Over 38,000 Bahamians are now living with disabilities, representing 10.3 percent of The Bahamas’ population, and marking a significant uptick in disabled individuals over the last decade, according to newly released data from The Bahamas National Statistical Institute (BNSI).
The third release of the 2022 Census of Population and Housing Disability Report, accounting for people aged five years and older, revealed that a total of 38,551 people with disabilities were living in The Bahamas, with data comprising of people in New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco, and the rest of the Family Islands.
Of the total number of disabled Bahamians, 22,021 were females and 16,530 were males.
The last census was conducted in 2010, when officials found that 10,138 people with disabilities were living in The Bahamas, representing just two percent of The Bahamas’ total population.
The 2010 census showed that men with disabilities outnumbered women with disabilities on every island, representing 5,250 individuals.
The newest data stated that New Providence recorded the largest number of people with disabilities due to its large population, with 26,712 individuals of the total disabled population in the country.
However, the proportion of residents with disabilities in New Providence fell relatively low at 9.6 percent, which was below the national average.
Other islands falling below the national average were The Berry Islands at 6.5 percent, and Harbour Island at 5.9 percent.
In contrast, the highest disability rates were recorded in the small islands of Ragged Island, Inagua, and Mayaguana, which recorded 32.7 percent, 28 percent, and 27.8 percent respectively, meaning that a larger share of their populations was disabled.
The disability report made use of the Washington Group Short Set (WG-SS) of questions to assess six core functional domains used internationally to measure disability by seeing, hearing, walking or climbing stairs, remembering or concentrating, self-care, and communication.
Each respondent was asked to select from four response categories: no difficulty, some difficulty, a lot of difficulty, or cannot do at all, and those who reported some difficulty, a lot of difficulty, or cannot do at all in at least one of the six domains were classified as people with disabilities.
The report found that sight disability was the commonly reported disability, with a total of 18,860 people experiencing some difficulty, however in 2010, the most common disability was a lack of mobility due to paralysis or dismemberment, and blindness accounted for just 11.5 percent of people.
The second most recorded disability was walking, where 10,419 persons reported difficulties, and the third highest level of difficulty was remembering, as a total of 6,303 persons reported experiencing some difficulty.
“Seeing disability was the most commonly reported disability domain, with 18,860 persons experiencing some difficulty, 1,778 reporting a lot of difficulty, and 419 indicating that they could not see at all,” the report read.
“Walking recorded the second highest level of difficulty among the disability domains. A total of 1,102 persons reported that they could not walk at all, while 2,961 indicated having a lot of difficulty. Additionally, 10,419 persons reported experiencing some difficulty with walking.
“Remembering, which is inclusive of concentrating, recorded the third highest level of difficulty among the disability domains. A total of 253 persons reported that they could not remember/concentrate at all, while 1,387 indicated having a lot of difficulty. Additionally, 6,303 persons reported experiencing some difficulty with remembering/concentrating.”
It was also found that across the entire Bahamas 26,765 people, representing 54.6 percent, suffered from single disabilities while 11,756, representing 24 percent, suffered from multiple disabilities.
A total of 10,537 people fell into the “Don’t Know” category.
In the 2010 report, it was noted that nine percent of the disabled population in the country had multiple disabilities.
Findings from the 2022 census also revealed interesting statistics surrounding education.
Seventy-four people or 15.1 percent of individuals who reported being unable to speak at all were of school age, between five and 17 years old.
Numbers also showed that 2,685 people or 9.6 percent of respondents were enrolled in school on a full-time basis, while 557 or 1.4 percent were enrolled part-time.
However, majority of the individuals with a disability — totaling 34,306 individuals — were not enrolled in any educational institution at the time of the census.
The report found that secondary education was the most frequently recorded attainment level among persons aged 15 years and older with one disability; college and university graduates accounted for 5,494 people or 21.9 percent; post-secondary education accounted for 2,097 people or 8.3 percent; 1,193 persons or 4.7 percent had attained only primary education; and 451 or 1.8 percent had less than a primary level of education.
A common pattern observed across all disability domains was that the prevalence and severity of difficulties rose with age.
The census also examined the likelihood of disabled people marrying, finding that compared to the non-disabled population, people with disabilities were less likely to have never married.
“Among the population without disability, 218,120 persons or 67.5 percent had never married, relative to 17,264 persons or 44.8 percent of the population with at least one disability,” the report read.
“In contrast, the percentage of persons with disabilities (single and multiple disabilities combined) were more likely to be married, with 13,071 persons or 33.9 percent reporting married status, versus 82,059 persons or 25.4 percent among the non-disabled population.
“Additionally, the population with a disability recorded higher proportions of persons who were widowed (4,430 or 11.5 percent), divorced (2,593 or 6.7 percent), and legally separated (913 or 2.4 percent) when compared with the non-disabled population.”
In a statement, the BNSI stated that the figures indicated a need for continued investment in specialized education and support for children impacted by disabilities.
“This finding underscores the importance of continued attention to inclusive education, accessibility, and support services for children with communication-related disabilities within The Bahamas,” the statement read.
“As The Bahamas continues to strengthen its national statistical system, BNSI remains committed to ensuring that official statistics reflect the experiences and conditions of all segments of the population through transparent, inclusive, and internationally recognized statistical practices.
“The release of the 2022 Census of Population and Housing: Disability Report represents an important step in strengthening the availability of data related to persons with disabilities within The Bahamas and improving understanding of the demographic and social characteristics of this population.”
