WHO Reports on the Disabled

For the first time ever, the World Health Organization has done a report on the state of the disabled worldwide. And it ain't good.

An article in today's Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jun/09/billion-people-disabled-report) cites the discrepancies in how the disabled are treated:

"In developed countries, disabled people are three times more likely to be denied healthcare than other people." That's no surprise to gimps, though it may be to the general population. "Children with disabilities are less likely to start or stay in school than other children, while employment rates are at 44%, compared with 75% for people without disabilities in OECD countries, the report found."

Worldwide, one billion people are disabled, 15% of the entire human family. That number includes both physically and mentally disabled folks- which I've contended are separate issues, as each have very different needs. But taken as a whole, that's a huge number of people. And from my experience, many in developed countries need'nt have become disabled if they'd gotten good, appropriate treatment to begin with.

Here is the WHO's website page, with links to the report, and with translations available:
http://www.who.int/disabilities/world_report/2011/en/