Costa Rica
January 5, 2010
Programs and Services
Industrias de Buena Voluntad de Costa Rica has a seat on the Costa Rican Counsel for Persons with Disabilities. It runs a rehabilitation center in San José, providing people with disabilities opportunities to gain skills necessary to enter the workplace and become independent, contributing members of society.
Country Profile
Country name: Costa Rica
Capital: San José
Population: 4,576,562
Land Size: 19,730 squarge miles (slightly smaller than West Virginia)
President: Laura Chinchilla Miranda
Language: Spanish
Unemployment: 7.3 percent
GDP (PPP): $51.17 billion
GDP (PPP) per capita/average income: $11,300
Statistics for Persons with Disabilities: According to the 2000 Census, 5.5 percent of Costa Ricans have disabilities. According to a study by the Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Commerce, 60 percent of people with disabilities are underemployed.
State of Disability Legislation
Costa Rica signed and ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The country also has an “Equal Opportunities Law For People with Disabilities,” which was enacted by congress in May 1996 and is based on international documents such as the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities of Disabled People, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and the UN Children’s Convention. Its philosophy consists of the principles of non-discrimination and equalization of opportunities, defined as the process of adapting the environment, services, information, activities and attitudes to the needs of all people.
Rotary International
Workability International
Workability International Americas