Better health for people with disabilities

There are already 1 billion people experiencing disability globally – 15% of the world’s population – and the numbers are growing due to population ageing, and an increase in noncommunicable diseases. Across the world, more often than their non-disabled peers, people with disabilities have poorer health and do not receive the care they need. People with disabilities are more than twice as likely to find healthcare provider skills inadequate; nearly three times more likely to be denied care; and four times more likely to be treated badly. The 66th World Health Assembly, to be held from 20-28 May, will discuss a resolution that calls for WHO and Member States to ensure equal access to health services for people with disabilities.

• WHO's Executive Board issues draft resolution calling for better health care for people with disabilities
• Better health for people with disabilities: infographic

The first-ever World report on disability reveals that of the more than one billion people in the world who are disabled, 110-190 million encounter significant difficulties in their daily lives. A lack of attention to their needs means that they are confronted with barriers at every turn. These include stigma and discrimination; lack of adequate health care and rehabilitation services; and inaccessible transport, buildings and information. The report recommends that governments and their partners provide people with disabilities access to all mainstream services, invest in specific programmes for those people with disabilities who are in need, and adopt a national disability strategy and plan of action. Importantly, people with disabilities should be consulted and involved in the design and implementation of these initiatives.

• World report on disability

Children with disabilities are almost four times more likely to experience violence than non-disabled children, according to a systematic review published in the medical journal The Lancet in July 2012. Another systematic review on violence against adults with disabilities, published earlier this year, found that overall they are 1.5 times more likely to be a victim of violence than those without a disability, while adults with mental health conditions are at nearly four times the risk of experiencing violence. Factors which place people with disabilities at higher risk of violence include stigma, discrimination, and ignorance about disability, as well as a lack of social support for those who care for them.

• Violence against adults and children with disabilities

The wheelchair is one of the most common assistive devices. It is estimated that 70 million people require wheelchairs worldwide, yet only 5-15% of people have access. Health and rehabilitation professionals are not always trained adequately to ensure people with disabilities get a quality wheelchair. In partnership with United States Agency for International Development (USAID), WHO developed Wheelchair service training package: basic level whose main purpose is to develop the minimum skills and knowledge required by personnel involved in wheelchair service delivery.

• Wheelchair Service Training Package: Basic Level