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"description": "Latest international disability inclusion news across 43 subjects",
"path": "/library/news-apr2026/",
"publishedAt": "2026-04-28T18:35:17.000Z",
"site": "https://www.disabilitydebrief.org",
"tags": [
"Library",
"country",
"“We used to live like kings”",
"Accessibility and Design",
"International News",
"Universal Accessibility Toolbox:",
"Morocco",
"Only 25% of Moroccan public administrations are inclusive,",
"Housing",
"Ethiopia",
"Rights on Paper, Barriers in Practice:",
"New Zealand",
"Disabled man’s wait for housing",
"Assistive Technology",
"Argentina",
"Monster Chair:",
"Palestine",
"Gaza's war amputees",
"COVID-19",
"Living with COVID-19",
"United States",
"Long COVID disability burden in US adults:",
"Civil Society and Community",
"Disability Focused Proms To Be Held Across Globe.",
"Iran",
"Escalation of State Killings, under Torture and Executions",
"Peru",
"Changing the Script:",
"United Kingdom",
"Engaging Local Creative Groups:",
"Fighting Cancer Has Given Me New Insights",
"How the term ‘neurodivergent’ moved",
"Power in Protest –",
"Zimbabwe",
"Disability, spirituality and the politics of belonging",
"Climate Crisis and Environment",
"Bangladesh",
"Extreme weather and sanitation in Bangladesh:",
"Conference of Parties (COP)",
"Who Gets to Shape the Future?",
"Communication and Language",
"What Deafness Can Teach Us",
"Sign Languages",
"ASL Interpreters Are Unionizing",
"Braille",
"France",
"Publishing of braille books threatened in France.",
"Conflict and Peace",
"We are never meant to run:",
"Lebanon",
"The ordeal of displaced people with disabilities.",
"Myanmar",
"‘Everything Has Gone Back’:",
"How the Iran conflict",
"Israel-Palestine Conflict",
"Gaza’s Amputation Crisis Deepens Amid Prosthetics Shortage:",
"Culture, Entertainment and Media",
"We're three years old...",
"The blind aesthetic:",
"People Like Us:",
"TV and Film",
"Bridgerton actor was told",
"Media",
"Made by humans, for humans.",
"The Global Directory",
"Australia",
"The media wants",
"Luxembourg",
"One Centimetre at a Time:",
"Data and Research",
"Europe",
"Living with disability in Europe:",
"From Data to Dignity 2026.",
"Digital Accessibility and Technology",
"One Week with NVDA:",
"Artificial Intelligence",
"Malice as modernization:",
"Social Media",
"Instagram investigating AI profiles",
"Disaster Risk Reduction and Crisis Response",
"“Work with us, from the start”:",
"Economics and Social Protection",
"Funding the ADA’s Promise.",
"Zambia",
"Disability budget analysis in Zambia.",
"Social Protection",
"Disability community 'scared'",
"More than 160,000 people",
"NDIS eligibility will be based on ‘functional capacity’,",
"If we “can’t afford” the NDIS,",
"When “Natural Supports” Aren’t Natural at All:",
"Tanzania",
"Impacts of the “Ujana Salama” Cash Plus Program",
"Impacts of the “Ujana Salama” Cash Plus programme",
"Ukraine",
"Wanted to buy a fake disability for 6,000 US dollars",
"Ukraine's Defense Ministry Announces",
"‘A cruel penalty’:",
"Trump SSI Rule Change",
"“In the last year, it’s gotten a lot worse”.",
"KU study tracks 43 years",
"Nation's Disability Services System",
"Education and Childhood",
"South Sudan",
"Accessible learning for all:",
"What are the Send changes in England",
"Higher Education",
"Indonesia",
"Survey of Lecturers with Disabilities",
"These blind students say their college blocked their education.",
"Accessibility Isn’t the Problem. Exam Design Is.",
"Employment, Business and Work",
"Millions of Workers Have Energy Limiting Conditions.",
"Government commits to introducing",
"New Data Show Unemployment Rising",
"“They Attend Strictly to Their Own Business”:",
"Gender Equality and Women with Disabilities",
"Gender Mainstreaming Package:",
"A Crip and Lesbian Perspective on Disability Rights:",
"Scottish Trans and Non-binary Experiences Report:",
"Health",
"Separating disability stigma from health stigma:",
"Road Traffic Accidents and Disability:",
"A new diagnosis of ‘profound autism’ is on the cards.",
"Inequalities in health and healthcare utilization",
"South Korea",
"Disability inclusion in health data systems and policy in Korea:",
"Maternal decision-making through temporal uncertainties:",
"Should the Autism Spectrum Be Split Apart?",
"History and Memorial",
"Canada",
"History in 60:",
"Greece",
"Disassembled Cyborgs:",
"Michael Campbell:",
"Graham Findlay,",
"From Amputee to Author:",
"Alice Wong showed us",
"A Michigan man built a life-changing mobility device for his wife",
"Giving Alice Wong Her Flowers.",
"part 2",
"part 3",
"What were the Experiences of Disabled People",
"Celebration of Life",
"These “Children Won’t Become Women”:",
"Reassessing Helen Keller’s Reform Writings:",
"Humanitarian, Migrants and Refugees",
"Humanitarian Reset",
"Protection Sector Weekly Response Sitrep.",
"Disability Emergency Checklist",
"Migration",
"Experiences of Asian mothers of children with disability",
