[Excerpt] According to the United Nations (UN), there are approximately 600 million people worldwide with some form of disability, of which about 60 percent live in developing countries and only a small percentage are said to receive services such as rehabilitation. In developing countries, disability and poverty are closely connected, and the great majority of persons with disabilities are living in absolute poverty. They are not receiving the benefits of development, and it is not easy for them to participate in the development of their country. While a participatory approach to development is widely employed, measures to recognize persons with disabilities as participants have not yet been properly implemented in all fields of assistance. In the past, the support for persons with disabilities has been seen as part of social welfare assistance, and has tended to focus on persons with disabilities only as its beneficiaries.