Disability Resources

Jesus says, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me….to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the lords favor” Luke 4:18

The life of Jesus is a reflection of his compassion, love and generosity towards others. He gave particular attention to those who were on the outskirts of society, such as the poor and those with a disability. He accepted all people into his life, regardless of their disability and treated them with the respect and dignity they deserve. As Christians, God has called us to understand and minister to marginalized groups. In this section you will find a biblically shaped response to disability which aims to guide Christian aid, development and justice organizations in creating inclusive communities that value diversity.

According to the United Nations, 10% of people in the world have adisability Three out of four of these live in a developing country[1]. Taking into account the effect on families, the lives and livelihoods of 25% of people are impacted[2]. It is estimated that people with disabilities make up 20% of the world’s poorest people.[3]. It is estimated that 50% of disabilities are preventable and directly linked to poverty[4].

In the past, development projects have largely ignored the needs of people with disabilities. Given that people with disabilities are amongst the world’s poorest, it makes sense that world poverty cannot be alleviated unless the rights and needs of people with disabilities are taken into consideration[5].

References

[1] UN Enable (2006)

[2] ADB, http://www.adb.org/SocialProtection/disability.asp, 2002

[3] DIFD. Disability, poverty and development. 2000: London. (p.1)

[4] DFID. Disability, poverty and development. 2000: London. (p.3)

[5] DFID. Disability, poverty and development. 2000: London. (p.1)

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