Crosscutting Themes
The themes below are key considerations regarding disability and people with disabilities that cut across the goals and objectives of the strategic plan.
Whole Person Health
Whole person health involves considering the whole person—not just separate organs or body systems—and examining the multiple factors that influence health and disease.19 This approach emphasizes supporting and empowering individuals, families, communities, and populations to improve health and well-being across interconnected biological, behavioral, sociocultural, and environmental domains.20 Disabled people have historically been defined primarily by their disability and not viewed as a whole person capable of living a healthy life.21 Rather than focusing solely on treating specific conditions, whole person health focuses on promoting health and well-being across the lifespan for everyone, including those with disabilities.
Inclusion of People with Disabilities in Research
Disabled people are often implicitly or explicitly excluded from being participants in biomedical and behavioral research (including clinical trials22) without adequate scientific justification.23,24 This violates federal regulations and ethical research principles and undermines the generalizability of research findings.23 NIH is committed to addressing this issue by promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities in research.25 Inclusion in research goes beyond enrollment. It requires researchers to thoughtfully consider the needs, experiences, and perspectives of disabled people when planning, designing, and conducting studies and communicating study results. To be maximally effective, this must be done in partnership with people with disabilities, their families, and their care partners.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Interdisciplinary collaboration is essential to advancing research on the health and well-being of people with disabilities. Disability health research spans a wide range of scientific disciplines, including medicine, neuroscience, rehabilitation science, engineering, behavioral and social sciences, data science, bioethics, public health, health services research, health economics, and health law and policy. Integrating these diverse fields enables a more comprehensive understanding of the complex factors that affect health outcomes for disabled people. Interdisciplinary approaches also foster innovation in research design, methods, and interventions that may promote advances outside of the population(s) being studied.
Technology
Technology can play a transformative role in promoting the health and well-being of people with disabilities. Assistive technology, such as mobility devices, communication aids, sensory enhancements, and accessible digital tools, can significantly reduce barriers to care and participation in society, increase independence, and improve quality of life. Emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, offer exciting opportunities to enhance diagnosis, personalize treatment, and support independent living. However, these technologies also raise important ethical considerations, particularly around accessibility and affordability, privacy and confidentiality, data security, bias in algorithms and datasets, and the potential for misuse or exclusion. To ensure responsible innovation and broad access to these technologies, disabled people must be key contributors and decision-makers throughout the technology development lifecycle to ensure that potential harms unique to people with disabilities are mitigated and benefits are realized.