Every Child Counts: Understanding the Needs and Perspectives of Children with Disabilities in the State of Palestine

Children with disabilities are often marginalised and excluded. In Palestine, children face not only this cultural stigma, but also the additional challenges of living through a protracted conflict which has devastated infrastructure, fractured the economy and overwhelmed service providers.

As a result, Palestinian children with disabilities are highly vulnerable: they are very likely to be extremely poor, woefully under-supported to realise their rights to an appropriately tailored education and health care, have very few opportunities to participate in the social activities required for healthy development and poorly protected from abuse and exploitation.

This report explores how Palestinian children with disabilities are marginalised and excluded, the obstacles they face in fulfilling their rights and what mechanisms might be put into place by the government, donors and non-governmental organisations, communities and families to better support their development and their rights.