Children with disabilities are often overlooked when discussing disability rights and children’s rights. Having research-based data to inform the gaps and services needs for these children in Canada and having them represented and engaged in the international children’s rights context is a unique chance to raise awareness about the specific needs of children.
The Participation and Knowledge Translation in Childhood Disability (PAR-KT ) Lab, led by Canada Research Chair in Childhood Disability: Participation and Knowledge Translation and CHILD-BRIGHT KT Co-Lead Keiko Shikako, led the submission of a parallel report and subsequent update on children with disabilities in Canada during COVID to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC Committee).
The report, initially published in 2020, outlines issues faced by children with disabilities in Canada based on research evidence and the lived experiences of parents and youth, areas of opportunity in relation to these issues, and recommendations that can begin to address these problems. It also presents testimonials provided by parents of children with disabilities that highlight positive developments as well as areas of opportunity. Learn more about the reporting process below.
Key dates in the reporting timeline
October 2020
Youth from the CHILD-BRIGHT community participate in the UN CRC Committee pre-session where they speak on topics of importance for children with disabilities in the context of children’s rights.
2021
A UN CRC Committee meeting with the Government of Canada (called a “constructive dialogue”) is planned but is postponed due to the pandemic.
March 2022
Colm and Sharon McCarry in front of Parliament Hill in Ottawa
The Canadian Civil Society Organizations, led by the Canadian Coalition on the Rights of Children, ask several partners to suggest groups of children and youth who should be engaged in a constructive dialogue with the Government of Canada. Youth from the CHILD-BRIGHT community also participate in these consultations with the Civil Society Organizations, including Colm McCarry.
Colm is 18 years old and identifies as an Autistic person with low vision in one eye and ADHD. He is a full-time student at the Ontario Virtual School completing grade 12, although he lives in Montreal, Quebec. He said:
“This was a very cool experience to be included in a group of young Canadians that were sharing their experiences and I felt heard. I felt we were all listening and so were the organizers. We weren’t just people with a diagnosis being asked to show up as a token group being scrutinized. I felt that there was hope that something positive will come out of our participation and maybe real changes will happen to consider the realness of mental health being an important part of everyone’s overall well-being. Mental health is health care, period.”
May 6, 2022
Keiko Shikako takes part in a meeting of a group of Canadian Civil Society Organizations and the UN CRC Committee. “In this meeting we impressed upon the committee that children with disabilities in Canada continue to face discrimination,” Keiko shared. “Data being collected at the federal level only reflects a small part of the reality of children, such as the number of children who have functional limitations, but not the impacts of these limitations on their ability to participate in school, play, and other fundamental areas of development.”
“During the pandemic, these inequalities were highlighted. For instance, in many of our research studies we saw that children with disabilities who receive all their health and rehabilitation services through schools were left with little or no accommodations and services. Considerations were also not taken in the return to school, leaving families and children without essential supports they needed. Mental health services for children with disabilities were also compromised. Families described how the pandemic impacted their child’s levels of anxiety and, in some cases, augmented behaviour issues.”
“Emergency responses should consider the specific needs of children with disabilities and their families. The Government of Canada should take advantage of the efforts being put towards the implementation and monitoring of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities along with the Convention on the Rights of Children to maximize opportunities and not duplicate efforts.”
May 17-18, 2022
The UN CRC Committee constructive dialogue with the Government of Canada, which had been postponed due to the pandemic, finally takes place. In this session, the Government of Canada meets with the UN CRC Committee and is asked about concrete actions that they have taken since the last report in 2020. These questions are important, as they will guide the development of a set of “Concluding Observations” for Canada, a document which then comes the reference point for another cycle of implementation of the rights of children. Some of the questions that are presented to the committee members through the PAR-KT lab report and during the session with the committee are asked by committee members to the Canadian government delegation.
How you can engage in the CRC reporting process
As a part of the childhood disability community, here are some steps you can take to engage in the CRC monitoring and reporting process:
Watch the Canada review session here;
If you hear anything that you think the PAR-KT lab should follow up on, or that misrepresents the particular needs of children and youth with disabilities, you can write to Keiko Shikako, who will be following up with the UN CRC Committee along with the Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children to address issues that come up during the review session;
Commit to reading the Concluding Observations that the UN CRC Committee will make to the Government of Canada after the review. This document can be used as a tool to keep the government accountable to policies that should be implemented to respond to the needs identified. It can also help guide research to respond to the human rights of children with disabilities and can inform clinical practice and community action towards creating a society that respects, promotes, and facilitates the fundamental rights of children with disabilities and their families to live happy, health, playful lives.
How you can learn more about the reporting process and Canada’s contribution
Read the full parallel report and consult the plain-language infographic summarizing the key points from the report.
Watch PAR-KT lab member and CHILD-BRIGHT patient-partner Rachel Marten’s TikTok about the May 17-18 meetings
For more on Canada’s contribution, you can view the List of issues in relation to the combined fifth and sixth reports of Canada, published by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, as well as the Consideration of State Reports and List of Issues Prior to Reporting (LOIPR) of all participating countries.
For more information on how the report process works and how to get involved, you can consult the CHILD-BRIGHT Policy Hub Infographic.