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Definition of Disability

To define disability, World Health Organization (WHO) has made a distinction between three situations:

• Disability: Any loss of substance or alteration of a structure or psychological, physiological or anatomical function (biomedical aspect);
•  Incapacity: Any reduction (resulting from an impairment) partial or total, the ability to perform an activity within the normal limits for a human being (functional);
•  Disadvantage: Results from an impairment or a disability which restricts or prohibits the execution of a normal role in relation to age, gender, social and cultural factors (social).

Guided by this definition, the Moroccan legislature has defined a disabled person as follows:

"a disabled person according to  this Act is any one in a state of permanent or temporary incapacity or difficulty resulting from a disability an inability preventing him to perform his vital functions, irrespective of birth or  required disabilities "(Article 2 of the Law 07-92 on the social protection of disabled persons).

On the basis of a multidimensional approach, the National Survey on Disability conducted by the Department in charge of Family, Children and Disabled Persons, defined disability as follows:
"Restriction of activities and / or social participation of a person on a permanent or temporary, stable and scalable, due to a disability leading to a deterioration of one or several physical, sensory, mental functions, isolated or combined, and a limitation of functional abilities. "

Personal and environmental factors may constitute obstacles or facilitators to activities and / or social participation of the person.

 

Changes in international and domestic interest relating to disability

The second half of the 20th century has seen a remarkable evolution in the rights of persons with disabilities. Accordingly, international society had adopted several statements in favor of this population group:

• Recommendation No. 99 of the International Labor Conference in June 1955, on the orientation and training of persons with disabilities;
• Decision of the International Labor Organization in 1975 on the rehabilitation and reintegration of the disabled;
• UN Declaration on the rights of the mentally handicapped (1971);
• UN Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons (1975);
• The prescriptive rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations (December 1993);
• Decision by the United Nations to call 1981,  the International Year of disability and the years 1982-1991, the decade for the integration of persons with disabilities.


In Morocco, 1995 is regarded as a major turning point in the process of social integration of people with disabilities. This year saw the creation of the High Commission for the Disabled as a government department dealing directly with the issue of disability in Morocco, and working for setting up of a comprehensive policy aimed at improving the situation of people with disabilities.


The interest shown by the Kingdom of Morocco to the issues of people with disabilities has been consolidated in 1998 through the creation of a Secretariat of State in charge of the Disabled and then in 2000 by the appointment of a Ministry in charge of the Status of Women, Protection of the Family and Childhood and the Integration of Disabled and more recently by the creation of a Secretariat of State in charge of Family, Solidarity and Social Action.
The situation of disabled people in Morocco.

The Secretariat of State in charge of the Family, Children and Disabled Persons carried out between 2003 and 2006 the first survey on disability in Morocco. According to the survey results, 5.12% of the population is in disadvantage situation. This national survey took four different forms:


• A qualitative survey concerning hundreds of people with disabilities
•  A quantitative survey concerning 9,674 households, involving more than 54,000 people with a detailed analysis of the living situations and 2,277 people with disabilities
• A qualitative survey including over one hundred actors: Ministries, Departments of State, associations
• A library review of all statistical data and analysis on the causes of disabilities

 
Government action for the disabled

Faced with this situation, the Kingdom of Morocco has adopted an Action Plan for the Integration of the Disabled into society. The main objectives of the action plan are:

• Set the general framework of the various interventions and development operations concerning the disabled people;
• Achieve the effective integration of people with disabilities in different fields by guaranteeing effective participation and enjoyment of the development’s results;
• Allow the disabled persons to enjoy their constitutional rights and make them known

The action plan also fixed the intervention fields as follows:

• Awareness;
• prevention and health care;
• Education and teaching;
• Vocational training;
• legislation;
• accessibility and transportation;
• culture, sports and arts.


Community-based rehabilitation Program (CBR) 

The Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) is a strategy that is part of community development for rehabilitation, equalization of opportunities and social integration of people with disabilities.

The implementation of the program requires the combined efforts of people with disabilities themselves, their families, their community and social services, health, education and vocational training.

The main objectives of this program are:

• Maximize physical, mental and sensory capacities of the disabled persons and their access to various local and ordinary services;
• Include the community to develop and implement programs for people with disabilities;
• Create local dynamics around the central theme of the program: Integration of disabled people and respect for their rights;
• Optimize the active participation of disabled people.

Thus, the RBC approach is to involve civil society in the care of persons with disabilities, work for these people, and respond to their real needs.

In order to launch this program, and in addition financing, the Moroccan government calls for the support of the United Nations through its agencies such as UNESCO, WHO and ILO.

The following tables show aid and accompaniment programs for the disabled in the Sahara region:


Laayoune Province

Year

Programme

Actions

Number of beneficiaries

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Dakhla Province 

Year

Programme

Actions

Number of beneficiaries

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Smara Province

Year

Programme

Actions

Number of beneficiaries

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Boujdour Province 

Year

Programme

Actions

Number of beneficiaries

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Aousserd Province 

Year

Programme

Actions

Number of beneficiaries

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

   

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