Barriers to accessing healthcare for people with disabilities:a systematic review

Significant barriers hinder service access. Most frequent were financial constraints, transportation challenges, communication difficulties, limited physical accessibility, provider knowledge gaps, and socio-cultural stigma. Accessibility is typically addressed through individualized accommodations rather than systematic universal design. Providers frequently lack training and hold negative attitudes; technology retrofits rather than design inclusively. Effective solutions require systemic redesign and placing disability at the center of health equity efforts.