Attachments
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS)
Statistics and Informatics Division (SID)
Executive Summary
This executive summary has been prepared considering the findings of the National Survey on Persons with Disabilities (NSPD) 2021. The survey was designed using a standardized questionnaire, sample design, data collection and management procedures. The main objective of the survey was to collect necessary statistics for the development of persons with disabilities, employment connection with the mainstream of development and to provide them equal rights in all spheres of life. The survey was conducted during November and December 2021. A brief description of the survey result has been discussed below.
Survey Findings
Among 36,000 sampled households, 35,462 households were interviewed with the household completion rate of 98.50 percent and household response rate of 99.90 percent.
Housing Characteristics
Almost every household has access to electricity (98.77 percent). Every alternate household has internet access (57.42 percent); it is 69.71 percent in urban areas and 53.83 percent in rural areas.
Nearly all households (99.25 percent) use drinking water from improved sources and use improved sanitation facilities (92.78 percent).
Again, almost every household has cell phones as the most common information-communication device (97.47 percent). Television is in the second position (51.18 percent).
Disability by Category
According to ‘Persons with disabilities Rights and Protection Act 2013’ of Bangladesh, among the population overall 2.80 percent have disabilities; which is 3.28 percent for males and 2.32 percent for females and 2.89 percent in rural areas and 2.45 percent in urban areas. It is 0.83 percent among children aged 0-4 years, while 2.24 percent among adults aged 18-49 years and 9.83 percent among population aged 65 years and above. Khulna division has the highest rate (3.62 percent) and Sylhet division has the lowest rate (2.15 percent) of disability.
By type of disability, physical disability is 1.35 percent, visual disability is 0.46 percent, hearing disability is 0.36 percent, multiple disability is 0.35 percent, speech disability is 0.32 percent, mental illness leading to disability is 0.29 percent, intellectual disability is 0.22 percent, cerebral palsy is 0.08 percent. autism is 0.05 percent and other disability is 0.05 percent.
Reasons behind being a person with disabilities are multiple, as reported. Compared to other reasons, more frequently cited reasons are the congenital or by born (41.09 percent), disease (36.35 percent), falling from tree or rooftop (12.27 percent) and road accident (5.53 percent).
Persons with autism have major limitations in social and interpersonal behaviour (93.68 percent), frequent repetition of same things (88.40 percent), limitations in verbal or nonverbal communication (87.18 percent) and intellectual disability (86.42 percent).
Persons with physical disability get their daily activities hindered either partially (63.11 percent) or entirely (31.84 percent). They have permanent physical imbalance (20.37 percent), one leg or hand is partially numb (22.11 and 18.76 percent respectively).
The clinical depression is more common type of mental illness (24.04 percent) than others as per the medical record available to the respondents with mental illness. The personality disorder is the second most important (19.95 percent) and phobia (12.22 percent) is other important mental illness.1 Majority of the persons with visual disability cannot see at-all in one eye (66.48 percent) and 16.09 percent in both eyes, while 18.16 percent can see partial or less in both eyes, and, even after wearing glasses/lenses 29.01 percent can see partial and 14.35 percent cannot see at all.
Of the persons with speech disability, 34.25 percent have limitations in speaking by arranging required words in a proper voice with a clear pronunciation, 35.25 percent have problems in arranging and pronouncing words due to damage or limitations in the concerned organs, 29.30 percent have limitations in speaking freely due to problems or damage in the vocal process, but 58.32 percent cannot speak at all.
Over 90 percent of the persons with intellectual disability have lower IQ than normal (98.38 percent), limitations in intellectual activities (97.68 percent), limitations in daily work efficiency (93.91 percent) and limitations in doing age-appropriate activities (92.87 percent).
Among persons with hearing disability, 42.02 percent can hear in both ears partially or less or sometimes cannot hear, while 20.43 percent cannot hear in one ear at all and 37.36 percent in both ears at all.
Around 90 percent of the persons with cerebral palsy have limitations in the communication (96.34 percent), lack a balance in the movement (96.64 percent), have muscles too stiff or too loose (89.32 percent), have limitations in the normal movement of hands or feet (90.97 percent), have behavioral limitations (89.06 percent) and experienced ‘hands/legs partially or fully to become inactive completely or partially’ (85.49 percent).
