Poverty and Quality of Life of People with Disabilities in Colombia: An Integrative Document Review

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61799/2216-0388.2081

Keywords:

disability, multidimensional poverty, quality of life, social inclusion

Abstract

The relationship between poverty and disability constitutes a multidimensional phenomenon that is closely related to people's quality of life, particularly in contexts of inequality such as Colombia. Several studies show that people with disabilities face greater barriers to accessing education, employment, healthcare, and civic participation, which increases their economic and social vulnerability. The objective of this study is to analyze the relationship between poverty and quality of life among people with disabilities in Colombia from a multidimensional perspective, considering economic, social, and institutional dimensions. To this end, an integrative documentary review was conducted using a qualitative approach, descriptive scope, and non-experimental design, based on scientific, statistical, and institutional evidence. The findings show that poverty among this population manifests through diverse and interconnected dimensions, including labor market discrimination, educational disadvantage, limitations in effective access to healthcare services, high levels of informal employment, excessive caregiving responsibilities, and the digital divide. Likewise, a significant gap is observed between regulatory progress in inclusion and the effective implementation of public policies, which limits their contribution to improving living conditions. In conclusion, poverty among people with disabilities in Colombia is a multidimensional phenomenon that restricts the development of capabilities and civic participation, highlighting the need to develop and implement comprehensive policies aimed at effective, sustainable, and rights-based inclusion.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

[1] World Health Organization (WHO) and World Bank, World report on disability, 2011. [Online]. Available: https://www.who.int/teams/noncommunicable-diseases/sensory-functions-disability-and-rehabilitation/world-report-on-disability

[2] World Health Organization (WHO), Global report on health equity for persons with disabilities, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.who.int/teams/noncommunicable-diseases/sensory-functions-disability-and-rehabilitation/global-report-on-health-equity-for-persons-with-disabilities

[3] Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE), Panorama general de la discapacidad en Colombia, 2020. [ En línea] Disponible: https://www.dane.gov.co/files/investigaciones/discapacidad/Panorama-general-de-la-discapacidad-en-Colombia.pdf

[4] Departamento Nacional de Planeación (DNP), Documento CONPES Social 166: Política pública nacional de discapacidad e inclusión social. Consejo Nacional de Política Económica y Social, 2013. [ En línea] Disponible: https://colaboracion.dnp.gov.co/cdt/conpes/social/166.pdf

[5] D. C. Camargo Farías, and S. A. López-Zamora,” Estado de la política pública para personas con discapacidad en materia de empleo, seguridad social y educación en Tunja (Colombia),” Ágora USB, vol. 22, no.1, pp. 222–242, 2022, doi.org/10.21500/16578031.6066

[6] N. E. Gómez, A. L. Pérez, D. M. López, and M. F. Medina, “Personas con discapacidad: barreras de acceso al empleo en Colombia.” Revista CES Derecho, vol.11, no. 2, pp. 3–24, 2020, doi: org/10.21615/cesder.11.2.1

[7] Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), Panorama social de América Latina y el Caribe 2022: la transformación de la educación como base para el desarrollo sostenible, 2022. [En línea] Disponible: https://www.cepal.org/es/publicaciones/48518-panorama-social-america-latina-caribe-2022-la-transformacion-la-educacion-como

[8] S. Mitra, A. Posarac, and B. Vick, “Disability and poverty in developing countries: A multidimensional study,” World Development, vol. 41, pp. 1–18, 2013, doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2012.05.024

[9] M. Oliver, The politics of disablement. Macmillan, 1990.

[10] International Labour Organization, Inclusion of people with disabilities in vocational training: A practical guide, 2015. [Online]. Available: https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/wcmsp5/groups/public/%40dgreports/%40gender/documents/publication/wcms_230732.pdf

[11] UN Women, The empowerment of women and girls with disabilities: Towards full and effective participation and gender equality, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/empowerment-of-women-and-girls-with-disabilities-en.pdf

[12] A. Sen. Development as freedom. Oxford University Press, 1999.

