer couple Shane and Hannah Burcaw peel back the layers of “interabled” relationships, including their own’:

“Caregiving is inherently intimate, and that just makes you closer.” (Jan, New York Times)

Uruguay

Lack of information and taboos faced by women with disabilities in their sexual and reproductive health care. (In Spanish, Jan, La Diaria Salud)

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Space Exploration

Europe

First astronaut with a disability cleared for space station mission:

“John McFall has been cleared to become the first person with a physical disability to take part in a mission to the International Space Station (ISS).” (Feb, UK Space Agency)

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Sport and Paralympics

Belgium

Struck out Disability Debrief feature on physical education's lessons of exclusion and ableism:

“If gym was so terrifying, it wasn’t simply because I found it unpleasant and was no good at it. It was because I knew we weren’t just playing. Our games were the symbolic staging of something bigger and incredibly important: our place in our group. The sports pitch was where the border between the included and the excluded was being drawn.” (Jan, Disability Debrief)

India

'I believe in my guide runner more than myself' feature on Rakshitha Raju, one of India's top middle distance para athletes. (Feb, BBC)

South Sudan

‘Voy! I’m coming!’: The blind footballers of South Sudan. “Against a backdrop of violence and hardship, a group of young men defy the odds.” (Jan, Aljazeera)

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War in Ukraine

Evacuating or Leaving Ukraine

Georgia

Disability and Displacement: Ukraine War's Impact on Georgia and challenges faced by refugees with disabilities. (Jan, UNPRPD)

Moldova

Disability and Displacement: Ukraine War's Impact on Moldova and challenges faced by refugees with disabilities. (Jan, UNPRPD)

Situation in Ukraine

Ukraine

The war in Ukraine: impact on persons with disabilities. On the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion it is estimated 300,000 acquired a disability due to war-related injuries. (Feb, EDF)

People with intellectual disabilities and their families in Ukraine. Report on their situation and impact of war:

“Already widely overlooked before the war, people with intellectual disabilities – especially those living in institutions and / or with complex support needs – and their families are more segregated than ever” (Feb, Inclusion Europe)

Ukraine’s forgotten victims: Roma with disabilities in wartime:

“Roma with disabilities are one of the most marginalized groups in Ukrainian society. As the Russo-Ukrainian War wages on, this marginalization has only become further entrenched.” (Jan, Minority Rights Group)

‘My life as a blind lawyer in Ukraine’s frontline city’ Oleh Lepetiuk has spent his career fighting for disability rights and is now working to support those wounded by war. (Jan, The Telegraph)

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