Number of persons with disabilities twice than previously assessed

Highlights:

• 3.29% men and 2.34% women in the country have some form of disability and most among them are physically challenged
• Although almost 100% enrol in primary education at the national level, only 40.55% children with disabilities are able to go to school 
• Only 27.21% of the disabled are able to participate in any economic activity

Some 47.42 lakh people, which is 2.4% of the total population, in the country are physically or mentally challenged, in other words are persons with disabilities, reveals a recent survey by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

According to the BBS survey, the total number of persons with disabilities throughout the country is almost twice the number assessed in another survey, conducted by the Department of Social Services.

Findings of the BBS survey, released on Wednesday, says, 3.29% men and 2.34% women in the country have some form of disability and most among them are physically challenged.

According to the survey, Persons with Disabilities are lagging behind at alarming rates in access to health care, education and employment. Although almost 100% enrol in primary education at the national level, only 40.55% children with disabilities are able to go to school. Only 27.21% of the disabled are able to participate in any economic activity.

Experts have urged to bring people with disabilities into the mainstream of the economy by increasing their access to education and turning them into manpower. They have also advised to increase the coverage of social security and increase access to treatment for them.

The survey, conducted on 36000 households, found that 2.92% living in rural areas and 2.45% in urban areas have at least one disability.

BBS said that the objective of the survey is to bring 100% people with disabilities under social security.

In the current fiscal year, an allowance of Tk750 per person has been allocated for 20,80,000 persons with disabilities. For the next fiscal year, the number of beneficiaries has been increased to 23,65,000 and Tk850 per person has been allocated.

The report revealed that 46.50% of persons with disabilities received any allowance or assistance at any time and 42.50% in six months preceding the survey. Further, 33% of them received disability allowance at any time and 30.70% in the six months before the survey.

It further revealed, among only persons with disabilities aged 15 to 65 years, 27.21% have employment. The rate is 40.39% among males and 7.30% among females. Percentage of persons with disabilities in employment is higher in rural areas than that in urban areas.

"They need to be prepared to overcome the limitations through training and practice. Although their schooling rate is low, they can be included in many activities through proper training," Dr Fahmida Khatun, executive director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue told The Business Standard.

"The disability allowance has been increased by Tk100 to Tk850, but it is much less. So it is important to get them involved in work. Entrepreneurs' attitudes need to change. The government also needs to work to make disabled people skilled and create social awareness," added Dr Fahmida.

Dr Syed Abdul Hamid, professor at the Institute of Health Economics, Dhaka University told The Business Standard, "Those who are mentally challenged and visually impaired are completely unable to work. People with other disabilities need to be brought into income generating activities through training. In addition, the entire population of the country must be brought under insurance so that if someone is disabled due to an accident, they can go under insurance coverage."

The survey reveals that among the children with disabilities, 40.55% are attending primary education and 24.36% secondary education. Sylhet division has a promising situation compared to other divisions, as 65.39% of children in Sylhet are attending primary education; While Chattogram division shows a worst situation in this respect (29.27% of children attending primary school).

By type of disability, physical disability accounts for the highest percentage with 1.19%, while all other types have percentages less than 1% (autism or autism spectrum disorders, mental illness leading to disability, visual disability, speech disability, intellectual disability, hearing disability, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, deaf-blindness, multiple disabilities.

Experts say that not all people with disabilities are born with disabilities. Many are disabled due to road accidents or injuries.

Professor Dr Abdul Gani Mollah, director, National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR) told The Business Standard, "About 35%-40% of the patients admitted to our orthopaedic department are patients injured in road accidents. Most are men and aged between 18-45. Many of them become disabled and disability is a burden for families and society, so effective measures must be taken to prevent disability and prevent road accidents."

The survey found that 18.47% persons with disabilities use assistive devices as per their need. Some 9.71% have special types of sanitation facilities at home as per their need.

It further revealed that urban persons with disabilities have a bit higher opportunity of receiving healthcare than their rural counterparts.

Earlier, the ongoing 'Disability Identification Survey' by the Department of Social Services, assessed that the total number of Persons with Disabilities as of 4 December last year was 24,33,723.