Research and Knowledge: a Key for a Better Future

Despite the numerous stories of persons with disabilities achieving their life goals and thriving, they still face the struggle of society’s response to their condition. Currently, nearly 22% of Canada’s population aged 15 and over are living with some form of disability. Moreover, this population endure significantly higher rates of unemployment and poverty. Acording to Statistics Canada, as the prevalence of disabilities becomes more severe, the probability of being hired decreases and the probability of living in poverty increases even more. This situation, however, does not affect everyone in the same manner. For instance, while men with disabilities are more likely to report negative educational experiences, women with disabilities were less likely to report attending a special education school. These gender gaps are also extended to others economic aspects. On average, women with disabilities have lower personal income than men with disabilities and men and women without disabilities. 

While Canadians count with one of the wealthiest economies in the world to promote better attitudes toward people with disabilities, overcome architectural barriers, exclusionary institutions and the unequal access to resources, other countries may not have the same opportunity. For instance, a 2014 study conducted in Haiti found that fewer than half of the people with disabilities that reported needing medical assistance received any, mainly, due to the severe financial constraints endured by the poorest economy of the Western Hemisphere. Other study conducted in 2018 in South Africa -a country that faces one of the highest rates of gender-based violence- found that women with disabilities face a dramatic lack of resources to access to domestic violence shelters and care centers, which increases the probability of revictimization of this population. Likewise, a 2015 research found that girls in disabilities in Vietnam face a marked exclusion from public education, mostly due to economic barriers, disability-related stigmatization and the lack of social awareness. Furthermore, these situations may be exacerbated due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis and its effects on the employment rates and the general wellbeing of the population, particularly, in the Global South. 

Despite all the aforementioned limitations, the academy leads an opportunity for disability activists and researchers to better comprehend disability rights implementation and representation. On this regard, the Engendering Disability-Inclusive Development (EDID) partnership, which involves an international network of organizations, researchers and advocates, aims to contribute from different fronts to the disability inclusive development in Canada, Haiti, South Africa, and Vietnam. This project will contribute to research and better understand the social and economic challenges faced by women and girls with disabilities and the responses from government and civil society to democratize an inclusive development with this population. The academy, after all, counts with a powerful tool to uncover and communicate the struggles faced by this population and help to a better design of public policies that help to remove the barriers and create the conditions for inclusion and participation. A better future is possible for people with disabilities in general and women and girls with disabilities in particular, and knowledge, among all things, could be one of the keys to finally unlock it.

Post by: Julio Mejia, Graduate Research Assistant