Despite the absence of structural data regarding individuals with disabilities in Liberia, the National Commission on Disabilities (NCD) has revealed its intention to collaborate with foreign partners to conduct a comprehensive census of the country’s residents who fall into this group.
There are currently no statistics available regarding the number of people with disabilities in Liberia, as well as information on their age, sex, and primary place of residence which makes it difficult for policymakers to take action.
The most recent data on this population was derived from UNICEF, CWEDA, and Swedish estimates; the records that are now available are from UNICEF research that was conducted in 1997.
According to UNICEF research, 16% of Liberians are thought to be disabled in some way.
Of those sixteen percent, sixty-one percent have trouble moving about freely, twenty-four percent have visual impairments, seven percent have trouble speaking, and eight percent have an intellectual or psychological handicap.
Due to the horrific civil war that concluded in 2003 and the Ebola outbreak in 2014, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) estimated in 2014 that the percentage of individuals with disabilities in Liberia was probably closer to 20 percent.
As the executive director of the National Commission on Disabilities (NCD), Samuel Dean made gathering statistics on these populations a major priority because he understands how important it is.
Dean stated that to close this information gap and enable people to make educated decisions, a qualitative study is required to determine the precise number of persons falling into this category.
“For now, we can only rely on the Swedish International Development Agency estimate that PWD is 20%. Dean said, “They draw the line from the war, Ebola and COVID, the bike accident, and everything else that is happening, so if that is anything to go by then we have like a million persons with disability.
With data’s assistance, all of these fundamental problems can be investigated saying “We are here to make a change, this is about PWD getting a piece of the cake in the country.
Dean intends to achieve this with the help of local and international partners as there is already an existing financial barrier the institution faces.
He said, “We need to harness these resources to live in a society where our happiness and our protection are internalized because that’s the reason for the government to provide protection and happiness, so this will further inform our decision as a government.”
It is said that policymakers’ attempts to intervene are hampered by the lack of data.
Human rights advocate Adama Dempster stated at a disability gathering a while back that understanding the various sexes and demographics of the community will be made easier with the help of current PwD statistics.
According to Dempster, statistical information on PwDs will be useful in predicting various initiatives and events that will encourage more disabled individuals in Liberia to work conventional occupations alongside able-bodied workers.
Additionally, Mr. Dempster emphasized the importance of considering PwDs’ access to justice from a variety of angles as well as their employment opportunities in high-level jobs in both the public and private sectors.
The rights activist again emphasized how important it is to have the political will to propel these various conventions and policies.
