Research Guides: Disability Inclusion: Resources

UN Documents and Publications

UN Disability Inclusion Strategy

Read more about the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy on the UN website

Secretary-General’s report on the implementation of the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy
Publication Date: 2021
This is the first comprehensive report on steps taken by the United Nations system to mainstream disability inclusion and implement the Strategy since its launch. The report presents the system-wide efforts and collective commitments towards achieving transformative and lasting change for persons with disabilities within the organization.

UN Programme on Disability/Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD)

The UN Programme on Disability/Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD) falls within the Division for Social Inclusive Social Development (DISD) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)

The website of the SCRPD offers a great wealth of information and resources on disability issues and related national, regional and international programmes and activities, including:

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
Find translations and accessible versions, along with status and history of the text of the Convention. Also links to training materials about the CRPD.
Links to more Organizations of the UN System (via UN DESA)
Los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible y la discapacidad
Sitio web "Naciones Unidas Enable": Los derechos y la dignidad de las personas con discapacidad
Resources from the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Disability and Accessibility

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

International Principles and Guidelines on access to justice for persons with disabilities by Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities; Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Disability and Accessibility
Publication Date: 2020

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

3 December - International Day of Persons with Disabilities
The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.
UN News stories on "International Day of Persons with Disabilities"
Watch the Recording of the UN's Commemorative Event for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2020

Related Research Guides and Resource Lists

UNRIC Library Backgrounder: Disability
This list is available in English and French.
ILO Library Research Guide: Disability
This guide is available in English, French, and Spanish
Biblioteca CEPAL Biblioguias: Discapacidad e inclusión social
This guide is available in Spanish.

Featured Resource

Advancing Accessibility in our Digital Work
Watch the replay of "Advancing Accessibility in our Digital Work"
(This video plays in Microsoft Teams and includes auto-generated closed captioning.)

Download: Powerpoint Presentation Slides from the session "Advancing Accessibility in our Digital Work"

Learn More

Digital accessibility resources

Course: Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Accessibility (by Georgia Tech, on edX)
Self Paced Online Training on ICT Accessibility (by ITU)
Microsoft's collection of videos on accessibility
How to Meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
WebAIM - Web Accessibility for Designers
WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind) has provided comprehensive web accessibility solutions since 1999. These years of experience have made WebAIM one of the leading providers of web accessibility expertise internationally. WebAIM is a non-profit organization based at the Institute for Disability Research, Policy, and Practice at Utah State University.
Web Accessibility Tutorials Guidance on how to create websites that meet
WebAIM - Alternative Text
DIAGRAM Center - Image Description Guidelines
The DIAGRAM Center is a Benetech initiative supported by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (Cooperative Agreement #H327B150001).
Making Audio and Video Media Accessible
Creating Accessible Documents (by AccessGA)
Accessibility Guidelines for UN websites

Making online meetings and conferences more accessible

Accessible Online Participation Checklist
A suggested checklist for organizers running on accessible online meetings. It was put together by the Swedish Disability Rights Federation and shared by the European Disability Forum.

Tips videos from UN Geneva:

Additional Resources for UN Staff

Secretary-General’s bulletin Employment and accessibility for staff members with disabilities in the United Nations Secretariat
Call Number: ST/SGB/2014/3
Publication Date: 19 June 2014
Enhancing accessibility for persons with disabilities to conferences and meetings of the United Nations System by Gopinathan Achamkulangare, Joint Inspection Unit
Call Number: JIU/REP/2018/6
Publication Date: 2018

United Nations HR Portal - Resources on Disability Inclusion and Accessibility

Resources available to UN Staff in iSeek:

Disability Inclusion Toolkit (UN staff access via iSeek)
The Toolkit for the inclusion of persons with disabilities on iSeek contains practical guides, online tutorials and guidelines on a range of accessibility and disability inclusion topics. The toolkit includes Disability Inclusive Language Guidelines, which have been developed by UN Geneva colleagues, in consultation with subject-matter experts.
Disability Inclusive Language Guidelines (UN Geneva)
Available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish, these guidelines have been prepared by the United Nations Office at Geneva as part of efforts to implement the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy. The document contains recommendations that United Nations staff, experts and collaborators can use in their oral and written communications on disability or other subjects.
DMSPC Quick Guide to create accessible MS Word documents (UN Staff access via iSeek)
iSeek news and stories on the topic of Disability

Disability Inclusion