HTTP/2 302
server: nginx
date: Thu, 09 Oct 2025 04:11:40 GMT
content-type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
content-length: 0
x-archive-redirect-reason: found capture at 20150905063747
location: https://web.archive.org/web/20150905063747/https://www.who.int/topics/disabilities/en
server-timing: captures_list;dur=0.617646, exclusion.robots;dur=0.021152, exclusion.robots.policy;dur=0.008605, esindex;dur=0.014566, cdx.remote;dur=95.065314, LoadShardBlock;dur=237.606309, PetaboxLoader3.datanode;dur=159.994435
x-app-server: wwwb-app213
x-ts: 302
x-tr: 366
server-timing: TR;dur=0,Tw;dur=0,Tc;dur=0
set-cookie: wb-p-SERVER=wwwb-app213; path=/
x-location: All
x-rl: 0
x-na: 0
x-page-cache: MISS
server-timing: MISS
x-nid: DigitalOcean
referrer-policy: no-referrer-when-downgrade
permissions-policy: interest-cohort=()
HTTP/2 302
server: nginx
date: Thu, 09 Oct 2025 04:11:41 GMT
content-type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
content-length: 0
x-archive-redirect-reason: found capture at 20150905091354
location: https://web.archive.org/web/20150905091354/https://www.who.int/topics/disabilities/en/
server-timing: captures_list;dur=0.697065, exclusion.robots;dur=0.027254, exclusion.robots.policy;dur=0.011686, esindex;dur=0.015263, cdx.remote;dur=10.285255, LoadShardBlock;dur=182.789303, PetaboxLoader3.datanode;dur=178.770158, PetaboxLoader3.resolve;dur=168.335263, load_resource;dur=279.349823
x-app-server: wwwb-app213
x-ts: 302
x-tr: 540
server-timing: TR;dur=0,Tw;dur=0,Tc;dur=1
x-location: All
x-rl: 0
x-na: 0
x-page-cache: MISS
server-timing: MISS
x-nid: DigitalOcean
referrer-policy: no-referrer-when-downgrade
permissions-policy: interest-cohort=()
HTTP/2 200
server: nginx
date: Thu, 09 Oct 2025 04:11:42 GMT
content-type: text/html
x-archive-orig-date: Sat, 05 Sep 2015 07:37:46 GMT
x-archive-orig-server: MII-APC/2.5.16
x-archive-orig-accept-ranges: bytes
x-archive-orig-cache-control: max-age=10800, s-maxage=10800
x-archive-orig-age: 5768
x-archive-orig-via: 1.1 sjc005158 (MII-APC/2.5)
x-archive-orig-x-mii-cache-hit: 1, auth=1
x-archive-orig-x-mii-uncompressed-size: 29490
x-archive-orig-content-length: 29490
x-archive-orig-via: 1.1 sjc005160 (MII-APC/2.5)
x-archive-orig-x-pb-mii: Powered by Mirror Image Internet
x-archive-orig-via: 1.1 sjc005118 (MII-APC/2.5)
x-archive-orig-connection: close
x-archive-guessed-content-type: text/html
x-archive-guessed-charset: utf-8
memento-datetime: Sat, 05 Sep 2015 09:13:54 GMT
link:
; rel="original",
; rel="timemap"; type="application/link-format",
; rel="timegate",
; rel="first memento"; datetime="Mon, 23 Aug 2004 01:44:46 GMT", ; rel="prev memento"; datetime="Sat, 05 Sep 2015 06:37:47 GMT", ; rel="next memento"; datetime="Fri, 09 Oct 2015 05:03:59 GMT", WHO | Disabilities
Health topics
Disabilities
Disabilities is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations.
Disability is thus not just a health problem. It is a complex phenomenon, reflecting the interaction between features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives. Overcoming the difficulties faced by people with disabilities requires interventions to remove environmental and social barriers.
People with disabilities have the same health needs as non-disabled people – for immunization, cancer screening etc. They also may experience a narrower margin of health, both because of poverty and social exclusion, and also because they may be vulnerable to secondary conditions, such as pressure sores or urinary tract infections. Evidence suggests that people with disabilities face barriers in accessing the health and rehabilitation services they need in many settings.
WHO programmes and activities
Disabilities in WHO regions
