Disability in Myanmar

Disability and Place of Living: Experiences of Accessibility, and Inequality in Four Regions:

“This paper finds that people with disabilities lead more independent lives, were better supported in carrying out day-to-day activities, and had more accessible services and spaces in Yangon than in peripheries. Two notable findings are: (1) accessibility is not just infrastructural, but also attitudinal, more enabling in Yangon than peripheries, and (2) people with disabilities who live in peripheries feel “home-incarcerated” due to infrastructural exclusions experienced in those areas.” (2023, Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research)

Back to contents.

A song for freedom Debrief interview with an activist who reveals the situation of disabled people in the civil war:

“Now because of the security issue, there are a lot of checkpoints, in the country, or even in the city areas, downtown. The military, the soldiers, check the persons with disabilities whenever they cross. They think we are like anti-coup and that because of the current armed conflicts, we became the persons with disabilities. They check many things, a lot of inquiry and investigation…” (2023, Disability Debrief)

Back to contents.

Disability rights activist Brian Zaw fighting for those under the rule of Myanmar's military junta. (2024, ABC News)

Junta Soldiers Murder Disabled Man. “The Burma Army (BA) has reportedly killed a mentally ill disabled man in northern Chin State”. (2022, BNI Online)

Myanmar junta troops murder disabled villagers “A deaf woman and a paralysed man were murdered by regime forces in northern Chin State’s Falam Township late last week, according to local sources.” (2022, Myanmar Now)

Myanmar Junta Troops Shoot Dead Mentally Ill Man (2021, The Irrawaddy)

Back to contents.

The 2019 Inter-Censal Survey finds a disability prevalence rate of 12.8%, namely close to six million of forty six million aged five and up. Higher among females (13.9%) than males (11.6%) and slightly higher in rural areas (13.1%) than urban (12.3%). (Link to pdf, 2020, Myanmar Government and UNFPA)

Back to contents.

Collecting disability disaggregated data in disaster risk reduction: Findings and lessons learned. (2024, CBM)

Back to contents.

"We wish for both of our sons to be educated" The hard choices a family is making for their child living with disability in eastern Myanmar. (2024, UNICEF)

A window to the world multimedia storybooks offer new learning opportunities for children with disabilities. (2023, UNICEF)

Back to contents.

Rehabilitation

Integrating rehabilitation and assistive technologies into community programs: Lessons from Kayin State, Burma (2024, USAID)

Back to contents.

Disability and women and girls in displacement from Myanmar: A factsheet on refugees and asylum seekers. (2024, Relief Web)

Back to contents.

“A dream to achieve”: Making Myanmar more disability-inclusive. (2023, UNFPA)

Back to contents.

Life for Disabled People in Myanmar Worse Since Coup according to caregivers. (2024, BNI Online)

Disabled face discrimination in Myanmar. “There is little wonder in a society that is attempting to develop economically and culturally after decades of military regime mismanagement that those on the bottom rungs have a particularly hard time, in part because they tend to be ignored.” (2022, Mizzima)

Disability in Myanmar (2014 - 2019) Analytical brief exploring the situation of disabled people. “People with disabilities in Myanmar typically have challenges in access to education, fewer livelihood opportunities, and reduced social inclusion.” (2021, MIMU)

Back to contents.

Strategies for Inclusion in Myanmar's Federal Democratic Transition:

“As Myanmar’s pro-democracy stakeholders work towards defining a future democratic federal union, ensuring consistency in disability rights at the union level and across diverse regions and states is a critical challenge.” (2024, Idea)

Back to contents.

Assessment of Services for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Gender-Based Violence, and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for persons with disabilities, in selected states. (2023, UNFPA)

Back to contents.