Seeing Ability through Disability

Ingrid Ioan says her wheelchair is not a disadvantage - just a small bump in the road.

"I don't see disability as an obstacle," says the University of Oregon graduate. "It's a challenge, but something that can be overcome with a little assistance."

Ioan grew up in Romania under the rule of the communist government. Her country paid a bloody price in the 1989 revolution to move to democracy. It was then Ioan was hit by stray bullet which left her a paraplegic.

The event was devastating but, as her country rebuilt, the 12-year-old was determined to do the same. That's where the problems started.

"When I went back to school, they didn't want me to go to the same school because now I had a disability," she says.

Wanting to continue her education, Ingrid was left with few options. Not one to give up, she studied from home and, in 1994, received a scholarship in the United States. There, she found the accessibility she needed to complete her education.

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But Ingrid is one of a lucky few. In most developing countries, as governments struggle to meet the needs of their population, disabilities are often left behind.

Around the world, more than 650 million people live with disabilities. That's about 10 percent of the population. The United Nations says they are the largest minority group on earth and includes people of all races, genders and ages.

"Disability is part of the wide range of human experience," says Steven Estey, human rights officer with Disabled Peoples' International. "It's a characteristic of a person - but just one of them. Sometimes we need to make accommodations, just like we do for other characteristics."

North America still has a long way to go in making communities more accessible. Still, progress has been made compared to other places. In the developing word, where about 80 per cent of people with disabilities live, the barriers still exist.

Estey says this is due to both lack of access and unfair practicality.

Most schools in the developing world lack the most basic resources for a disabled child. Ingrid's school and many others have no ramps. In Africa, each language has its own system of signing. Trained teachers are in short supply.

More than that, Estey says families are often forced to make tough decisions about their children's futures.

He explains, in a family with two children, parents may only have enough money to send one to school. This forces them to send the child with the greatest potential to contribute.

"In few cases would this be the disabled child," says Estey.

This represents a cruel reality for parents living in developing nations. More than that, it impacts how developed nations achieve their ambitions of eradicating poverty.

"It is virtually impossible to meet the Millennium Development Goal of universal education when only two percent of disabled kids in Africa ever get through the classroom door," says Estey.

When talking about development, it's important to incorporate disability into the conversation. Then, to make communities in developing countries more accessible, NGOs need to get involved with the local communities to find exactly what is needed.

We also need to empower those living with disabilities around the world. Here in North America we have seen what can happen when people with disabilities are allowed to contribute to society. That means changing attitudes towards disability.

"We need to tell those who are disabled 'Yes, you can go out there are look for a job and go to school,'" says Ioan. "We need to make people see a disabled person a human being, not a patient."