Disability in the Sustainable Development Goals: Critical Reflections

Call for Papers

Disability and the Global South
http://www.dgsjournal.org

Guest Editors: Hannah Kuper (International Centre for Evidence in Disability) and Shaun Grech (The Critical Institute)

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by the General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters on 25 September 2015. These goals will guide the development framework until 2030. The SDGs contain seven explicit references to persons with disabilities, including in relation to education, employment and disaggregation of data.

In February 2016 the International Centre for Evidence in Disability hosted a Symposium on “Disability in the SDGs: Forming Alliances and Building Evidence for the 2030 Agenda, together with CBM, Sightsavers, Handicap International and the International Committee of the Red Cross. This two day event attracted more than 250 delegates from across the world, who discussed a range of issues around disability in the SDGs.

Following on from this Symposium, this special issue seeks to open a space for critical debates and reflections on the issues and challenges of including disability within the SDGs. The overall aim is to question and challenge existing approaches to inclusion of disability in development initiatives, including how these initiatives are implemented for the different SDGs, if and how they impact people with disabilities, if/how inclusion can be measured and monitored, and how people with disabilities can be included in meaningful and non-disabling ways.

We are keen to bring together researchers, practitioners and activists to discuss and debate across and through the disability/SDGs intersection.  We welcome both theoretical and empirical work and encourage contributions exploring a range of themes including (not exclusively):

• Critical issues in including disability in the SDGs at policy and practice levels and possible impacts on people with disabilities
• Neoliberal global development and the possibilities of inclusive development and achievement of the SDGs
• Critical consideration of methods, approaches and discourse to disability measurement and inclusion
• Education and the SDGs: can we “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education” for people with disabilities?
• Health and the SDGs: the challenges of ensuring “healthy lives and promoting well-being” for people with disabilities.
• Poverty and the SDGs: livelihoods, social protection and initiatives to “End poverty in all its forms everywhere” inclusive of people with disabilities?
• Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR), inclusive development and connections with the SDGs
• Linkages between the CRPD and the SDGs

Those wishing to contribute, should submit the FULL ARTICLE to Shaun Grech (S.Grech@criticalinstitute.org) and Hannah Kuper (hannah.kuper@lshtm.ac.uk) by 15 October 2016 for first round reviews. Please insert ‘Submission: Disability in the SDGs: Special Issue’ in the subject line. 

Manuscripts will be sent anonymously for double peer review, and comments and recommendations relayed to authors through the editors.