People with Disabilities: School, Work, Voting, Health

Author: Thomas C. Weiss
Published: 23 Feb 2012 - Updated: 16 Jul 2026
Publication Type: Opinion Piece, Editorial

Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Definition - Introduction - Main - FAQ's - Insights, Updates - Related Content

Synopsis: This editorial examines the everyday barriers that people with disabilities encounter across the world when they try to attend school, find work, cast a vote, and access the health care they need, noting that these obstacles persist in both industrialized and developing nations. Written by Disabled World researcher and editor Thomas C. Weiss, who holds advanced degrees, studied Disability Studies, and worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant, the piece draws on direct caregiving experience and firsthand knowledge of disability life. It matters to people with disabilities, their families, seniors, caregivers, and policymakers because it connects practical solutions - affordable computers and free Linux software for education, employment quotas for larger companies, accessible polling places, and non-profit health care - to the international framework of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The main finding is that inclusion depends on governments serving their entire population, and that a nation improves for everyone, not only its disabled citizens, when participation is made possible for all.*

At a Glance

• 1 - A single internet-connected computer placed in a community can help educate an entire community, including its residents with disabilities.
• 2 - The article proposes requiring employers with more than 25 staff to ensure 15% of their workforce are people with disabilities, reflecting the share of the population living with disability.
• 3 - More than 100 nations recognize these issues, and while the United States has signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, it had not ratified it at the time of writing, unlike nations that have both signed and ratified the document.

Topic Definition: Disability Rights and Inclusion

Disability rights and inclusion refers to the principle that people with physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities are entitled to participate fully and equally in the core areas of civic and daily life, including education, employment, voting, and health care. Rooted in the understanding that disability does not mean inability, it holds that barriers arise less from a person's condition than from environments, policies, and attitudes that were not built with everyone in mind. In practice it covers accessible schools and assistive technology, fair hiring and workplace accommodation, reachable and understandable voting processes, and health care provided on the basis of need rather than profit. The concept is formalized internationally through the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which frames these entitlements as human rights that governments are expected to protect, uphold, and progressively realize for all citizens.

Introduction

People with Disabilities in the majority of nations around the world today experience difficulties with attending school, getting a job, voting, and obtaining the health care they need. Unfortunately, this is true whether the nation is industrialized or not. Essential parts of the lives of People with Disabilities such as these need to be approached by the governments of nations.

Disabilities have been defined in many ways. In general, disabilities are characteristics of the body, mind, or senses that, to a greater or lesser extent, affect a person's ability to engage independently in some or all aspects of day-to-day life. Disabilities make it harder to take part in normal daily activities. Disabilities may limit what you can do physically or mentally, or they can affect your senses. Disability doesn't mean unable, and it isn't a sickness. Most people with disabilities can - and do - work, play, learn, and enjoy full healthy lives. Mobility aids and assistive devices can make all the difference.

Main Content

Education

Modern day technologies such as laptop or desktop computers present incredible potential to nations struggling to present educational opportunities to children and adults who experience forms of disabilities. A single laptop or desktop computer with an Internet connection, placed in a community setting, can help to educate an entire community - to include the people who experience forms of disabilities within the community. The price of computer hardware continues to drop, and types of computer hardware that are specifically designed to be inexpensive are available.

Software to run on computers can be expensive; however, it does not need to be. Linux operating systems are freely available through the Internet and offer equivalent features to proprietary operating systems. Some Linux operating systems offer educational versions filled with items designed specifically for the education of children.

Availability is a key to education in many of the nations struggling to provide educational opportunities to people who experience disabilities where items such as computer hardware and software are concerned. These two items are far from the only issues to be sure. Educated people who are willing to teach others are another very prominent issue in many nations, to include the United States of America.

Employment

Chronic unemployment of People with Disabilities exists in many of the world's nations, an issue that continues to find many of us struggling to survive. We witness non-disabled persons going to their jobs, day in and out, wondering why the abilities we do have are consistently being ignored. Even in the United States of America, People with Disabilities have always experienced the highest rate of unemployment.

While it might seem unreasonable to some, a solution to the issue of chronic unemployment of People with Disabilities in nations around the world may be to require employers with more than 25 employees to ensure that 15% of their employees are People with Disabilities. The percentage is an approximate reflection of the portion of the population in a number of nations who experience a form of disability.

Legislation requiring the inclusion of People with Disabilities in employment could be used and enforced until the levels of People with Disabilities in the workforces in nations reach acceptable levels and demonstrate they are persisting. Enabling People with Disabilities to work on part-time, full-time, job sharing, and ad-hoc basis can also help to fulfill requirements to employ us in the workplaces of nations.

