8pc people in Bangladesh have disability: Study

Eight per cent people of the total population in Bangladesh have disability, a study revealed in Dhaka on Saturday. 

Among the people with disability, seven percent people are male and nine percent are female, according to the study revealed at a roundtable discussion titled “Nationwide Assessment of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Situation of Persons with Disabilities and Older People in Bangladesh.” 

Bangladesh Society for the Change and Advocacy Nexus (B-SCAN) organised the roundtable discussion in collaboration with ICDDR,B at the Daily Star Centre in the city, a press release said.

The study also finds a significantly higher prevalence (47 per cent) among older adults (70+ years) compared to those 59 years old (5.2 per cent). To unravel the multifaceted challenges in WASH accessibility, a detailed survey enrolled 2,378 individuals with and without disabilities.

The study highlighted that approximately half of the persons with disabilities (48 per cent) faced difficulties in personally collecting water from the sources, while 14 per cent encountered difficulties accessing drinking water at home when needed.

A majority (more than 90 per cent) reported physical constraints as the primary barrier, while 16 per cent indicated dependency on caregivers, the study added. Most households (77 per cent) had access to basic sanitation facilities, but they lacked inclusive features such as wheelchair-friendly entry paths (97 per cent) and height-adjustable pan/ commode (97 per cent), easily accessible water (74 per cent). As a result, around 25 per cent of persons with disabilities and older people come in contact with urine or faeces while using toilets.

The population-based cross-sectional study, conducted from November 2022 to October 2023, covered all eight divisions and 32 districts of Bangladesh. It involved screening a total of 17,577 individuals from 6,457 urban and rural households, to identify persons with disabilities.