Starkey in Support of UNICEF

Starkey and UNICEF are helping transform the lives of children and young people with disabilities through resources, support and opportunities to overcome barriers and achieve their full potential. 

Starkey is the inaugural supporter of the UNICEF Children with Disabilities Fund, a pooled fund consisting of contributions from private and public sector partners. 

The Fund aims to deliver quality and timely interventions to create sustainable change for children with disabilities across the globe.

Addressing disability rights to full and equal participation in society

At least 1 billion people around the world have some form of disability, including nearly 240 million children. Children and young people with disabilities in every community have rights. Too often, however, cultural, social or economic disparities prevent them from enjoying full and equal participation in society.

UNICEF disability rights programming helps ensure all children have equal opportunities to enjoy their full human rights. 

Related: How to Help Children with Disabilities

UNICEF’s disability equity work centers around the following cross-sectoral strategic priorities:

• preventing stigma, discrimination, neglect and violence against children with disabilities
• improving disability-inclusive infrastructure, services, programs and coordinated platforms
• promoting access to comprehensive community care and support services
• widening access to assistive technology and related services
• implementing disability-inclusive action in humanitarian emergencies and fragile contexts
• ensuring the full and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities

Catalyzing change with the UNICEF Children with Disabilities Fund

UNICEF works across countries and sectors to develop systems, services and communities that embrace equitable opportunities and deliver quality outcomes for children with disabilities. In 2025, UNICEF created the Children with Disabilities Fund, a consolidated funding mechanism that strategically supports UNICEF disability programming. The Fund gives UNICEF the flexibility to deliver quality and timely interventions that will contribute to long-term, sustainable change for children with disabilities.

As the inaugural donor to the UNICEF Children with Disabilities Fund, Starkey is helping UNICEF accelerate disability programming and results, empowering children and young people with disabilities to realize their full potential and creating more equitable communities.

With Starkey’s support, UNICEF is prioritizing efforts to strengthen early screening and identifying programs to reach more children, including those in the most marginalized communities. Early screening enables timely, specialized care for children with disabilities and can transform their learning, confidence, quality of life and inclusion. Since the start of the partnership, UNICEF has reached children in India, Peru and Uganda through early detection, referral and interventions for children with hearing and vision impairments and developmental delays. 

Highlights include:

Uganda

• Over 4,000 children under 8 have been screened for disabilities and developmental delays, with follow-up care scheduled for children identified for specialized support.
• Early detection and intervention models have been expanded to three additional districts, ensuring all children receive hearing, vision and development screenings.
• Early childhood educators, health workers and local mentors are receiving training to embed disability-inclusive practices into routine services for lasting impact. 

Peru

• 490 newborns have been screened for hearing and vision impairments, with follow-up care scheduled for children identified for specialized support.
• Local health systems strengthening included training 45 health care workers on newborn screening, referral pathways, family guidance and organizing mobile screening brigades.

India

• Enhanced screening of children for disabilities and local health system strengthening are taking place in the city of Surat with a focus on children from birth to 6 years.
• A social and behaviors change strategy is in development to raise awareness of the importance of early screening and support services for children with disabilities.

The UNICEF Children with Disabilities Fund is also strengthening access to inclusive supplies around the world, including adding over 200 assistive products to UNICEF’s Supply Catalogue and piloting projects in Nepal, Rwanda and Zimbabwe that use inclusive supplies and assistive technologies.