A/HRC/44/41 G. Durable solutions for displaced persons with disabilities 79. The specific needs and human rights concerns of internally displaced persons do not automatically disappear when a conflict or natural disaster ends, nor do they fade away when people initially find safety from an ongoing conflict or disaster. Rather, displaced persons, whether they return to their homes, settle elsewhere in the country or integrate locally, usually face continuing issues, requiring support until they achieve a durable solution to their displacement. 80. Internally displaced persons with disabilities may face specific challenges in making progress towards durable solutions. While all persons with disabilities have a right to make an informed and voluntary choice on what durable solution to pursue, they may not have access to information about the options and risks. Their right to participate in the planning and management of durable solutions may also be challenged by barriers to participation, as previously described. Moreover, displaced persons with disabilities often have limited access to the resources they need to reach solutions and may rely on support persons, often family members, for mobility and personal and communication assistance. 81. Addressing these challenges means putting the principles of accessibility and nondiscrimination at the centre of any intervention aimed at durable solutions. It also means designing and implementing responses that are inclusive of and accessible to the diversity of persons with disabilities, while including targeted actions to support the decision-making of persons with disabilities, in particular regarding their long-term safety and security. Access to employment and livelihoods 82. Internally displaced persons with disabilities may face additional challenges in accessing employment. Even where significant employment gaps exist in a given country, anecdotal evidence suggests that unemployment often disproportionately affects persons with disabilities, including those who are internally displaced. 71 Unemployment rates, coupled with the increased cost of care, suggest that displaced people with disabilities are more likely to face financial hardship, including in cases where there is a minimal discrepancy between the income of persons with a disability and those without. 83. Disability generally does not impact on only one individual, but on the whole household. Through the increased likelihood of school absences and unemployment for other family members, it contributes to a cycle of vulnerability and poverty. Supporting incomegenerating activities can therefore help to improve livelihoods in the families of persons with disabilities. For example, income-generating programmes targeting parents of children with disabilities have helped them to support the education of their children with and without disabilities, catering for medical needs in addition to other basic household needs. 72 Furthermore, States must take the specific measures necessary to accelerate or achieve de facto equality of persons with disabilities in accessing public service positions and enact policies and measures to ensure that persons with disabilities are employed in the public sector (A/HRC/31/62, para. 21). 84. Displaced persons with disabilities may be more reliant on systems of care, including increased dependence on spouses or next of kin, than those without disabilities. Assumptions that persons with disabilities will be cared for in families lead to systems and practices that increase their dependence on others and infringe their right to autonomy and independence. Access to documentation and social benefits 85. Information received by the Special Rapporteur emphasizes that internally displaced persons with disabilities, particularly older people, often face several barriers in accessing procedures for obtaining or recovering relevant documentation, including for registering their 71 72 See, for example, Humanitarian Needs Assessment Programme, “Disability: prevalence and impact” (2019) and the contribution from Maat Foundation for Peace, Development and Human Rights. See contribution from Light for the World. 17