Segregation and other barriers against the world's more than 1 billion disabled people should be removed so they can participate more freely in society, dpa quoted the World Health Organization and World Bank as saying Thursday. "Disability is part of the human condition," said WHO Director General Margaret Chan as she and World Bank representatives launched the annual report on disability at UN headquarters in New York. "Almost every one of us will be permanently or temporarily disabled at some point in life," she said. "We must do more to break the barriers which segregate people with disabilities, in many cases forcing them to the margins of society." The report said the barriers include stigma and discrimination, lack of adequate healthcare and rehabilitation services, accessible transport, buildings and information technology. It urged governments to increase public awareness and understanding of disability, and support further research and training in the area. The report, with contributions from 380 health experts around the world, urged governments to step up efforts to give the disabled access to mainstream services. Of the more than 150 countries that signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 100 of them have ratified it by setting up national legislations to assist the disabled.
