This week we go way back in time, to 2011 when the first World Report on Disability (WRD) was published by the World Health Organisation and the World Bank. The report was the first of its kind to assemble scientific information on disability, particularly regarding health, human rights and economic development. In the wake of the report’s recommendation, many countries including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Ireland, Germans and the USA, as well as the EU, have followed up national launches to implement the recommendations of the WRD. 

In Australia, a national disability scheme was first legislated in 2013, with a full operation roll out expected in 2020. 

Some of the recommendations from 2011 WRD are: 

– promote access to mainstream services and systems 

– investment in programmes and services tailored for PWD

– adoption of a national disability strategy and plan of action 

– active involvement of PWD 

– increase human resources capacity for delivery of services in the disability sector 

– provision of adequate funding and improvement of affordability 

– increase in public awareness and understanding about disability 

– improve availability and quality of data pertaining to disability 

– strengthen and support disability-related research 

Ten years later, with a National Disability Insurance Scheme at full roll-out in Australia, we can look back at some of the recommendations from 2011 and gauge how we fared.  

Are there any lessons from the CoVID-19 pandemic that we can learn from? Are we one step closer to a more inclusive and equal system? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!