Guatemala: 2002 Census includes disability
By Luis Fernando Astorga Gatjens, IID (lferag@racsa.co.cr)
Thanks to the strong efforts of the Guatemalan National Disability Council (Comisión de Censo del Consejo Nacional de Discapacidad, CONADI), a disability component was included as part of this national survey.
The figures of the last National Population Census in 1994 indicated that 0.72% of the Guatemalan population presented some type of disability. That figure is far below the 10 to 15% estimated by the World Health Organization.
But, the extended conditions of poverty among large sectors of Guatemala, combined with a high injury rate caused by the 30-year long armed conflict that this country experienced, presents a reality not reflected by that 1994 National Population Census.
For these reasons, the organizations of persons with disabilities in Guatemala, are quite interested in updated information. They hope to ascertain not just how many persons with disability live in Guatemala, but under what conditions and what are their options for a better life.
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