The UN Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth published a call to action for policies and programs to be inclusive of and accessible to young persons with disabilities.
The call to action notes that ensuring equal rights and the full engagement and participation for all persons with disabilities is a cornerstone of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also broadly underscore the importance of disability-inclusive development.
The call to action:
- Establish a platform that ensures inclusive participation of young persons with disabilities in the youth and disability rights agendas within the UN system
- Address the gaps in the engagement of youth with disabilities in the broader youth rights and disability rights agenda
- Recognize the intersectionality and leadership of the most marginalized young persons with disabilities
- Involve young persons with disabilities as equal partners to realize systemic change
Upon reading this call to action and thinking more about disability-inclusive development, what changes can you make in your approach as a changemaker to make young persons with disabilities more included and engaged? How can you center the participation of young persons with disabilities in your programming?