The disabled are often a forgotten population when it comes to HIV/AIDS education and initiatives.
In the discourse on HIV/AIDS, scant attention has been paid to the vulnerability of the disabled to HIV/AIDS. Whether the disability is physical or mental, it can have a profound impact on an individual’s ability to protect him or herself from HIV.
There are a number of reasons for this, but they all seem to boil down to two factors: the ability of the disabled to access resources and the role of the disabled in society.
The disabled people the world over have a more difficult time accessing resources for a number of reasons. In most countries, there is a strong correlation between disability and poverty, unemployment, and illiteracy. This relationship speaks volumes of how the disabled are marginalized in many societies. Disabled children are often not allowed to attend school which leads to an adulthood of poverty and reduced opportunities.
This lack of education means that written materials on HIV are not useful for many of the disabled. Furthermore, educational materials on HIV are often not targeted to the disabled. For instance, written materials on HIV would make access to the information difficult for the blind in most developing countries.
But perhaps more importantly, the disabled are often not seen to be in need of materials and resources for HIV prevention. The disabled are often viewed as asexual. However, the reality is that in many parts of the world, the disabled are not only sexual, but vulnerable. In many societies, the disabled are viewed as undesirable marriage partners. Given the marginalization and the resulting poverty and denial of resources, the disabled in many countries are forced into transient relationships. This is particularly true of disabled women who often have to deal with abusive relationships.
Because disabled people often have little say in the political, educational, or economic worlds of their communities, they are not considered when HIV/AIDS programs and resources are planned. However, that is starting to change. One initiative is the HIV/AIDS and Disability Global Survey. This survey is attempting to assess the impact that AIDS has had on the disabled. The project also strives to make information and support services available to a larger degree to the disabled.
