Dear Colleagues
You are invited to Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology for a Special Issue titled:
Global disability health equity for people with diverse communication abilities: Evidence on the 40 actions from the World Health Organization’s Global Report on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities
More information about the IJSLP special issue: https://think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issues/global-disability-health-equity-for-people-with-diverse-communication-abilities-evidence-on-the-40-actions-from-the-world-health-organizations-global-report-on-health-equity-for-persons-with/?
The World Health Organization Global Report on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities states:
“An estimated 1.3 billion people – or 16% of global population worldwide – experience a significant disability today. Persons with disabilities have the right to the highest attainable standard of health as those without disabilities. However, the WHO Global report on health equity for persons with disabilities demonstrates that while some progress has been made in recent years, the world is still far from realizing this right for many persons with disabilities who continue to die earlier, have poorer health, and experience more limitations in everyday functioning than others. These poor health outcomes are due to unfair conditions faced by persons with disabilities in all facets of life, including in the health system itself. Countries have an obligation under international human rights law to address the health inequities faced by persons with disabilities. Furthermore, the Sustainable Development Goals and global health priorities will not progress without ensuring health for all.”
The Report offers “40 targeted and comprehensive actions that countries can take to strengthen their health systems and reduce health inequities for persons with disabilities” (World Health Organization, 2022, p. 7)
- WHO’s 40 actions to achieve health equity for persons with disabilities https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240063624
- World Health Organization (2022). Global report on health equity for persons with disabilities https://www.who.int/teams/noncommunicable-diseases/sensory-functions-disability-and-rehabilitation/global-report-on-health-equity-for-persons-with-disabilities
Commentaries can be broad ranging, describing the relevance of the 40 actions for disability inclusion from the World Health Organization’s Global Report on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities to this field, or provide an overview of work with a specific intervention, country or population.
Expressions of interest are sought from authors across the world in a variety of disciplines. Commentaries are encouraged from (a) people who have lived experience of communication- and / or swallowing-related disability (e.g., co-constructed disability-inclusive research), and (b) people who live and work in Majority World countries (including low and middle-income countries and small island states).
The aim is to cover EVERY ONE OF THE 40 ACTIONS – so be creative.
Examples of previous special issues of IJSLP containing commentary articles on international issues
- Communication is a human right: Celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights | International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 2018, 20(1) https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/iasl20/20/1
- Communication, swallowing and the Sustainable Development Goals | International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 2023, 25(1) https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/iasl20/25/1
Expressions of interest due Monday 30 November, 2026 to ebp@speechpathologyaustralia.org.au and should include:
Proposed title (the title should include the words “disability/disabilities” and “health equity”)
The WHO Action(s) that will be the focus of the commentary (e.g., WHO Action 17 “Engage persons with disabilities in research and include them in the health research workforce”, WHO Action 23 “Strengthen models of care for children with disabilities”). Also include these numbers in Keywords.
Contact author’s name, institution, country, email address and ORCiD number
Additional author(s) names, institutions, countries, email addresses and ORCiD (if appropriate)
Proposed type of manuscript: commentary containing (a) new evidence and/or (b) evidence-based literature (2,500-3,000 words)
Proposed abstract. The structured abstract should be approximately 200 words.
Purpose:State the primary objective of the commentary; include the WHO Action(s) that will be the focus of the commentary (e.g., WHO Action 2 “Establish a human rights-based approach to health”, WHO Action 31 “Incorporate a universal design-based approach to the development or refurbishment of health facilities and services”)
Method: Describe the research design and your reasons for adopting that methodology; state the methods and procedures employed, including where appropriate tools, hardware, software, the selection and number of study areas/subjects, and the central experimental interventions; OR state the reasoning behind your literature selection; and the way you critically analyse the literature;
Result: State the main outcomes and results, including relevant data on how the action(s) impacted health outcomes of persons with disabilities and/or influenced one or more of the contributing factors of health inequities; and
Conclusion: State the conclusions that might be drawn, including their implications for further research or application/practice. Read tips on writing your abstract.
Keywords: Disability, Persons with disabilities, Health equity, Health systems
A statement to indicate that you will be able to submit the manuscript by April 30, 2027 and revisions to the manuscript (after peer review) by June 2027.
People who submit an expression of interest will hear the outcome by the end of January 2027.
