Elena A. AbumuslimovaPh.D., Assistant Professor

Department of Public Health and Health Care,

Northern-West State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov, Sant-Petersberg

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), adopted in 2006, aims to “promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity”.

Over a billion people live with some Over a billion people live with some form of disability. form of disability.

This corresponds to about 15% of the world's population. Between 110-190 million people have very significant difficulties in functioning. Rates of disability are increasing, due to population ageing and the global increase in chronic health conditions.

Disability disproportionately affects Disability disproportionately affects vulnerable populations. vulnerable populations.

Lower-income countries have a higher prevalence of disability than higher-income countries. Disability is more common among women, older people and children and adults who are poor.

People with disabilities often do not People with disabilities often do not receive needed health care. receive needed health care.

Half of disabled people cannot afford health care, compared to a third of non-disabled people. People with disabilities are more than twice as likely to find health-care providers' skills inadequate. Disabled people are four times more likely to report being treated badly and nearly three times more likely to be denied health care.

Children with disabilities are less likely to Children with disabilities are less likely to attend school than non-disabled children. attend school than non-disabled children.

Education completion gaps are found across all age groups in all settings, with the pattern more pronounced in poorer countries.For example, the difference between the percentage of disabled children and the percentage of non-disabled children attending primary school ranges from 10% in India to 60% in Indonesia.

People with disabilities are more likely to People with disabilities are more likely to be unemployed than non-disabled people. be unemployed than non-disabled people.

Global data show that employment rates are lower for disabled men (53%) and disabled women (20%) than for non-disabled men (65%) and non-disabled women (30%).In OECD countries, the employment rate of people with disabilities (44%) was slightly over half that for people without disabilities (75%).

People with disabilities are People with disabilities are vulnerable to poverty.vulnerable to poverty.

People with disabilities have worse living conditions–including insufficient food, poor housing, lack of access to safe water and sanitation – than non-disabled people. Because of extra costs such as medical care, assistive devices or personal support, people with disabilities are generally poorer than non-disabled people with similar income.

Rehabilitation helps to maximize Rehabilitation helps to maximize functioning and support independence. functioning and support independence.

In many countries rehabilitation services are inadequate. Data from four Southern African countries found that only 26–55% of people received the medical rehabilitation they needed, while only 17–37% received the assistive devices they needed (e.g. wheelchairs, prostheses, hearing aids).

People with disabilities can live and People with disabilities can live and participate in the community. participate in the community.

Even in high-income countries, between 20% and 40% of people with disabilities do not generally have their needs met for assistance with everyday activities. In the United States of America, 70% of adults rely on family and friends for assistance with daily activities.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) promotes, with Disabilities (CRPD) promotes, protects and ensures the human rights protects and ensures the human rights for all people with disabilities.for all people with disabilities.

Nearly 150 countries and regional integration organizations have signed the Convention, and 100 have ratified it.

Disability Disability is is an umbrella term for an umbrella term for impairments, activity limitations, and impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictionsparticipation restrictions

An impairmentimpairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity activity limitationlimitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restrictionparticipation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations.

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Thus disability is a complex phenomenon, reflecting an interaction between features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives.

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

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The number of people with disabilities The number of people with disabilities is growing. This is because:is growing. This is because:

populations are ageing – older people have a higher risk of disability

the global increase in chronic health conditions associated with disability, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mental illness. Chronic diseases are estimated to account for 66.5% of all years lived with disability in low-income and middle-income countries.

Disability is result of the interaction Disability is result of the interaction between health conditions, personal between health conditions, personal factors, and environmental factorsfactors, and environmental factors

It was seen the role of the environment It was seen the role of the environment in facilitating or restricting participation in facilitating or restricting participation for people with disabilitiesfor people with disabilities

An individual may also qualify as disabled if An individual may also qualify as disabled if he/she has had an impairment in the past or he/she has had an impairment in the past or is seen as disabled based on a personal or is seen as disabled based on a personal or group standard or norm. group standard or norm.

Such impairments may include physical, Such impairments may include physical, sensory, and cognitive or developmental sensory, and cognitive or developmental disabilities. disabilities.

Mental disorders (also known as psychiatric or psychosocial disability) and various types of chronic disease may also qualify as disabilities.

Some advocates object to describing certain conditions (notably deafness and autism) as "disabilities", arguing that it is more appropriate to consider them developmental differences that have been unfairly stigmatized by society.

