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.
