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access: 10min. walk from Ichigaya Station, JR Chuo/Sobu Line 10min. walk from Ichigaya Station Exit A1, Tokyo Toei Shinjuku Line 8 min. walk from Ichigaya Station Exit 6, Tokyo Metro Yurakucho/Nanboku Line

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Monthly Highlights of Research Activities: December 3 Marks the International Day of Persons With Disabilities

2025.12.03

Photo: JICA/ Sato Koji

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities, observed on December 3, was established by the United Nations in 1992 to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities and to raise awareness of these issues.

In November 2025, Japan hosted the “Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics ,” which drew significant attention and served as a powerful reminder of the importance of inclusion—not only in sports but across all aspects of society. At the JICA Ogata Research Institute, we have been conducting research across various fields to promote inclusive societies in developing countries. Here, we share some of the key findings from our work.

The majority of persons with disabilities have limited access to basic health services, education and empowerment. The causal links from disabilities to poverty and vice versa are widely acknowledged. JICA is committed to “disability and development ” to realize respect for the human rights of persons with disabilities, their “full participation and equality” and an inclusive society.

At the JICA Ogata Research Institute, we have been conducting research across various fields to promote inclusive societies in developing countries. Here, we share some of the key findings from our work.

Book | Forced Migration and Humanitarian Action: Operational Challenges and Solutions for Supporting People on the Move

This book investigates how the evolving situation of different forced migrants is accounted for and addressed in humanitarian action. Bringing together case studies from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific, this book focuses on a diversity of operational modalities and types of assistance provided by both traditional and non-traditional humanitarian actors to address the specific needs of displaced children, women, people with disabilities and older people, as well as trafficked migrant workers. The topic of disability is addressed in Chapter 4, titled “From Policy to Practice: The Evolution of Disability-Inclusive Humanitarian Action on Internal Displacement in Vanuatu and Nigeria.”

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Learn more: Research on the Evolving Humanitarian Action for Forced Migration

Research Paper | No.3 Special Education Needs and their Multiplicity: Qualitative Analysis of Policy and Interview Surveys from the Communities Surrounding People with Hearing Impairments in Nepal

This paper reports on a case study of the policy and community perceptions of people with hearing impairment in Nepal. The results suggest that the diversity of special education needs in Nepal is not only due to the physical factor of disability but also to the difficulties and disadvantages caused by the variety of social contexts.

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Learn more: Research Project on Disability and Education

Interview | Research Fellow Kengo Igei

Econometric analysis, a method used in a variety of fields of development, has not yet been widely applied in the field of disability studies. Kengo Igei sees the potential of econometric analysis in disability studies. We talked with him regarding his work in this field in the Republic of South Africa.

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Working Paper | No.204 Does Learning the Social Model Improve Behavior towards Persons with Disabilities? A Randomized Experiment for Taxi Drivers in South Africa

This study examines the impacts of a training program related to the social model of disability, called Disability Equality Training (DET), using the method of randomized control trials. The targets of the study were taxi drivers in South Africa. This study collected data on their understanding of disability and their actual services toward passengers with such disabilities using questionnaires and mystery shopper surveys.

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Working Paper | No.168 Were the Adverse Effects of Disability on Employment Mitigated during 2002-2015 in South Africa?: A Pseudo-Panel Approach

This study examines the effects of disability on employment status and changes in these effects over time in South Africa by applying a pseudo-panel approach based on annual cross-section surveys from 2002 to 2015. The main finding is that the effects of disability are significantly negative for the probability of being employed and significantly positive for the probability of being economically inactive.

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Working Paper | No.142 Untangling Disability and Poverty: A Matching Approach Using Large-scale Data in South Africa

This paper attempts to estimate the more accurate gap in multidimensional poverty between persons with and without disabilities in South Africa using a matching method and large-scale household survey data.