WORLDWIDE DISABILITY

Have you ever wondered what life is like for people with disabilities in other countries? While you may feel that you have a pretty good sense of what disability experience is like in the United States, conditions are vastly different in countries worldwide. Before we can examine this issue, we must first understand how disability is defined. There are several different ways that disability has been defined over time. Historical definitions see disability as abnormality or the inability of people to fit into society in a particular way and fulfill particular roles. Modernist definitions of disability, however, focus on personal experiences and the effects of the physical, cultural, and social environment on the individual. Professional and governmental definitions are assigned by doctors and policymakers and center around an individual's disability status for government disability programs. These definitions tend to focus on an individual's ability to perform certain functions. Recently, academic have been advancing a scholarly definition of disability, which views disability as the gap between personal ability and environmental demands, making it hard for an individual to do a particular activity. Depending on how disability is measured, about 12-15% of the world's population is disabled. Awareness of disability is growing in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. Disability is often associated with powerlessness and poverty. The way different societies treat people with disabilities depends on the social, cultural, political, and economic conditions of that country. For example, in the Western world, where risky or high impact sports and recreation are common, disability might occur due to mountain climbing, car racing, and skiing injuries. In Kenya, however, individuals have been more likely to be injured by elephants and other wild animals than by automobile accidents. Similarly, problems resulting from malaria (a disease carried in mosquitoes in tropical environments) were less likely to be counted as disabilities because they were so commonplace. Furthermore, Kenya does not have a health care system that is accessible to all and can consistently treat such conditions. Landmine accidents and civil wars have become a significant source of disability for people in such places as Afghanistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Iran, and Iraq. Societies and their participants shape disability in three powerful ways: social inclusion, social distancing, and the physical environment. In most countries, some disabilities are more acceptable than others. In France, individuals with disabilities often have adequate social welfare benefits, but still feel treated as something other than full members of their society. This may be the result of the historical institutionalization of individuals with disabilities in the 18th century due to the influence of the French Catholic Church. In Italy, however, research has shown that people give money to the poor and disabled to avoid the "evil eye," a cultural belief that individuals can be cursed by a look from a bewitched person. Some Italians also believe that these donations will help them from developing a disability themselves. Finally, public architecture has a powerful influence on how persons with disabilities live because it determines where they can go in their community.