Developmental Disabilities in Latin America
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There are at least 50 million disabled people in Latin America – approximately 10% of the region’s population. Although methods of data collection across the region vary greatly, a recent study in Brazil estimates the prevalence of disability in the country at 14.5%. The incidence is especially high in post-conflict countries and in areas of natural disasters.
Disability is an important cause and consequence of poverty. About 82% of disabled people in Latin America live in poverty, which in most cases also affects family members. Disabled people tend to experience widespread exclusion from the social, economic and political life of the community, whether due to active stigmatization or to the neglect of their needs in the design of policies, programs and facilities.
Education
Only about 20-30% of children with disabilities are attending school in the region. Poor attendance by disabled children derives from severe lack of adequate transportation, teacher training, equipment, furniture, learning materials, and access to school infrastructure. In addition to these visible barriers, impediments to quality inclusive education also come from attitudinal barriers.
- In Honduras, people with disabilities have an illiteracy rate of 51% compared to 19% for the general population.
Employment
About 80-90% of disabled people in Latin America are unemployed or outside the work force. Most of those who have jobs receive little or no monetary remuneration.
- In Argentina, the unemployment rate of disabled people is estimated to be close to 91%.
Health Services
Most people with disabilities in the region lack access to health services and even physical access to health buildings. Persons with disabilities are also more likely to be rejected by health insurers. As a result, important services or devices to help disabled people are not provided. In countries for which data is available, less than 20% of disabled people receive insurance benefits.
In Ecuador, 84% of disabled people have no insurance benefits.
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