participation. A useful definition for disability is provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). According to ABS, a person with a disability is defined as “anyone who has experienced a limitation, restriction or impairment, which has lasted, or is likely to last, for at least 6 months and restricts everyday activities” (ABS 2003). A standard national definition of disability is now available. According to the draft National Policy on Disability, “disability” results from the interaction between persons with impairments, conditions or illnesses and the environmental and attitudinal barriers they face (MGF 2007). Such impairments, conditions, or illnesses may be permanent, temporary, intermittent or imputed, and include those that are physical, sensory, psychosocial, neurological, medical or intellectual. It is also important to note that there are people who have multiple disabilities. 2.2 Disability statistics Previous estimates were that around three percent of the population had disabilities. The first ever disability screening was undertaken in the Maldives in 1981(President’s Office 2006). Then there were 1,390 persons with disabilities that comprised 0.9 percent of the population. ). In 2000, according to the Population and Housing Census data there were 4,728 persons with disabilities in the Maldives (Velezine 2001). This constituted 1.75 percent of the total populaof 9,216 persons with disabilities were identified that comprised about 3.4 percent of the total population (MGFDSS 2002). In Census 2006, a total of 897 persons identified that they were not able to work due to a disability (MPND 2008). More recent disability prevalence rates show that 8.1 percent of the population has either temporary or permanent disabilities. According to the preliminary report of the Disability Screening Survey undertaken by Handicap International in 2009, about 4.7 percent were found to have severe permanent functional limitations or disabilities (HI 2009). In those islands where all the households were screened the prevalence rates varied between 9 percent and 11.8 percent. The percentage of the persons with disabilities in the Maldives (8 percent) conforms to the WHO burden of diseases averages. The WHO estimate for persons with disabilities is between 5 to 15 percent of the population (WHO 2008). A possible difference in the Maldives is that ACTIVITIES ADDRESSING RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES tion. According to the Report on Survey of People with Disabilities undertaken in 2002 a total ... 25