Transforming Lives: Strengthening Sri Lanka’s Social Service System to Better Serve Youth With Disabilities

Lithusanka, 19.

One of 19-year-old Lithusanka’s earliest memories is of being fitted with her first prosthetic leg at age 4. She had lost her leg during Sri Lanka’s long and devastating civil war, in a night-time shelling attack that also injured her father and killed four of her siblings. She now walks with a limp and struggles with stairs.

“I can remember people making fun of me at school,” she says, “and sometimes being downright unhelpful or unaccommodating.” This changed when ChildFund’s disability project took a role in her life, first through its work with local schools to enhance access to education for children and youth with disabilities, and later, when she graduated and faced the challenge of finding work in a country where most people with disabilities remain unemployed. But, through another part of ChildFund’s project, Lithusanka enrolled in a vocational training course on Microsoft Office and is now working as a secretarial intern at an agricultural training college.

Lithusanka is on her way, but many young people with disabilities in Sri Lanka remain excluded from the workforce and, thus, the opportunity to thrive.

Identifying and Addressing Challenges

In 2015, a comprehensive study conducted by ChildFund in Sri Lanka, the Department of Social Services of Sri Lanka and the University of Kelaniya identified structural barriers in knowledge and skills acquisition for youth with disabilities. These included stigma, limited financial and human resources, and the lack of specialized courses tailored to youth with disabilities. Many vocational training facilities were unequipped to accommodate individuals with disabilities, with few teachers or instructors available to support them. Combined with limited job opportunities, these barriers led to exclusion. The need for targeted, inclusive solutions was urgent.

Moreover, the study spotlighted significant systemic barriers especially for people presenting with cognitive (53% of those surveyed), hearing, speaking, developmental, visual and mobility disabilities, necessitating the development of an inclusive curriculum with accommodations in instruction, assessment and course content as well as physical environments. Youth who were surveyed highlighted capacity building at an early age for youth in their category to navigate an ableist world.

At the time of the study, 340 youth with disabilities were enrolled across nine vocational training centers located in several districts in Sri Lanka, with 219 young men (64.4%) and 121 young women (35.6%). This highlights the need to address gender disparities and encourage more female participation in vocational training. Most trainees were in the 15-24 age group, with many from low socio-economic backgrounds, requiring support such as career guidance, psychosocial counseling and financial assistance to reduce dropouts. Most of the surveyed youth were educated only up to grade 10, underscoring the importance of thorough assessments to identify prerequisite skills before recruitment.

"Most of the existing courses are not tailored for these trainees; therefore, most of them spend one or two years in vain,” says Ms. Darsani, a director from the Department of Social Services. “Particularly most of those youth applying for Vocational Training Institute fail at the interview itself."

Building Capacity Through Collaboration

ChildFund’s strong partnerships with the Department of Social Services and local Disabled Persons’ Organizations fueled the development of enhanced curricula and training materials. Together we developed five new vocational training courses — mobile phone repair, hospitality, sales assistance, plumbing and graphic design — to align with local and national employment needs and market demands.

“By aligning training programs with industry needs, we are creating meaningful employment opportunities for participants,” says Ms.Darsani.

Collaboration with private-sector partners has also shaped the curriculum, opening job prospects for participants and ensuring that training remains demand driven. One such partner, Mr. Abdul, Chief Executive Officer of INOTREND International, remarked, “Collaboration with private and public sector partners has been invaluable in supporting curriculum development.”

Community Engagement and Awareness

Community workshops and awareness initiatives have been vital in reducing stigma and promoting support for individuals with diverse disabilities. These efforts have fostered an inclusive environment where youth with disabilities can thrive. Mr. Anujan, Vocational Training Specialist from ORHAN, ChildFund’s local partner organization in the Vavuniya district of Sri Lanka’s Northern Province, affirms the necessity of family and community support: "Community awareness and parents’ involvement have been pivotal in reducing stigma and empowering youth with disabilities to thrive in vocational training.”

Implementing Adaptive Solutions

The project introduced several solutions to overcome challenges and improve services:

• Youth consultation: Youth perspectives were gathered through research and consultation with youth with disabilities, including girls, to understand their needs, aspirations and recommendations.
• New curricula development: The project developed and implemented five new vocational training curricula, focusing on high-demand skills such as mobile phone repair, hospitality, sales assistance, plumbing and graphic design. This ensured that the Department of Social Services’ offerings would be relevant to these trainees.
• Instructor training: Vocational training instructors were trained on new ways to adapt the curricula to the needs of persons with disability, ensuring that participants could connect with the material.
• Support for self-employment: The project provided microfinance and other support including for business plan development, business counseling and financial literacy to help youth with disabilities start their own businesses.

Achievements and Impact

The project’s impact is evident in the success of its participants. New vocational training courses have achieved high enrollment, with many graduates securing employment or starting their own businesses. Employers are increasingly willing to hire skilled graduates, which affirms the program’s effectiveness. By combining skills training, advocacy, and support services, the initiative has significantly improved opportunities for youth with disabilities in Sri Lanka.

"I dream of becoming a doctor and serving my community, focusing on my abilities, not my disability," says Sithum, age 15, currently in grade 10 at an inclusive school.

Sulokshana, a 23-year-old participating in on-the-job training, says, "My disability is not in my voice. It gives me a reason to speak out and advocate for those like me, so we can all be heard and seen."

ChildFund’s disability inclusion project in Sri Lanka has enhanced knowledge, skills, and employment opportunities for youth with disabilities. By strengthening the social service system and fostering collaboration, it serves as a model for building resilient, inclusive communities and for inclusive skills training and employment. Preliminary evidence suggests that the rate of employment for those who complete one of these new courses has increased to 71%. Thus, supporting such initiatives paves the way for a future where every young person can realize their full potential.

Just ask Lithusanka, who now aims to work while pursuing a degree so she can become a high school computer teacher. “If ChildFund weren’t working here, I’d be sitting at home now that I’m done with high school,” she says.