Barriers to Health
Care
for Women with Disabilities
People
with physical disabilities do not get preventive
health care as much as they should. There are
barriers
that keep women with disabilities
from getting screening and preventive care.
Some of these barriers are listed below,
along with things you can do to remove them.
Some facilities and equipment
are not accessible to women with physical
disability.
Some health care providers
don't have a full understanding about disability.
Some women do not get the help they need during
a health care visit.
Sometimes health
care providers think that all health problems are due to
the disability.
Health
providers often do not address general, sexual or reproductive health in women with disabilities
because they focus only on the disabling condition.
Some women with disabilities believe that many health problems
cannot be prevented.
Many times the women themselves
are not proactive and don't
advocate for their own health care needs.
 Some
facilities and equipment are not accessible for women
with physical physical disability.
- When you call to make an
appointment for your gyn exam and mammogram, be sure to ask if the
building and equipment are accessible.
- Be sure to ask for names and phone numbers of
facilities that are accessible.
- If you find a facility
is not accessible, talk to your doctor or nurse and tell him or her
what is wrong and how to fix it (for example, add hook on the restroom door
where you can reach it from your wheelchair level or add grab bars to
help you with transfers).
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Some
health care providers don't have a full understanding about disability.
- Tell your doctor or
nurse that you
know your body better than anyone.
- Educate your doctor or
nurse about
your disability.
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Some
women do not get the help they need during a health care visit.
- Explain what help you need and when you need
it.
- Be very specific about what you can do and
what kind of help you need (for example, moving to exam table, dressing, etc.).
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Sometimes
health care providers think that all health problems are due to the
disability.
- It is OK to tell your
doctor or nurse that you
are an individual and your disability is only a part of who you are.
- Remind your doctor or
nurse that many
health care problems are not related to
your disability.
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Health
providers often do not address general, sexual or reproductive health in women with disabilities
because they focus only on the disabling condition.
- Be sure to explain that
you need health care that
addresses all your needs.
- If your doctor or nurse
does not talk about issues that are important to you (such as
sexuality, reproductive/gyn issues, etc.), bring the topic up
yourself. Explain that these issues are as important to you as
they are to other women.
- You should ask questions and expect
the answers. If you don't get them, it is OK to ask again.
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Some
women with disabilities believe that many health problems cannot be
prevented.
- It is important for you
to know about your
disability.
- You can use health promotion
strategies to keep health problems from happening.
- You health promotion
actions can prevent you from getting a secondary disability. These
actions will help to maintain or improve your quality of life.
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Many
times the women themselves are not proactive and don't advocate for their own health
care needs.
- Make a list of questions
before your health care visit. Use this list to make sure your questions are
answered.
- Go over your list ahead of time to
make sure you
make your most important points.
- Ask your doctor or nurse
to sit at your
level so that you can make eye contact.|
- Become an advocate for yourself and
for others.
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07/28/2003 11:05 AM |