Disability affects 1 billion people worldwide, 80% of whom live in low- and middle-income countries. Data is scarce, but has improved greatly in recent years. Yet people with disabilities lack access to health care, are more likely to be poor and more likely to be discriminated against. They often have a higher need for health care, but also more difficulties in accessing the relevant services. Systematic data collection and analysis is crucial to ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to all services. “Nothing About Us Without Us!" is as crucial in research as in other project development phases for people with disability.

In this episode, Carine Weiss talks to Hannah Kuper about the current gaps in data and research on disability, and the evidence of the link between health and disability. We talk about COVID-19 mortality and disability and about the link between poverty, disability and adverse health outcomes. We also talk about why Hannah got involved in this area of work and how the International Centre for Evidence in Disability came about.

Transcript of the Podcast Season on Disability Inclusive Development - Episode 1

Hannah Kuper
Hannah Kuper is the Director of the International Centre for Evidence in Disability, a research group at LSHTM that works to expand the research and teaching activities of the London School of Hygiene and Tropcial Medicine (LSHTM) in the field of global disability. She is also the co-research director of the FCDO-funded PENDA grant, which will undertake 10 impact evaluation of disability inclusive development programmes in resource poor settings.

Her main research interest is disability in low and middle income countries, with a particular focus on access to healthcare for people with disabilities and measuring the effectiveness of development interventions. She co-founded the Missing Billion Initiative, which focuses on improving access to healthcare for people with disabilities globally, by working with governments, donors, healthcare systems and people with disabilities.

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