A groundbreaking article published in Nature Medicine on March 26, 2025, exposes a glaring gap in health research: the routine exclusion of people with disabilities.

Titled "A Global Call to Action for Disability Inclusion in Health Research," the study—published in Nature Medicine on March 26, 2025—features contributions from Dr. Mwifadhi Mrisho of Tanzania’s Ifakara Health Institute through the Disability Inclusion in Research Collaboration (DIRECT) and calls for urgent reform.

According to this study, over one billion people - or simply one in six globally – live with disabilities, and yet they are frequently shut out of health studies.

Systemic roadblocks
The article reveals systemic barriers: over a third of 2,700 reviewed trials explicitly excluded people with disabilities, often unnecessarily, while 96% could have been adjusted for inclusion. Inaccessible materials, arbitrary eligibility rules, and mistrust from past neglect further widen the gap.

The high cost of exclusion
This exclusion has consequences. Drugs may be designed without considering arthritis-impaired hands, or fitness apps may ignore wheelchair users. Dr. Mrisho’s team argues this violates human rights, citing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and hampers scientific accuracy.

A path to inclusion
The authors propose a fix: involve disabled people in every research stage, from design to dissemination. Australia’s “Include Me” project, co-designing mental health surveys with Indigenous people with disabilities, proves this approach yields better results. They also call for standardized global disability data to address real barriers like stigma and transport.

A global wake-up call
Dr. Mrisho and colleagues frame this as a global wake-up call. “Health research can’t ignore one in six people,” the article asserts, urging a shift toward smarter, fairer science. The full study – in Nature Medicine – offers a detailed roadmap for change.

>> Read a blog on this, here.