Poverty and disability in India

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between poverty and disability in India and it argues that disabled people are not only among the poorest of the poor in the country, but that they remain poor for very long periods of time, from generation to generation. Articles were scrutinized to find out what sources were used in these publications to conclude that there was evidence for a strong relationship between disability and poverty. This study deals firstly, summarize the current state of knowledge about disability and poverty. Secondly, discusses the relationship between disability and poverty. And thirdly it explains the reason behind the lack of reliable information on disability and its impact. And finally it describes the efforts that are presently being made to shaping the policies to end the miseries of disabled people. Evidence from the study confirms that disability as a cause and consequence of poverty now needs to be brought to centre stage and the development community needs to reorder its priorities to put disability in the mainstream. No poverty programme can be effective if it ignores its poorest minority and no disability programme will be successful if it ignores the conditions faced by most disabled people.