The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)requires states parties to ensure that persons with disabilities are protected in situations of risk, and “that protection services are age-, gender- and disability-sensitive.” 1 Exclusion of children and youth with disabilities from existing activities and programs, whether inadvertent or purposeful, is a form of discrimination. 2 Children with disabilities are a vulnerable group for prioritization in Community-Based PSS activities, with at-risk children with disabilities being identified for focused interventions that develop their coping skills and emotional supports, and strengthen peer networks that foster their emotional and mental health wellbeing. Including children with disabilities is a core component of PSS programming — not something “special” or separate.
Involving children, including those with disabilities, in PSS program design and evaluation is critical to accurately identifying barriers to their participation in programs, developing effective strategies to improve their participation, and understanding what changes matter the most to them. Participatory approaches, such as ranking exercises, photo elicitation and story-telling are examples of ways, in addition to more traditional qualitative methods (e.g., focus group discussions and one-on-one interviews), to effectively explore the concerns and ideas of individuals who have different communication needs. Children with and without disabilities can be encouraged to work together to identify recommendations for our PSS activities, and can help us to reach more isolated children in the 3 community. This gives them ownership over the programs and activities that affect them, fosters protective peer networks and supports the development of important life and leadership skills.