"Nurul Amin Shah Alam’s Death",
"Hayward family, including deaf child",
"Disabled Organizers",
"Independent Living and Deinstitutionalization",
"Austria",
"Nuns who broke back into their Austrian convent",
"Conditions in Institutions",
"Mexico",
"“Grave and Systemic”:",
"Massachusetts Unseals Records of Abuse",
"How involuntary commitment could become indefinite detention.",
"International Cooperation",
"Building Disability-Inclusive Futures",
"Justice Systems and Legal Capacity",
"Venezuela",
"Autism in prison:",
"Lived Experience and Opinion",
"How do I know if I'm being used?",
"Nihal, Child of the Moon:",
"The 'Paperwork Flood':",
"Mental Health",
"Report: Rethink To Rebuild:",
"Mobility, Travel, Transport and Tourism",
"People with Disabilities and Transport Access:",
"$3000 fines for cab drivers",
"Air Travel",
"Airbus Wheelchair Securement System",
"First Look:",
"Dear Vueling:",
"For disabled fliers, hope took wing.",
"Policy and Rights",
"Egypt",
"Details of the National Strategy",
"Three great reasons to",
"Assisted Dying and Euthanasia",
"Alberta bill will ban MAID for all non-terminal conditions and minors:",
"India",
"All you need to know about: passive euthanasia.",
"Italy",
"First assisted suicide",
"Politics and Elections",
"Will disability rights be finally delivered?",
"Netherlands",
"Thousands of Dutch polling stations",
"Protect Voting Rights for People with Disabilities.",
"Relationships, Sex and Reproductive Rights",
"Disability, intimacy, emotional and sexual life:",
"Germany",
"Will There Be No More Disabled Children Born In The Future?",
"Sport and Paralympics",
"Winter Para Sport Explainers.",
"Angola",
"Wheelchair basketball:",
"The Paralympic Village",
"Japan",
"Tokyo Deaflympics 2025 leaves lasting boost for accessible tourism.",
"We're Not Winning Because We're Not Investing.",
"Violence and Harassment",
"Woman kept in ‘Dickensian’ servitude",
"Water and Sanitation (WASH)"
],
"textContent": "**Library > April 2026**\n\n_This page is organized by subject, you can also see links organized by country._\n\nThis update has 125 curated links from 36 countries and regions, organized across 43 subjects.\n\nFor discussion and reaction, see “We used to live like kings”.\n\n# Contents\n\n * Accessibility and Design\n * Assistive Technology\n * COVID-19\n * Civil Society and Community\n * Climate Crisis and Environment\n * Communication and Language\n * Conflict and Peace\n * Culture, Entertainment and Media\n * Data and Research\n * Digital Accessibility and Technology\n * Disaster Risk Reduction and Crisis Response\n * Economics and Social Protection\n * Education and Childhood\n * Employment, Business and Work\n * Gender Equality and Women with Disabilities\n * Health\n * History and Memorial\n * Humanitarian, Migrants and Refugees\n * Independent Living and Deinstitutionalization\n * International Cooperation\n * Justice Systems and Legal Capacity\n * Lived Experience and Opinion\n * Mental Health\n * Mobility, Travel, Transport and Tourism\n * Policy and Rights\n * Politics and Elections\n * Relationships, Sex and Reproductive Rights\n * Sport and Paralympics\n * Violence and Harassment\n * Water and Sanitation (WASH)\n\n\n\n## Accessibility and Design\n\n### Overview\n\n#### International News\n\nUniversal Accessibility Toolbox: “a comprehensive resource designed to support the integration of UA into infrastructure projects across the following key sectors – urban development, disaster risk management, transport, water, and digital development.” (Feb, World Bank)\n\n#### Morocco\n\nOnly 25% of Moroccan public administrations are inclusive, according to a new study:\n\n> “barely 26% of public administrations have a regulatory framework or formalized guidelines governing the accessibility of services for people with disabilities. Furthermore, basic equipment, particularly adapted sanitary facilities and accessible signage, remains insufficient, especially near the main entrances of administrative buildings.” (In French, Mar, le360)\n\n### Housing\n\n#### Ethiopia\n\nRights on Paper, Barriers in Practice: Inside Ethiopia’s broken housing registration system for persons with disabilities. (Mar, Addis Standard)\n\n#### New Zealand\n\nDisabled man’s wait for housing finally over - 'it's taken its toll'. (Apr, 1News)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Assistive Technology\n\n#### Argentina\n\nMonster Chair: A giant wheelchair taking on accessibility barriers in Argentina. (Apr, Roastbrief US)\n\n#### Palestine\n\nGaza's war amputees short of prostheses under Israeli restrictions. (Apr, Reuters)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## COVID-19\n\n### Living with COVID-19\n\n#### United States\n\nLong COVID disability burden in US adults:\n\n> “Long COVID’s disability burden rivals that of Alzheimer’s and asthma. Yet Long COVID receives only 14% of its YLD-proportionate funding—$106 million instead of $739.8 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Conditions affecting mostly men receive 5.2 times more funding/YLD than those affecting mostly women.” (Mar, Communications Medicine)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Civil Society and Community\n\n#### International News\n\nDisability Focused Proms To Be Held Across Globe.