[13] United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Human Development Report 2023-2024: Breaking the Gridlock: Reimagining Cooperation in a Polarized World. New York, NY, USA: UNDP, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-2023-24

[14] A. Urzúa and A. Caqueo-Urízar, “Calidad de vida: Una revisión teórica del concepto;” Terapia Psicológica, vol. 30 no.1, pp. 61–71, 2012, https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-48082012000100006

[15] The WHOQOL Group, “The World Health Organization quality of life assessment (WHOQOL): Position paper from the World Health Organization”. Social Science & Medicine, vol. 41, no. 10, pp. 1403–1409, 1995, https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(95)00112-K

[16] D. Felce, and J. Perry, “Quality of life: Its definition and measurement.” Research in Developmental Disabilities, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 51–74, 1995, https://doi.org/10.1016/0891-4222(94)00028-8

[17] C. P. Henao Lema, and L. M. Gil Obando, “Calidad de vida y situación de discapacidad,” Hacia la Promoción de la Salud, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 114-127, 2009. [En línea] Disponible: http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?pid=S0121-75772009000200009&script=sci_arttext

[18] R. L. Schalock, M. A. Verdugo, L. E. Gómez, and H. S Reinders, “Moving us toward a theory of individual quality of life,” American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, vol. 121, no. 1, pp. 1–12, 2016 https://doi.org/10.1352/1944-7558-121.1.1

[19] P. Anand, “Disability and multidimensional quality of life: A capability approach to health status assessment,” Health Economics, vol, 29, no. 7, pp. 748–765, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.4017

[20] United Nations, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2006. [Online]. Available: https://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/convention/convoptprot-e.pdf

[21] T. Shakespeare, Disability rights and wrongs revisited, 2nd ed. Routledge, 2014.

[22] R. Hernández Sampieri, and C. Mendoza Torres, Metodología de la investigación: Las rutas cuantitativas, cualitativas y mixtas. México: McGraw-Hill, 2018.

[23] F. N. Kerlinger, and H. B. Lee, Investigación del comportamiento. McGraw-Hill, 2002

[24] R. Whittemore, and K. Knafl, “The integrative review: Updated methodology”. Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol.52, no.5, pp. 546-553, 2005, doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2005. 03621.x

[25] G. A. Bowen, “Document analysis as a qualitative research method,” Qualitative Research Journal, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 27–40, 2009, doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027

[26] Y. S Lincoln, and E. G Guba, Naturalistic inquiry. Sage Publications, 1985.

[27] L. M. Banks, and S. Polack, The economic costs of exclusion and gains of inclusion of people with disabilities: Evidence from Low- and Middle-Income Countries. London, UK: International Centre for Evidence in Disability, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 2014. [Online]. Available: https://www.iapb.org/wp-content/uploads/CBM_Costs-of-Exclusion-and-Gains-of-Inclusion-Report_2015.pdf

[28] Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE), Gran Encuesta Integrada de Hogares (GEIH): Mercado laboral de las personas con discapacidad, diciembre 2025-febrero 2026. [En línea] Disponible: https://www.dane.gov.co/files/operaciones/GEIH/bol-GEIHMLPD-dic2025-feb2026.pdf

[29] N. E. Groce, M. Kett, R. Lang, and J. Trani, “Disability and poverty: The need for a more nuanced understanding of implications for development policy and practice,” Third World Quarterly, vol. 32, no. 8, pp. 1493-1513, 2011, doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2011.604520

[30] O. M. Espitia Segura, “Discapacidad como determinante del acceso a servicios de salud en Colombia,” trabajo de grado de maestría, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia, 2023, doi: 10.57784/1992/73114.

[31] Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE), De la discapacidad en Colombia: una mirada a las personas cuidadoras, 2023. [En línea]. Disponible: https://www.dane.gov.co/files/investigaciones/notas-estadisticas-casen/abril-2023-DiscapCuidadores.pdf

[32] ONU Mujeres Colombia, Análisis de la situación de las personas con discapacidad en Colombia, 2022. [En línea] Disponible: https://colombia.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/Discapacidad.pdf

[33] G. Goggin, and C. Newell. Digital disability: The social construction of disability in New Media. Rowman & Littlefield, 2003.

Published

2026-09-01

Issue

Section

Artículo Originales

How to Cite

[1]
Reyes Ibarra, L.P. and Bracho Colina, E.C. 2026. Poverty and Quality of Life of People with Disabilities in Colombia: An Integrative Document Review. Mundo FESC Journal. 16, 36 (Sep. 2026). DOI:https://doi.org/10.61799/2216-0388.2081.

Most read articles by the same author(s)