Access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for persons with disabilities in school settings: A call for research

Abstract

Improving access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in school settings is critical in addressing access disparities experienced by persons with disabilities. As such, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established ambitious targets which aim to achieve universal access to water and sanitation by 2030. Despite this, access to inclusive WASH services in schools remain a big challenge in many resource-constrained settings. This review seeks to examine access to WASH for persons with disabilities in school settings. We undertook a review to identify a wide range of evidence from peer-reviewed sources. We identified only two studies, and they revealed environmental, social and institutional barriers that negatively affect persons with disabilities’ access to WASH services. We concluded the review with a call for urgent attention to build on this knowledge base as well as practical steps to improve WASH service provision in school settings in low- and middle-income countries.