Myths about disabilities: Enlightenment for a self -determined life!

Myths about disabilities: Enlightenment for a self -determined life!

December 3, the international day of people with disabilities, is imminent, and Alex Buchinger, managing director of Licht for the world of Austria, emphasizes the need to expose myths and prejudices on the subject of disability. "Unfortunately, we still see that there are many misunderstandings, both here in Austria and in the African countries in which we work," explains Buchinger. Such prejudices prevent people with disabilities from perceiving their right to a self -determined life, how Light for the world reported.

Examples such as those of Tani Tindano from Burkina Faso and Melaku Tekle from Ethiopia show the challenges with which people are confronted with disabilities. While Tindano works in the radio journalism industry, she heard that people with visual impairment cannot become journalists. Your impressive career impressively refutes this statement. Tekle, who heads a team for inclusion, encourages: "They do not evaluate people according to their disabilities, but according to their goals." These inspiring voices underline the positive development and success that people can achieve with disabilities if they are offered the right opportunities.

The global reality of the disability

The statistics are alarming: Over 80 percent of people with disabilities in development areas live below the poverty line, such as CBM Switzerland determined. More than 1.3 billion people worldwide live with a disabilities, and the conditions are particularly dark in poverty -plagued countries. Women as well as older and poor people are disproportionately affected. The situation of children is also dramatic: an estimated 65 million children of school age with disabilities do not go to school. These challenges are all the more pressing because the most common causes of disabilities are often inadequate access to health services, education and economic resources.

The dark side of this topic is further reinforced by the fact that people with disabilities have a higher risk of becoming poor, while poverty increases the risk of suffering a disability. The loop of poverty and disability must be broken in order to enable the people affected to live a self -determined life and to integrate them into society.