Disability Prevalence, Measurement, and Health in a Global Context

Abstract

AbstractWhile the rights of people with disabilities have ascended in global importance and institutional recognition, nation-states remain instrumental in addressing health inequalities. Worldwide, people with disabilities face formidable barriers to optimizing their life and health chances, and these barriers further hinder political and civil participation. This chapter seeks to understand how disability rates are associated with observed democratic principles, including the enshrinement and protection of disability rights into national laws and constitutional doctrines. Put differently, to what extent do more egalitarian and healthy democracies address the material needs of people with disabilities? To answer this question, we combine data from four publicly available, international databases to examine disability rates across global and national policies. We show that considerable variation exists across countries for three axes of inequality: disability-related health metrics, disability policies, and democratic ideals. Our findings speak to the importance of exploring how the structure of democracy itself and its attendant democratic ideals are central considerations in the production of population health, disability rates, and social inequality.