... There is no country in the world where disabled people’s rights are not violated
(Disability Awareness and Action, Hurst 1999).
- numbers: The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that disabled people make up 10% of the population - around 650 million people.
- numbers: More than 25% of the entire population is either directly or indirectly affected by a disability (UN and World Bank).
- numbers: There are 55,000-75,000 children with a moderate or severe learning disability in England (Department of Health)
- numbers: There are an estimated 210,000 people with severe and profound learning disabilities in England: around 65,000 children and young people, 120,000 adults of working age and 25,000 older people (Valuing People, Department of Health)
... Research indicates that violence against children with disabilities occurs at annual rates at least 1.7 times greater than for their non-disabled peers.
... Women and girls with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to abuse. A small 2004 survey in Orissa, India, found that virtually all of the women and girls with disabilities were beaten at home, 25 per cent of women with intellectual disabilities had been raped and 6 per cent of disabled women had been forcibly sterilized.
... Four times as many people with learning disabilities die of preventable causes as people in the general population
Disability Rights Commission)
... Ninety per cent of children with disabilities in developing countries do not attend school, says UNESCO.
... For every child killed in warfare, three are injured and permanently disabled (they were born helty).
... Expressions such as ‘mentally retarded’ or ‘mentally handicapped’ are misleading and negative, and can cause community ignorance, which further isolates people with intellectual disabilities.
... Children with a learning disability are often socially excluded and 8 out of 10 children with a learning disability are bullied.
... 75% of GP´s (doctors) have received no training to help them treat people with a learning disability.
... It's important to understand that people with a learning disability are individuals with unique personalities, likes and dislikes, goals, and aspirations.
... If you have an intellectual disability, it means:
* You still experience and feel things like joy, anger, pride, hurt, jealousy and other human emotions.
* You want the opportunity to have a range of life experiences.
* You learn and develop more slowly than average, but you can learn
... People with learning disabilities generally have average or above average intelligence. Their learning disability, however, creates a gap between ability and performance.
