Fostering Disability Inclusive Societies for Advancing Social Progress:
Across all regions, persons with disabilities and their households face challenges and barriers in the attainment of social development objectives:
They are more likely to live in poverty;
They continue to face discrimination in employment, receiving lower wages and being overrepresented in the informal sector;
Social protection systems are uneven in coverage and inadequate when considering extra disability-related costs, frequently excluding persons with disabilities in the informal sector; and,
Many persons with disabilities’ experiences within care and support systems continue to be marked by the denial of their dignity, autonomy and agency.
The three core themes of social development, i.e. poverty eradication; promotion of full and productive employment and decent work for all; and social integration, are interrelated, mutually reinforcing and require an enabling environment so as to be achieved simultaneously. The inclusion of persons with disabilities as both agents and beneficiaries of social development is indispensable. Disability inclusion in all aspects of social, economic, cultural and political life is therefore an imperative.
