Disability and living standards in Yemen

A qualitative survey on disability and living standards in Yemen

There is a great need for wheelchairs adapted for local conditions in Yemen.

Getting around is not easy for people with disabilities in rural areas in Yemen.

To sustain and promote economic growth and well-being, it is essential to incorporate the concept of human functioning into development programs. People’s functioning levels vary significantly -- whether in relation to physical capabilities, intellectual capabilities, sensory abilities (hearing and vision), or the impact of mental health. Not accounting for these differences can seriously limit the effectiveness of programs designed to promote economic and social well-being.

When individuals with different levels of functioning encounter barriers to health services, education, employment, public services, and infrastructure, they are disabled. That is, disabled in the sense that their ability to participate in economic activities and lift themselves from poverty suffers. Disability is thus an interaction between human functioning and an environment which does not account for different levels of functioning. In other words, people with physical or mental limitations are often disabled not so much because of their functioning level, but because they are denied access to education, labor markets, and public services. This exclusion leads to poverty, and in a vicious circle, poverty can lead to more disability by making people more vulnerable to malnutrition, disease, and unsafe living and working conditions.

According to estimates by WHO, approximately ten percent of the population has a disability, and this is probably a conservative estimate. Within developing countries, this population numbers at least 400 million, and they are among the poorest of the poor.

Furthermore, the effects of “disability” go beyond those with functional impairments themselves. Family members must often absorb extra responsibilities that inhibit their participation in the economic and social life of their communities. And of course, the less productive any citizen is, the less economic growth is possible. Even for those people not classified as “disabled,” different levels of human functioning can have an impact on their access to the economy and the community.

Due to limited data collection in this area we do not have good data on the relationship between poverty and disability. At present, there is a growing effort to obtain quantitative data that can provide prevalence estimates and general links between poverty and disability. However, there is scant information on the dynamics of how the presence of impairments affects the economic and social life of people in developing countries. A qualitative study will thus provide us important information on the daily reality of the lives led by disabled people, and how their functional status interacts with the physical and policy environments they face.

Contractor: The World Bank