EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. This report presents an evaluation of the activities targeted at persons with disabilities, conducted during 2009. The evaluation was commissioned by the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM), as part of the commitments specified in their mandate. years, it is timely to review not only the effectiveness with which it has achieved its aims, but also to identify opportunities for improvement. 2. The first ever disability screening in the Maldives in 1981showed that 0.9 percent of the population (1,390 persons) was comprised of persons with disabilities (President’s Office 2006). According to the 2000 Population and Housing Census there were 4,728 persons with disabilities in the Maldives, constituting 1.75 percent of the total population (Velezine 2001). In the nationwide Survey of People with Disabilities undertaken in 2002 a total of 9,216 persons with disabilities were identified, comprising about 3.4 percent of the total population (MGFDSS 2002). The most recent disability prevalence rates show that about 4.7 percent of the population (14,100 persons) have permanent disabilities (HI 2009). ACTIVITIES ADDRESSING RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES Several services targeted at persons with disabilities have now been in place for several ... 7