Voting

The right to vote is the most basic of rights to participate in the government of a nation any citizen can have. When this right does not exist simply because a person experiences a form of disability, what remains amounts to political bigotry. A government that does not allow a person with disabilities to vote is a government that is enforcing the political isolation of a citizen with disabilities.

Accessibility of voting places is a major issue for many People with Disabilities in nations around the world. Voting places are many times designed for able-bodied people, to be plain. Transportation to and from voting places is another issue People with Disabilities must overcome if they desire to vote. Reading and understanding ballots as well as having to wait in long lines, also present challenges to People with Disabilities.

Citizens with Disabilities in nations around the world comprise large numbers of the populations of these nations. Failure to include Citizens with Disabilities in the voting processes of a government is a statement of the failure of a government to serve the entire population of the nation. When only select members of a nation have the ability to participate in the voting process, only select members of a nation are being served by the government of that nation. Citizens without representation are citizens who are oppressed.

Health Care

A basic fact of life is that everyone needs health care. Many nations around the world today are struggling to provide health care to the citizens within their borders - both with and without disabilities. The challenge government's face is immense.

The focus many nations have on money before the provision of health care is a focus that finds people being excluded from receiving the health care they need. People with Disabilities often times live on fixed, low incomes; something that finds them fighting to receive health care. People with Disabilities are among the populations who need health care the most.

The focus many nations have on earning profit from the provision of health care to citizens must end. The financial balance sheets of hospitals, clinics, and other places that provide health care must all be as even as possible at the end of the fiscal year - revealing no profit that is not funneled directly back into the provision of health care services. Profiting from the health care needs of others, particularly People with Disabilities, Children, Seniors, and Veterans is grotesque.

What Does All of This Mean?

Governments of more than 100 nations are very aware of issues related to People with Disabilities, School, Work, Voting, and Health Care. Many nations have signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and some nations have ratified this vital document declaring they will and are working on these issues and others related to us. America, for example, has signed the Convention; but has not yet ratified it as of the time of the writing of this article.

The governments of nations that are working on these issues need the support of People with Disabilities in their efforts. Present constructive ideas to the government; give them your efforts and time. The end result will be a better nation to live in and participate in.

If the nation you live in has not signed or ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, work to inform your government of this crucial, international document and its incredible value to everyone in your nation. What all of this means to you is the ability to participate in your own nation, as well as a number of rights that ensure your safety and well-being. It means that through the participation of both your government and you - your nation can become a better place for People with Disabilities and everyone else.

Frequently Asked Questions

NOTE: Researched FAQ's by Disabled World (DW)

What is the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities?

It is an international human rights treaty adopted by the United Nations that sets out the civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights of people with disabilities, and calls on governments that ratify it to protect and promote those rights within their own laws and systems.

What is the difference between signing and ratifying the Convention?

Signing indicates a nation's general agreement with the treaty's goals, while ratifying legally binds the nation to put its provisions into practice, which is why a country can sign the Convention yet still not be obligated to enforce it until ratification is complete.

What percentage of the world's population lives with a disability?

Estimates commonly place the figure at roughly 15% of the global population, which is the approximate share the article references when discussing proportional representation in the workforce.

What are examples of assistive devices for people with disabilities?

Common examples include wheelchairs, walkers, canes, hearing aids, screen readers, magnifiers, communication boards, and adaptive computer input tools, all of which help people carry out daily activities more independently.

How can employers make workplaces more accessible?

Employers can offer flexible arrangements such as part-time, full-time, job sharing, and ad-hoc roles, provide adaptive equipment, ensure physical access to buildings, and adjust tasks or schedules so that a wider range of abilities can be accommodated.

What barriers do voters with disabilities commonly face?

Frequent barriers include polling places designed for able-bodied people, a lack of accessible transportation to and from voting sites, ballots that are difficult to read or understand, and long waiting lines that can be physically demanding.

Why is health care access especially important for people with disabilities?

People with disabilities often live on fixed, low incomes and may have ongoing medical needs, so they are among the groups most reliant on health care, which makes affordability and non-profit provision particularly significant for their well-being.

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Author Credentials: Thomas C. Weiss is a researcher and editor for Disabled World. Thomas attended college and university courses earning a Masters, Bachelors and two Associate degrees, as well as pursing Disability Studies. As a CNA Thomas has providing care for people with all forms of disabilities. Explore Thomas' complete biography for comprehensive insights into his background, expertise, and accomplishments.

* Editorial additions by Ian C. Langtree.