Socio-economic integration

People with disabilities have the right to live a fully integrated life in their community. But this is not always the case. Often, a person with a disability is seen as the responsibility of his or her family. This is why Handicap International does not only provide medical care in relation to disability. An important focus of our work is on promoting the independence of persons with disabilities and making the society in which they live suitable for their integration. This involves work on the accessibility of the environment and services for all members of the public, and requires acceptance of the person with a disability within the community.

Integration can take a number of forms. The first involves education, both of children and adults. Returning to work is also an important stage for the person with a disability, as having a job means being able to help support his or her family - the person can no longer be seen as someone useless. We therefore promote professional integration by providing support to training centres or improving the access of persons with disabilities to existing training programmes.

However, acquiring new skills is not always enough. Sometimes an extra push is needed, such as providing the necessary material to enable the person to return to work, improving the awareness of potential employers, and so on.