World Health Day

People with disabilities need health care and health programs for the same reasons anyone else does—to stay well, active, and a part of the community.

Having a disability does not mean a person is not healthy or that he or she cannot be healthy. Being healthy means the same thing for all of us—getting and staying well so we can lead full, active lives.

Key facts from the World Heath Organisation about people with a lived experience of disability:

• Over a billion people, about 15% of the world’s population, have some form of disability.
• Between 110 million and 190 million adults have significant difficulties in functioning.
• Rates of disability are increasing due to population ageing and increases in chronic health conditions, among other causes.
• People with disability have less access to health care services and therefore experience unmet health care needs.