Achieving health for allĭisability inclusion is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and global health priorities to achieve health for all. The World Health Assembly Resolution WHA74.8 on the highest attainable standard of health for persons with disabilities calls for Member States to ensure that persons with disabilities receive effective health services as part of universal health coverage equal protection during emergencies and equal access to cross-sectoral public health interventions. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities requires States Parties to ensure that persons with disabilities have access to the same range, quality and standard of free or affordable health care as other people. There are two important international frameworks which relate to health equity for persons with disabilities. International frameworksĬountries have an obligation under international human rights law, and in some cases domestic laws, to address the health inequities faced by persons with disabilities. For example, a lack of knowledge, negative attitudes and discriminatory practices among healthcare workers inaccessible health facilities and information and lack of information or data collection and analysis on disability, all contribute to health inequities faced by this group. Health system: Persons with disabilities face barriers in all aspects of the health system. A key reason for this is that they are often left out of public health interventions. Risk factors: Persons with disabilities are more likely to have risk factors for non-communicable diseases, such as smoking, poor diet, alcohol consumption and a lack of physical activity. Gaps in formal social support mechanisms mean that persons with disabilities are reliant on support from family members to engage in health and community activities, which not only disadvantages them but also their caregivers (who are mostly women and girls). Social determinants of health: Poverty, exclusion from education and employment, and poor living conditions all add to the risk of poor health and unmet health care needs among persons with disabilities. Laws and policies may deny them the right to make their own decisions and allow a range of harmful practices in the health sector, such as forced sterilization, involuntary admission and treatment, and even institutionalization. Structural factors: Persons with disabilities experience ableism, stigma and discrimination in all facets of life, which affects their physical and mental health.

Health inequities arise from unfair conditions faced by persons with disabilities. Factors contributing to health inequities Persons with disabilities die earlier, have poorer health, and experience more limitations in everyday functioning than others. Persons with disabilities are a diverse group, and factors such as sex, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, race, ethnicity and their economic situation affect their experiences in life and their health needs. This number is growing because of an increase in noncommunicable diseases and people living longer. An estimated 1.3 billion people – or 16% of the global population – experience a significant disability today.

It results from the interaction between health conditions such as dementia, blindness or spinal cord injury, and a range of environmental and personal factors. Disability is part of being human and is integral to the human experience.

Invisible disabilities list