DPI/AP Reports 2013

Mainstreaming disability perspectives in the Social Development trends

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, 15% of the worldโs population lives with a disability. As many as 80%, or 800 million, live in Asia and the Pacific region. This constitutes 20% of the worldโs poorest persons. Approximately 90 million individuals with disabilities live in ASEAN. They need a variety of support to enjoy their basic rights and access to opportunities without any form of discrimination. However, calculating the number of persons with disability in ASEAN is unrealistic due to a lack of systematically collected statistics in some countries and differences of disability definitions used in each country. Gaining access to a number of persons with disabilities is also a challenge due to societal stigma and discrimination against persons with disabilities that may cause their families to limit their involvement in the community, thus denying access to education and jobs. Some persons with disabilities may also require chronic health care leading to a drain on scarce household resources.

World Bank research suggests that the most crucial aspect of human security is in the area of human dignity; the lack of political voices, legal rights, access to justice and the ability to contest discrimination results in poor people being deprived of their rights. Furthermore, a study of donor policies and practices carried out for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) found the current paradigm of development partnership has not sufficiently engaged vulnerable people, especially persons with disabilities, who live in rural areas in developing countries of the Asia-Pacific Region.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) established a unifying set of development objectives for the global community. Their objectives, chosen with a human capital focus, are to increase reproductive health and education, empowering women, reducing violence, increase political voice and ensuring equal access to public services. The goals chosen were intended to increase an individualโs human capabilities and advance their means for a productive life. However, achievement and improvement in the lives of persons with disabilities, specially the lives of the women and young girls with disabilities, are very low.

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Author: DPIAP
Language: English
When: 11/10/2013