LAUSR

My first hope is that if you are reading this sentence you are open to the suggestion in the title of this piece namely that all nurses (whatever their field of practice) have a potential role to play in improving the health and well-being of people with intellectual disabilities. My second hope is that you will read on, and by the end both agree with this suggestion and be prepared to contribute to making this potential a reality. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) sets out the rights of disabled people to ‘enjoyment of the highest standards of health without discrimination on the basis of disability’ (article 25) and highlights the role of health professionals in the provision of care which is of the same quality as that provided for other members of the population. However, despite the fact that (overall) the life expectancy of people with intellectual disabilities is increasing (Coppus, 2013), disparities in their access to timely, appropriate and effective health care are evident (see e.g. Emerson et al., 2012). Indeed, in one study it was found that the median age of death amongst men with intellectual disabilities was 13 years less than their non-disabled peers, whilst for women with intellectual disabilities the gap was even greater with the median at 20 years less (Heslop et al., 2013). Furthermore, many of the deaths amongst people with intellectual disabilities in that study were found to be premature and avoidable, suggesting that the rights of this group of disabled people to the highest standards of health care are not being realised in practice. Whilst the study undertaken by Heslop et al. (2013) was based in the United Kingdom, similar disparities in health have been noted in many countries (see e.g. Krahn and Fox, 2014). The question thus arises: How can future care be improved and disparities reduced, and (specifically) what is the role of nurses and nursing in effecting change?