Health Disparities for Peoples with Disabilities

Peoples with disabilities also often experience health disparities globally, however having a disability does not equate to poor health (Mitra et al., 2022). So, why are there such significant health disparities for People with disabilities?

In Canada, Peoples with disabilities have a 45% higher chance than those without a disability of having unmet health care needs (Casey, 2015). One Australian study noted that Peoples with disabilities were more likely to experience ill health compared to their counterparts partially due to access to healthcare (Badji et al., 2021).

Video: Health Equity for People with Disabilities

5:22

In this video, we’ll learn about some example scenarios of how peoples with disabilities face barriers, particularly in a health context. As you’re watching the video, reflect on some possible societal solutions that could be applied to close the gap of this inequity.

Video: Report Highlights Barriers for Canadians with Disabilities

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In 2021, Statistics Canada released a report titled The Accessibility Experiences of Canadians with Disabilities based on 2017 census data. The report states that 73% of Canadians living with a disability encountered at least one barrier during an interaction with a federally regulated organization or business. This report is summarized in this news report.

Invisible Disabilities

As you may already know, not all disabilities are visible. Many disabilities like chronic pain are not easily observed by providers compared to a visible disability like a broken arm.

Video: This is Me

6:19

Kris, who lives with Chron’s disease, shares his experiences with his invisible disability and how people discount his pain.

Learn More

To learn more about how you can support People with invisible disabilities, visit the Invisible Disability Project.

References

Badji, S., Badland, H., Rachele, J. N., & Petrie, D. (2021). Public transport availability and healthcare use for Australian adults aged 18–60 years, with and without disabilities. Journal of Transport & Health, 20, 101001.

Casey R. (2015). Disability and unmet health care needs in Canada: a longitudinal analysis. Disability and health journal, 8(2), 173–181.

Mitra, M., Long-Bellil, L., Moura, I., Miles, A., & Kaye, H. S. (2022). Advancing health equity and reducing health disparities for people with disabilities in the United States. Health Affairs, 41(10), 1379–1386.

StatsCan (2021). The accessibility experiences of Canadians with disabilities, difficulties or long-term conditions within federal sector organizations, 2021. The Government of Canada.