It is important to consider how local people see a child who is in some way
‘different’. How do they accept or treat the child who learns slowly, limps a little, or
occasionally has seizures?
Many reports say that in both rich and poor countries, 1 in 10 children are disabled.
However, this number can be misleading. Although 1 child in 10 may show some defect if
examined carefully, most of these defects are so minor that they do not affect the child’s
ability to lead a full, active life. In rural areas, children who are physically strong but are slow
learners often fit into the life and work of the village without special notice. In India, a study
found that only 1 in 7 of those recorded as mentally slow by screening tests were seen as
mentally slow by the community.
Studies in several countries show that, on the average, only 2 or 3 children in 100 are
considered disabled by the community. These are the children most likely to benefit from
‘rehabilitation’.
CAUTION: If the community does not consider a child ‘disabled’, and the
child manages well, it may be wiser not to bring attention to her condition.
To do so might actually ‘disable’ the child more in the eyes of the
community, and make life harder for her. Think carefully before deciding to
do a ‘complete survey’ on disability.
When we started to write this book, we planned to include only physical disabilities. This
is because concerned villagers and health workers in rural Mexico considered physical
handicaps to be the area of greatest need.
This is understandable.
In poor farming
communities, where
many day-to-day activities
depend on physical
strength, and where
schooling for most children
is brief, the physically
disabled child can have
an especially difficult time
fitting in. By contrast,
in a middle-class city
neighborhood, where
children are judged mainly
by their ability in school, it
is the mentally slow child
who often has the
hardest time.
A child who is
mentally slow
but physically
strong,
in a village
may not be very
handicapped,
but in a city
or in school
may be very
handicapped.
A child who
is physically
disabled but
intelligent,
in a village
may be very
handicapped,
but in a city
or in school
may not be
especially
handicapped.
A 6 ABOUT THIS BOOK