NCD survey reveals interesting statistics

Jan 05, 2011 News

---

Forty per cent (40%) of unemployed persons with disabilities have lost their job as a result of their disability while 9% of unemployed persons with disabilities are qualified, skilled and able to work – they only require the opportunity.
This is according to statistics from the National Commission on Disability (NCD) which was based on a survey of 1,500 persons with disabilities.
According to the NCD, many do not have access to education and employment and this leads to social and economic exclusion. The cost of a disability, it was noted, has three components: the direct cost of treatment (including travel and access), indirect costs to those who are not directly affected and the opportunity costs (education, employment etc)
An analysis of minors (under 18 year old) shows that: 29% had attended primary school; 26% completed nursery school; 14% had attended a special education school for children with disabilities and 8% had attended secondary school.
The Commission pointed out that the social and economic conditions of persons with disabilities can prevent equal access to education.
The NCD disclosed that persons with disabilities frequently cited difficulties caused by financial (29%) and transportation (23%) constraints. Negative attitudes would also appear to create problems; 14% reported the attitudes of other pupils, and 12% that the attitudes of staff, made it difficult for them to participate, whilst issues associated with accessibility, exclusion and discrimination prevent children with disabilities from fully participating in education.
It was also disclosed that the cycle of poverty and disability is exacerbated by barriers that prevent persons with disabilities from entering employment. Disability, it was stated, often causes the loss of opportunity of income due to a denial of education and employment opportunities.
According to the NCD, persons with disabilities in many cases have limited access, or are totally excluded, from participation in social and recreational activities, while it was noted that a level of social participation occurs naturally within education or employment which is traditionally difficult to access. Societal attitudes and perceptions, it was stressed, can create additional barriers to social participation.
The Commission disclosed that due to the stigma associated with disability, social interaction is often limited. Persons with disabilities, the survey revealed, are often restricted to their homes and are rarely seen in public.
“Full social participation is measured by interactions with variety of people in a number of different contexts. It is often uncomfortable for family members to acknowledge that a member of their family has limited social interaction,” the Commission explained.
The statistics revealed that of the 1,500 persons with disabilities fifteen per cent (15%) have never attended school and the proportion dramatically increases to 42%  for those under 16; while between 20 and 50% of persons with disabilities are born with impairment.
According to the United Nations, one person in 20 has a disability. More than three out of four of these live in a developing country.
It was stated that seventy-nine per cent (79%) of families caring for a person with a disability have experienced financial difficulties, and caring for a person with disability limits the main care giver’s level of engagement in employment, thus reducing the overall family income.
The survey examined employment from two perspectives: those who were in employment and those who were unemployed but willing to work, and focused particularly on rehabilitation and identifying steps to allow respondents’ return to employment.
It was emphasized that there is a relationship between education and employment, and that persons with disabilities who have never attended school are more likely to be unemployed.
The Commission stressed that disability does not just affect the individual, but impacts on the whole family.
Costs are both financial and emotional; but the struggle to meet financial costs is often a cause of emotional strain. The cycle of poverty and disability can have a downward spiralling effect on both the person with a disability and their family, the NCD noted.
It was also noted that the impact of caring for a family member with a disability is threefold: caring responsibilities, financial and emotional. Data regarding the family is largely drawn from the focus group discussions, where the family member was the focus of research exercise
The NCD is recommending a number of policy actions. However to achieve change, the Commission said a holistic approach is required, looking to address perceptions as much as policy. The survey data shows that negative perceptions of disability and ignorance of the issues affecting persons with disabilities are indirectly causing restricted access to all areas of society

---

---