Networking with the disability community at the 2025 Global Disability Summit

Berlin, Germany – June 2025

At the recent Global Disability Summit (GDS 2025) in Berlin, the Centre for Healthy Start Initiative (HSI) proudly joined a global network of practitioners, researchers, advocates, and funders committed to advancing disability inclusion especially for children in low- and middle-income countries.

As part of this engagement, Dr. Bolajoko Olusanya, Executive Director of HSI, co-authored a powerful viewpoint published in BMJ Paediatrics Open. The article explores how current global efforts while well-intentioned often overlook the critical early years where interventions for children with disabilities can have the greatest long-term impact

Building Stronger Global Networks

At GDS 2025, HSI actively engaged with:

• Disability-focused NGOs and early childhood advocates

• UNICEF representatives involved in assistive technology deployment

• Researchers and funders interested in hearing loss, early screening, and inclusive health systems

• Stakeholders calling for stronger integration of early childhood disability care in development policies

These conversations underscored a shared concern: while inclusive education and assistive devices are gaining traction, the global community must prioritize early intervention to prevent avoidable disability and support lifelong inclusion.

“We cannot talk about inclusive education without first talking about early childhood development,” said Dr. Olusanya, emphasizing that school readiness begins at birth, not in the classroom.

What HSI Advocated For

From Nigeria to Nepal, children with disabilities often fall through the cracks due to:

• Lack of universal screening for conditions like hearing loss and cerebral palsy

• Weak community-level health systems for early intervention

• Limited parental awareness and few cross-sector pathways for support

HSI used the summit to advocate for a unified global strategy that brings together governments, funders, and practitioners to embed disability-inclusive approaches from birth through age five.

The article calls urgent attention to the critical gaps in early detection and intervention for children with disabilities globally particularly in low- and middle-income countries and challenges major development actors to rethink their current priorities.

Key Takeaways from the Article:

• Despite over 240 million children living with disabilities, early childhood development (ECD) remains underrepresented in global policy and summit pledges.

• Only a small fraction of Global Disability Summit (GDS) commitments address early detection, intervention, or disability-inclusive ECD.

• While UNICEF has supported millions of children through assistive technologies and community mental health, gaps remain in early intervention timelines, especially for conditions like hearing loss or cognitive delays.

• The authors urge UNICEF and partners to lead a unified global strategy focused on disability-inclusive ECD from birth to age five.

• Parents, caregivers, and paediatricians must be engaged more intentionally to ensure meaningful, early support for every child.

The article serves as a viewpoint from the frontlines—combining research, advocacy, and systems insight—to ensure that children with disabilities are no longer invisible in early life programming.

🔗 Download the Full BMJ Article (PDF)
👉 Click here to read the full publication