Look at our way of thinking and see where we are going this is the path we will take a tentative definition of Disability.
1. Persons with disabilities
According to United Nations (UN) estimates, there are more than 600 million persons with disabilities throughout the world, 70% of them in developing countries. Disability is caused by disease, malnutrition, incorrect treatment or non-treatment, physical or mental violence and war, accidents due to inadequate protection at the workplace and in traffic situations, and, increasingly, age-related diseases.
Persons with disabilities suffer from discrimination throughout the world and are frequently excluded from social, economic and political processes in their societies. Disability was long considered an individual problem that was treated from a medical and charitable viewpoint, but neglected in terms of equal rights for disabled persons.
The Decade of Disabled Persons (1983-1992) proclaimed by the UN, and the World Programme of Action2 published in this context triggered a change from the care approach to a human rights approach, by including the equal rights of disabled persons to participate in social processes. The core element of this viewpoint is that it considers disabled people, their families and organizations as active partners in implementing these rights. It also allows disabled persons to make better use of their own potential.
In 1993, the UN General Assembly adopted Standard Rules3 for establishing equal opportunities for disabled people, which were developed along the lines of the World Programme of Action. The Standard Rules provide a universal framework for activities to integrate the rights of persons with disabilities into national legislation. However, the Standard Rules are not binding beyond their significance as a political guideline, which means that the needs and rights of disabled persons are still not sufficiently reflected in many national and international development strategies.
To create a basis in international law that makes it possible to assert the rights of persons with disabilities, a corresponding UN Convention4 involving 148 countries has been under negotiation since 2004. It is expected to be adopted in December 2006 by the 61st General Assembly of the United Nations and then opened to signature. In signing and ratifying the Convention, each state party undertakes to establish equal rights for people with disabilities. This involves adopting comprehensive measures to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities.
The Convention contains a section devoted specifically to international cooperation (Art. 32), in which the States Parties "recognize the importance of international cooperation ... in support of national efforts for the realization of the purpose and objectives" of the Convention, and will undertake "appropriate and effective measures in this regard, between and among States and, as appropriate, in partnership with relevant international and regional organizations and civil society, in particular organizations of persons with disabilities." The Convention also provides for ensuring that international development programmes explicitly include, and are accessible to, persons with disabilities.
The international development community is increasingly guided by a rights-based approach. This is an inclusive approach which calls for the participation of all groups of the population, but particularly disadvantaged persons in the development process, and for all people to have equal access to public services such as health and education. Inclusive development builds on the idea of a Society for All in which all people are equally free to develop their potential, contribute their skills and abilities for the common good and to take up their entitlements to social services. The human rights approach focuses not only on prevention and rehabilitation but also on equal rights to participation. It emphasizes strengthening the rights of people with disabilities, and fosters their participation in all aspects of society.
Disability – a tentative definition
There are various definitions of disability, depending on (national) social legislation and cultural standards. What is considered a disability in one country may not be perceived and labelled as such elsewhere (examples are mental disability or female infertility). This makes it more difficult to establish reliable data on the number of persons affected. The figure most frequently cited is that of 600 million disabled persons in the world, published by WHO, which corresponds to approximately 10% of the global population. The prevalence in developing and industrialized countries diverges widely due to different reference systems and the lack of registration systems. Whereas industrialized countries have a percentage of persons with recognized disabilities of between 8 and 20%, often the developing countries only acknowledge much lower percentages officially.
*Nevertheless, a social model of disability has gained ground in the international debate. This views disability as a social construct and emphasizes society's shortcomings, stigmatization and discrimination in its reaction to persons with disability. It distinguishes between functional impairments (disability)5 both of a physical and psychological nature, and the loss of equal participation in social processes that only arises through interaction with the social setting (handicap)6. These developments have contributed to a WHO model, which bears in mind social as well as functional and individual factors in its classification of health and health- related areas.

Researched by R.O. Ajetunmobi
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