This study was a collaborative effort between the Tuvalu Ministry of Home Affairs, the Gender Affairs Department of the Office of the Prime Minister and the Fusi Alofa Association of Tuvalu (Tuvalu’s Disabled Persons’ Organisation).
Field workers interviewed 466 people with disabilities. Almost half said that their disability prevented them from participating in family and community events, largely due to physical barriers. Health facilities were inaccessible to around half of the participants and stigma, discrimination and abuse were experienced by many people with disabilities and were noted to have a strong impact on their lives. Furthermore, women with disabilities are twice as likely to live in hardship compared to men with disabilities. The report emphasised that women also carry the majority of the burden as caregivers for people with disabilites.
The report is published in English and Tuvaluan.
