Disability in Liberia
People with disability in Liberia face many challenges. The cultural attitude towards disability in Liberia is largely negative. Often, it is seen as the result of witchcraft or as punishment for a person's behavior. However, the government and non-governmental organizations are working towards a more inclusive country for people with disabilities.
Demographics
[edit]Statistics from 2008 show that around 14 percent of the population of Liberia has a disability.[1]
Policy
[edit]The government of Liberia has stated that it has a commitment to providing an inclusive society for people with disabilities.[2] In 2005, Liberia created the National Commission On Disabilities Liberia.[3] Liberia signed and ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2012.[4]
Liberia has various protections for people with disabilities in the workforce.[5] The government also promotes tax incentives for hiring people with disabilities and has a target of 4% employment for people with disabilities.[5]
People with disabilities have received less attention than other groups of people who are at risk in the country.[6]
Education
[edit]The Ministry of Education of Liberia has the Department of Science, Technical, Vocational, and Special Education, which oversees education for students with disabilities.[7] In the FY 2023 National Budget for the Republic of Liberia, this department received 0.28% of the Ministry of Education Budget.[7] Also, the fiscal year 2023 budget did not list a specific allocation to special education that would service students with disabilities in Liberia.[7] In the FY 2023 National Budget, one subsidy is explicitly provided for a school of students with disabilities, the Liberia School for the Blind.[7] In turn, most funding of schools for students with disabilities is based on non-governmental organizations and religious organizations.
Non-governmental organizations
[edit]Non-governmental organizations in the country have called on the government to secure the rights of people with disabilities.[8] Many of these groups have adopted a National Action Plan for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities.[8] Non-governmental organizations advocating for people with disabilities became more involved in the process of advocacy following the 2005 elections in Liberia.[9]
Humanity & Inclusion has been working in Liberia since 2000.[1] The National Union of the Disabled was established in 2009 to advocate for people with disabilities in Liberia.[10] Other prominent non-governmental organizations in Liberia include the Disabled Females International-Liberia, Organisation for the Social Integration of the Liberian Deaf, Liberia National Association of the Blind (LNAB) and the Christian Association of the Blind-Liberia.[10]
Schools for Students with Disabilities
[edit]Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of schools that serve students with disabilities in Liberia; many schools lack a digital presence due to funding limitations.
Schools for Students with Intellectual Disabilities
My Heart's Appeal Center, a pilot school for students with Intellectual Disabilities, opened in Gaye Town, Monrovia, in 2024.[11] The pilot program is focused on vocational and academic training for teenagers and adults with intellectual disabilities.[11] The NGO My Heart's Appeal Inc. was founded in 2011.[12] It started this school after working with over 150 Liberians with intellectual disabilities through respite care programs and preliminary projects, and it founded the Down Syndrome Association of Liberia.[12]
His Safe Haven is located in