Launch Announcement: WHIS/GSPA Disability and Inclusion Commission
Championing Equity: Launching the WHIS–GSPA Disability and Inclusion Commission with Julie Jaye Charles CBE and David Kerr Today, the World Health Innovation Summit (WHIS) and the Global Social Prescribing Alliance (GSPA) proudly announce the formation of the WHIS–GSPA Disability and Inclusion Commission. This new initiative is a direct extension of our foundational commitment to equitable public health, recognizing that genuine wellbeing is impossible without fully addressing the needs and rights of people with disabilities worldwide. For too long, disability inclusion has been siloed from core health policy. Yet, people with disabilities often face disproportionate burdens of mental ill-health and consistently lack equitable access to adequate healthcare and community support. Our work on the social determinants of health and community-rooted prevention demands that we move beyond purely clinical responses to embrace comprehensive social support, community engagement, and digital accessibility. The new Disability and Inclusion Commission is convened to serve this vital mandate: to embed the principles of dignity, safety, and equity into health policy and practice for all. A Mandate for Focused Leadership This monumental initiative will be initially chaired by Gareth Presch, CEO & Founder of WHIS and CEO of the Global Social Prescribing Alliance, ensuring the Commission’s mandate is integrated across the global health and social prescribing ecosystems. Reflecting on the launch, Gareth Presch, CEO & Founder, WHIS | CEO, GSPA, said: “Our foundational work is built on the principle of equity, and that means dismantling the systemic barriers that people with disabilities face in accessing dignity, safety, and health. This Commission will shift disability inclusion from a separate conversation to a core pillar of public health strategy, using community-based solutions to deliver real change at scale.” The Commission is co-led by two exceptional leaders whose work is centered on social justice and systemic change: Julie Jaye Charles CBE and David Kerr.
- Julie Jaye Charles CBE, Founder of Start Change and a key member of WHIS London, brings a wealth of expertise in tackling systemic inequities and power imbalances in healthcare. Her involvement ensures the Commission’s work is grounded in the lived experience of those it seeks to serve and committed to fostering safer, more respectful healthcare.
- David Kerr, a renowned Digital Specialist, Accessibility Ambassador, and Disability-Rights Advocate, contributes critical insight into how digital solutions can either enhance or hinder inclusion. As a Knowledge Partner for the GSPA Global Social Prescribing Summit and a key voice within WHIS Ireland, his leadership will guide the Commission in leveraging technology to ensure equitable access and meaning.
Driving Change for Disability and Inclusion Building on the pillars of evidence generation and policy guidance that define the WHIS-GSPA Global Mental Health Commission, the Disability and Inclusion Commission will focus on:
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Mapping Gaps in Care: Identifying global policy failures that prevent people with disabilities from exercising their right to health, emphasizing the intersection of disability, mental health, and social justice.
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**Promoting Accessible Systems:**Integrating accessibility and inclusion standards into health workforce training and future digital transformation strategies.
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**Community-Based Advocacy:**Developing training and community-focused initiatives that empower individuals to navigate and rebalance power dynamics within their care experiences.
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Policy and Position Papers: Producing evidence-based policy guidance to inform national and international strategies on equitable access and social inclusion for people with disabilities. Finally, to ensure deep thematic focus and broad expertise, the Commission will be establishing specialized Special Interest Groups (SIGs) to drive evidence generation and community-level practice across key disability and inclusion sub-topics. The Global Picture: Stark Realities and the Opportunity for Inclusion The urgency for the WHIS–GSPA Disability and Inclusion Commission is underscored by global statistics that reveal profound health and social inequities: The Scale of Disability and Exclusion
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Prevalence: An estimated 1.3 billion people—or 16% (1 in 6) of the world’s population experience a significant disability. This number is projected to grow due to factors like population aging and the rise of noncommunicable diseases.
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Health Disparity: Persons with disabilities face significant health inequities, leading them to die up to 20 years earlier than those without disabilities. They also have twice the risk of developing comorbid conditions such as depression, stroke, diabetes, and asthma.
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Barriers to Participation: Exclusion is driven by systemic barriers. Persons with disabilities find inaccessible and unaffordable transportation up to 15 times more difficult to navigate than others, and inaccessible health facilities are up to 6 times more hindering.
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The Poverty Trap: Disability is often linked in a vicious cycle with poverty. Persons with disabilities are more likely to experience adverse socioeconomic outcomes, including less education, lower employment rates, and higher poverty rates. This deepens the burden on families, with costs for a disabled child reaching up to a country’s GDP per capita in some cases, often leading to impoverishment for households in developing countries.
The Opportunity: Investing in Inclusive Systems Investing in disability-inclusive development is not only a moral imperative but an essential strategy for reducing poverty and unlocking full economic potential globally. Our collective mission is to transform these challenges into opportunities for universal inclusion:
- Targeted Early Intervention: There is compelling evidence that early detection and intervention for high-risk children, particularly in the critical 0–6 years period, offer the best prognostic value. Early intervention focused on the family can result in a significant reduction in poor developmental outcomes demonstrated in one study as a 41.3% reduction.
- Comprehensive Service Models: The current system often relies on fragmented specialized centers, creating barriers due to difficulty in transportation and access. A key opportunity is establishing State-of-the-Art Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation Centres that offer complete, holistic solutions under one roof from early intervention to education, vocational training, and livelihood programs.
- **Economic Empowerment Pathways:**Initiatives are needed to scale practical pathways to economic independence for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). This includes:
- Targeted outreach and support for youth with disabilities to participate in technical and life skills trainings.
- Implementing Universal Design principles in infrastructure, such as housing reconstruction projects, and prioritizing home ownership support for households with PwDs.
- Leveraging technology and community-centered initiatives to strengthen inclusive labor market pathways at scale. This Commission is a call to action for practitioners, advocates, policymakers, and community leaders who believe that health innovation must lead to a world where dignity, safety, and equity are guaranteed, not optional extras, for every person. We are ready to begin the work of building a healthier, more connected, and truly inclusive world.For partnership, collaboration, and media enquiries regarding the Commission, please contact the Secretariat at info@whis.world**.