1 Convention Text
1.1 States Parties recognise that persons with disabilities have the right to
the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health without
discrimination on the basis of disability. States Parties shall take all
appropriate measures to ensure access for persons with disabilities to health
services that are gender-sensitive, including health-related rehabilitation. In
particular, States Parties shall:
(a) Provide persons with disabilities with the same range, quality and standard
of free or affordable health care and programmes as provided to other persons,
including in the area of sexual and reproductive health and population-based
public health programmes; R1
(b) Provide those health services needed by persons with disabilities
specifically because of their disabilities, including early identification and
intervention as appropriate, and services designed to minimise and prevent
further disabilities, including among children and older persons; R2
(c) Provide these health services as close as possible to people’s own
communities, including in rural areas;
(d) Require health professionals to provide care of the same quality to persons
with disabilities as to others, including on the basis of free and informed
consent by, inter alia, raising awareness of the human rights, dignity, autonomy
and needs of persons with disabilities through training and the promulgation of
ethical standards for public and private health care; R3
(e) Prohibit discrimination against persons with disabilities in the provision
of health insurance, and life insurance where such insurance is permitted by
national law, which shall be provided in a fair and reasonable manner;
(f) Prevent discriminatory denial of health care or health services or food and
fluids on the basis of disability.
2 Declaration of Needs and Characteristics
2.1 Blind and partially-sighted people require information about the
availability and location of health services in a range of formats to ensure the
same level of access to health services as other citizens.
2.2 Blind and partially-sighted people require all their personal health related
correspondence and information in preferred formats, including Braille,
large-print and electronic.
2.3 Blind and partially-sighted people require the physical, communications,
information and other aspects of private and public health services, including
gender specific, sexual, reproductive health services and genetic counselling
services to be designed and managed to meet the needs that arise from visual
disability in order to ensure the same level of access and service provision.
2.4 Blind and partially-sighted people need to be able to administer their own
medicines and understand their potential side effects. Pharmaceutical products
must have labels that can be read by blind and partially-sighted people and
information must be provided on their use and potential side effects in formats
that are accessible to blind and partially-sighted people.
2.5 Relatively small levels of residual sight can significantly enhance
individual's life chances and range of activities. Ophthalmic and optometric
services should ensure that blind and partially-sighted people are, if possible,
able to preserve and make the best possible use of residual or partial sight.
The provision of low vision aid services, low vision training and the
installation of optimal lighting at home, education settings and at work is
required.
2.6 To ensure the prevention of further visual loss, effective diabetic,
glaucoma and other screening services must be provided.
2.7 All staff working in health and health related services require training on
the needs and characteristics of blind and partially-sighted people to ensure
they are able to provide appropriate help and support.
3 Important Aspects of Convention Text:
3.1 Convention text - R1 (a) Provide persons with disabilities with the same
range, quality and standard of free or affordable health care and programmes as
provided to other persons, including in the area of sexual and reproductive
health and population-based public health programmes.
3.2 Requirement - Blind and partially-sighted people must enjoy the same level
of health services as other citizens.
3.3 Requirement - All published information on the nature, scope and
availability of health and health related services must be provided in formats
accessible to blind and partially-sighted people.
3.4 Requirement - Blind and partially-sighted people must be provided with all
their personal health related correspondence and information in their preferred
formats, including Braille, large-print and electronic. Full confidentiality
must be maintained when alternative formats of such material are provided.
3.5 Requirement - All private and public health services, including gender
specific, sexual, reproductive health services and genetic counselling services
must ensure that all their physical, communication, information and other
services that are available to patients are fully accessible to blind and
partially-sighted people.
3.6 Requirement - Pharmaceutical products must have labels that can be read by
blind and partially-sighted people and information must be provided on their use
and potential side effects in formats that are accessible to blind and
partially-sighted people.
3.7 Convention text - R2 (b) Provide those health services needed by persons
with disabilities specifically because of their disabilities, including early
identification and intervention as appropriate, and services designed to
minimise and prevent further disabilities, including among children and older
persons.
3.8 Requirement - Ophthalmic and optometric services must ensure that blind and
partially-sighted people are able to make the best possible use of residual or
partial sight, including the provision of low vision aid services, low vision
training and optimal lighting at home, in education and at work.
3.9 Requirement - free and effective screening services must be provided, for
example diabetic and glaucoma screening services, to ensure that health
conditions that cause visual loss can be identified and treated and further
visual loss prevented.
3.10 Convention text - R3 (d) Require health professionals to provide care of
the same quality to persons with disabilities as to others, including on the
basis of free and informed consent by, inter alia, raising awareness of the
human rights, dignity, autonomy and needs of persons with disabilities through
training and the promulgation of ethical standards for public and private health
care.
3.11 Requirement - All staff working in health and health related services must
receive training on the needs and characteristics of blind and partially-sighted
people.
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28/12/07