Today marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and according to the U.N. people with disabilities worldwide still encounter discrimination and marginalization:
(U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi) Pillay said disabilities were widespread. "Estimates indicate that more than 10 percent of the world's population have a disability themselves or have a close family member with one, and that in a quarter of all households there is someone with some sort of disability." he said.
Disabilities also disproportionately affect the poor. "According to UNESCO, more than 90 percent of children with disabilities in developing countries do not attend school," Pillay said.
From what I’ve observed as a wheelchair-bound person who has occasionally traveled to Latin America, there has been a gradual changing of attitudes towards the disabled. Yes there are those who view disabled individuals with pity but there seems to be more people who understand that the disabled generally seek empowerment and equality. The following video from The Advocacy Project touches on this in the form of an El Salvadoran landmine victim grateful with his job:
I was fortunate to use the Transmilenio bus system when I was in the Colombian capital of Bogota, a public transit option that has facilitated travel for people with disabilities. Yet access to the network is hindered by its cost (compared to other choices for travel) as well as the crumbling infrastructure (e.g. broken sidewalks, street potholes) near some of the stations. This seems to be symbolic of the hindrances facing the disabled in Latin America; there have been some notable advances yet much more needs to be done.
Online Sources- Wikipedia, Xinhua, YouTube
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