\n\n> ‘Over 950 churches in all 50 states and more than 70 countries are hosting the events this Friday as part of “Night to Shine,” an annual series of proms put on by the Tim Tebow Foundation.’ (Feb, Disability Scoop)\n\n#### Iran\n\nEscalation of State Killings, under Torture and Executions including of Hossein Ghavi, a person with a physical disability. (Apr, Iran HRM)\n\n#### Peru\n\nChanging the Script: A Story of Self-Advocacy in Peru. (Mar, Mad Thinking)\n\n#### United Kingdom\n\nEngaging Local Creative Groups: A Toolkit for Disabled People's Organisations (DPOs). (Feb, Disability Rights UK)\n\n#### United States\n\nFighting Cancer Has Given Me New Insights on the Anti-Fascist Challenge We Face: “To resist authoritarianism, our work must be deeply relational. We must act even in uncertainty. Nurturing builds power.” (Mar, Truthout)\n\nHow the term ‘neurodivergent’ moved from activists to pop culture — and politics. (Mar, The 19th News)\n\nPower in Protest – toolkit about demonstrations and civil disobedience. (Mar, ASAN)\n\n#### Zimbabwe\n\nDisability, spirituality and the politics of belonging in postcolonial Zimbabwe. “The study concludes that belonging and belongingness of PWD should be within the grassroots movements and Ubuntu ethics, which encourage humaneness.” (Jan, African Journal of Disability)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Climate Crisis and Environment\n\n### Overview\n\n#### Bangladesh\n\nExtreme weather and sanitation in Bangladesh: a mixed-methods study of lived experiences of people with disabilities:\n\n> “When I was going to the latrine with my crutch, my leg slipped, and I fell in the mud. Then, there was a brick on the ground, and my amputated leg side fell on that brick. I cut the upper part of the amputated leg, and blood came out. I used a plastic pot for my toileting at that time, and my mother or wife cleaned it after defecation and urination.” (Apr, The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia)\n\n### Conference of Parties (COP)\n\n#### International News\n\nWho Gets to Shape the Future? A historic win for persons with disabilities: reflections on the formal recognition of the Disability Caucus within the UNFCCC. (Mar, Portal Psiloba)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Communication and Language\n\n### Overview\n\n#### United States\n\nWhat Deafness Can Teach Us About Being ‘Articulate’. Interview with Rachel Kolb. (Mar, Emory Magazine)\n\n### Sign Languages\n\n#### United States\n\nASL Interpreters Are Unionizing —And They Say They’re Getting Fired for It. (Mar, Mother Jones)\n\n### Braille\n\n#### France\n\nPublishing of braille books threatened in France. (In French, Feb, Handicap.fr)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Conflict and Peace\n\n### Overview\n\n#### Iran\n\nWe are never meant to run: Disabled people during the Iran war:\n\n> “For instance, on March 10, air strikes in Alborz Province heavily damaged a residential facility that housed 80 children (under 14) with learning disabilities. All children had to be transferred to other centres. On March 12, a specialist hospital for disabled people in Ahvaz was damaged due to an airstrike on the nearby buildings. According to the State Welfare Organisation of Iran (the government agency in charge of disability support services), so far, 30,000 households with disabled people have been directly impacted, 41 homes have been completely destroyed and 915 homes have sustained damage, with the extent of the damage ranging from 5% to 50%. Two disabled people in State care have died in Ilam Province in western Iran.” (Mar, The D*List)\n\n#### Lebanon\n\nThe ordeal of displaced people with disabilities. “We used to live like kings in our homes. Our lives have become a living hell.” (In French, Apr, Handicap.fr)\n\n#### Myanmar\n\n‘Everything Has Gone Back’: How Myanmar’s 2021 Military Coup Reversed Hard-Won Disability Reforms and Pushed Advocates Underground. (Feb, Disability Justice Project)\n\n#### New Zealand\n\nHow the Iran conflict is impacting disabled communities in Aotearoa - and what we can do about. (Mar, The D*List)\n\n### Israel-Palestine Conflict\n\n#### Palestine\n\nGaza’s Amputation Crisis Deepens Amid Prosthetics Shortage:\n\n> “The prosthetics sector inside Gaza is under immense pressure. Only nine prosthetists are currently active in the territory, one of them working for Humanity & Inclusion. This is far below what is needed to meet demand. Restrictions on the entry of international specialists have further limited technical support and training for local teams.” (Apr, Humanity & Inclusion)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Culture, Entertainment and Media\n\n### Overview\n\n#### New Zealand\n\nWe're three years old... is The D*List what we thought it would be? (Mar, The D*List)\n\n#### United Kingdom\n\nThe blind aesthetic: What I’ve learned about beauty from blind sculptors and friends. (Mar, Body Babble)\n\nPeople Like Us: Filling the Gaps Through Portraits of Disabled Activism. (Mar, Disability Arts Online)\n\n### TV and Film\n\n#### United Kingdom\n\nBridgerton actor was told her disability would hold her back before Netflix role. Profile of Gracie McGonigal. (Mar, BBC)\n\n### Media\n\n#### International News\n\nMade by humans, for humans. Why Disability Debrief doesn’t use AI (and when it does):\n\n> ‘I think the wider disability community needs to be cautious too. Sharing our lived experience is an essential part of our advocacy, and if we undermine it with reckless use of AI tools, we undermine our mantra of “nothing about us without us”.’ (Apr, Disability Debrief)\n\nThe Global Directory of Disabled News Media Professionals. (Reframing Disability)\n\n#### Australia\n\nThe media wants disabled people to be locked inside until they die:\n\n> “In a country where billionaires avoid tax, fossil fuel companies avoid tax, social media companies avoid tax and media empires avoid tax, apparently the real strain on taxpayer money is disabled people who have the nerve to want to be alive.” (Mar, The Shot)\n\n#### Luxembourg\n\nOne Centimetre at a Time: How a Luxembourg Podcast Demonstrated Practical Disability Inclusion. (Mar, Reframing Disability)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Data and Research\n\n#### Europe\n\nLiving with disability in Europe: what open data shows:\n\n> “People with disabilities are more exposed to poverty and less likely to be employed, but higher public spending does not always translate into better outcomes.” (Feb, data.europa.eu)\n\n#### New Zealand\n\nFrom Data to Dignity 2026. Health and wellbeing indicators for New Zealanders with intellectual disability: “People with intellectual disability live on average 17 years less than the general population” (Feb, ihc)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Digital Accessibility and Technology\n\n### Overview\n\n#### United States\n\nOne Week with NVDA: A JAWS User’s Immersion Journey. (Feb, Blind Access Journal)\n\n### Artificial Intelligence\n\n#### International News\n\nMade by humans, for humans. Why Disability Debrief doesn’t use AI (and when it does):\n\n> ‘I think the wider disability community needs to be cautious too. Sharing our lived experience is an essential part of our advocacy, and if we undermine it with reckless use of AI tools, we undermine our mantra of “nothing about us without us”.’ (Apr, Disability Debrief)\n\n#### United States\n\nMalice as modernization: Twenty-first century eugenics, AI, Project 2025, and disability. (Feb, First Monday)\n\n### Social Media\n\n#### International News\n\nInstagram investigating AI profiles 'fetishising' disabled people. (Feb, BBC)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Disaster Risk Reduction and Crisis Response\n\n#### Myanmar\n\n“Work with us, from the start”: what inclusive recovery means for women with disabilities in Myanmar, after the 2025 earthquake. (Apr, UN Women)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Economics and Social Protection\n\n### Overview\n\n#### United States\n\nFunding the ADA’s Promise. Why Disability Access Requires Investment Across Systems. (Mar, New America)\n\n#### Zambia\n\nDisability budget analysis in Zambia. “Zambia has made important progress in increasing public expenditure on disability inclusion in recent years.” (Feb, UNICEF)\n\n### Social Protection\n\n#### Australia\n\nDisability community 'scared' by dramatic NDIS changes:\n\n> “Mr Butler announced a major overhaul of the NDIS to slash the growth of the scheme and reduce the number of participants from 760,000 to around 600,000 by the end of the decade.” (Apr, ABC News)\n\nMore than 160,000 people to be kicked off NDIS as government overhauls eligibility test. (Apr, ABC News)\n\nNDIS eligibility will be based on ‘functional capacity’, not diagnostic labels. But what does that mean? (Apr, the Conversation)\n\nIf we “can’t afford” the NDIS, what can we afford? (Apr, Powerd Media)\n\n#### New Zealand\n\nWhen “Natural Supports” Aren’t Natural at All:\n\n> “Many disabled people want to be supported by their whānau. Many whānau want to provide that care. The issue is not willingness. The issue is whether the State will continue to depend on that willingness while refusing to resource it. Because if it does, we need to stop calling it “natural supports.” And start calling it what it is, a system built on unpaid labour, despite the law increasingly recognising that labour as work.” (Apr, Huhana Hickey)\n\n#### Tanzania\n\nImpacts of the “Ujana Salama” Cash Plus Program Across Multiple Domains of Well-Being for Adolescents