Disability Around the World

DISABILITY L AROUND THE WORLD December 3 is the International Day of People with Disabllity. Today, we celebrate the rights, achievements and contributions of people with disabilities. We are also mindful that 800 million people with a disability live in poverty. Many are discriminated against, and deprived of their human rights to attend school, vote or work. Tx1,000,000,000 15% of the world's population, or more than 1 Billion people, live with some kind of disability. 11% of people in higher Income nations have disablites 18% of people in lower Income nations have disablities 22% of people in the poorest nations have disablities PEOPLE LIVING IN POVERTY ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE A DISABILITY AND IF THEY HAVE A DISABILITY THEY'RE MORE LIKELY TO LIVE IN POVERTY Disability is both a cause and consequence of poverty. This cycle must be broken if we are to make poverty history VOTE In Indonesia, only 18% of children with disabilities attend school - compared to around 76% of children without disabilities. In South Africa, only 12% of working age people with disabilities are in employment disability reported difficulty - compared to 41% of people accessing polling stations. without disabilities. In Tanzania, one study showed 58% of people with In Gambla, 84% of people with eplepsy did not know that preventative treatment was available, In Australla, the vast majority of people with eplepsy have access to treatment. In marıy developing Countries, less than 1% of health budgets are spent on mental health care. 61% of women with disablities in low income countries cannot afford health care (compared to 25% in high income countries). AUSTRALIA : GLOBAL In Australia, when required, cataract surgery is easilly accessible. Cataract blindness is the leading cause of blindness, Care is often unaffordable, and cataracts lead to lifelong disablity, isolation and even death. CATARACT In developing countries, cerebral palsy is often seen as a curse and misunderstood. Without support, familles struggle to cope financially and education opportunities CEREBRAL PALSY Here in Australlia, new technologies, equipment and Interventions are more readily avallable and improve the quality of life of people with cerebral palsy. are slim. FISTULA Obstetric fistula is a disability causing incontinence in women due to difficult births. A fistula is treatable and rare in Australia with women receiving good access to maternal care and caesarean sections. More than 2 million women have fistula in developing countries, where treatment is often unavailable or unknown. Communities frequently isolate and shame women with fistula. Many women are unaware the condition can be treated. In developing countries mental Illness is often misunderstood and viewed as a curse. People with mental health issues are frequently shunned by their communities and a lack of trained professionals and support networks means they can often remain undlagnosed, and endure stigma and discrimination. MENTAL HEALTH Mental health issues affect around one in five Australians. In Australia, mental health issues are more understood and socially accepted, and there are many support pro- grams and treatments readly avall- able. CLUB FOOT Clubfoot is a congenital deformity treatment or corrective surgery of the foot, which twists the foot In Australia, a baby born with clubfoot can easily recelve medical In poor and remote places, clubfoot is often left untreated because familles simply can't afford a costly Immediately after birth and will have medical assistance, or perhaps don't very few long-term problems. know any help even exists. Children then grow up having difficulty walking and standing, are prone to skin Infections and ulcers, and miss out on many opportunities. downwards and inwards from the ankle. In Australia, people who are deaf are widely accepted and supported. Inclusion programs in schools and businesses support ensure that people who are deaf have the same opportunities to succeed. There are aiso devices such as hearing aids or cochlear implants that can enable people who are deaf to hear. In developing countries, people who are deaf often miss out on education and employment opportunities because of a lack of understanding and acceptance. Children who are deaf who aren't included in into school miss out on future opportunities, and often hearing alds are unavallable or too expensive for poor families. DEAFNESS CLEFT LIP & CLEFT PALATE Cleft lip and cleft palate are birth defects where the tissues of the mouth or lip don't form properly during foetal development. In Australia treatment for both cleft lip and cleft palate are widely available, and most children born with these conditions can have reconstructive surgery while they're still infants to correct the Impairment llp and palate face speech problems so that faclal appearance and speech develop normally. In developing countries cleft lip or cleft palate is often left untreated due to a lack of avallable or affordable medical treatment. Without surgery, children with cleft and mainourishment as they are unable to eat properly, which can lead to other serlous health Issues or even death. Approximate enrolment rates of children aged 6 – 11 years, with and without disabilities: 中 100 % . Bolivia Barundi Cambodia Chad Columbia India Indonesia Jamaica Mongolia Mozambique Romania South Africa Zambla $50 $230 $400 can provide school fees for a can provide cataract surgery person with a disability to buy for a small child. A chlld's eyes child, and training for a teacher are dellcate so the surgery takes a little longer, but the benefits last forever. can provide a small loan for a in the skills needed to educate chickens, chicks, cows, goats or any animal to help them earn a living. a child with a disablity. Sources: World Report on Disability: World Health Organisation and World Bank (2011) World Report on Disability. Geneva: WHO Press The Participation of Persons with Disabilities in Tanzania's 2010 General Elections, CCBRT, 2011 WHO (2010) Mental Health and Development: Targeting people with mental health conditions as a vulnerable group. Geneva: WHO Press World Health Organisation (2010) 10 Facts on Obstetric Fistula. Retrieved 9 November 2011, http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/obstetric_fistula/facts/enindex.html *.................**** CBM is an International Christian development organisation, committed to improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities in the poorest countries of the world. cbm.org.au • facebook.com/CBMAustralia • twitter.com/CBMAustralia • youtube.com/CBMAustralia cbm together we can do more