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World Report on Hearing

WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO)
2021

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The World Report on Hearing (WRH) has been developed in response to the World Health Assembly resolution (WHA70.13), adopted in 2017 as a means of providing guidance for Member States to integrate ear and hearing care into their national health plans.

Based on the best available evidence, this report presents epidemiological and financial data on hearing loss; outlines available cost-effective solutions and sets the way forward through ‘Integrated people-centered ear and hearing care’ (IPC-EHC). The report proposes a set of key H.E.A.R.I.N.G. interventions that must be delivered through a strengthened health system to realize the vision of IPC-EHC. 

The WRH was developed in collaboration with experts and stakeholders in the field of ear and hearing care who informed the report’s strategic direction and ensured that it reflects a range of cultural contexts and approaches to hearing care. The report is global in its reach while keeping a special focus on low- and middle-income countries, where the number of people with hearing loss is not matched by the availability of services and resources.

At risk of exclusion from CRPD and SDGs implementation: Inequality and persons with deafblindness. Initial global report on situation and rights of persons with deafblindness

JENSEN, Rune
et al
September 2018

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Representing between 0.2% to 2% of the population, persons with deafblindness are a very diverse yet hidden group and are, overall, more likely to be poor and unemployed, and with lower educational outcomes. Because deafblindness is less well-known and often misunderstood, people struggle to obtain the right support, and are often excluded from both development and disability programmes. This initial global report on the situation of persons with deafblindness seeks to start a dialogue between international disability rights and development stakeholders, and is based on research undertaken by the World Federation of the Deafblind (WFDB) combining the largest population-based analysis of persons with deafblindness conducted to date (disaggregation of 22 population-based surveys from low, middle and high-income countries), an academic literature review, two surveys conducted among members and partners of WFDB and Sense International. Women and men with deafblindness from across the world took part in the Helen Keller World Conference in June 2018, and were consulted to confirm the findings and elaborate on the recommendations for this report.

 

Data and discussion are presented on people with deafblindess and: inequality; poverty; work; education; health; participation on political and public life; and social life. Datasets are included. 

 

Assistive technology policy: a position paper from the first global research, innovation, and education on assistive technology (GREAT) summit

MACLACHLAN, Malcolm
BANES, David
BELL, Diane
BORG, Johan
DONNELLY, Brian
FEMBEK, Michael
GHOSH, Ritu
GOWRAN, Rosemary Joan
HANNAY, Emma
HISCOCK, Diana
HOOGERWERF, Evert-Jan
HOWE, Tracey
KOHLER, Friedbert
LAYTON, Natasha
LONG, Siobhán
MANNAN, Hasheem
MJI, Gubela
ONGOLO, Thomas Odera
PERRY, Katherine
PETTERSSON, Cecilia
POWER, Jessica
RAMOS, Vinicius Delgado
SLEPIČKOVÁ, Lenka
SMITH, Emma M
TAY-TEO, Kiu
GEISER, Priscille
HOOKS, Hilary
2018

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Increased awareness, interest and use of assistive technology (AT) presents substantial opportunities for many citizens to become, or continue being, meaningful participants in society. However, there is a significant shortfall between the need for and provision of AT, and this is patterned by a range of social, demographic and structural factors. To seize the opportunity that assistive technology offers, regional, national and sub-national assistive technology policies are urgently required. This paper was developed for and through discussion at the Global Research, Innovation and Education on Assistive Technology (GREAT) Summit; organized under the auspices of the World Health Organization’s Global Collaboration on Assistive Technology (GATE) program. It outlines some of the key principles that AT polices should address and recognizes that AT policy should be tailored to the realities of the contexts and resources available. AT policy should be developed as a part of the evolution of related policy across a number of different sectors and should have clear and direct links to AT as mediators and moderators for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The consultation process, development and implementation of policy should be fully inclusive of AT users, and their representative organizations, be across the lifespan, and imbued with a strong systems-thinking ethos. Six barriers are identified which funnel and diminish access to AT and are addressed systematically within this paper. We illustrate an example of good practice through a case study of AT services in Norway, and we note the challenges experienced in less well-resourced settings. A number of economic factors relating to AT and economic arguments for promoting AT use are also discussed. To address policy-development the importance of active citizenship and advocacy, the need to find mechanisms to scale up good community practices to a higher level, and the importance of political engagement for the policy process, are highlighted. Policy should be evidence-informed and allowed for evidence-making; however, it is important to account for other factors within the given context in order for policy to be practical, authentic and actionable.

Success in the workplace: From the voice of (dis)abled to the voice of enabled

MARSAY, Gloria
2014

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The intention of this article is twofold; first to encourage a shift in seeing ‘the disabled’not as people with disabilities but rather as people with unique abilities. Secondly, toexplore ways of facilitating gainful employment for these uniquely abled people. The termdisability is examined against a backdrop of definitions including the definition postulatedby the International Classification of Functioning. In this article, the life experiences of apurposive sample of people with (dis)abilities who have been successful in the world ofwork are explored. A narrative approach gives voice to their experiences. Quotes from theparticipants’ responses are used to illustrate the common themes that emerged relating totheir experiences. These themes are resonated against a backdrop of relevant literature. Ifdisabled people are enabled to recognize and use their unique abilities, as well as developvarious self-determination skills, imagine the endless possibilities which could arise for themand society in general.

Zero project report 2014

FEMBEK, Michael
et al
January 2014

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This report maps the state of implementation of the CRPD in 130 countries regarding the topic of Accessibility. The Zero Project experts selected 54 projects from the 243 that were nominated as Innovative Practices and selected 15 policies from the 66 projects nominated as Innovative Policies advancing accessibility and universal design.  The report presents questionnaire results from 32 questions on the state of implementation of the UN CRPD, especially accessibility, from 130 countries with social indicators. All results are also available on their website

Findings on accessibility of the zero project

HEINDORF, Ingrid
Eds
June 2012

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This report presents the findings from The Zero Project 2012 which highlights the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The report’s thematic focus on barriers provides examples of social indicators, good practice and good policy relating to accessibility to the physical environment, to transportation, to information and communications, as well as to other facilities and services provided to the public “"A prelude to the European Accessibility Act: Findings of the international Zero Project Report 2012"
Brussels, Belgium
21 June 2012

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