Disability and Development
Key Concerns
Professor Nora Groce
Leonard Cheshire Disability and Inclusive Development Centre, UCL
<nora.groce@ucl.ac.uk>
Scope of Problem
 World Health Organisation estimates that there are
approximately one billion disabled people in the
world, this being equivalent to 15% of the global
population.
 1 in 4 households has an immediate member with a
disability
 Disabled people – people who have a physical, sensory
(deafness, blindness), intellectual or mental health
impairment - constitute one of the most marginalised
and socially excluded groups within any society
From medical to social/ human
rights model
 Until very recently, disability has
been seen largely as medical
issue overlooked by
international development and
global health community.
 New awareness – in part
generated by UN Convention on
the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (2008; Nepal 2010)
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The Convention adopts a social
model of disability,
defines disability as including those
who have long-term physical, mental,
intellectual or sensory impairments
which in interaction with various
barriers may hinder their full and
effective participation in society on an
equal basis with others.
Poverty, Disability and International Development
 Cycle of Poverty
 Disability can happen to anyone but people who are poor are
more likely to become disabled – (Disability as a cause and
consequence of poverty)
* Less likely to get needed medical care
* lack of education – including apprentices, job training
* Employment
* Marriage and family
* voice in social, economic, civic or religious affairs in their
community or society
* Access to social support networks and interventions
that could lift out of poverty (mirco-finance, literacy campaigns – etc).
* Affects all members of household/ multigenerational implications
New emphasis on inclusion in
development and health arenas
New awareness, however:
* Disability not in MDGs and without inclusion,
none of the MDGs will be met
* New work on MDGs & the post-2015 agenda
* Continuing major gaps in knowledge - Disabled women’s health a good
example.(1)
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Maternal and child health
Women’s Health
Sexual and Reproductive Health
(1) UNFPA/WHO. 2009. Sexual and Reproductive Health of Persons with Disabilities. New York: UNFPA
Leonard Cheshire Centre for Disability and Inclusive Development
Cross-Cutting Disability Research Programme
 DFID funded 3 year
grant –
 Partner with other DFID
Funded Research
projects
 Put a disability
component into
mainstream
development research
efforts
 Disabled Women’s access to
maternal and child health services –
with MIRA, Nepal; Institute for
Global Health, UCL
 Access of Persons with Disabilities
to WASH – Zambia, Uganda, with
WaterAid, WEDC, ATC, INESOR
 Persons with Disabilities in Urban
Agriculture – Kenya with Research
into Use
 Multidimensional poverty and
severe mental health in New Delhi –
with Dr. Dr Ram Manohar Loya
hospital in Delhi and OPHI (Oxford
Poverty and Human Development
Initiative