Persons with Disabilities: Definition, Rights, States and More

Who is a Person with Disability?

Persons with Disabilities (singular Person with Disability, abbreviated as PwD) are people affected with one or more types of disability. The definition of a person with disability varies from place-to-place as various local/national laws define disability differently. However, in general, a person with disability is someone who has a physical, mental or emotional condition that keeps her from living a social/functional life which is deem to be normal for their peers. There is a lack of consensus as to what is the appropriate term to denote a person with disability. Therefore, there is no globally-accepted appropriate terminology. In different cultures and languages, a person with disability is addressed differently. Some of the common terms used for a person with disability are:

• Disabled Person
• Physically Challenged Person
• Handicapped Person
• Divyangjan (in India)
• Differently-abled Person
• Person with Special Needs (used mostly for persons with mental, intellectual or developmental disabilities)
• Special Person

Apart from the above,  a person with disability may also be denoted with terms pointing to the specific disabling condition. More often than not, derogatory terms are also used in connection with the PwD.

Rights of a Person with Disability?

UNCRPD, a global convention under the aegis of the United Nations ensures that all the persons with disabilities get same rights irrespective of their nationality, gender, religion, language or any other criteria. The signatory nations of the UNCRPD are expected to formulate laws for providing rights to persons with disabilities in accordance with the Convention. For example, USA has the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), India has Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 (RPWD Act) and UK has The Equality Act 2010.

State of the Persons with Disability

The overall state of persons with disabilities significantly vary in different countries. Nevertheless, the overall state has a lot of scope for improvement, especially in developing and poor countries. In general, western countries (in North America and Europe) fare better in providing rights and facilities to the PwD. In countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and a host of African countries, the government efforts are often marred by corruption, inefficient implementation and cultural bias towards PwD.

Famous Persons with Disabilities

Although disability poses great challenges in anyone’s life — it can not stop those who are determined to achieve their dreams. There are a number of Celebrities with Disabilities around the world. Icons like Helen Keller are global phenomena and they inspire mankind all over the planet. These famous people with disabilities assert that human will is more powerful than the challenge of disability.

The Term “Person with Disability” in Other Languages

Following table contains translation of the term “Person with Disability” in prominent languages of the world.