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Disability considerations for COVID-19 vaccination: WHO and UNICEF policy brief, 19 April 2021

WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO)
UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND (UNICEF)
Eds
April 2021

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Persons with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, both directly because of infection, and indirectly because of restrictions to reduce the spread of the virus. Persons with disabilities are a diverse group, and the risks, barriers and impacts faced by them will vary in different contexts according to, among other factors, their age, gender identity, type of disability, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and migration status.

This document presents considerations and actions for the following stakeholders to ensure equity in access to vaccination against COVID‑19 for persons with disabilities:

− Persons with disabilities and their support networks

− Governments

− Health service providers delivering vaccinations

− Organizations of persons with disabilities

− Disability service providers

− Residential institutions and long-term care facilities

− Community

WHO consolidated guideline on self-care interventions for health: sexual and reproductive health and rights

WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO)
2019

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SELF-CARE is the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health-care provider. 

The purpose of this guidance is to develop a peoplecentred, evidence-based normative guideline that will support individuals, communities and countries with quality health services and self-care interventions, based on PHC (Primary Health Care) strategies, comprehensive essential service packages and people-centredness. The specific objectives of this guideline are to provide:

• evidence-based recommendations on key public health self-care interventions, including for advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), with a focus on vulnerable populations and settings with limited capacity and resources in the health system

• good practice statements on key programmatic, operational and service-delivery issues that need to be addressed to promote and increase safe and equitable access, uptake and use of self-care interventions, including for advancing SRHR.

Epilepsy: a public health imperative

WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO)
2019

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This report is the first global report on epilepsy summarising the available evidence on the burden of epilepsy and the public health response required at global, regional and national levels.

This report is a call for sustained and coordinated action to ensure that every person with epilepsy has access to the care and treatment they need, and the opportunity to live free from stigma and discrimination in all parts of the world. It is time to highlight epilepsy as a public health imperative, to strongly encourage investment in reducing its burden, and to advocate for actions to address gaps in epilepsy knowledge, care and research.

Autism spectrum disorders

WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION
April 2017

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This fact sheet provides key facts and an overview about autism spectrum disorders. Associated epidemiology, causes, assessment and management, social and economic impacts are briefly covered. The human rights of people with ASD are discussed and the WHO Resolution on autism spectrum disorders (WHA67.8) is introduced.

Improved and standardized method for assessing years lived with disability after injury

HAAGSMA, JA
et al
2012

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"This article presents the results of study that aimed to develop a standardized method for calculating years lived with disability (YLD) after injury. The method developed consists of obtaining data on injury cases seen in emergency departments as well as injury-related hospital admissions, using the EUROCOST system to link the injury cases to disability information and employing empirical data to describe functional outcomes in injured patients. The novel method for calculating YLD after injury can be applied in different settings, overcomes some limitations of the method used to calculate the global burden of disease, and allows more accurate estimates of the population burden of injury"
Bull World Health Organ, 90

Community-based rehabilitation : CBR guidelines

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
et al
2010

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These guidelines provide an overview of key CBR concepts, indentify goals and outcomes that CBR programmes should be working towards, and provide suggested activities to achieve these goals. The guidelines are presented in seven separate booklets: Introductory booklet, Health component, Education component, Livelihood component, Social component, Empowerment component and Supplementary booklet. This resource is useful for people interested in inclusive community-based development for people with disabilities
Note: Links are provided to the CBR Matrix and MP3 audio files

Community-based rehabilitation : CBR guidelines|Health component

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
et al
2010

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This component of the CBR Guidelines focuses on health and how to make it inclusive. It describes "the role of CBR is to work closely with the health sector to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities and their family members are addressed in the areas of health promotion, prevention, medical care, rehabilitation and assistive devices. CBR also needs to work with individuals and their families to facilitate their access to health services and to work with other sectors to ensure that all aspects of health are addressed"
It outlines key concepts and then presents the core concepts, examples and areas of suggested activities in each of the following five elements: Health promotion; Prevention; Medical care; Rehabilitation; and Assistive devices. This guideline is useful for anyone interested in health component of CBR

Community-based rehabilitation : CBR Guidelines|Education component

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
et al
2010

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This component of the CBR Guidelines focuses on education and how to make it inclusive. It describes "the role of CBR is to work with the education sector to help make education inclusive at all levels, and to facilitate access to education and lifelong learning for people with disabilities." It outlines key concepts and then presents the core concepts, examples and areas of suggested activities in each of the following five elements: Early childhood care and education; Primary education; Secondary and higher education; Non-formal education; and Lifelong learning. This guideline is useful for anyone interested in the education component of CBR

