Chance for Childhood is rolling out an innovative mobile phone app, Disability Detect, to identify children with disabilities and additional needs.
Without identification, many children with disabilities are ‘invisible’ in national data and do not get the support they need to succeed in school.
The Disability Detect App helps to solve this problem by equipping teachers and parents with a simple series of questions to answer about a child, which then identifies if the child has additional needs or shows symptoms of a disability. With early detection, teachers and parents can intervene effectively, giving children with disabilities the best chance to thrive in school and in life.
As part of the RISE project (Realising Inclusive and Safe Education), we have screened over 8,500 children with the app so far who showed some form of disability or extra needs. Among them, over 6,500 will undergo further assessment. These children have been identified as needing additional support beyond the easy fixes that we can often put in place for more minor issues – for example, moving a child closer to the board in class so they can see better.
For those that need further support and diagnosis, we refer them to local hospitals, ensuring every child gets the care they deserve.
Now in its second year, the RISE project is working across Rwanda, Malawi and Zambia to give children access to a safe and quality education, with a focus on girls and children with disabilities, who are often discouraged from going to school due to stigma and discrimination. Across the three countries, the project will impact the lives of over 400,000 children and train 5,952 teachers across 422 schools by 2029.
We couldn’t do this alone: we’re working with partners to make this possible. While Chance for Childhood is supporting children in Rwanda, the consortium lead LINK Education International is working in Malawi through Link Community Development Malawi and School to School Zambia are supporting children in Zambia.
We are currently expanding the Disability Detect app across our different projects in the countries where we work, and we have screened over 18,000 children so far. With innovations like this app, we’re making inclusion a reality for thousands of children.
RISE is made possible by funding from the Scottish Government.