A disability as explained by the World health organisation (WHO), is a term covering: impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is, a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations.

A disability is thus not only a health issue, but rather a complex phenomenon that reflects a person’s body and features of the society in which the individual lives. To overcome the difficulties faced by a person with disabilities requires interventions to remove both environmental as well as social barriers.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 15% of the world's population live with a disability. This equates to one billion people, of whom at least 150 million are under the age of 18. Of this population, 80% live in low- and middle-income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

More information on World Heath Organisation

 The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Disabilities 

Throughout our practices and work we aim towards sustaining the program set up by the United Nation, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals to address the global challenges we are facing.

What are the Sustainable Development Goals? The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice. The Goals interconnect and in order to leave no one behind, it ís important that we achieve each Goal and target by 2030. Click on any specific Goal below to learn more about each issue.

More information on United Nations - Sustainable Development Goals

One of the topics the Sustainable development Goals (SDGs) are addressing towards the 2030 Agenda is pledging towards "Leave no one behind" the latter includes “Empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality”.

As expressed by the United Nations in the "Disability and Development Report":

"The report shows that despite the progress made in recent years, persons with disabilities continue to face numerous barriers to their full inclusion and participation in the life of their communities. It sheds light on their disproportionate levels of poverty; their lack of access to education, health services and employment; and their underrepresentation in decision-making and political participation. This is particularly the case for women and girls with disabilities. The main barriers to inclusion entail discrimination and stigma on the grounds of disability; lack of accessibility to physical and virtual environments; lack of access to assistive technology, essential services and rehabilitation; and lack of support for independent living that are critical for the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities as agents of change and beneficiaries of development. Data and statistics compiled and analysed in the present report indicate that persons with disabilities are not yet sufficiently included in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the SDGs.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 SDGs provide a powerful framework to guide local communities, countries and the international community toward the achievement of disability-inclusive development."

The following targets are taken into consideration: 

• Ending poverty and hunger for all persons with disabilities (Goals 1 and 2) Data show that the proportion of persons with disabilities living under the national or international poverty line is higher, and in some countries double, than that of persons without disabilities.

• Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being (Goal 3) The number of persons with disabilities who report poor health tends to be higher in countries with lower gross domestic product per capita, suggesting that increased availability of financial resources may provide the accessible health, basic and community services needed to achieve better health.

• Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education (Goal 4)Available data reveals that, on average, one in three children with disabilities of primary school age is out of school, compared with one in seven children without disabilities. Primary school completion is also lower for children with disabilities. 

• Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls with disabilities (Goal 5)

• Promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels (Goal 16)Evidence from five developing countries suggests that about one in five persons with disabilities has been beaten or verbally abused because of their disability.

• Promoting full and productive employment and decent work for persons with disabilities (Goal 8)

• Reducing inequality (Goal 10) In some countries, more than 50 per cent of persons with disabilities have experienced discrimination. Although gaps between persons with and without disabilities vary among countries, in some countries the gaps reach more than 20 percentage points in income poverty, 15 percentage points in the ability to afford a meal with protein every second day, 50 percentage points in experiencing good health, in literacy rates and in employment-to population ratios.

More targets are listed in the following link to the full report: "Disability and Development Report"