Disability, Living Conditions and Quality of Life - The case of the Municipality of Anapoima in rural Colombia

Abstract

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) recognizes that individuals with disabilities have the same rights to freedom, respect, equality and dignity as everyone else. How this is perceived by individuals with disability themselves may be a good indicator on implementation of the CRDP. This article analyses the relationship between disabilities, living conditions and quality of life of people living in rural areas in Colombia, as well as the impact of disability on their living conditions. Using data collected through household surveys, comparisons were made between individuals with and without disabilities, as well as between households with and without a disabled family member. The survey consisted of three questionnaires: one on living conditions, another on quality of life and a third on disability. These pre-existing and validated questionnaires, which had been used in some sub-Saharan countries, were adapted to the Colombian context. Even though the Socioeconomic Status indicator (Material Possessions Scale) ranked higher among the cases than among the controls, persons with disabilities and their families showed a considerable lower quality of life than the control group. This suggests the negative impact that disability exerts on quality of life.