At the beginning of December the WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge met Jack Kavanagh, an Irish disability advocate, pharmacist and public speaker. The two made a 5-minute video where they talk about Jack’s personal experience (when he was 20 he suffered a spinal cord injury which left him with 15% muscle function) and share insights on promoting the health of people with disabilities. They also addressed the recently adopted WHO European framework to achieve the highest attainable standard of health for persons with disabilities 2022–2030, which aims to support countries across Europe in creating enabling environments by tackling physical and mental barriers to inclusion of people with disabilities in health and society.
Jack Kavanagh participated in the EPR 2022 Annual Conference, which took place in Dublin in September, where he gave an inspirational speech about overcoming challenges, building resilience and embracing diversity.
>> Watch the video here.
>> Find more about the new WHO European framework for action for people with disabilities here.