Disability and health

 Disability refers to the interaction between individuals with a health condition (e.g., cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and depression) and personal and environmental factors (e.g., negative attitudes, inaccessible transportation and public buildings, and limited social supports).

Over 1 billion people are estimated to experience disability. This corresponds to about 15% of the world's population, with up to 190 million (3.8%) people aged 15 years and older having significant difficulties in functioning, often requiring health care services. The number of people experiencing disability is increasing due to a rise in chronic health conditions and population ageing. Disability is a human rights issue, with people with disability being subject to multiple violations of their rights, including acts of violence, abuse, prejudice and disrespect because of their disability, which intersects with other forms of discrimination based on age and gender, among other factors. People with disability also face barriers, stigmatization and discrimination when accessing health and health-related services and strategies. Disability is a development priority because of its higher prevalence in lower-income countries and because disability and poverty reinforce and perpetuate one another.

Disability is extremely diverse. While some health conditions associated with disability result in poor health and extensive health care needs, others do not. However, all people with disability have the same general health care needs as everyone else, and therefore need access to mainstream health care services. Article 25 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) reinforces the right of persons with disability to attain the highest standard of health, without discrimination. However, the reality is that few countries provide adequate quality services for people with disability.

Barriers to healthcare

People with disability encounter a range of barriers when they attempt to access health care including:

Attitudinal barriers

• People with disability commonly report experiences of prejudice, stigma and discrimination by health service providers and other staff at health facilities.
• Many service providers have limited knowledge and understanding of the rights of people with disability and their health needs and have inadequate training and professional development about disability.
• Many health services do not have policies in place to accommodate the needs of people with disability. Such policies could include allowing longer and flexible appointment times, providing outreach services and reducing costs for people with disability.
• Women with disability face particular barriers to sexual and reproductive health services and information. Health workers often make the inaccurate assumption that women with disability are asexual or are unfit to be mothers.
• People with disability are rarely asked for their opinion or involved in decision-making about the provision of health services to people with disability.