In which of the following ways are . . . . . .'s activities limited compared
with most people your/his/her age?
(self-care/mobility/communication/schooling/employment/other/none)4
In 2000, the question consisted of two parts, but was more specific in its
approach.5
"Do you/Does . . . . . . have problems with any of the following?"
(sight difficulties (even with glasses, if worn)/hearing difficulties (even
with hearing aid, if used)/speaking difficulties (talking)/moving [or]
mobility difficulties (walking, climbing stairs, standing)/body movement
difficulties (reaching, crouching, kneeling)/gripping [or] holding difficulties
(using fingers to grip or handle objects)/learning difficulties (intellectual
difficulties, retardation)/behavioural difficulties (psychological, emotional
problems)/personal care difficulties (bathing, dressing, feeding self)/
other)
"In which of the following ways are your/.........'s activities limited
compared with most people your/his/her age? (self-care/mobility/
communication/schooling/employment/other/none)6
The change in question wording and subsequent decrease in the
measured size of the disability population suggest a lack of reliability. In addition,
surveys by the Special Education Unit of the Ministry of Education have found that
the percentage of children and adolescents (between the ages of 3 and 18) who are
diagnosed with some form of disability is closer to 15%.7 The differences may be due to
the fact that the census is carried out by persons who may not be adept at recognizing
all types of disabilities and may only identify people with significant disabilities.
Legislation & Disability Rights
Legal Protections
Belize signed the International Labor Organization Convention on
Employment and Occupation Discrimination (No. 111) and ratified it on 22 June
1999.8 However, Belize has not signed the Organization of American States Inter-American Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against
Persons with Disabilities.
4. Central Statistical Office, Census Form, 1991, photocopy provided by the Central Statistical Office.
5. The 2000 census reports impairments by type: 27.3% sight; 10.3% hearing; 6.7% speech;
16.6% moving; 13.2% body movement; 6.6% grip/hold; 5.8% slow learning; 3.9% behavior; 5.8%
personal care; 3.8% other.
6. Central Statistical Office, 2000.
7. Sharon August (Director of the Special Education Unit of the Ministry of Education, former Principal of the Stella Maris School for the Disabled), interviewed by author, Belize City, 25 June 2003.
8. International Labor Organization, Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, (1958), http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/english/convdisp1.htm.