Dubai
The first step to addressing disability is acknowledging that it exists.
In June 2011, the World Bank and World Health Organisation (WHO) released the first World Report on Disability. They noted that around one billion people in the world have some sort of disability, with its prevalence around the world expected to increase in the future because of global aging trends.
According to the United Nations World Programme of Action (WPA), the greatest barrier to their participation and equality is social attitudes. The UN states: “We see the disability, shown by the white caner crutches, hearing aids and wheelchairs, but not the person.”
WHO offers the following comprehensive recommendations, for governments and organisations that are moving towards a disability friendly society:
• Enable access to all mainstream policies, systems and services – WHO encourages ‘mainstreaming’, a process to ensure that persons with disabilities participate equally with others in any activity and service intended for the general public, such as education, health and employment. Barriers to participation need to be identified and removed, possibly requiring changes to laws, policies, institutions, and environments.
• Invest in specific programmes and services for people with disabilities - Some people with disabilities may require access to specific measures, such as rehabilitation, support services, or training.
• Adopt a national disability strategy and plan of action – The strategy should bring together a broad range of groups, including non-governmental organisations, ministries and health professionals. It should take into account factors such as the prevalence of disability, needs for services, social and economic status, effectiveness and gaps in current services, and environmental and social barriers.
• Involve people with disabilities - At an individual level, persons with disabilities are entitled control over their lives and therefore need to be consulted on issues that concern them directly.
• Improve human resource capacity - Relevant training on disability, which incorporates human rights principles, should be integrated into current curricula and accreditation programmes. The attitudes and knowledge of people working in sectors like education, health care, law enforcement and the media are particularly important for ensuring non-discrimination and participation.
• Provide adequate funding and improve affordability – Often, people with disabilities and their families have excessive out-of-pocket expenses. Consideration should be given to expanding health and social insurance coverage, ensuring that people with disabilities have equal access to public social services and are introduced to fee-waivers, reduced transport fares, and reduced duties on assistive technologies.
• Increase public awareness and understanding of disability - Collecting information on knowledge, beliefs and attitudes about disability can help identify gaps in public understanding that can be bridged through education and public information.
• Improve disability data collection – Disability should be included in data collection. Data needs to be standardised and must be internationally comparable for benchmarking and monitoring progress on disability policies.
• Strengthen and support research on disability – Research requires focused investments in human and technical capacity. Research skills should be strengthened in a range of disciplines, including epidemiology, special education, and health and rehabilitation, with international learning and research opportunities linking universities in the region, and internationally.
