People with disabilities are one of society’s most excluded groups and usually have the most difficulties in accessing health, education, employment, and social security. Current policies are either not inclusive, or are still in the initial stages, and thus do not protect the rights of this group. We need rules and regulations that support us in taking action to better protect their rights. Even more importantly, we need to properly understand their needs in order to provide quality care.
The Mexican Social Security Institute (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro – IMSS) developed an integrated self-assessment form based on the Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) methodology of Disability Inclusion in Hospital Disaster Risk Management (Inclusión para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres en Hospitales – INGRID-H). It also includes an evaluation of accessibility and inclusion (Evaluación de accesibilidad e inclusión – EVAI), and was implemented in 195 IMSS hospitals. The results show that we need to carry out dissemination, education, training and awareness-raising activities around accessibility and inclusion for all IMSS staff and beneficiaries. We must also implement policies that allow us to put in place reasonable accommodations to ensure the rights of people with disabilities are respected.