With and Without Disability: Results of a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial in Tanzania:\n\n> “For adolescents with disabilities, this expanded intervention increased their participation in farm work and reduced experiences of sexual violence and showed some positive trends toward improving self-rated health.” (Mar, Journal of Adolescent Health)\n\nImpacts of the “Ujana Salama” Cash Plus programme on well-being for adolescents with and without disability, an evidence brief. (Feb, LSHTM)\n\n#### Ukraine\n\nWanted to buy a fake disability for 6,000 US dollars – a colonel of the National Guard was detained. (Mar, Prosecutor General's Office)\n\nUkraine's Defense Ministry Announces One-Time Disability Compensation: Eligibility and Payment Details. (Mar, 112.ua)\n\n#### United Kingdom\n\n‘A cruel penalty’: disabled people face lower benefit payments if conditions not deemed lifelong. (Mar, the Guardian)\n\n#### United States\n\nTrump SSI Rule Change Targets Disabled Adults Who Live With Families. (Apr, ProPublica)\n\n“In the last year, it’s gotten a lot worse”. A Qualitative Investigation of Barriers to Disability Benefits in 2025:\n\n> “Although navigating SSA’s complex rules has always required determination, respondents told us that changes initiated by the second Trump administration in 2025 have undermined their sense that persistence and deep knowledge of program rules could eventually make the system work. They described how longstanding challenges, such as application processing delays, understaffing, and long wait times on the phone and in the field office, have intensified. In addition to this worsening of long-term issues, respondents described rapidly changing policies, unprecedented errors, and pervasive chaos to a degree that longtime service providers had never seen before.” (Mar, DREDF)\n\nKU study tracks 43 years of intellectual and developmental disability funding trends:\n\n> “Of the FY23 total of $105 billion, State of the States researchers showed that the federal government spent $60.2 billion, states spent $43 billion, and local programs spent $1.37 billion on programs that help support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.” (Mar, KU News)\n\nNation's Disability Services System Faces 'Unprecedented' Threats. (Mar, Disability Scoop)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Education and Childhood\n\n### Overview\n\n#### South Sudan\n\nAccessible learning for all: first inclusive education hub opens in South Sudan. (Mar, Light for the World International)\n\n#### United Kingdom\n\nWhat are the Send changes in England likely to cost and what are the hurdles? (Feb, the Guardian)\n\n### Higher Education\n\n#### Indonesia\n\nSurvey of Lecturers with Disabilities Reveals Indonesian Campuses Are Still Far from Inclusive. (Feb, Universitas Gadjah Mada)\n\n#### United States\n\nThese blind students say their college blocked their education. A new rule could help. (Apr, NPR)\n\nAccessibility Isn’t the Problem. Exam Design Is. Thoughtful reflections on the increase and risks of accommodations in exams:\n\n> “Grades should reflect mastery of course material. As such, timed assessments are only one tool — sometimes a good one, sometimes a poor one — to measure that mastery. In some contexts, time pressure is meaningful. If it takes a student four hours to translate a sentence in French, their fluency is certainly in question. In other contexts, speed is incidental. In many advanced problem-solving settings, arriving at the correct method and justification matters more than racing against the clock.” (Feb, Harvard Crimson)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Employment, Business and Work\n\n#### United Kingdom\n\nMillions of Workers Have Energy Limiting Conditions. Why Aren’t We Designing for Them? (Mar, Disability Insight)\n\nGovernment commits to introducing mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers. (Mar, GOV.UK)\n\n#### United States\n\nNew Data Show Unemployment Rising for Black and Asian Disabled Workers Amid Trump's Attacks. (Mar, National Partnership for Women & Families)\n\n“They Attend Strictly to Their Own Business”: Disability and the Construction of the Worker-Citizen. (Feb, American Political Science Review)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Gender Equality and Women with Disabilities\n\n#### Europe\n\nGender Mainstreaming Package: Gender Equality must be part of every aspect of our movement. (Mar, EDF)\n\nA Crip and Lesbian Perspective on Disability Rights: New EL*C Research Report:\n\n> “The persistent marginalisation documented in this report does not merely point to a lack of legal standards, but rather to the need for a more consistent, intersectional and transformative interpretation of existing ones. Strengthening this reading of the CRPD requires not only action at the national level, but also supportive and coherent policy engagement at the EU level, particularly to enhance how gender mainstreaming is applied within disability policies and how disability perspectives are integrated within broader gender, LGBTIQ and equality frameworks” (EuroCentralAsian Lesbian Community)\n\n#### United Kingdom\n\nScottish Trans and Non-binary Experiences Report:\n\n> ‘61% of people had avoided at least one public service for fear of being harassed, read as trans, or being outed, and just over half (54%) had has at least one negative experience in a public service.’ (Mar, Scottish Trans)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Health\n\n#### International News\n\nSeparating disability stigma from health stigma: implications for health and rehabilitation research and practice. (Apr, Disability and Rehabilitation)\n\nRoad Traffic Accidents and Disability: A global health concern:\n\n> “When asked why they had not previously considered people disabled in an RTA, the Road Traffic Safety experts interviewed reported assuming some disability organization, government program or medical service would be there to help. Disability experts had not considered the psychological, social and economic implications of being faced with sudden catastrophic disability and assumed that their experiences were no different than that of people disabled through other causes.” (Social Science & Medicine)\n\n#### Australia\n\nA new diagnosis of ‘profound autism’ is on the cards. Here’s what could change. (Feb, The Conversation)\n\n#### Ethiopia\n\nInequalities in health and healthcare utilization among people with disabilities in Ethiopia: evidence from the 2021/2022 Ethiopian Socio-Economic Panel Survey:\n\n> “People with disabilities in Ethiopia had greater healthcare needs than people without disabilities, which were not fully matched by increased levels of healthcare utilization, and they incurred higher healthcare costs, indicating systemic inequalities in health.” (Feb, Disability and Rehabilitation)\n\n#### South Korea\n\nDisability inclusion in health data systems and policy in Korea: time for action:\n\n> “In Korea, despite having a well-established administrative infrastructure—most notably the Korean National Disability Registration System—disability-inclusive health data remain limited.” (Jan, Health Affairs Scholar)\n\n#### United Kingdom\n\nMaternal decision-making through temporal uncertainties: The anticipatory biopolitics of Vosoritide in dwarfism communities. (Social Science & Medicine)\n\n#### United States\n\nLong COVID disability burden in US adults:\n\n> “Long COVID’s disability burden rivals that of Alzheimer’s and asthma. Yet Long COVID receives only 14% of its YLD-proportionate funding—$106 million instead of $739.8 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Conditions affecting mostly men receive 5.2 times more funding/YLD than those affecting mostly women.” (Mar, Communications Medicine)\n\nShould the Autism Spectrum Be Split Apart? “Families of people with severe autism say the repeated expansion of the diagnosis pushed them to the sidelines.” (2025, New York Times)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## History and Memorial\n\n#### Canada\n\nHistory in 60: Disability rights in Canada TV Series. (Jan, H60)\n\n#### Greece\n\nDisassembled Cyborgs: Interpreting Cretan Warriorhood and War Booty through Disability Theory with Jesse Obert:\n\n> “As a heuristic device, the cyborg works well for ancient Crete. Warriors used their metal armor to protect and accentuate their bodies, but when they lost their armor to rival warriors, they were symbolically disassembled and dismembered, failing to actuate the great cybernetic warriors that they claimed to be.” (Jan, Peopling the Past)\n\n#### United Kingdom\n\nMichael Campbell: Actor with MND who won top award for playing Richard III dies. (Apr, BBC)\n\nGraham Findlay, a tireless and influential advocate for disabled people’s rights, died on 4th February 2026. (Feb, Inclusive Design)\n\nFrom Amputee to Author: Shadrack Byfield and the Making of a War of 1812 Veteran. (Jan, Journal of British Studies)\n\n#### United States\n\nAlice Wong showed us Disability Justice makes our advocacy stronger. (Apr, The Sick Times)\n\nA Michigan man built a life-changing mobility device for his wife — then the world took notice. Obituary of Allan \"Al\" Thieme, who invented a mobility scooter. (Mar, MLive)\n\nGiving Alice Wong Her Flowers. A series gathering memories of Alice. See also part 2 and part 3. (Mar, Disabled Journalists Association)\n\nWhat were the Experiences of Disabled People during WWII Incarceration of Japanese Americans? (Feb, Densho)\n\n“They Attend Strictly to Their Own Business”: Disability and the Construction of the Worker-Citizen. (Feb, American Political Science Review)\n\nCelebration of Life of Alice Wong. (Feb, Disability Visibility Project)\n\nThese “Children Won’t Become Women”: Depo-Provera, Intellectual Disability, and the Indian Health Service:\n\n> “Beyond its utility as a