Physically Challenged People
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Disability is a universal element in the human condition to which no one is immune.
The comprehension on disability, throughout the history, has rested on make-belief ideas. The direct result of these stereo-typed imaging and consequential action by the society and polity on the persons with disabilities (PWDs) has been their neglect. This neglect bars persons with disabilities from normal economic, social and political activities in their families, communities, essential services and education, etc.
Many people in the Bangladesh view disability as a curse and a cause of embarrassment to the family. In Bangladesh, there have been only a few systemic interventions to raise awareness of persons with disabilities at the community level. Women with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to social discrimination and neglect. The number of employed persons with disabilities is assumed to be less than 1%.
This is also considered to be true in Bangladesh with some sources quoting a higher disability rate in rural Bangladesh. The prevalence of disability in Bangladesh is believed to be high because of overpopulation, extreme poverty, illiteracy, lack of awareness, and above all, lack of medical care and services.
1.1 Bangladesh and Persons with Disabilities
Bangladesh is not only one of the most densely populated countries in the world (with 926 persons per square kilometer) but also located in the world's largest delta, facing the Himalayas in the North, bordering India in the West, North and East, Myanmar in the Southeast, and the Bay of Bengal in the South. Its geographical position makes the country highly prone to natural disasters. Crisscrossed by two hundred thirty recognized rivers, each year about 30 per cent of the net cultivable land is flooded, while during severe floods, which occur every four to seven years, as much as 60 per cent of the country's net cultivable land is affected. Moreover, since the Bay of Bengal records the
INTRODUCTION
Disability is a universal element in the human condition to which no one is immune.
The comprehension on disability, throughout the history, has rested on make-belief ideas. The direct result of these stereo-typed imaging and consequential action by the society and polity on the persons with disabilities (PWDs) has been their neglect. This neglect bars persons with disabilities from normal economic, social and political activities in their families, communities, essential services and education, etc.
Many people in the Bangladesh view disability as a curse and a cause of embarrassment to the family. In Bangladesh, there have been only a few systemic interventions to raise awareness of persons with disabilities at the community level. Women with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to social discrimination and neglect. The number of employed persons with disabilities is assumed to be less than 1%.
This is also considered to be true in Bangladesh with some sources quoting a higher disability rate in rural Bangladesh. The prevalence of disability in Bangladesh is believed to be high because of overpopulation, extreme poverty, illiteracy, lack of awareness, and above all, lack of medical care and services.
1.1 Bangladesh and Persons with Disabilities
Bangladesh is not only one of the most densely populated countries in the world (with 926 persons per square kilometer) but also located in the world's largest delta, facing the Himalayas in the North, bordering India in the West, North and East, Myanmar in the Southeast, and the Bay of Bengal in the South. Its geographical position makes the country highly prone to natural disasters. Crisscrossed by two hundred thirty recognized rivers, each year about 30 per cent of the net cultivable land is flooded, while during severe floods, which occur every four to seven years, as much as 60 per cent of the country's net cultivable land is affected. Moreover, since the Bay of Bengal records the
References: Chomba Wa Munyi, “Past and Present Perceptions Towards Disability: A Historical Perspective” ,Vol 32, No 2 (2012) Cindy Davis, Samuel A Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics’ (BBS) Household Income Expenditure Survey, 2001 Population and Housing Census 2011