Background
Background for implementing the disability prevention education program
Importance of disability prevention
- Rehabilitation programs are important, but preventing disabilities is more effective.
- A total 88.1% of persons with disabilities have acquired disabilities from illnesses and accidents, indicating that anyone can become disabled.
- Registration: 2,511,051 persons (as of the end of December 2016), From among causes of acquired disabilities, illnesses and accidents account for a high percentage at 56.0% and 32.1%, respectively.
| Cause | Total | Cause of acquired disabilities | nnate disability or disability at birth | Unknown cause | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sub-total | Illness | Accident | Sub-total | Innate | At birth | |||
| Proportion (%) | 100 | 88.1 | 56.0 | 32.1 | 6.5 | 5.1 | 1.4 | 5.4 |
Grounds for implementing disability prevention education
Act on Welfare of Persons with Disabilities: Article 9, Article 10, Article 17, Article 25
Article 9 (Responsibilities of State and Local Governments) The State and local governments shall be held responsible for the prevention of disability.
Article 10 (Responsibilities of Nation) The whole nation shall endeavor to prevent disability from occurring and detect disabilities early.
Article 17 (Prevention of Disability) The State and local governments shall
- accelerate investigation and research concerning causes of disabilities and the prevention thereof
- reinforce mother and child health services, detect and treat diseases early that cause disabilities
- and take other necessary measures
Article 25 (Education to Raise Social Awareness) The State and local governments shall
- implement publicity campaigns, such as education and public advertisement, to students, public officials, and general public, to raise awareness of persons with disabilities
- The State shall ensure that the contents of awareness-raising about persons with disabilities are included in textbooks pursuant to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Article 31 of the Act on the Prohibition of Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities, Remedy Against Infringement of Their Rights, Etc.
Article 31 (Prevention of Discrimination in Right to Health)
- The State and local governments shall implement measures necessary for the prevention and treatment of innate and acquired disabilities and take into account the gender, etc. of a person with a disability in determining and administering medical or health policies.