Disability, Childhood and Poverty: Critical Perspectives on Guatemala

Abstract

Up till recently, it was claimed that 10 per cent of every population was disabled. The new World Report on Disability (WHO/World Bank, 2011) has pushed up this global figure to 15 per cent --- around 1 billion people. Around 82 per cent of these disabled people are said to live in the countries of the global South (some 800 million people), and are among the poorest of the poor. Many live in rural areas, with little or no access to healthcare, rehabilitation or employment, and where living and working conditions pose a constant threat to health and well-being. A bulk of these disabled people are children, experiencing poverty in disproportionate and multidimensional ways.