Accessibility

Many people with disabilities in Afghanistan are cordoned to their homes and have no access to services. Due to ongoing social stigmas and limited women in healthcare fields many with disabilities do not have the option to have regular checkups and healthcare as we know it. It is still estimated that around half of all Afghani residents do not have access to electricity, healthcare, and sanitation or running water. Therefore, the availability of assistive technology would only be to the extremely wealthy within the country.

There are no accommodations available for people with disabilities to attend school and long distances between facilities and lack of proper infrastructure limit the means to travel or take public transportation to schools.

Those with mental disabilities are often the most ostracized and forgotten in the population – while 1 in 5 families report having a severally disabled person living with them, there is a very low quality of care and access within the country.

Women especially struggle to receive any accommodation or access – since only 25% of the medical professionals in the country are women and many women are not allowed to see male doctor’s due to social stigmas (Afghanistan-Analyst, 2014), many women go untreated and the rates of childbirth related disabilities and deaths are high.

            Healthcare

Lack of adequate healthcare is a continuing problem in Afghanistan. While the number of healthcare facilities in the country has jumped from 496 to over 2,000 between 2004 and 2012 – half of the population still reports they have no access to basic healthcare services (Afghanistan-Analysts, 2014). Inaccurate reporting often excludes remote and hard to reach regions of the country when considering how far one must travel to reach a healthcare facility. Due to the ongoing war; travelling is dangerous and necessary to access many healthcare facilities. There are limited facilities for prosthetics and accessibility.

Another important note to make is that many residents avoid the closest healthcare centers due to lack of experienced and knowledgeable staff, limited medications available and poor treatment (Afghanistan-Analysts, 2014). Many families have to travel outside of the country to neighboring Pakistan to receive treatment – but the costs to travel and access adequate healthcare is in excess of what many can afford.

         Advocacy

Regional Resources

The Afghanistan Association of the Blind – located in Kabul, Balkh, Nangarhar, Herat, and Peshawar-Pakistan

Community Center for the Disabled (CCD) – Their mission is to create a positive culture towards disability in Afghanistan. Abo Talib Mosque, Noor Private School Lane, Dehnaw Debori Main Street, Kabul, Afghanistan

DAO – Development and Ability Organization – Provides small loans to people with disabilities to support themselves and their families. Build women’s development and opportunities with training programs.

Contact +93 (0) 700175759 Email: director@daoafghanistan.org Address: 1st Street of Taimani Project House No. 4 on the left Kabul, Afghanistan. http://www.daoafghanistan.org/

 

Nationwide Resources

Afghan National Association for the deaf – provides training in sign language for teachers and assistance in education to deaf children.

International Committee of the Red Cross – Provides training to orthopedic technicians and rehabilitation centers across the country.

Swedish Committee for Afghanistan – community based programs in 13 provinces – providing advocacy and community aid as well as employment programs, alternative and inclusive education, and physical rehabilitation services.

Humanity & Inclusion AKA Handicap International Afghanistan – an association of 166 Afghanis promoting a disability inclusive environment and victim assistance. https://www.hi-us.org/afghanistan

 

 

Works Cited

  1. Trani, Jean-Francois, et al. “‘Delivering’ Education; Maintaining Inequality. The Case of Children with Disabilities in Afghanistan.” Cambridge Journal of Education, vol. 42, no. 3, Sept. 2012, pp. 345–365. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/0305764X.2012.706259.
  2. Dorner, Frank and Langbein Lena. “Between Rhetoric and Reality: Access to health care and its limitations.” Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN), 2009-2018. 2 December 2014. < https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/access-to-health-care-and-its-limitations/>. Accessed 4 Dec 2018.
  3. “Health,” US AID. Updated 3 December 2018. < https://www.usaid.gov/afghanistan/health>. Accessed 4 Dec 2018.