contraceptive, many physicians and institutional administrators saw Depo-Provera as a treatment for menstrual anxiety, a reprieve for care workers, a non-surgical substitute for sterilization, and a delayer of puberty for women with intellectual disabilities.” (Jan, History of Medicine and Allied Sciences)\n\nReassessing Helen Keller’s Reform Writings: Disability And Gender In Progressive Era American Feminism (1900-1960). (Jan, ASJP)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Humanitarian, Migrants and Refugees\n\n### Overview\n\n#### International News\n\nHumanitarian Reset and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) meeting – Summary Report. (Mar, Disability Reference Group)\n\n#### Lebanon\n\nProtection Sector Weekly Response Sitrep. Features the work of the Friends of the Disabled Association:\n\n> “In the context of Lebanon’s ongoing crisis, FDA has expanded its emergency response to assist displaced persons with disabilities and their families by providing shelter, rehabilitation services, psychosocial support, and coordination with humanitarian actors to ensure access to assistive devices and specialized care. Since the onset of the emergency, FDA hosts 18 displaced families (60 individuals, including 11 persons with disabilities).” (Apr, Relief Web)\n\nDisability Emergency Checklist “essential guidelines and outlining the minimum standards that must be ensured in any emergency situation in Lebanon.” (Mar, Disability Hub)\n\n### Migration\n\n#### International News\n\nExperiences of Asian mothers of children with disability who migrated to Western countries: a systematic review of qualitative studies. (Jan, Disability and Rehabilitation)\n\n#### United States\n\nNurul Amin Shah Alam’s Death Was a Homicide. (Apr, Mother Jones)\n\nHayward family, including deaf child deported to Colombia. (Mar, KTVU FOX 2)\n\nDisabled Organizers Are Facing Down Trump’s Immigration Crackdown. (Mar, Truthout)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Independent Living and Deinstitutionalization\n\n### Overview\n\n#### Austria\n\nNuns who broke back into their Austrian convent ‘are step closer to being able to stay’. (Apr, the Guardian)\n\n### Conditions in Institutions\n\n#### Mexico\n\n“Grave and Systemic”: UN Exposes abuse against people with disabilities in institutions. (Mar, Disability Rights International)\n\n#### United States\n\nMassachusetts Unseals Records of Abuse of Disabled People in State Institutions. (Mar, Truthout)\n\nHow involuntary commitment could become indefinite detention. “Federal authorities should not be able to turn civil commitment into a life sentence for anyone the government deems inconvenient.” (Feb, Reason)\n\nThese “Children Won’t Become Women”: Depo-Provera, Intellectual Disability, and the Indian Health Service:\n\n> “Beyond its utility as a contraceptive, many physicians and institutional administrators saw Depo-Provera as a treatment for menstrual anxiety, a reprieve for care workers, a non-surgical substitute for sterilization, and a delayer of puberty for women with intellectual disabilities.” (Jan, History of Medicine and Allied Sciences)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## International Cooperation\n\n#### International News\n\nBuilding Disability-Inclusive Futures a special issue dedicated to insights and lessons from international programmes on disability. (Mar, IDS Bulletin)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Justice Systems and Legal Capacity\n\n#### Venezuela\n\nAutism in prison: an invisible population within the Venezuelan prison system. (In Spanish, Apr, La Patilla)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Lived Experience and Opinion\n\n#### International News\n\nHow do I know if I'm being used? Advice on ableism, friendship and mobility aids from an Agony Aunt in Agony. (Apr, Disability Debrief)\n\n#### France\n\nNihal, Child of the Moon: how she lives with extreme UV sensitivity. (Mar, the Guardian)\n\n#### United States\n\nThe 'Paperwork Flood': How I Drowned a Bureaucrat before dinner. (Mar, Sightless Scribbles)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Mental Health\n\n#### Europe\n\nReport: Rethink To Rebuild: Towards Rights-Based and Gender-Just Mental Health Systems in Europe. (Mar, Mental Health Europe)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Mobility, Travel, Transport and Tourism\n\n### Overview\n\n#### International News\n\nPeople with Disabilities and Transport Access: “Provisions to ensure transport access must be integrated systematically into the design and implementation of disability-inclusive development programmes”. (IDS Bulletin)\n\n#### Australia\n\n$3000 fines for cab drivers “who refuse to accept travel subsidy dockets and cards from passengers with disability or rip off passengers who use a wheelchair”. (Mar, NSW Government)\n\n### Air Travel\n\n#### International News\n\nAirbus Wheelchair Securement System Becomes First to