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Purpose: Asian children and youth with disabilities often experience multiple barriers and discrimination in education, healthcare, and social settings, which influence their well-being, especially the transition to adulthood. This review aims to explore the types, factors affecting and impact of ableism on Asian children and youth with disabilities and their caregivers. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and a narrative synthesis whereby we searched the literature from six international databases, including Healthstar, Ovid Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, Scopus, and Web of Science. Results: Twenty-nine studies were included in the review, and three themes were identified that related to ableism: (1) types and rates of ableism (i.e., stigma, bullying and victimization, and discrimination and inequalities); (2) factors affecting ableism (i.e. sociodemographic factors, familial factors, and societal factors); and (3) impacts of ableism (i.e. mental health, family impacts, and societal impacts). Conclusions: Our review highlights that ableism has various types and can be influenced by multiple factors, influencing social and health outcomes of Asian families with children and youth with disabilities. This review also emphasizes the importance of increasing the public's awareness regarding disabilities to reduce ableism among Asian families with children with disabilities. Implications for Rehabilitation: Asian children and youth with disabilities often experience bullying and victimization, therefore it is necessary to develop educational materials to raise awareness of disabilities. Healthcare providers should consider developing more educational programs for caregivers to reduce self-stigma and affiliate stigma and promote mental health. Healthcare service providers should consider creating and implementing more inclusive programs to reduce health disparities and the influence of socio-demographic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Asian children and youth with disabilities often experience multiple barriers, stigmas and discrimination within and outside their families; yet less is understood about their lived experiences. This systematic review explored the experiences of ableism among Asian children and youth with disabilities and their families. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of qualitative studies and a qualitative meta-synthesis. We searched six databases including Ovid Medline, Embase, PsychInfo, Healthstar, Web of Science, and Scopus. Results: Forty-two articles met our inclusion criteria involving 17 countries and regions over a 22-year period. The findings were synthesized into four themes: (1) individual- and family-level ableism (i.e., stigma, fears, concerns, stress and anxieties, physical abuse, bullying, reduced engagement in community activities); (2) institutional-level ableism (i.e., barriers to accessing and navigating supports, ableist attitudes among service providers, unavailable services); (3) societal-level ableism (i.e., cultural and religious stigma, social rejection, discrimination, environmental and policy barriers); and (4) coping strategies (i.e., self-care activities, supports from family, friends and people with similar conditions, religious beliefs). Conclusions: Our results highlight the ableist experiences that Asian children and youth with disabilities and their caregivers often encounter and the strong need for further supports to address ableism using culturally responsive strategies. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: Asian children and youth with disabilities encounter multiple forms of ableism at the individual, family and institutional levels. It is important for healthcare providers to customize resources that are culturally appropriate and aligned with the cultural and language backgrounds of the clients they serve. Clinicians and service providers should engage in culturally sensitive training and education to understand the barriers faced by the clients they serve. Clinicians and service providers should continue to advocate for marginalized and equity-deserving groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People with disabilities experience concerning rates of ableism and are significantly under-represented within healthcare education and professions. Focusing on healthcare professions is important for enhancing the diversity and inclusion of equity-deserving groups within the workforce. The objective of this review was to explore the experiences and impact of workplace discrimination and ableism among healthcare providers and trainees with disabilities. Systematic searches of seven databases from 2000 to January 2022 were conducted. Five reviewers independently applied the inclusion criteria, extracted the data and rated the study quality. 48 studies met our inclusion criteria, representing 13,815 participants across six countries over a 21-year period. The findings highlighted rates and types of workplace ableism, which occurred at the institutional (i.e., inaccessible environments, physical barriers and unsupportive work environments) and individual level (i.e., negative attitudes, bullying, harassment). The impact of ableism on healthcare providers included difficulty disclosing due to fear of stigma, and effects on well-being and career development. Our findings revealed a critical need for more research on the experiences of ableism amongst healthcare providers and the impact it has on their well-being. Further efforts should explore mechanisms for including and welcoming people with disabilities in healthcare professions. Workplace ableism is prevalent in health care professions and could be discouraging people with disabilities from entering or completing health care education and training, leading to an under-representation of this equity-deserving group within health care. More efforts are needed to recruit, retain and support people with disabilities in the health care workforce. Health care providers who have a disability often experience workplace discrimination and inaccessible physical environments which can impact their health and well-being. Managers, senior leadership and health care organizations should advocate for improved social inclusion of employees with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children and youth with acquired brain injury (ABI) experience persistent discrimination and ableism. The purpose of this systematic review was to understand the experiences and impact of ableism among children and youth with ABI. Six international databases were systematically searched for articles from 2002–2022. Studies were screened independently by four researchers who performed the data extraction. Study quality was appraised using the Standard quality assessment criteria for evaluating primary research. Of the 2085 studies identified in the search, 15 met the inclusion criteria, which involved 1442 children and youth with brain injuries or caregivers representing them. Studies in the review showed the following key trends: (1) incidence of ableism among children and youth with ABI; (2) experiences of ableism at the individual and institutional levels, (3) impact of ableism (i.e., mental health, social relationships, quality of life) and (4) coping strategies (i.e., resources, supports). Our findings reveal the alarming incidence of ableism among youth with ABI. Therefore, there is a critical need for more research to explore youth's lived experiences of ableism, especially from their perspectives along with the co-development of solutions to help enhance their social inclusion and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]