Equality in Health Access for Disabled Persons

The AfroAccessAbility project addresses critical health disparities experienced by disabled persons in Ghana and Tanzania, with the overarching goal of improving health outcomes for disabled persons in the Global South. Despite some advancements, disabled persons face significant barriers to healthcare access that include communication challenges, discriminatory attitudes and practices, which disproportionately impact women with disabilities. The project aligns with SDG 3 ("Good health for all") and SDG 10 (reduced inequalities), focusing on bridging the health gap between disabled and non-disabled persons. The pre-project phase focuses on building a strong consortium through co-creation with African partners. This ensures the project design integrates the lived experiences of disabled persons with rigorous academic insights, creating a robust foundation for the main project. Additionally, the pre-project aims to strengthen research collaboration networks among Organization of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), academic institutions, policymakers, and practitioners, fostering interdisciplinary partnerships and long-term impact. Key challenges include addressing the lack of comprehensive data on health disparities between disabled and non-disabled persons, exploring variations within disability groups, and developing practical, culturally appropriate strategies to overcome barriers. Particular emphasis will be placed on understanding relevant aspects, such as discriminatory practices, insufficient provider training, and inadequate communication strategies. These challenges will be addressed using innovative frameworks, such as positive deviance approaches, tailored to the local contexts of Ghana and Tanzania. By bridging community insights and academic knowledge, AfroAccessAbility aims to advance inclusive health systems, reduce health inequities, and promote better health outcomes for disabled persons in the Global South, with scalable relevance for other regions.