There are eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), representing commitments for development by 2015 made by all nations, through the UN. Disability is not explicitly mentioned, but for the MDGs to be achieved, disability has to be addressed.
Of the estimated 600 million people with disabilities worldwide, 80% live in developing countries. Disability does not only affect the individual, but also their families and communities. Social barriers, stigmatisation and exclusion mean many opportunities are not available to people with disabilities. According to the UK Department for International Development, as many as 50% of disabilities are preventable and directly linked to poverty.
While not all people with disabilities are poor, the poorest members of any community are likely to be people with disabilities and their family members. Poverty limits access to basic services, including health care, rehabilitation and education. This leads to a "vicious circle" of disability and poverty - poverty is a root cause of many disabilities, and disability increases risk of poverty.
To enhance the quality of life of people with disabilities and to facilitate access to fundamental rights, the root cause – poverty - needs to be eliminated. Poverty reduces economic and social rights such as the right to healthcare, adequate housing, food and safe water, and the right to education.
Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) is a strategy for socio-economic development and one way of addressing the cycle of disability and poverty. Its key principles are poverty alleviation, education, healthcare and rehabilitation, giving people with disabilities their basic human rights.
Consider the issues raised above and develop them further. Given that disability is linked to poverty, why is disability not talked about more widely in the context of poverty reduction? How will the MDGs be reached if disability is not addressed? How can CBR help address the cycle of disability and poverty?
While not all people with disabilities are poor, the poorest members of any community are likely to be people with disabilities and their family members. Poverty limits access to basic services, including health care, rehabilitation and education. This leads to a "vicious circle" of disability and poverty - poverty is a root cause of many disabilities, and disability increases risk of poverty.
To enhance the quality of life of people with disabilities and to facilitate access to fundamental rights, the root cause – poverty - needs to be eliminated. Poverty reduces economic and social rights such as the right to healthcare, adequate housing, food and safe water, and the right to education.
Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) is a strategy for socio-economic development and one way of addressing the cycle of disability and poverty. Its key principles are poverty alleviation, education, healthcare and rehabilitation, giving people with disabilities their basic human rights.
Consider the issues raised above and develop them further. Given that disability is linked to poverty, why is disability not talked about more widely in the context of poverty reduction? How will the MDGs be reached if disability is not addressed? How can CBR help address the cycle of disability and poverty?
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