The Guidebook
Research, Interview, and Survey Tables
In general, the objectives of this Work Package are to equip healthcare professionals with the tools and knowledge they need to understand and address the unique needs of people with disabilities, and to create a more inclusive and accessible healthcare system that can better fulfill the needs of all people, regardless of their ability.
Specifically, WP2 aims:
Researching Accessibility in Healthcare
To gather relevant information and resources on accessibility in healthcare facilities to create a theoretical framework that healthcare professionals can use to provide more effective care and support to deaf people.
Expert Consultation for Inclusive Care
To consult with experts on inclusion and people with disabilities to gather insights on the unique needs of this target group, and to use this information to create a theoretical framework that can guide healthcare professionals in providing care and support.
Multilingual Theoretical Framework Development
To create a theoretical framework in all partner languages that healthcare professionals can use to better understand and address the unique needs of individuals with disabilities, and to provide more effective care and support.
The HEAL Database is a curated collection of tools, examples, and references that support accessible communication in healthcare. It includes practical resources you can reuse, projects and initiatives worth exploring, and key documents that ground this work in evidence and rights. Think of it as a working library: something you can browse when you need inspiration, point to when you need credibility, and return to when you’re looking for solutions that already exist—and can be adapted to your setting.
Database of References and Resources
Browse and filter curated resources from around the world.
The HEAL Magazine is where we turn research into a readable story. It brings together insights, reflections, and field notes from across our partner countries, focusing on one simple question: what does “accessible healthcare” actually feel like when you’re the person trying to understand, decide, and receive care? Here you’ll find articles that connect policy to everyday practice, and accessibility to language, trust, and dignity—so that inclusion is not a slogan, but something you can recognise in real encounters.
ENGLISH
Laws and guidelines matter, but they don’t tell the whole story. That’s why HEAL ran two parallel surveys across the six countries: one centred on the Deaf community and lived experience in healthcare, and the other on healthcare professionals and the tools, training, and constraints that shape communication in practice. Reading these two viewpoints side by side lets us spot where experiences and intentions align—and where they don’t. That comparison is key, because the most urgent barriers often sit exactly in the gap between what systems think they provide and what people actually receive.
Accessibility is never “one-size-fits-all.” It depends on national laws, health-system organisation, professional standards, and what services are realistically available in each context. The HEAL National Reports bring these layers together for every partner country, combining desk research with survey findings to map what exists, what is missing, and what is promising. Taken together, the reports offer a comparative picture—not to rank countries, but to support shared learning and clearer recommendations that can travel across borders.