Article by Lena Morgon Banks, Calum Davey, Tom Shakespeare and Hannah Kuper ($). Vol. 137. World Development.
August 28, 2020.
- The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to exacerbate poverty amongst the one billion people living with disabilities globally
- Social protection is key to addressing the economic impact of COVID-19, including amongst people with disabilities.
- People with disabilities will face challenges accessing and equitably benefiting from social protection if programmes are not disability-inclusive.
- Recommendations are presented on how to promote the design and delivery of disability-inclusive social protection.
The one billion people living with disabilities globally already face a heightened risk of poverty, which will likely be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic unless interventions to address its economic impacts are disability-inclusive. This paper draws on the literature on disability, poverty and social protection in low- and middle-income countries to explore the pathways through which the current pandemic may increase the risk of poverty amongst people with disabilities, such as loss of income from disruptions to work, particularly in the informal sector, and higher future spending and productivity losses from disruptions to healthcare and other key services (e.g. rehabilitation, assistive devices). It also explores how social protection and other initiatives to mitigate the economic impacts of the pandemic should consider the needs of people with disabilities, with recommendations for disability-inclusive actions in the design and implementation of eligibility criteria and application procedures, as well as the delivery and content of benefits. Across recommendations, meaningful consultations with people with disabilities, leadership at the program and policy level, appropriate budgeting and monitoring of progress through routine collection of data on disability are key for improving access to and impact of economic responses amongst people with disabilities.