The Deinstitutionalisation of Children with Disabilities in Times of Armed Conflict : The Russian Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine

This article investigates the deinstitutionalisation of children with disabilities in times of armed conflict, taking the situation in Ukraine as a case study. It argues that a proper implementation of the right to independent living involves adopting a human rights-based approach that considers all the socio-economic rights of children with disabilities with due regard for the knowledge and expertise existing within families. It highlights the importance of a community-based integration of education, health and social services as a pathway both to facilitate family reunification and resettlement and to avoid re-institutionalisation in the reconstruction process. The article uses the CRPD and CRC together with the recommendations of their respective Committees as normative framework, with a particular focus on the right to inclusive education, and relies on reports investigating the challenges faced by these families before and after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.