KATHMANDU, APRIL 11

One in six people live with a disability in our world today. These individuals suffer a range of auditory, cognitive, physical, speech, and visual disorders that can hinder access to financial services.

Indeed, when stranded by mobility limitations, they are most likely to live in a 'financial services desert' with inadequate or no access to mainstream financial services.

Yet, the invisibility of most disabilities makes addressing financial inclusion for these people challenging since many choose not to be open about their difficulties.

Visual disabilities, for example, are not only due to mild to severe vision loss in one or both eyes. The color blind can also experience a lower or complete lack of sensitivity to specific colors.

Auditory disabilities include partial hearing loss or hearing impairment in one or both ears.

Cognitive, learning and neurological disabilities can range from mild reading-related disabilities to severe impairments. Physical disabilities can include paralysis, arthritis, poor coordination, tremors, and missing limbs.

A version of this article appears in the print on April 12, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.