Thread by @WHO

Today is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Over 1 billion people in the 🌏🌍🌎 experience some form of disability.
Let's celebrate diversity & promote the human rights of people with disability. #ADay4All!

bit.ly/33rcEwB

@WHOSEARO @WHOWPRO @WHO_Europe @WHOAFRO @WHOEMRO @pahowho Many people living with a disability 👨‍🦽👩‍🦽 don’t have access to adequate health services: Let’s work together to ensure people with disability enjoy the same rights as everyone else #ADay4All
bit.ly/33rcEwB

@WHOSEARO @WHOWPRO @WHO_Europe @WHOAFRO @WHOEMRO @pahowho WHO is committed to including people with disability in the Universal Health Coverage agenda.
#HealthForAll really means ALL! bit.ly/33rcEwB

#ADay4All

@WHOSEARO @WHOWPRO @WHO_Europe @WHOAFRO @WHOEMRO @pahowho The level of #disability in countries can be impacted by physical, human-built, attitudinal & sociopolitical barriers, such as:
🔻 negative attitudes of others
🔻 inaccessible transportation & public buildings
🔻 poor social support
🔻 limited access to health services
#ADay4All

@WHOSEARO @WHOWPRO @WHO_Europe @WHOAFRO @WHOEMRO @pahowho People with disability encounter a range of barriers when they attempt to access health care including:
🔻 Prohibitive costs
🔻 Limited availability of services
🔻 Physical barriers
🔻 Inadequate skills and knowledge of health workers
#ADay4All #HealthForAll

@WHOSEARO @WHOWPRO @WHO_Europe @WHOAFRO @WHOEMRO @pahowho The Model Disability Survey - developed by @WHO and the @WorldBank - is a general population survey that assesses the needs, barriers & inequalities faced by people with disability across the whole population #ADay4All
bit.ly/2DE6Cyx

@WHOSEARO @WHOWPRO @WHO_Europe @WHOAFRO @WHOEMRO @pahowho @WorldBank @WHOPakistan It is not enough to simply know that people with disability are worse off than people without disability—we must find out why. Good quality, broad disability data are essential. The Model Disability Survey was developed to collect such data #ADay4All

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1201878854115188737?s=20

Assistive products, such as 🔸wheelchairs
🔸hearing aids
🔸white canes
are essential for people with disabilities to live independent, productive and dignified lives
bit.ly/2RdCrGq #ADay4All

Trained service providers support people:
1️⃣selecting the right assistive product
2️⃣fit the product to make it comfortable and safe for the person
3️⃣teach the person how to use it and look after their products
4️⃣follow-up to see if the product still meet the person's needs

1⃣ Selecting the right assistive product should be a team work between the person with disabilities and the service provider.
A trained service provider helps to assess people's abilities, where they live and what they want to do bit.ly/2RdCrGq #ADay4All

2⃣ A trained service provider may adjust an assistive product to make it comfortable and safe and ensure that it works well for the person with disabilities bit.ly/2RdCrGq #ADay4All

3⃣ After fitting, a service provider helps a person with disabilities how to use and look after their assistive product bit.ly/2RdCrGq #ADay4All

4⃣ A service provider might need to adjust or repair an assistive product, provide further training or go back to step 1⃣ and help a person with disabilities select a new product bit.ly/2RdCrGq #ADay4All

WHO estimates that one billion people around the world need assistive technology but only 1 in 10 have access bit.ly/2RdCrGq #ADay4All

@pahowho @WHOWPRO @WHOEMRO @WHOSEARO @WHOAFRO @WHO_Europe Assistive products are often accessed without assessment, fitting, training or mechanisms for follow-up, maintenance & repair.
Without these key steps, assistive products are often of no benefit, abandoned or even cause physical harm - resulting in extra health care costs

In less-resourced settings, people in need of assistive products are often forced to rely on donations or charitable services bit.ly/2DLG91U
#ADay4All

These donation and charitable services often comprise distribution of large quantities of low-quality or used assistive products that are inappropriate for the person or the setting and are not maintainable, repairable or replaceable locally #ADayForAll

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1202244578612563970?s=20

WHO is working with partners to ensure that more people can access assistive products through appropriate local services in their community bit.ly/2RdCrGq #ADay4All