Santo Domingo, DR.
Having some condition or disability constitutes a questionable barrier that prevents many people from developing their potential and achieving job opportunities that allow them to sustain the cost of having a dignified life.
The aggregate cost of severe disability in 2018, estimated for the general population, was RD$2,741,624,446. While the opportunity cost at the level of formal salaries amounts to RD$3,975 per individual and RD$2,530 per household.
The data is contained in the study “Cost of Disability: Effects on the Quality of Life and Income,” published in July by the Unified System of Beneficiaries (SIUBEN). This cost was measured by the mean difference with administrative data on reported wages obtained from the Social Security Treasury (TSS).
According to the study, this opportunity cost is approximately RD$1,000 per household at the general income level.
The number of people with severe disabilities in the SIUBEN database is 32,976 out of a total population of 6,380,843 people, while the estimated Dominican population in 2018 was 10,266,149 people.
66.9% of people with severe disabilities older than five years cannot work, 65.9% cannot perform sports activities, 40.6% cannot access justice services, 50.8% cannot participate in recreational activities, 42.5% cannot access public transportation services, 58% cannot study, and 33.5% cannot access health services.