Abstract:
Persons with disabilities have an equal right to access health services,
including general health services and disability-related health services. In
accessing health care, persons with disabilities encounter many barriers.
These include stereotypes about disability on the part of health care
providers; a lack of appropriately-trained health care staff; imbalanced
power relationships between persons with health needs and medical
professionals; inaccessible health care facilities; inaccessible health-related
information; and a lack of individualised accommodations.1 These
barriers are heightened in the circumstances of persons with psychosocial
disabilities who face additional challenges, including legally-sanctioned
involuntary commitment; forced treatment; and the use of restraints and
solitary confinement in mental health care institutions. In addition, certain
categories of persons with psychosocial disabilities require particular
attention in health care settings. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur on
Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment in his 2013
report notes that ‘women living with disabilities, with psychiatric labels in
particular, are at risk of multiple forms of discrimination and abuse in
health-care settings’.
