Global Health and Disability

by Alanna Shaikh · 2009-05-01 12:18:00 UTC
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(photo credit: Planet Love)

I'm taking part in Blogging Against Disabilism Day - May 1st. I have been looking for a chance to talk about disability in the international context, and I am proud to be part of this effort. Disability gets surprisingly little attention in global health. I'm glad to help remedy that.

Turns out, though, that writing an overview of disability and global health is easier said than done. There's a dearth of information about disability and its impact on global health. Considering the substantial impact that disability has on human potential, I was surprised.

Let's start with the statistics, those that I could find. Globally, about 650 million people live with disability. 80% live in low-income countries. 470 million of those people are of working age. As you'd expect, disability is especially common in post-conflict countries.

Next, the scanty analysis. Disability is a severe burden in the developing world. There is little or no access to rehabilitation programs, or even basic services. Disabled people face severe discrimination and have few employment opportunities. Institutionalization and a approach of exclusion rather than access is routine.

Lastly, the global approach. There is a UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, with a decent number of signatories but only one ratification. The International Labor Organization promotes decent employment for people with disabilities. UNICEF offers ten messages for teachers about children with disabilities.  The WHO has a disability assessment schedule.

I'm sorry, those isn't much of a post. But, in my own defense - there isn't a lot out there. It seems pretty clear that global health has overlooked global disability.  I suspect we will regret that.

Alanna Shaikh
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