Fact Sheet: Protective Barriers for Persons with Disabilities in Northwest Syria, August 2024
overview
This factsheet provides a summary of the key findings of the “Report on Protection Barriers for Persons with Disabilities”, prepared in March 2024 by the Technical Group on Inclusion of the Northwest Syria Protection Cluster. The report is based on the results of a 2024 assessment examining the protection risks faced by older people in all their diversity. It highlights the particular challenges and different types of barriers they face in accessing services and pursuing income opportunities, all of which have implications for vulnerability to additional protection risks, their ability to exercise their rights and build longer-term resilience.
Demographics
The Inclusion Technical Working Group (ITWG) of the Northwest Syria Protection Cluster conducted the assessment from March to April 2024 with the support of the Protection Monitoring and Analysis Working Group (PMA WG). It surveyed 535 people with disabilities in 23 sub-districts in northern Aleppo and Idleb. The respondents were 50% female and 50% male. In terms of age distribution, people aged 26-44 years made up the largest percentage of respondents, which is in line with the general trends of population distribution and disability rates by age group. There are also a significant number of respondents in the 45-59 and 60+ age categories. In terms of the type of disabilities experienced by respondents, 64% of respondents reported physical impairments while walking. Visual impairments affected 30% of respondents, while communication difficulties affected 23%. Memory impairments were reported by 22% of respondents and hearing impairments were reported by 18%.
Key findings
Access to services
The analysis shows that almost half of people with disabilities in northwest Syria face significant difficulties in accessing basic services such as healthcare, education and sanitation. This lack of access exacerbates their vulnerability and limits their ability to live independently and safely.
• 47% of people with disabilities reported that basic services were not accessible to them.
• Only 16% confirmed equal access compared to people without disabilities, while 37% reported partial access, indicating a significant gap in the accessibility of services for people with disabilities.
Transport connections:
Lack of access to transportation services further isolates people with disabilities and makes it difficult for them to access essential services, participate in community activities or find employment. This barrier reinforces their exclusion from social and economic opportunities.
• Over half (52%) of respondents reported that transport services are not accessible to them, with a further 35% reporting that accessibility is partial.
