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  • International Centre for Evidence in Disability

Global Health and Disability

Leaving no one behind: disability, health and wellbeing in global development

16,167 enrolled on this course

A mother plays with her son in India
  • Duration

    3 weeks
  • Weekly study

    4 hours

Around 15% of the world’s population, or 1 billion people, live with some form of disability, with numbers continuing to rise over the coming decades.

People with disabilities are often overlooked in national and international development, and can face widespread barriers in accessing services, including health and rehabilitation services, even though simple initiatives are available to enable access.

Our three week course aims to raise awareness about the importance of health and well-being of people with disabilities in the context of the global development agenda: Leaving no one behind.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 10 seconds HANNAH KUPER: Hello and welcome to our course, Global Health and Disability. My name is Hannah Kuper and I’m your lead educator. I’m a professor of epidemiology and the Director of the International Centre for Evidence in Disability at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Skip to 0 minutes and 25 seconds MYROSLAVA TATARYN: And I’m Myroslava Tataryn, co-educator and an alumnus of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Skip to 0 minutes and 31 seconds HANNAH KUPER: Around 15% of the world’s population, or one billion people, live with some form of disability. The global number of people with disabilities will continue to grow over the coming decades, with ageing of populations and the increase in chronic conditions, like diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and stroke. Disability often affects vulnerable groups, and is more common among women, older people, and households that are poor. It is also more common in lower income countries and around the world, about 80% of people with disabilities are living in poverty.

Skip to 0 minutes and 59 seconds MYROSLAVA TATARYN: People with disabilities are often overlooked in national and international development. This is linked to widespread barriers that they face, such as accessing health, education, and rehabilitation services. Many of these barriers can be overcome with simple solutions and initiatives to reduce society’s stigma and negative attitude towards disabilities, and by making sure that the right services are available and accessible to meet people’s needs. Access to health care for people with disabilities is a human right, and this includes the right to access both general primary health care services that everyone needs, as well as specific services, like rehabilitation.

Skip to 1 minute and 38 seconds Access to good health care can help enable people with disabilities to increase their participation in all aspects of life, which contributes to social and economic development and inclusion for all.

Skip to 1 minute and 48 seconds HANNAH KUPER: Over the next three weeks, we will come together to answer questions such as, what is disability? And why is it important to the global development agenda? Why are health, well-being, and disability linked? And how can access to health and rehabilitation services for people with disabilities be improved? People with disabilities are at the heart of this course, and you will hear from people around the world who will describe their personal experiences. We will use examples from many low income countries across different development and humanitarian settings. The course uses videos, articles, discussions, and simple ways to test your learning.

Skip to 2 minutes and 20 seconds MYROSLAVA TATARYN: This course is suitable for anyone with a professional or personal interest in disability as it relates to health, rehabilitation, international development, and humanitarian assistance. We anticipate a very diverse group of learners, both in terms of knowledge and experience, and we look forward to learning with you over the coming weeks. Throughout the course, we encourage you to take part in course discussions. Share your thoughts, perceptions, and personal experiences with each other. We’re sure that it will be exciting to lead you through this course, so let’s get started.

What topics will you cover?

• The magnitude of disability and relevance of disability to the global development agenda

• Defining disability and how it can be understood and measured

• The challenges to health and wellbeing amongst people with disabilities and why people with disabilities might have poorer health

• Why people with disabilities may have difficulty in accessing health services

• Links among longer term health conditions and disability

• How to improve access to health care and rehabilitation for people with disabilities

• Community based inclusive development for improving access to health and rehabilitation for people with disabilities

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Describe the links between disability, health and wellbeing
  • Discuss challenges to health and wellbeing amongst people with disabilities
  • Develop an understanding of what disability is and its relevance to the global development agenda
  • Reflect on how different types of disabilities affect people’s lives in different ways
  • Identify solutions to improve health and wellbeing amongst people with disabilities

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for anyone with a professional or personal interest in disability as it relates to health, rehabilitation, international development and humanitarian assistance.

There is a particular focus on low and middle income countries – both in the content of the course and the target learners.

Cover photo: © Photo Robin Wyatt 2014: see www.robinwyatt.org

Who will you learn with?

I am the Director of the International Centre for Evidence in Disability, and a Professor of Epidemiology. I have 15+ years of experience working in disability, mostly in low and middle income areas.

LSHTM Almuni, MSc PHDC 2010. Passionate about disability rights. Over a decades’ experience with NGOs working to ensure access to health and social services for people with disabilities.

Who developed the course?

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is a world leader in research and postgraduate education in public and global health. Its mission is to improve health and health equity worldwide.

International Centre for Evidence in Disability

The International Centre for Evidence in Disability is an international centre at LSHTM with expertise in disability research and teaching in the context of public health and development.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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