ንኡስ ኣርእስቲ፦2
Promoting Disability Friendly and
Accessible Sexual and
Reproductive Heath Services
Women with Disabilities (WWDs)
Brainstorming Questions
ናይ መበገሲ ሕቶታት
1) What do we mean by Promoting Disability Friendly SRH Services
for PWDs?
2) In Promoting Disability Friendly and Accessible Sexual and
Reproductive Heath Services Women with Disabilities (WWDs):…..
What types of Actions should be taken?
How and Where the services should be delivered?
Who is/ are the responsible bodies in promoting Disability
Friendly SRH services for Women with Disabilities?
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What is Sexual and Reproductive
Health?
• SRH
• Family Planning
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Sexual and Reproductive Health
Needs of PWDs Largely Unmet
• All too often, the SRH of persons with disabilities has been
overlooked by both the disability community and those working on
SRH.
• This leaves persons with disabilities among the most marginalized
groups when it comes to SRH services.
• The challenges to SRH faced by PWDs are not necessarily part of
having a disability, but instead often reflect lack of social attention,
legal protection, understanding and support.
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Questions for Discussion
1) What are the major Reasons that SRH services are often
inaccessible to persons with disabilities and What are the
barriers for PWDs to have access to all forms of health
services (including SRH & other services)
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THE REASONS & BARRIERS TO
HEALTH SERVICES
• The Sexual & Reproductive Health (SRH) services are often
inaccessible to persons with disabilities for many reasons,
including:
Physical Barriers
the Lack of Disability-related Clinical Services, and
Stigma and Discrimination.
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THE REASONS & BARRIERS …… (continued)
• In many situations barriers to health services include:
1) LACK OF PHYSICAL ACCESS, including transportation and/or proximity to clinics
and, within clinics, lack of ramps, adapted examination tables, and the like
2) LACK OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION MATERIALS (e.g. lack of
materials in Braille, large print, and pictures; lack of sign language interpreters);
3) HEALTH-CARE PROVIDERS’ NEGATIVE ATTITUDES;
4) PROVIDERS’ LACK OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS about persons with
disabilities;
5) LACK OF COORDINATION Among Health Care Providers;
6) LACK OF FUNDING, including lack of health-care insurance.
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The Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities Addresses
Sexual and Reproductive Health
What are the Articles say about SRH?
The Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities Addresses
Sexual and Reproductive Health
• The 61st United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 13 December 2006.
• The Convention entered into force on 3 May 2008.
• More countries came forward to sign the Convention on the first day it
was open for signature
• Several articles of the Convention have direct relevance to SRH,
reproductive rights, and gender-based violence (see the following
articles):
Articles of the Convention have direct
relevance to SRH, reproductive rights & GBV
• Article 9 calls for accessibility, including access to medical facilities
and to information.
• Article 16 requires states parties to take measures to protect
persons with disabilities from violence and abuse, including gender-
based violence and abuse.
• Article 22 asserts the equal rights of persons with disabilities to
privacy, including privacy of personal health information.
Articles of the Convention ……..relevance to SRH
• Article 23 requires states to eliminate discrimination
against persons with disabilities in all matters relating
to marriage, family, parenthood, and relationships,
including in the areas of family planning, fertility, and
family life.
• Article 25 requires that states ensure equal access to
health services for persons with disabilities, with
specific mention of SRH and population based public
health programs.
Articles of the Convention……
• The Convention is a legally binding instrument once ratified by a
country.
• States parties are then required to ensure that all laws, policies, and
programs comply with its provisions.
• In particular, Articles 23 and 25 require specific attention to the
issues of persons with disabilities in matters of SRH and reproductive
rights.
Issues Requiring Special
Attention in SRH
• Meeting these challenges to the SRH of persons with disabilities
involves some specific considerations.
Gender and disability
• Among the special issues more often faced by women with
disabilities than by men are forced marriage, domestic violence, and
other types of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, the burdens of
household responsibilities, and issues concerning pregnancy, labour,
delivery, and childrearing.
• Women and disability. It has been said that to be a woman and a
person with a disability is to be doubly marginalized.
TOWARDS FULL INCLUSION of
PWDs in SRH
• In the SRH services to work towards full inclusion of
persons with disabilities, all concerned bodies &
Organizations should act on the following FIVE
AREAS to bring positive change.
• These FIVE ACTIONS are illustrated below in Figure 1.
THE FIVE (5) AREAS OF ACTION
• ACTION No. 1: START by identifying local organizations of persons with
disabilities and setting up partnerships.
• ACTION No. 2: Raise awareness and accessibility in-house
• ACTION No. 3: Ensure all SRH programs reach and serve persons with
disabilities
• ACTION No. 4: Ensure that SRH policies and budgets address the
needs of persons with
• disabilities
• ACTION No 5: Promote research on the SRH of persons with
disabilities
THANK YOU!
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