A disability is any continuing condition that restricts everyday activities. There are many types of disabilities such as physical, sensory, psychiatric, neurological, cognitive and intellectual. According to sources, 80% of the populations of disabilities are reported from developed countries. At the same time, 46% of the community more than 60 years has disabilities. Apart from that, there is a probability that one in every five women can face a disability and also one child out of ten has been disabled.
Nonetheless, the World International Day of Persons with Disabilities was declared by the United Nations on the 3rd December 1992. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness about disability issues and support causes such as dignity, rights and well-being. One of its objectives is to raise awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of political, social, economic, and cultural lives. The UN states that this part of the community is a necessary and crucial factor in the formulation and upholding of Human Rights, Sustainable development and peace and security. In fact, it is one of the central aims of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set for 2030.
Contemporarily, under the exposure to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, this part of the community has been excluded more and more as they have a higher healthcare demand in terms of standard and impairment-related needs. They are more exposed to the effects of poor quality or unavailable healthcare services than people without disabilities. Thus, it is shown that people with disabilities have more probability of having poor health. According to sources, among 43 countries, 42 % of persons with disabilities versus 6% of persons without disabilities perceive their health as poor. As such, this year too, we recognize and focus on this community and their needs under the theme of “Leadership and participation of persons with disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 world”.
~Written by: Rtr. Dehemi Marasinghe~ | ~Featured image designed by: Rtr. Chathushkee Amuwatta~
