World Disability Day will be observed today under the theme “Leadership and participation of persons with disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 world.”
According to United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, realising the rights, agency, and leadership of persons with disabilities would advance the common future.
To quote him: “We need everyone, including persons with disabilities, on board to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Around the world, persons with disabilities and their representative organisations are taking action to realise the call: ‘Nothing about us, without us’.”
There is no doubt, and we agree with Guterres’s message that COVID-19 has laid bare the persistent barriers and inequalities faced by the world’s 1 billion persons with disabilities, who have been among the hardest hit by the pandemic.
As has been said before, the UN Flagship Report on Disability and Development – Realising the SDGs by, for and with persons with disabilities, shows that people with disabilities are at a disadvantage regarding most Sustainable Development Goals, but also highlights the growing number of good practices that can create a more inclusive society in which they can live independently.
The UN had issued an urgent call for global efforts to ensure that the more than one billion people worldwide who live with some form of disability can reap the benefits of development and fully participate in society. For this to happen, the UN has said it is necessary that we remove all barriers that affect the inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities in society, including through changing attitudes that fuel stigma and discrimination.
People with disabilities have generally poorer health, lower educational achievements, fewer economic opportunities, and higher rates of poverty than people without disabilities. This is largely due to the lack of services available to them, and the many obstacles they face in their everyday lives.
It is no surprise that children with disabilities are almost four times more likely to experience violence than non-disabled children, according to a systematic review published in the medical journal The Lancet.
Globally, children with disabilities are estimated to be 5.1 per cent of the total population. These are the ones more than likely to be at a disadvantage where educational opportunities are concerned. For example, while we here in Guyana can boast of a good track record in relation to providing quality education for persons irrespective of geographic location, race, religion, gender or social status, there is still much work to be done to ensure that persons with disabilities have an equal opportunity to acquire an education.
Bearing this in mind, the announcement on Wednesday that the Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD), UNICEF and Government have begun intensifying their efforts to help persons with disabilities, especially those suffering from domestic violence, is most praiseworthy.
Very often, persons with disabilities are overlooked, and their plights, especially in domestic violence, are not very much known; but GCOPD, over the past week, has highlighted that many face these challenges.
Of note, too, is that the majority of our public buildings previously did not have the necessary facilities to cater for such persons eg. ramps and rails etc. All of this makes it more difficult for persons with certain disabilities to ‘fit in’. This, to a great extent, has changed, with many of the newer designed modern buildings.
With respect to the education sector, to be fair, much steps are being taken to improve and expand what currently exists, as it relates to education for special needs children.
We urge all stakeholders here, including political parties and the international development partners, to continue supporting policies that would include participation of persons with disabilities.
Like the UN call, we, too, urge, as stated by Guterres: “all countries to fully implement the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, increase accessibility and dismantle legal, social, economic and other barriers with the active involvement of persons with disabilities and their representative organisations. On this International Day of Persons with Disabilities, let us commit to build a sustainable, inclusive and just future for everyone, leaving no one behind.”