Fly. (Apr, Wheelchair Travel)\n\nFirst Look: Airplane Lavatory with Adult Changing Table. (Apr, Wheelchair Travel)\n\n#### Europe\n\nDear Vueling: A Broken Wheelchair Demands Accountability—Not a Look Under My Skirt. (Apr, Tanzila Khan)\n\n#### United States\n\nFor disabled fliers, hope took wing. Then Trump returned to office. (Mar, Los Angeles Times)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Policy and Rights\n\n### Overview\n\n#### Egypt\n\nDetails of the National Strategy for Empowering Persons with Disabilities 2026-2030. (In Arabic, Mar, Youm7)\n\n#### Europe\n\nThree great reasons to create the European Agency for Accessibility. (Mar, EDF)\n\n### Assisted Dying and Euthanasia\n\n#### Canada\n\nAlberta bill will ban MAID for all non-terminal conditions and minors:\n\n> “The bill would also prohibit physicians and other health-care professionals from initiating unsolicited conversations about MAID with patients, and from referring individuals to receive euthanasia outside the province, and would also ban advertisements for MAID in hospitals.” (Mar, National Post)\n\n#### India\n\nAll you need to know about: passive euthanasia. The principles of passive euthanasia have been practically applied by the apex court for the first time. (Mar, The Hindu)\n\n#### Italy\n\nFirst assisted suicide with an eye-activated device made by the CNR. (Mar, Il Sole)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Politics and Elections\n\n#### Bangladesh\n\nWill disability rights be finally delivered? “BNP’s election manifesto—specifically pledging to advance disability rights and the existing legislation about disability—signals hope.” (Mar, The Daily Star)\n\n#### Netherlands\n\nThousands of Dutch polling stations fail accessibility standards. (Mar, NL Times)\n\n#### United States\n\nProtect Voting Rights for People with Disabilities. Congress is considering several bills right now that could make voter registration more difficult for many Americans, including millions of voters with disabilities. (Mar, Disability Belongs)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Relationships, Sex and Reproductive Rights\n\n#### France\n\nDisability, intimacy, emotional and sexual life: a government plan lacking scope and boldness. (In France, Feb, APF France Handicap)\n\n#### Germany\n\nWill There Be No More Disabled Children Born In The Future? “Until a 1995 reform, in Germany, it was allowed to abort a fetus purely because of a diagnosed disability. The law was repealed, but in practice, not much has changed.” (2025, Global Disability News Network)\n\n#### United States\n\nThese “Children Won’t Become Women”: Depo-Provera, Intellectual Disability, and the Indian Health Service:\n\n> “Beyond its utility as a contraceptive, many physicians and institutional administrators saw Depo-Provera as a treatment for menstrual anxiety, a reprieve for care workers, a non-surgical substitute for sterilization, and a delayer of puberty for women with intellectual disabilities.” (Jan, History of Medicine and Allied Sciences)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Sport and Paralympics\n\n#### International News\n\nWinter Para Sport Explainers. Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. (Animated video, Mar, Channel 4 Sport)\n\n#### Angola\n\nWheelchair basketball: absence of the public takes the shine off the competition. (In Portuguese, Mar, Jornal de Angola)\n\n#### Italy\n\nThe Paralympic Village Was Proof That Truly Accessible Cities Can and Should Exist. (Mar, Teen Vogue)\n\n#### Japan\n\nTokyo Deaflympics 2025 leaves lasting boost for accessible tourism. “Tokyo is gradually becoming more accessible, with major hotels, museums and transportation hubs introducing visual alert systems, such as vibration alarms, and staff receiving basic sign language training.” (Feb, TTG Asia)\n\n#### United States\n\nWe're Not Winning Because We're Not Investing. What the 2026 Winter Paralympics Reveals About How the United States Values Disabled Athletes. (Mar, Kara Ayers)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Violence and Harassment\n\n#### United Kingdom\n\nWoman kept in ‘Dickensian’ servitude for 25 years speaks out as abuser jailed. (Mar, the Guardian)\n\n_Back tocontents._\n\n## Water and Sanitation (WASH)\n\n#### Bangladesh\n\nExtreme weather and sanitation in Bangladesh: a mixed-methods study of lived experiences of people with disabilities:\n\n> “When I was going to the latrine with my crutch, my leg slipped, and I fell in the mud. Then, there was a brick on the ground, and my amputated leg side fell on that brick. I cut the upper part of the amputated leg, and blood came out. I used a plastic pot for my toileting at that time, and my mother or wife cleaned it after defecation and urination.” (Apr, The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia)\n\n_Back tocontents._",
"title": "Disability news, April 2026, by subject",
"updatedAt": "2026-04-29T15:41:14.760Z"
}