It also denotes the interaction between individuals with a health condition (e.g., cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and depression) and their personal and environmental factors (e.g., negative attitudes, inaccessible transportation, public buildings, and limited social supports).
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes disability as a global public health issue, a human rights issue, and a development priority.
Key Facts
- About 15% of the world’s population lives with some form of disability.
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Some 90 million children aged under 15 years have significant difficulties in functioning. - 80% of people with disabilities live in developing countries.
- 70 million people need a wheelchair but only 5% have access to one.
- Half of the people with disabilities cannot afford healthcare.
- Communication disorders are not consistently recognized globally as a disability.
- Disability is included in the five goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
- There is an urgent need to scale up disability inclusion in all levels of the health system, particularly primary health care.
2021 Theme
Since March 2020, every person on earth has been impacted by drastic political, social, and economic changes as a result of domestic and international responses to COVID-19.
People with disabilities are also disproportionately affected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The theme for International Day of People with Disabilities (IDPD) 2021is “Leadership and Participation of Persons with Disabilities Toward an Inclusive, Accessible, and Sustainable post-COVID-19 World”.
This day should be used to celebrate the challenges, barriers, and opportunities for people who live with disabilities, in the context of a global pandemic.
Marginalization, discrimination, vulnerability, and exploitation are everyday factors for people with disabilities, which reduce their access to routine health care and rehabilitation services.
Social isolation, poor public health messaging, inadequate mental health services, and a lack of preparedness for people with special needs are seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Public health organizations, policy makers, supporters, and people in every community should be aware of difficulties faced by people living with disabilities during this pandemic.
These barriers faced by people with disabilities worldwide can be reduced by pushing for more meaningful investments into the socioeconomic building blocks.
This year includes invisible disabilities such as communication disorders, mental health disorders, chronic pain, and fatigue in inclusion initiatives.
Making all healthcare services accessible to people with disabilities is achievable and will reduce unacceptable health disparities.
It is impossible to solve the world’s inequalities in a single day, so make a meaningful pledge to celebrate diversity, value accessibility, and serve the disabled employees this International Day of People with Disabilities.
References:
- International Day of Persons with Disabilities – 3 December
– (https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/international-day-of-persons-with-disabilities-3-december.html) - International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2021
– (https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2021/12/03/default-calendar/international-day-of-persons-with-disabilities-2021) - International Day of Persons with Disabilities
– (https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/personswithdisabilitiesday)
Source: Medindia
