At a Glance
· One billion persons or 15 percent of the world population experience some form of disability, according to the World Report on Disability, a joint World Health Organization (WHO)/World Bank publication. One-fifth of the estimated global total, or between 110 million and 190 million people, encounter significant disabilities.
· A country’s economic, legislative, physical, and social environment may create or maintain barriers to the participation of people with disabilities in economic, civic, and social life. Barriers include inaccessible buildings, transport, information, and communication technology; inadequate standards, services, and funding for those services; and too little data and analysis for evidence-based, efficient, and effective policies.
· Persons with disabilities on average as a group experience worse socioeconomic outcomes than persons without disabilities, such as less education, worse health outcomes, less employment, and higher poverty rates.
· People with disabilities may face discrimination and exclusion from mainstream economic and social life through barriers such as inaccessible buildings, transport, information, and communication technology; inadequate standards, services and funding for those services; and too little data and analysis for evidence-based, efficient, and effective policies.
· Poverty may increase the risk of disability through malnutrition, inadequate access to education and health care, unsafe working conditions, polluted environment, and lack of access to safe water and sanitation.
· Disability may increase the risk of poverty, through lack of employment, lower wages, and increased cost of living with a disability.
· Interventions can assist countries in eliminating disabling barriers and fostering participation of persons with disabilities.
Global awareness of disability is increasing. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) promotes cross-sector work to achieve full integration of persons with disabilities in societies. The CRPD makes specific reference to the importance of international development in addressing the rights of persons with disabilities. To date, 149 countries have signed the CRPD and 103 of these have ratified it, which carries the force of national law. In recent years, an increasing number of bilateral donors have also developed disability policies to guide their international aid.
Integrating Disability into Development
Key Areas of Concern and Linkages to the Bank Work―Disability and poverty are complex, dynamic, and intricately linked phenomena. Therefore, forging cross-sector linkages and mainstreaming disability into existing Bank work is a key strategy to address disability issues. A number of Bank projects include disability-related activities, such as in Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Jordan, Malawi, Romania, Senegal, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, and others. Stand-alone disability projects, such as in Bangladesh and Pakistan, may also be necessary to address specific disability needs. Numerous sectors in the Bank are involved in the removal of barriers that limit participation of persons with disabilities. These areas include development initiatives in education, employment, safety nets, transport, infrastructure, health and nutrition, water and sanitation, post-conflict and natural disasters. In addition to Bank project financing, Bank trust funds contribute to disability and development.
· The Trust Fund for Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development supports disability work in Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Columbia, India, Morocco, Sierra Leone, Vietnam, and several other countries. Areas of involvement include HIV/AIDS and disability, accessible transport and urban infrastructure, and disability assessment.
· The Japanese Policy and Human Resources Development Fund has contributed $40 million for mainstreaming disability in Bank projects. A first call for proposals in December 2010 generated very strong interest from Bank client countries in all regions, with a second call for proposals to be issued in fall 2011.
· The Multi Donor Trust Fund on Global Partnership for Disability and Development and the Bank’s Human Development Social Protection & Labor Disability & Development Team have jointly implemented several activities, such as the Disability & Development Donor Forum that includes all major bilateral and multilateral development agencies with the objective of fostering international cooperation for the implementation of the CRPD.
Knowledge Creation, Data Collection, and Documentation of Good Practice―The Bank integrates disability into development through its analytical work, data, and good-practice policies, which include people with disabilities in activities such as health, education, labor markets, social safety nets, infrastructure, and transport. In collaboration with the WHO, the Bank recently published the World Report on Disability. Empirical studies on poverty and disability in developing countries, disability and education, and disability and labor markets have been produced (e.g. Disability and Poverty in Developing Countries: A Snapshot from the World Health Survey) or are underway.
Supporting “Universal Design”―The lack of physical access to the workplace, schools, clinics, transportation, and buildings, poses significant barriers for people with disabilities. Significant improvements in accessibility can be achieved if civil works—both new construction and refurbishment of existing infrastructure—consider persons with disabilities as beneficiaries and stakeholders. The Bank supports the use of “Universal Design” in its projects to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. Beneficiaries of Universal Design also include people with temporary injuries, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with childhood injuries. A guidance note to staff is being prepared to ensure that accessibility concerns are adequately addressed in civil works, information and communication technologies, and other relevant activities financed by Bank projects.
For more information, visit the World Bank’s disability website: www.worldbank.org/disability.
Contacts: Phil Hay, (202) 473-1796, phay@worldbank.org
Melanie Mayhew, (202) 458-7891, mmayhew1@worldbank.org
Updated July 2011
