Including Disabled People in Poverty Reduction Work: “Nothing About Us, Without Us”

Abstract

This article argues that the exclusion of disabled people from international development organizations and research reflects and reinforces the disproportionately high representation of disabled people among the poorest of the poor. The paper commences with a brief exploration of the links between impairment, disability, poverty, and chronic poverty, followed by a discussion of ways in which disability is excluded from development policy. Evidence of the incidence and distribution of disability is then presented. In the final section, the ways in which different institutions challenge poverty and exclusion among disabled people is reviewed. Survey evidence of the limited inclusion of disabled people within development institutions and policies is presented.

Introduction

This article argues that there is widespread exclusion of disabled people¹ from international development organizations and research. This reinforces the disproportionately high representation of disabled people among the poorest of the poor. Such exclusion reflects the wider social, economic and political exclusion of disabled people within household, community and state. It is unlikely that the millennium development goals (MDGs) will be met unless disabled people are included in every aspect of international development work. Furthermore, an emphasis on these targets may lead to an increased focus on the transient poor. Those living in chronic poverty, among whom evidence suggests disabled people are disproportionately represented, may become even further excluded.

In the first section of the paper, the links between impairment, disability, poverty and chronic poverty are reviewed. The second part of the paper discusses the ways in which disabled people are routinely excluded from international development policy, practice and research. Existing evidence of the incidence and distribution of disability is then presented, within the context of these limitations. The final section examines the different ways in which poverty and exclusion among disabled people are challenged by a range of institutions: government; private sector; disabled people’s organizations; international organizations; and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and donor agencies. Survey evidence of the limited inclusion of disability and disabled people within development institutions and policies is presented.

This article supports a right-based, social model approach to disability. This defines disability as the loss or limitation of opportunities to take part in the everyday life of the community on an equal level with others due to physical and social barriers. An impairment is a functional limitation within the individual caused by physical, mental or sensory impairment (Barnes, 1991). Impairments need not lead to exclusion and inequality if inclusive policies are implemented.² In contrast to this, traditional medical and charitable approaches to disability focus on the disabled individual, rather than on the need for societal change. Disability is defined as loss or reduction of functional ability, and disabled people are defined by their impairments. Medical or technical interventions may be offered by “experts” to alleviate some impairments. In this model, disabled people are to be pitied and helped, but issues of the right to full inclusion and participation are not addressed.