An investigation into attitudes toward physically challenged persons in Nepal: A comparative study with Japan

There are serious problems with the increase of challenged persons in developing countries and we have to consider how to help them. Moreover, we also have to ask whether the Quality of Life (QOL) for them has actually improved. Do they feel despair over their real ambitions and are they content to be patient while in a state of unrealized potential? In other words, we have to have awareness not only how to deal with people who need help to live, but also how to make a society in which everyone can live independently and freely. In this research, we investigate the attitudes of Nepalese citizens who don't need a great support for living towards physically challenged persons and identify the problems with the current attitude of citizens towards them and discuss possible approaches and a vision for improving their QOL. To this end, we conducted a field survey in Nepal and Japan using a questionnaire, analyzed the data, and discussed to clarify the Nepalese awareness of physically challenged persons. In the end, we consider a possible solution to these problems from several viewpoints. By collecting data by various stratifications, it was found that there was a large difference in their awareness toward challenged persons by ethnic group, age, region, and gender as the major findings of the surveys. Also the Nepalese themselves are aware of the difference. Based on the above results, we point out that “unifying actual support and promoting citizens’ awareness,” “reviewing and strengthening the educational system,” and “strengthening the leadership of the government to eliminate the differences between countries, genders, and caste groups” are three ways to address this issue. These three issues will have a positive effect on challenged persons in Nepal and also have a positive effect on society by reducing the burden on supporters.