Persons with disabilities may face additional challenges in enjoying their health rights. The State must ensure that special support measures are in place to counter them.
What is disability?
The Social Benefits for Disabled Persons Act defines ‘disability’ as:
“the loss of or an abnormality in an anatomical, physiological or mental structure or function of a person which in conjunction with different relational and environmental restrictions prevents participation in social life on equal bases with the others."
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities specifies that disability may take different forms – ‘physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments’.
Non-discrimination in health care
Persons with disabilities should be able to access health care without discrimination based on their disability or any other ground.
Accessibility and suitability of health care
Medical institutions should be accessible and suitable for persons with mobility difficulties – e.g., having a wheelchair ramp, spacious elevators, bathrooms suitable for persons in a wheelchair, etc.
Special support
In Estonia, persons with disabilities are:
- entitled to social rehabilitation to help them participate in social life as independently as possible
Disability is a challenge for any person. Rehabilitation programmes should not only address the physical state of a disabled person but also support their mental state.