Over 650 million people around the world live with disabilities which can exclude their participation in society. They often have little hope of going to school, getting a job, having their own home, creating a family and raising their children, enjoying a social life or voting. For the vast majority shops, public facilities and transport are not accessible.

The 2010 EFA Global Monitoring Report states that, while globally comparable, reliable data are notoriously difficult to obtain. One widely cited source estimates that 150 million children worldwide live with disabilities. Around four in five children with disabilities are in developing countries. In addition, many millions of children live in households with parents or relatives who have disabilities. At all ages, levels of both moderate and severe disability are higher in low- and middle-income countries than in rich countries. They are highest in sub-Saharan Africa (data source: WHO and UNICEF, 2008).

Some areas of interventions for children with disabilities.

• A flagship led by UNESCO under the Education for All Programme to ensure that the right to education and the goals of the Dakar Framework are realized for individuals with disabilities.
• Production of advocacy and awareness materials such as policy guidelines, toolkits and DVD for people with disabilities.