Save the Children is calling on the Government to better protect children with intellectual disabilities.
It comes after the new report 'From Data to Dignity: Health and Wellbeing indicators for New Zealanders with intellectual disabilities'.
Released on Monday, the report revealed one in five children with disabilities are living in overcrowded or damp and mouldy homes.
Many are in lower-income households with an income of $34,000 compared to the $40,600 average household income of children without intellectual disabilities.
The report also showed 24 percent of disabled children are likely to live in the most deprived areas of the country compared to 15 percent otherwise.
If the child is Māori or Pasifika this increases to 44 percent.
Save the Children called the report a grim reality check, stating the Government now needs to step up to support disabled youth.
"Disabled children have the same rights as all children in New Zealand," said Save the Children New Zealand advocacy director Jacqui Southey.
She said the fact that these children are twice as likely to witness family violence and seven times more likely to be placed in state care is outrageous and demanded greater action.
"We need to focus our resources and change our policy settings to ensure they have adequate incomes, they are protected from harm and violence, live in healthy, affordable and accessible homes."
Save the Children is calling for a substantial lift in the Child Disability Allowance that Southey hoped will go towards alleviating these hardships on the families of disabled rangatahi.
"To lift intellectually disabled children out of poverty and significantly improve their experiences of life and the resources they can access, their household incomes need a substantial lift."
