Actionable pathways to disability inclusive health: A participatory session on system reform
1
Inclusive Health, Special Olympics International, Washington DC, United States
2
Healthy Communities, Special Olympics Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A1786
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Existing evidence highlights marked health disparities experienced by persons with disabilities. In 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued the Global Report on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities (1), which presented evidence of health inequities and forty targeted actions that governments can implement to advance health equity for persons with disabilities. To address the specific inequities faced by people with intellectual disabilities—who are often overlooked, despite health challenges causing 16-20 years early mortality as compared to the general population—Special Olympics International (SOI) launched the Rosemary Collaboratory initiative. Through this effort, SOI assessed the inclusiveness of health systems for people with intellectual disabilities in nine countries, including South Africa and Nigeria, using a comprehensive system-level assessment (SLA). The SLA findings led to a report with four recommendations (2) that align with and add nuance to the WHO report's recommendations. This session aims to familiarize participants with recommendations for creating disability-inclusive health systems and to leverage diverse perspectives to discuss the implementation of these recommendations in different settings.
METHODS:
The session will begin with a presentation about disability and health inequity, and the recommendations that stimulate health system reform, followed by interactive discussions. Attendees will be divided into groups, and each group will choose one recommendation from the provided reports. The groups will address guiding questions to explore practical strategies for implementing the selected recommendation from their professional, academic, or lived-experience perspectives.
RESULTS:
Participant input will be compiled into a cohesive document of actionable ideas designed to support advocacy for disability-inclusive health systems.
CONCLUSIONS:
This session will present an opportunity for participants to engage with recommendations that show promise in addressing a crucial gap in the inclusion of persons with disabilities within global health systems, offering critical support for ongoing efforts to achieve equitable, data-driven health system improvements.
Existing evidence highlights marked health disparities experienced by persons with disabilities. In 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued the Global Report on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities (1), which presented evidence of health inequities and forty targeted actions that governments can implement to advance health equity for persons with disabilities. To address the specific inequities faced by people with intellectual disabilities—who are often overlooked, despite health challenges causing 16-20 years early mortality as compared to the general population—Special Olympics International (SOI) launched the Rosemary Collaboratory initiative. Through this effort, SOI assessed the inclusiveness of health systems for people with intellectual disabilities in nine countries, including South Africa and Nigeria, using a comprehensive system-level assessment (SLA). The SLA findings led to a report with four recommendations (2) that align with and add nuance to the WHO report's recommendations. This session aims to familiarize participants with recommendations for creating disability-inclusive health systems and to leverage diverse perspectives to discuss the implementation of these recommendations in different settings.
METHODS:
The session will begin with a presentation about disability and health inequity, and the recommendations that stimulate health system reform, followed by interactive discussions. Attendees will be divided into groups, and each group will choose one recommendation from the provided reports. The groups will address guiding questions to explore practical strategies for implementing the selected recommendation from their professional, academic, or lived-experience perspectives.
RESULTS:
Participant input will be compiled into a cohesive document of actionable ideas designed to support advocacy for disability-inclusive health systems.
CONCLUSIONS:
This session will present an opportunity for participants to engage with recommendations that show promise in addressing a crucial gap in the inclusion of persons with disabilities within global health systems, offering critical support for ongoing efforts to achieve equitable, data-driven health system improvements.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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