New Study Finds Disability Population Increasing in Central America
A study published by the Canadian Association for Community Life (Asociación Canadiense para la Vida Comunitaria, CALC) indicates that the number of persons with disabilities is increasing in Central America.
The investigation covered all the countries of the region, that is: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. A key finding was that there are non-traditional causes for this increase in the number of persons with disabilities, such as natural disasters and changes in environmental conditions, more violence in both rural and urban areas, the uncontrolled use of chemicals in agriculture and high consumption of medicines without prescription. Diane Richler, executive vice president of CALC added: "those new causes add to others already existing in this zone: persons with cognitive disabilities resulting from infant and mother malnutrition, lack of medical attention and illiteracy."
Within the Central American nations studied, "the estimated number of persons with disabilities ranges from 4.4 to 5.8 million. Any of these figures equals the whole population of any of these countries." For details, contact Ms. Richler via email: dianer@cacl.ca or fax 416 661 5701.
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