Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Nov - Dec Vol. 9 No.6 | Page 24

Sanitation

Making sustainable sanitation inclusive
for persons with disabilities

The challenge
In developing countries there is a massive shortfall of
sanitation facilities in general, and in particular of facilities which are accessible to all – including persons with
disabilities. This is despite the fact that 15% of the
world’s population lives with some kind of disability. The
majority of these persons with disabilities live in developing countries (80%). They are among the poorest, most
vulnerable and marginalised groups.
The scale and relevance
1 billion people with disabilities worldwide
Rates of disability are increasing due to population ageing, increases in chronic health conditions and other factors.
Source: World Report on Disability by WHO and
World Bank (2011)
The impact of disability is felt by persons with disabilities
themselves and by their family members as it often creates a high work load and dependency leading to vulnerability, loss of income, compromised health and risk of
poverty. It is often the children – usually girls – who perform these support tasks and might consequently be removed from school to do so.
The lack of accessible sanitation facilities can create humiliating situations as it deprives persons with disabilities
of their most basic and private needs. It often leads to
lower hygiene levels causing additional burdens of disease.
Besides violating basic human rights, the exclusion from
society also results in huge economic losses. The International Labour Organization estimates the annual global

loss of GDP due to people with disabilities being excluded from income generating activities at 3-5% 1.
Background
The UN defines persons with disabilities as persons with
long-term impairments who face various barriers that
hinder their full participation in society. The impairments
can be from birth or acquired, temporary or permanent.
They can be physical, sensory (i.e. visual, hearing), mental
or intellectual impairments.
People can become impaired through accidents, wars,
natural disasters, diseases and old age. Some of these diseases are caused by malnutrition or the lack of hygiene,
sanitation and safe water. Therefore accessibility should
always be considered even if no person with disabilities is
currently known to live in the community.
Who benefits from accessible sanitation facilities?
Persons with injuries and temporary impairments
Elderly or weak people (e.g. those affected by
HIV/AIDS)
Pregnant women
Children and mothers helping young children
Persons with a range of disabilities
Poverty can be a cause as well as a consequence of disability. Poor people are more likely to be disabled due to
difficulties in accessing food, water, sanitation, health
services, rehabilitation, education and information. They

Source ILO (2009): The price of exclusion: the economic
consequences of excluding people with disabilities from the
world of work,
http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_emp/--ifp_skills/documents/publication/wcms_119305.pdf
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