Healthcare

Good healthcare is for everyone. People with intellectual disabilities deserve equal access to health services.

People with intellectual disabilities have a lower life expectancy (14-18 years lower) and have higher levels of medical needs that are not met (2,5 times more) than people without disabilities.

The health care system discriminates against people with intellectual disabilities and is not accessible. In half of the countries in the European Union (EU), discrimination in access to healthcare is not fully prohibited.

People with intellectual disabilities experience stigma, coercion, forced treatment and involuntary placement, and forced sterilisation and abortion.

Also, the sexual and reproductive health and mental health of people with intellectual disabilities are often overlooked. Because of this, people with intellectual disabilities have limited access to accessible information and healthcare on these topics. Healthcare need to become more accessible and inclusive for people with intellectual disabilities.

Lower life expectancy and un-met medical needs

Around 20 million people with intellectual disabilities live in Europe and are affected by a discriminating and inaccessible health care system. This results in lower life expectancies, and many deaths that could have been prevented.

For instance, in the United Kingdom (UK), women with intellectual disabilities have a life expectancy which is 18 years lower than average, and for men with intellectual disabilities it is 14 years lower. In addition, the inaccessibility of health care causes poorer quality of life for many people with intellectual disabilities. People with disabilities have a 2.5 times higher level of unmet medical needs. Furthermore, people with disabilities are more affected by health emergencies, such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

The United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) reminds countries that people with disabilities have the right to access the “highest attainable standard of health without discrimination on the basis of disability”.

Disability based discrimination in access to healthcare

Disability based discrimination in access to healthcare is not fully prohibited in almost half of the EU Member States. Discrimination on the grounds of disability and denial of reasonable accommodation hinder access to healthcare.

Patients with disabilities seeking healthcare may encounter challenges in accessing information about their rights. The information available on websites may be incomplete, inaccurate, or unclear, in particular when it comes to mental healthcare and sexual and reproductive health.

Patients with disabilities may also face difficulties, as the information provided regarding physical accessibility and reasonable accommodation is limited, and websites are often not digitally accessible to those using assistive technologies. Additionally, information on reimbursement of disability-related costs is not widely available. These barriers discourage patients with disabilities from seeking healthcare.

Health care needs to become more accessible by using easy-to-read information, training health care professionals and lowering the costs of health care. People with intellectual disabilities should be able to access mainstream health care services on an equal basis.

While some illnesses may be related to a person’s disability, a disability is not an illness. People with intellectual disabilities should have equal access to quality health care. Health is a key aspect of life, for people with intellectual disabilities as for anyone else.

Unfortunately, when accessing health care, people with disabilities across Europe face different forms of discrimination. They experience stigma, coercion, forced treatment and involuntary placement, and forced sterilisation and abortion.

Access to sexual and reproductive health and rights

People with disabilities often face stereotypes in the access to sexual and reproductive healthcare. They are infantilised and seen as asexual or, in some cases, hypersexual. Further, they are considered unfit for sexual or romantic relationships or parenthood.

The sexual and reproductive health of persons with intellectual disabilities are overlooked by health systems. As a result, persons with disabilities deal with additional barriers to care, services, education and information about sexual and reproductive health, and gender-based violence.

To address these challenges, Inclusion Europe calls for national policies and laws that guarantee access to sexual and reproductive healthcare for persons with intellectual disabilities. Making information on sexual and reproductive health accessible is important.

Healthcare providers often are of the opinion that people with intellectual disabilities should not have a sexual life, reproduce or look after children, and therefore should not need sexual and reproductive health services. For this reason, Inclusion Europe urges to train sexual and reproductive care workers on inclusion, combat discriminatory practices and improve services for persons with intellectual disabilities.

Mental healthcare

The mental health of people with intellectual disabilities is often neglected. Family members providing care also experience heavy mental health consequences due to inadequate support.

Intellectual disability and mental illness are frequently confused, resulting in the disregard of mental health concerns for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Psychiatric hospitals are used for institutionalising people with intellectual disabilities, hindering their inclusion and lacking support to address the trauma of institutionalisation.

Inclusion Europe calls for mental health initiatives targeting the specific needs of people with intellectual disabilities and their families through accessible information, training for professionals, and support mechanisms. EU funding should prioritize deinstitutionalization, supported decision-making, and restoration of legal capacity.

Inclusive and accessible health-care system

To achieve an inclusive health-care system, we need accessibility in different areas:

Easy-to-read information about health, in medical structures such as hospitals, about health insurance and on their website;
Trained doctors and nurses who understand how to explain diagnoses and medical procedures in an easy-to-understand way and who know how to communicate with people with intellectual disabilities;
Lower costs to make healthcare more accessible.