Educational Attainment
Among the persons with disabilities aged 3 years or above 54.74 percent have no formal education2 , while 23.11 percent have primary (I-V), 18.33 percent secondary (VI-XII) and 1.57 percent have higher education. Regarding attendance to formal education in the 2021 academic year, 32.58 percent of persons with disabilities aged 5-24 years (i.e., student age) attended. Among those who attended, 53.02 percent attended primary, 37.47 percent secondary and 9.51 percent higher education.
Persons with disabilities begin to attend school lately due to disability. Data show that in 2021,
34.71 percent of children with disability aged 12-17 years (i.e., secondary school age) studied in the primary level and 49.26 percent of students aged 18-24 years (higher education age) studied in the secondary level. Those, who attended formal education in 2021, were behind the general students by 2.38 years on an average.
The persons with disabilities aged 5-24 years, who have never attended school or discontinued study in 2021, listed main reasons for discontinuation3 or never attendance: lack of specialized school for persons with disabilities in the area (47.73 percent), family’s reluctance (28.07 percent), financial constraint or poverty (26.80 percent) and lack of infrastructural accessibility to school (13.31 percent).
Employment Status
One third (33.78 percent) of the persons with disabilities aged 15-64 year (i.e., working age) are employed; 47.59 percent are males and 12.80 percent females, 35.55 percent in the rural area and 25.95 percent in the urban area.
Only 4.80 percent of children with disability aged 5-17 years are employed; 6.71 percent among males and 2.04 percent among females.
The majority of the persons with disabilities (15-64 years), who are in employment, are mainly self-employed (54.42 percent), followed by ‘household or family business’ (18.14 percent), and ‘private organizations’ (16.37 percent). Only 2.66 percent of the persons with disabilities received some training, mainly on computer skills (35.61 percent), work in the readymade garments sector (15.24 percent) and ‘handicraft or cottage work’ (12.36 percent).
Accessibility
Among the persons with disabilities, 61.98 percent received healthcare services in three months preceding the survey. Again, 92.33 percent of them received healthcare services sometimes in twelve months preceding the interview. High treatment cost (81.00 percent) and lack of family support (30.77 percent) were the main reasons for not receiving the service as reported by those who could not easily access the service during the three months. Of those who received health services in twelve months, around one-fourth received it from the government health facilities, i.e., medical college hospitals, district hospitals and upazila health complexes (persons with disabilities:
22.48 percent and general people: 17.56 percent). Other government health centres (i.e., maternal and child welfare centres, union health and family welfare centres, rural dispensaries or community clinics) have very little share (4.03 and 5.04 percent respectively). But, village practitioners (23.84 and 24.04 percent respectively), allopathic drug store (16.68 and 26.98 percent respectively), private hospitals (15.05 and 11.93 percent respectively) and MBBS doctors (13.32 and 10.65 percent respectively) are notable non-government sources of healthcare.
Among the persons with disabilities, 23.50 percent participated in social activities and 28.22 percent in religious activities in six months preceding the survey. Males had higher participation (26.64 and 33.90 percent respectively) than females (19.07 and 20.19 percent respectively) in two types of activity.
Again, 11.07 percent of the persons with disabilities always, 12.44 percent most of the time and 38.21 percent sometimes participated in the social activities in the period mentioned; the remaining 38.28 percent never participated or were not-interested to participate. A similar pattern exists in the case of participation in religious activities.
A little over one third (35.60 percent) of the persons with disabilities have registration with civil authorities. Note that, this is an ongoing process.
Only 0.97 percent of the persons with disabilities are engaged in organizations working for persons with disabilities; it is 1.13 percent for males and 0.74 percent for females.
Most of the persons with disabilities (81.88 percent) have ever casted votes in the general and local government elections.
Social Protection under Social Safety Net Programmes
As a social protection, among all persons with disabilities, (irrespective of having registration or not), 47.42 percent received any allowances any time and 43.35 percent in six months preceding the survey under the government’s social safety net programme (SSNP). Again, among all of them, 33.87 percent any time and 31.54 percent in six months preceding the survey received disability allowances. On the other hand, among those who have registration, 91.43 percent received disability allowances any time.
Only 2.13 percent of the persons with disabilities has ever received any assistance other than those of the SSNP mainly in the form of financial grants, assistive devices and other items from NGOs, directorate of social services and other government organizations.