The World Health Assembly on May 22, 2001, approved the International International Classification of Functioning, Disability Classification of Functioning, Disability and Healthand Health and its abbreviation of "ICFICF."

This classification was first created in 1980 and then called the International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps, or ICIDH by WHO to provide a unifying framework for classifying the unifying framework for classifying the health components of functioning and health components of functioning and disability.disability.

The ICF classification complements WHO’s International Classification of Diseases-10th Revision (ICD), which contains information on diagnosis and health condition, but not on functional status.

Body functions and structure Activities (related to tasks and actions by

an individual) Participation (involvement in a life

situation) Additional information on severity and

environmental factors

ICF takes into account the social aspectssocial aspects of disability and does not see disability only as a 'medical' or 'biological' dysfunction. By including Contextual Factors, in which environmental factors are listed ICF allows to records the impact of the environment on the person's functioning.

Inadequate policies and standards. Negative attitudes Lack of provision of services Problems with service delivery Inadequate funding Lack of accessibility Lack of consultation and involvement Lack of data and evidence

A variety of approaches have been used in mainstream health care settings to overcome physical, to overcome physical, communication and information communication and information barriersbarriers such as structural modifications to facilities, using equipment with universal design features, communicating information in appropriate formats, making adjustments to appointment systems and using alternative models of service delivery.

In high-income countries disability access and quality standards have been incorporated into contracts with public, private, and voluntary service providers.

Such measures as targeting services, developing individual care plans, and identifying a care coordinator can reach people with complex health needs and hard-to-reach groups.

Education for health-care professionals needs to contain relevant disability information.

The empowerment of people with disabilities to better manage their own health through self-management courses, peer support, and information provision has been effective in improving health outcomes and can reduce health care costs.

A range of financing options has the potential to improve coverage and affordability of health care services.

good, clear information communication in the way that works best for

them buildings and services they can get into use health care in places near where they live more choice and control over their health care money to help them pay for their health care the chance to be involved in training people

who give health care so they understand about disability.

Rehabilitation is a good investment because it builds human capacity.

It should be incorporated into general legislation on health, employment, education, and social services and into specific legislation for people with disabilities.

Policy responses should emphasize early intervention, the benefits of rehabilitation to promote functioning in people with a broad range of health conditions, and the provision of services as close as possible to where people live.

For established services the focus the focus should be on improving efficiency and efficiency and effectivenesseffectiveness, by expanding coverage and improving quality and affordability.

IntegratingIntegrating rehabilitation into primary into primary and secondary health careand secondary health care settings can improve availability.

Increasing access to assistive Increasing access to assistive technology technology increases independence, improves participation, and may reduce care and support costs.

Given the global lack of rehabilitation professionals, more training capacity is more training capacity is neededneeded.

Mid-level training programmes Mid-level training programmes can be a first step to address gaps in rehabilitation personnel in developing countriesin developing countries or to compensate for difficulties in recruiting higher level professionals in developed countries.

The redistribution or reorganization of existing services (for example, from hospital to community-based services, international cooperation)

Transitioning to community living, providing Transitioning to community living, providing a range of support and assistance services, a range of support and assistance services, and supporting informal caregivers and supporting informal caregivers will promote independence and enable people with disabilities and their family members to participate in eco nomic and social activities.

Countries need to plan adequately for the the transition to a community-based service transition to a community-based service model, with sufficient funding and human model, with sufficient funding and human resourcesresources.

In low-income and middle-income countries, supporting service provision supporting service provision through civil society organizations can expand the can expand the coverage coverage and range of services.

Community-based rehabilitation rehabilitation programmes programmes have been effective in delivering services to very poor and delivering services to very poor and underserved areas. underserved areas.

Removing barriers in public Removing barriers in public accommodations, transport, accommodations, transport, information, and communicationinformation, and communication

Key requirements for addressing accessibility and reducing negative attitudes are access standardsaccess standards

Cooperation between the public and private sector; a lead agency responsible for coordinating implementation; training in accessibility; universal design for planners, architects, and designers; user participation; public education.

Mainstream programmes and services invest in specific programmes and

services for people with disabilities adopt a national disability strategy and

plan of action involve people with disabilities improve human resource capacity provide adequate funding and improve

affordability increase public awareness and

understanding improve disability data collection strengthen and support research on

disability

Governments United Nations agencies and

development organizations Disabled people’s organizations Service providers Academic institutions The private sector Communities People with disabilities and their

families