sed until much later. It is estimated that worldwide about 1 in 100 children has autism (Zeidan J et al, 2022)
What are the human rights impacts of Intellectual Disabilities?
People with intellectual disabilities are often subject to stigma and social exclusion. In most cases, they are denied of access to many services; face multiple forms of discrimination as well as legal, attitudinal, and environmental barriers that hinder their participation in their communities. They are denied opportunities to engage in civil, political, economic, social, and cultural activities of their community and unable to fully realize their human rights.
What is the situation in Ethiopia?
There are very few studies on autism and Down syndrome in Ethiopia but estimations on the number of children and other persons with these conditions put them in thousands. The perception that people with intellectual disabilities are unproductive or that they are cursed still persists so they are often hidden at home or placed in segregated settings.
Ethiopia has a long way to go to ensure the full inclusion and participation of people with intellectual disabilities. Many children with intellectual disabilities are kept away from schools and other intervention programs so they are denied the opportunity to gain independence and reach their full potential.
Some public and private schools in Ethiopia have attempted to cater for children with various types of disabilities- including children with intellectual disabilities. But these efforts are far and between and not adequate to the needs.
Intellectual impairments differ in nature. For this reason, it is difficult to teach children with intellectual disabilities in a group or with children with other physical or sensory impairment. It is therefore important to have an inclusive educational policy that takes into account the diversity of people with developmental disabilities. This includes monitoring of implementation of the policy in schools, training teachers and other school personnel and allocation of appropriate financial resources.
This year World Down syndrome and Autism Awareness Days were commemorated under the theme of ‘Inclusion Means’ and ‘Inclusion in the Workplace’.