Discrimination, Harassment and Mockery and Remedial Measures
The survey shows that 43.70 percent of the persons with disabilities have ever felt discriminated against or harassed in twelve months preceding the survey. Those who felt discriminated or harassed, felt so for being a person with disability (98.58 percent). Other reasons/grounds include age, sex, religion, ethnic or immigration origin and others (1.23 to 7.86 percent).
Among those who felt discriminated against or harassed, 90.58 percent experienced such occurrences by their neighbors. Besides, relatives (43.33 percent), friends (28.41 percent) and own family members (26.97 percent) were also responsible.
Further, 56.41 percent of the persons with disabilities fell victims of ridicule or mockery any time in twelve months preceding the survey. Among those who fell victims, mostly experienced such events occasionally (73.87 percent), followed by most of the time (20.22 percent) and always (5.91 percent). Neighbor is the main responsible for mockery (90.56 percent). The notable others are relatives (40.53 percent), friends (26.99 percent) and own family members (23.46 percent). Again, family members of 50.54 percent of the persons with disabilities experienced mockery for his/her disability during twelve months before the survey. Again, neighbor is the main accused of (91.95 percent). Other notable individuals were: relatives (42.38 percent), friends (23.12 percent) and family members (19.44 percent).
Only 5.15 percent of the persons with disabilities who fell victims of mockery or harassment, complained to someone against discrimination or harassment or mockery.
Among those who complained, complained to neighbors (51.66 percent), ‘religious leaders or local influentials’ (27.57 percent), ‘own family members’ (21.86 percent) and ‘union parishad chairmen or members’ (19.04 percent). Among those, who complained, 58.24 percent got remedy by informing complaint.
Functional Difficulties
Overall 7.07 percent of the population have any functional difficulty in at least one domain4, followed in this survey5; 7.22 percent among males and 6.91 percent among females; 7.22 percent in the rural area and 6.53 percent in the urban area. By age, 1.89 percent of children aged 2-4 years, 4.02 percent of children aged 5-17 years, 3.62 percent of children aged 2-17 years, 3.95 percent of adults aged 18-49 years (male: 4.27 percent and female: 3.66 percent) and 22.60 percent of adults aged 50 years and above (male 20.75 and female 24.69 percent) have any functional difficulty.
Among children aged 2-4 years, communication is more frequently cited domain of functional difficulty (1.13 percent) than any other domains (0.20-0.99 percent). Among children aged 5-17 years, difficulty in remembering is a major domain of functional difficulty (1.66 percent), followed by learning (1.60 percent) and controlling behaviour (1.51 percent).
Among adult men and women aged 18-49 years, respectively, walking is the main domain of functional difficulty (1.96 and 1.74 percent), followed by self-care (1.17 and 0.95 percent), remembering (1.03 and 0.86 percent) and communication (1.00 and 0.69 percent).
Among children aged 2-17 years, 1.43 percent wear glasses, 0.21 percent hearing aid and 0.41 percent use equipment or receive assistance for walking. Among those who wear glasses, 6.27 percent have difficulty seeing even with glasses; of the children using hearing aid, 7.19 percent have difficulty hearing with hearing aid; and among children using equipment for walking,
28.16 percent have difficulty walking even with equipment. Among men aged 18-49 years, 6.90 percent use glasses or contact lenses and 0.41 percent hearing aids. The corresponding percentages for women aged 18-49 years are 8.82 and 0.43 percent respectively.
Conclusion
To conclude it may be mentioned that, 2.80 percent of the country’s population are living with disability and 7.07 percent with functional difficulty. Males and rural areas are likelier than females and urban areas to have disability and functional difficulty. Particularly children have their functional difficulties in communication and remembering and adults have problems in walking, remembering and communication.
Physical disability, mental illness, multiple disability and disability in vision, hear and speech are notable by type.
A half of the persons with disabilities are without formal education and a nominal proportion have higher education. Compared to general persons they lag behind by 2.38 years on an average.
Every 1 in 3 persons with disabilities aged 15-65 years are employed where self-employment is very common along with household/family business. Only 1 in 3 persons with disabilities have participation in social and religious activities. Every 1 in 2 of them have access to health services mainly from government and private facilities.
Only 1 out of 3 have registration with civil authorities and among them almost all (over 90 percent) got the government disability allowance.
Experiencing harassment and discriminative behaviour and mockery by neighbor is a common phenomenon in the life of the persons with disabilities: every 1 out of 2 experienced such indecent behaviour. A very few of them took remedial actions. Many of those who complained to someone seeking remedy, received some sort of remedial support.