London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Overview

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.

The course

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.

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

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.