Disability in the Majority World

By Melanie Redman



My friends at the New Internationalist magazine (based in the U.K., but with offices around the world, including Canada) devoted a whole issue to the topic of disability in the majority world back in November of 2005. It's rare that a magazine, even a progressive political magazine, takes the initiative to explore issues related to disability.

Here's an excerpt from the editor of this particular issue, Dinyar Godrej:
"Most mainstream coverage about people with disabilities living in the global South seemed to zoom in on particular projects or ‘heroic’ individuals. There was little about day to day life. It was mostly ventriloquistic, talking for ‘the disabled’ rather than letting people speak for themselves."

For me, an important part of nurturing belonging in society is hearing the voices of folks with disabilities around the world. Kudos to the New Internationalist for devoting space to this important topic. Click here to read the issue in full.