Treatment of disabilities varies internationally
Physical disabilities stunt life quality
In Ghana, a 5-year-old girl was dressed in rags, a heavy chain shackles her to a tree. As in many other communities, her family believes that she was possessed by evil spirits because she is disabled.
In Serbia, many children are confined in institutions because they are disabled. In some cases, the children are taken to such institutions as newborns. These children live lives drastically different from ours. Many of the children will stay there for the rest of their lives.
These stories, according to the Guardian, illustrate the lives of many of the world’s disabled.
About 15 percent of the world's population lives with some form of disability, according to the World Report on Disability by the World Health Organization and the World Bank. These disabilities include impairment, from blindness and limb loss to chronic pain.
In an interview with NPR, Dr. Jody Heymann, dean of UCLA’s School of Public Health, said, "Persons with disabilities are one of the last groups whose equal rights have been recognized."
Twelve years ago, the U.N. adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was ratified by 168 nations. The treaty sets out the right to equal access to education, freedom from torture, and the right to live with peers in the community. While there has been progress in the life quality and treatment of people with disabilities, many obstacles continue to stand in the way, according to NPR.
Silvia Yee, senior staff attorney with the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, said to NPR, “When a new transit system in Guatemala City was built in 2010 with raised platforms accessible only by stairs, disability rights activists brought a lawsuit against the system — and won. Now, some of those stations have to provide ramps.”
However, to access those ramps, people with disabilities must navigate crumbling sidewalks with no curb ramps.
In addition to architectural barriers and shortcomings, around the world, disabilities are made worse by dozens of other variables, including stigma, lack of legal protection, the cost of devices and assistance, and the lack of knowledge by others about how to interact with disabled people, according to the World Report on Disability.
Fred Ouko, founder of Action Network for the Disabled, said, “There is a tendency for people to think that people with disabilities are looking for charity, that we always want to be helped. But that’s really not the case. People just want to be given the same opportunities as their sisters and brothers.”
Of the 25 most populous countries at all income levels, only 14 have broad protections for people with disabilities against discrimination in the workplace, according to the World Report on Disability.
Progress in promoting improvements by governments, businesses and the wider community has stalled, leaving many people to still be treated as “second-class citizens,” according to the British Equality and Human Rights Commission.
David Isaac, the EHRC chair, said: “It is a badge of shame for our society that thousands of disabled people are still not being treated as equal citizens and the everyday rights non-disabled people take for granted, such as being able to access transport, housing, restaurants, theatres and sporting events, are still being denied.”
In the U.S. the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. However, while the ADA has fixed some issues, it has not resolved all of them.
Ysabel Jaquez, a senior at Sequoia, who lost her ability to walk for a year at age 14 and who since then has slowly regained it, said, “Sometimes people assume I can’t talk because I am in a wheelchair. In a circle of friends, people forget that a wheelchair needs more space. [In terms of attitude towards the disabled,] we have a long way to go here. We need to see people with disabilities as part of everyday life and be patient when someone thinks or moves differently than you.”
For example, Carlmont’s campus, while complying with all accessibility regulations, is not the most friendly or convenient, largely due to the fact it was built on a hill, according to Risako Nozaki, a senior who recently had surgery on her foot.
Many students at Carlmont, such as ASB Reach Out Commission Supervisor Nicole Turk, advocate for more understanding and effort to be put into making sure that people with disabilities know that they are valued members of our community.
Turk said, “The stereotypes around being normal in our society have a negative impact on people with disabilities. It can make them feel out of place or left out, disregarded and unimportant. To make matters worse, in our fast-pace society, people typically don't have the patience to take the time out of their day and interact with people with such disabilities or simply don’t know how to interact with them. I think this is what needs to be changed.”
In Serbia, many children are confined in institutions because they are disabled. In some cases, the children are taken to such institutions as newborns. These children live lives drastically different from ours. Many of the children will stay there for the rest of their lives.
These stories, according to the Guardian, illustrate the lives of many of the world’s disabled.
About 15 percent of the world's population lives with some form of disability, according to the World Report on Disability by the World Health Organization and the World Bank. These disabilities include impairment, from blindness and limb loss to chronic pain.
In an interview with NPR, Dr. Jody Heymann, dean of UCLA’s School of Public Health, said, "Persons with disabilities are one of the last groups whose equal rights have been recognized."
Twelve years ago, the U.N. adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was ratified by 168 nations. The treaty sets out the right to equal access to education, freedom from torture, and the right to live with peers in the community. While there has been progress in the life quality and treatment of people with disabilities, many obstacles continue to stand in the way, according to NPR.
Silvia Yee, senior staff attorney with the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, said to NPR, “When a new transit system in Guatemala City was built in 2010 with raised platforms accessible only by stairs, disability rights activists brought a lawsuit against the system — and won. Now, some of those stations have to provide ramps.”
However, to access those ramps, people with disabilities must navigate crumbling sidewalks with no curb ramps.
In addition to architectural barriers and shortcomings, around the world, disabilities are made worse by dozens of other variables, including stigma, lack of legal protection, the cost of devices and assistance, and the lack of knowledge by others about how to interact with disabled people, according to the World Report on Disability.
Fred Ouko, founder of Action Network for the Disabled, said, “There is a tendency for people to think that people with disabilities are looking for charity, that we always want to be helped. But that’s really not the case. People just want to be given the same opportunities as their sisters and brothers.”
Of the 25 most populous countries at all income levels, only 14 have broad protections for people with disabilities against discrimination in the workplace, according to the World Report on Disability.
Progress in promoting improvements by governments, businesses and the wider community has stalled, leaving many people to still be treated as “second-class citizens,” according to the British Equality and Human Rights Commission.
David Isaac, the EHRC chair, said: “It is a badge of shame for our society that thousands of disabled people are still not being treated as equal citizens and the everyday rights non-disabled people take for granted, such as being able to access transport, housing, restaurants, theatres and sporting events, are still being denied.”
In the U.S. the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. However, while the ADA has fixed some issues, it has not resolved all of them.
Ysabel Jaquez, a senior at Sequoia, who lost her ability to walk for a year at age 14 and who since then has slowly regained it, said, “Sometimes people assume I can’t talk because I am in a wheelchair. In a circle of friends, people forget that a wheelchair needs more space. [In terms of attitude towards the disabled,] we have a long way to go here. We need to see people with disabilities as part of everyday life and be patient when someone thinks or moves differently than you.”
For example, Carlmont’s campus, while complying with all accessibility regulations, is not the most friendly or convenient, largely due to the fact it was built on a hill, according to Risako Nozaki, a senior who recently had surgery on her foot.
Many students at Carlmont, such as ASB Reach Out Commission Supervisor Nicole Turk, advocate for more understanding and effort to be put into making sure that people with disabilities know that they are valued members of our community.
Turk said, “The stereotypes around being normal in our society have a negative impact on people with disabilities. It can make them feel out of place or left out, disregarded and unimportant. To make matters worse, in our fast-pace society, people typically don't have the patience to take the time out of their day and interact with people with such disabilities or simply don’t know how to interact with them. I think this is what needs to be changed.”