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Regional Workshop on Monitoring the Implementation of the
Biwako Millennium Framework for Action towards an Inclusive, Barrier-free
and Rights-based Society for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the
Pacific (BMF) |
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Materials :
Basic Documents :Current Trends Impacting the Situation of People with Disabilities
UNITED
NATIONS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to Conclude the SUMMARY PAPER
EducationLess than 10 per cent of children and youth with disabilities, in the region, have access to any form of education; the figure may be even lower in many developing countries. Lack of adequate education remains the key risk factor for poverty and exclusion, for both those with disabilities and non-disabled. For children with disabilities, however, the risk of poverty due to lack of education is even higher than for children without disabilities. Exclusion from education for children and youth with disabilities results in exclusion from opportunities in further education and employment, which in turn limits participation in and contribution to family and social life; prevents the achievement of economic and social independence and increases vulnerability to long-term poverty in what can become a self-perpetuating, inter-generational cycle. Barriers to the full participation of children with disabilities in education include actions, or lack of action, by the international community, governments, NGOs, communities, and organizations of persons with disabilities. 20 governments have passed, or plan to pass legislation mandating education for all children, but prevailing discriminatory attitudes towards persons with disabilities at all levels of society mitigate against the enforcement of access to education for children with disabilities. The most common form of educational provision for children with disabilities in the region has been in segregated special schools, which are mostly located in urban areas and with limited capacity. While special education, in some instances, may currently be the most appropriate form of education it should be aimed at preparing students for education in the general system. 27 Governments have increased access to regular schools for children and youth with disabilities, in a trend that should significantly boost their rate of enrolment in education within the region during the next decade. Major barriers to the provision of quality education include lack of early identification and intervention services, negative attitudes and exclusionary policies and practices towards children with disabilities. Information and Communication Technology (ICT)Other barriers relate to inadequate teacher training, particularly for teachers in inclusive regular schools, lack of support systems for teachers, lack of appropriate teaching materials and devices, and an inaccessible school environment. Early intervention, including early detection and identification during the first four years of life, is particularly critical for infants with disabilities and their families. Failure to provide intervention and support to parents and caregivers, results in secondary disabling conditions which further limit the child’s capacity to benefit from educational opportunities. This is an area where multisectoral collaboration is essential, involving health, education, social welfare and community development. Information and communication technology (ICT) is so embedded in everyday affairs; it is regarded as indispensable for public, business, and personal productivity and improvement of livelihoods. In the last ten years, there has been much progress worldwide in ICT development, which has opened up many opportunities for people with disabilities especially in matters of networking, solidarity, employment and independent living. Assistive computer technology and other augmentative communications products make for easy access to information and communication for people with disabilities. These assistive computer technologies can also facilitate access to increased employment opportunities. People with disabilities in the Asia Pacific region, however, still face multiple barriers in accessing ICT and the skills and knowledge that are required to benefit from it. The basic problem for many is the absence or the lack of the infrastructure to support ICT development, access and use - electricity, telecommunications, hardware and software, etc. The problem is especially acute in rural areas in the region where a majority of people with disabilities live. Even in industrialized countries, Internet accessibility for people with disabilities is significantly lower than non-disabled people. Additionally, with new assistive computer technology, little attention is given to whether consumers of such technology, are able to affordably access the available hardware and software. The transformation of the Internet from a text-based medium to multimedia environment is also causing problems for people with disabilities. With a text-based medium, people with visual disabilities could use screen readers to access the Internet but the predominantly graphical web pages that characterise current Internet traffic poses a barrier. People with learning, cognitive orhearing disabilities are also experiencing difficulties with assistive computer technology that cannot help them conduct web transactions because the new Internet environment does not accommodate the functionality needs of accessible design. Thirdly, people with disabilities still face many obstacles in the job market of an increasingly digitalised economy. One reason is the lack of the skills and the understanding in ICT applications, reflecting the general low-level educational attainment that many people with disabilities suffer. PovertyIt is estimated that about 400 million of the world’s 600 over million persons with disabilities live in the Asia-Pacific region. And about 70 to 80 per cent of people with disabilities in the region live below the poverty line. Research has found that a higher proportion of households having members with disabilities living below the poverty line had lower total assets, smaller land holdings, and greater debt than households without disabled members. Where figures are available on the unemployment rate for people with disabilities, i.e. in industrialised countries, the unemployment rate has been twice or even three times that of non-disabled people. And, when disabled people are employed, there is a greater tendency for them to be under-employed relative to their levels of training. Disability is both a cause and consequence of poverty. Poor people tend to work more often in demanding or more risky physical labor in unsafe environments. The majority of civilian mine incidents in Cambodia, occurred while foraging for fuel or food; patients with disabilities seen at a clinic in Bangladesh suffered injuries from falling from trees while gathering fruit or had broken their necks from accidents while carrying heavy loads on their heads. Studies elsewhere show a relationship between agricultural equipment and amputations; and that pesticides may be a causative factor in limb and visual disabilities. Malnutrition in its various forms is a cause of disability as well as a contributory factor in other ailments that increase susceptibility to other disabling diseases. Currently, 515 million Asians are chronically undernourished, accounting for about two thirds of the world’s hungry people. The extra costs directly related to the disability can be considerable. In India, a survey found that the direct cost of treatment and equipment varied from three days’ to two years’ income, with a mean of two months.Surveys of four countries in 1995 found that between 12 and 60 per cent of landmine victims had to sell assets to meet their medical bills; and 61 per cent of Cambodian landmine victims were forced into debt to pay for medical care. Women with disabilities are, in general, more disadvantaged than men with disabilities. A study by ESCAP notes that the difficulties faced by girls with disabilities can start at birth, and that if girls with disabilities are allowed to survive, they can face discrimination within the family, receive less care and food, and be left out of family interactions and activities. They also have less access to health care and rehabilitation services, and fewer education and employment opportunities. Girls and women with disabilities are at high risk of being abused physically and mentally, sometimes by those within the household. People with disabilities, particularly in developing countries, are often the victims of negative social attitudes and are subject to stigmatization, neglect, and sometimes exacerbation of the disabling condition or the onset of new disabling conditions, as a result. Exclusion and marginalization reduce the opportunities for people with disabilities to contribute productively to the household and the community, and increase the risk of falling into poverty. |
