In many countries, persons with a disability have less access to social services and often belong to the most vulnerable groups in society. Some facts:

• In the poorest regions of the world about 20% of the population is living with a handicap.
• 90% of the disabled children is not going to school
• Persons with disabilities are more likely to get HIV-Aids as they have less access to information and treatment.
• This group is more vulnerable for abuse
• People with a disability have less opportunities to earn a decent income and often belong to the poorest of the poor.

The causes: Poverty leads to blindness and disability
Poverty is by far the most frequent common cause of blindness and disability. People in developing countries turn blind or become disabled as a result of:

• lack of safe water and bad hygiene;
• malnutrition;
• insufficient medical care;
• lack of knowledge and understanding about the possibilities of avoiding or curing disabling diseases;
• natural disasters and civil wars.

Of the 650 million disabled persons worldwide, 80% lives in developing countries. Only a small percentage has access to basic health care and basic schooling. In this cycle of poverty and disability, people are deprived of their fundamental human rights. They are largely excluded from development processes and basic services.

See also:
About blindness
Disability rights
Social inclusion
Resources