Community-based rehabilitation : CBR guidelines|Livelihood component

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
et al
2010

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This component of the CBR Guidelines focuses on inclusive livelihoods. It describes "the role of CBR is to facilitate access for people with disabilities and their families to acquiring skills, livelihood opportunities, enhanced participation in community life and self-fulfilment." The guideline outlines key concepts, and then presents the core concepts, examples and areas of suggested activities in each of the following five elements: Skills development; Self-employment; Wage employment; Financial services; Social protection. This guideline is useful for anyone interested in livelihood component of CBR

Community-based rehabilitation : CBR Guidelines|Social component

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
et al
2010

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This component of the CBR Guidelines focuses on social component. It describes "the role of the CBR is to work with all relevant stakeholders to ensure the full participation of people with disabilities in the social life of their families and communities. CBR programmes can provide support and assistance to people with disabilities to enable them to access social opportunities, and can challenge stigma and discrimination to bring about positive social change." The guideline outlines key concepts, and then presents the core concepts, examples and areas of suggested activities in each of the following five elements: Personal Assistance; Relationships, marriage and family; Culture and arts; Recreation, leisure and sport; Justice. This guideline is useful for anyone interested in social component of CBR

Community-based rehabilitation : CBR guidelines|Supplementary booklet

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
et al
2010

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"These community-based rehabilitation (CBR) guidelines are applicable to all disability groups. However, the need was identified for a supplementary booklet to highlight a number of issues which CBR programmes have historically overlooked, i.e. mental health problems, HIV/AIDS, leprosy and humanitarian crises...CBR is a strategy for community-based inclusive development which takes into account the principles of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, e.g. non-discrimination and the need to include all people with disabilities in development initiatives. Therefore, it is important that CBR programmes take steps to address issues which they have traditionally excluded, such as mental health problems, HIV/AIDS, leprosy and humanitarian crises. While these four issues have been chosen for inclusion in this booklet, CBR programmes are encouraged to think broadly about other issues (e.g. CBR and children, CBR and ageing) that are particularly relevant in their communities and which may be included in future editions of the guidelines"

World health report 2004 : changing history

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
2004

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This report argues that a comprehensive HIV/AIDS strategy linking prevention, treatment, care and support for people living with the virus could save the lives of millions of people in poor and middle-income countries. At present, almost six million people in developing countries need treatment, but only about 400 000 of them received it in 2003. The World Health Report 2004 argues that a treatment gap of such dimensions is indefensible and that narrowing it is both an ethical obligation and a public health necessity. In September 2003 WHO, UNAIDS and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and their partners launched an effort to provide three million people in developing countries with antiretroviral therapy (ART) by end 2005 - the 3 by 5 initiative. This World Health Report shows how a partnership linking international organizations, national governments, the private sector and communities is working simultaneously to expand access to HIV/AIDS treatment, reinforce HIV prevention and strengthen health systems in some of the countries where they are currently weakest

CBR : a strategy for rehabilitation, equalization of opportunities, poverty reduction and social inclusion of people with disabilities - joint position paper 2004

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
International Labour Organization (ILO)
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
et al
2004

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In 1994 the ILO, WHO and UNESCO published the first version of this joint position paper. Since then progress has been made in several fields. Nevertheless many disabled people are still not reached or included in the fields of rehabilitation, employment or education - particularly disabled women, people with mental health problems or HIV/AIDS and poor disabled people.
This paper underlines that community-based rehabilitation is a strategy promoting multi-sectoral collaboration to reach different community groups. CBR has to be based on the principles of equal opportunities, participation and human rights.

World health report 2003 : shaping the future

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
2003

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This report argues that real progress in health depends on strengthening health systems, centred on the principles of primary health care. This requires effective use of existing knowledge and technologies and innovation to create new health tools, along with appropriate structures and strategies to apply them. Success will need new forms of cooperation between international health agencies, national health leaders, health workers and communities, and other relevant sectors. Chapter 1 of the report looks at the current state of global health, highlighting the gap between the poor and better-off everywhere. Chapter 2 reflects on the slow progress towards achieving the Millenium Development Goals. Chapter 3 looks at the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and demonstrates why HIV/AIDS control needs to drive the agenda for the global health community. Chapter 4 looks at the steps needed to achieve polio eradication within the next few years, and chapter 5 concentrates on the lessons learned from the SARS outbreak. The theme of chapter 6 is the the overlap between communicable and non-communicable diseases and injuries occurring throughout the developing world, leading to a crisis of priorities for health systems. The concluding chapter returns to the statement that stronger health systems are necessary, and that strengthening health systems should be based on the principles and practices of primary health care

International classification of functioning, disability and health (ICF)

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
2001

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ICF is a classification of health and health related domains that describe body functions and structures, activities and participation. The domains are classified from body, individual and societal perspectives. Since an individual's functioning and disability occurs in a context, ICF also includes a list of environmental factors

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