A disability is any condition of the body or mind that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain activities and interact with the world around them.
There are many types of disabilities, such as those that affect a person’s:
- Vision
- Movement
- Thinking
- Remembering
- Learning
- Communicating
- Hearing
- Mental health
- Social relationships
According to the World Health Organization, disability has three dimensions:
- Impairment in a person’s body structure or function, or mental functioning; examples of impairments include loss of a limb, loss of vision or memory loss.
- Activity limitation, such as difficulty seeing, hearing, walking, or problem solving.
- Participation restrictions in normal daily activities, such as working, engaging in social and recreational activities and obtaining health care and preventive services.
Disability is part of being human. An estimated 1.3 billion people – about 16% of the global population – currently experience significant disability. This number is increasing due in part to population ageing and an increase in the prevalence of no communicable diseases.
Disability results from the interaction between individuals with a health condition, such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and depression, with personal and environmental factors including negative attitudes, inaccessible transportation and public buildings, and limited social support.
A person’s environment has a huge effect on the experience and extent of disability. Inaccessible environments create barriers that often hinder the full and effective participation of persons with disabilities in society on an equal basis with others. Progress on improving social participation can be made by addressing these barriers and facilitating persons with disabilities in their day to day lives.
Health Inequity
An estimated 1.3 billion people – or 1 in 6 people worldwide – experience significant disability.
Persons with disabilities die earlier, have poorer health, and experience more limitations in everyday functioning than the rest of the population due to health inequities.
These health inequities arise from unfair conditions that affect persons with disabilities disproportionally, including stigma, discrimination, poverty, exclusion from education and employment, and barriers faced in the health system itself.
Compared to persons without disabilities, some persons with disabilities:
- die up to 20 years earlier;
- have more than a double risk of developing comorbid conditions such as depression, asthma, diabetes, stroke, obesity or poor oral health;
- find inaccessible health facilities up to 6 times more hindering; and,
- are up to 15 times more limited by inaccessible and unaffordable transportation.
It is a state obligation, through the health sector in coordination with other sectors, to address existing health inequities so that persons with disabilities can enjoy their inherent right to the highest attainable standard of health. Disability inclusion is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and global health priorities of universal health coverage, protection in health emergencies and healthier populations. Acting to achieve health equity for persons with disabilities is acting to achieve Health for All.