Livelihood Assets and Strategies of People with Disabilities in Urban Areas of Ethiopia

Telaye Mulubiran

doi:10.16993/sjdr.692

Abstract

The relationship between poverty and disability has continued to be contentious and relevant as it contributes to policies addressing the needs of disabled people. Yet, this remains complex and under-researched in the context of developing countries. The literature on disability has used isolated elements of the livelihood capitals: natural, human, physical, financial, and social capital. This article seeks to fill this gap by bringing evidence from the study undertaken in Hawassa, Ethiopia, by employing a sustainable livelihood framework holistically. By using a sustainable livelihood framework, the paper reveals that livelihood challenges resulting from disability are multifaceted and inter-related. Infrastructural inaccessibility and social discrimination compounded by structural factors limit the human, social, and financial capital of disabled people. Consequently, they depend on their family and NGOs as a source of financial capital (loan) and skill training; and engage in informal, vulnerable, and socially insecure livelihoods to survive. Different policies and practical measures are proposed to overcome this situation.

Highlights

Disability is a limitation caused by social, environmental, cultural, and economic barriers
The site was selected due to the rapport I established with disabled people while I was an intern at the Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development (ECDD), an organization that works on empowering disabled people
The application of the livelihood approach showed that the framework is useful for understanding the multi-dimensional character of poverty and how disability and poverty are combined in terms of livelihood assets, coping strategies, and livelihood challenges

Summary

Introduction

Disability is a limitation caused by social, environmental, cultural, and economic barriers. Eradicating poverty requires addressing the rights and needs of disabled people (WHO 2010). Disability has not been adopted as a cross-cutting development issue (Beisland & Mersland 2012; Coe 2012; Lord et al 2010). The link between poverty and disability is well-established in the literature (Braithwaite & Mont 2009; Lord et al, 2010; Mitra, Posarac & Vick 2011; Mwendwa, Murangira & Lang 2009; Palmer 2011; Yeo 2005; Elwan 1999). Livelihood is a complex concept that incorporates different aspects of people’s lives, literature on disability has reduced livelihood discussions to employment and income by neglecting the influence of other factors (Hanass & Mitra 2016). It addressed the coping strategies that disabled people employ to make their living

Objectives

Methods

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Conclusion