An estimated 1.3 billion people experience significant disability. This represents 16% of the world’s population, or 1 in 6 of us
80% of the [people with disability live in the poorest countries
Persons with disabilities find inaccessible and unaffordable transportation 15 times more difficult than for those without disabilities.
Health inequities arise from unfair conditions faced by persons with disabilities, including stigma, discrimination, poverty, exclusion from education and employment, and barriers faced in the health system itself
According to a new UNICEF report Children with disabilities face multiple and often compounding challenges in realizing their rights
According to a UNICEF report:-
- 24 % receive early stimulation and responsive care;
- 42 % have foundational reading and numeracy skills;
- 25 % to be wasted and 34 % to be stunted;
- 53 % to have symptoms of acute respiratory infection;
- 49 % have never attended school;
- 47 % are out of primary school, 33 % are out of lower-secondary school and 27 % are out of upper secondary school;
- 51 % feel unhappy;
- 41 % feel discrimination against them
- 32 % experienced severe corporal punishment.
Factors contributing to health inequities
Health inequities arise from unfair conditions faced by persons with disabilities.
Structural factors: Persons with disabilities experience ableism, stigma and discrimination in all facets of life, which affects their physical and mental health. 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.
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. 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).
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. A key reason for this is that they are often left out of public health interventions.
Health system: Persons with disabilities face barriers in all aspects of the health system. 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.