Women and girls with disabilities in Kenya continue to face significant challenges in accessing quality healthcare due to a lack of information and inadequate disability-friendly infrastructure.
According to Women Challenged to Challenge (WCC)-community based organization of women, youths and girls with disabilities in Kenya-many find themselves excluded from vital health services and campaigns that are crucial for their well-being.
Rosemary, a deaf woman, highlights how women with disabilities are often left behind in national health campaigns aimed at educating the public on disease prevention, outbreaks, and immunization efforts.
“When healthcare workers and community health promoters announce polio vaccinations, deaf people are always left behind because they cannot hear the announcements made via loudspeakers. Therefore, we miss out on that important information,” she said. “Even when we visit health facilities, the healthcare workers shout out our names, and if you can’t hear, the next person is called in. This challenge makes us always last to receive care.”
Beyond communication barriers, Rosemary, a beneficiary of the Women Challenged to Challenge (WCC) project promoting sexual and reproductive health rights for women and girls with disabilities, observes that disabled mothers often struggle to receive quality maternal healthcare.
She says that myths and stereotypes about disabled women persist, often leading to their exclusion from discussions about reproductive rights.
Now actively working in Dandora, where she resides, Rosemary helps bridge the gap between deaf women and healthcare workers.
“Many hospitals in Kenya lack medical personnel who understand sign language, making access to healthcare difficult for people like us -deaf women and girls,” she noted.
However, she also pointed out concerns about confidentiality when sign language interpreters are involved in discussions of sensitive health issues saying that healthcare workers should learn sign language at medical colleges and schools.
She adds that, Women with visual impairments also struggle to access information in formats they can understand, such as Braille leading to difficulties in understanding drug instructions and using medications correctly.
Jane, who is physically disabled, recalls her own challenges with inaccessible hospital infrastructure.
“I remember when I sustained fractures due to a road crash. The facility I was admitted to didn’t have adjustable beds, forcing me to seek X-ray services from a private facility,” she recounted.
The lack of accessible delivery and examination beds further compounds the struggles faced by women with disabilities.
Recognizing these challenges, WCC has taken significant steps to make healthcare more inclusive. They have been training healthcare workers in sign language, equipping maternity wards with low-height adjustable beds for physically disabled and short-stature women, and building ramps and disability-friendly toilets in both county and sub counties hospitals.
Lilian Osara, a nurse in Nairobi, affirms that many hospital facilities lack health personnel who can communicate in sign language, making it difficult for expectant deaf women to seek care.
“In most cases, a deaf person will not get proper assistance from these institutions just because there is no provision of a sign language interpreter, and this in itself infringes on their rights,” Osara explained.
After undergoing a one-year sign language training course through WCC, Osara has noticed an increase in deaf patients seeking care at her facility.
“So many deaf people now come to the facility to seek services,” she said. “I had a deaf mother who delivered with health complications, and she would come for care during and after delivery.”
The WCC, in partnership with Physicians for Social Responsibility and funding from the Ministry of Health Finland, is working to ensure that women, girls, and youth with disabilities receive their healthcare rights. They are also supporting refugee women with disabilities in overcoming the unique challenges they face in foreign countries.
Elina Tuusa, program manager at Physicians for Social Responsibility, emphasizes the importance of collecting data on different types of disabilities for better planning.
“In Finland, families living with children and people with disabilities receive financial support, assistive devices, and medical treatments,” she said. “The healthcare system is low-cost, and children are encouraged to undergo regular health check-ups to detect diseases and disabilities early.”
She noted that Finland has integrated education for both disabled and non-disabled children, with schools providing sign language interpreters for deaf students.
In contrast, Kenya lacks disaggregated data on disability at health facilities, making it difficult to track the number of women and girls with disabilities seeking various health services.
Georgiana Forsang, a nurse and lawyer advocating for people with disabilities and refugees, said that the partnership between WCC and other organizations focuses on training healthcare workers, improving accessibility in health facilities, and building disability-friendly infrastructure.
The Finland based physician for social responsibilities visits Kenya twice per year to monitor and evaluate the impact of the project they are doing with the Women Challenged to Challenge.
Grace Athe, Head of Programs and Project Coordinator at WCC, explains that WCC collaborates with other disability groups to strengthen their capacity and address gaps in reproductive healthcare for women and girls with disabilities.
“In Nairobi County, WCC has built disability-friendly toilets at Pumwani Maternity Hospital and Mbagathi Hospital, installed ramps in sub-county hospitals, and trained healthcare workers in sign language,” she said. “We have also donated six adjustable beds to facilities in Nairobi County.”
Similar initiatives have been carried out in Baringo County, where WCC has built disability-friendly toilets in special schools and trained healthcare workers and duty bearers at various levels.
WCC’s sexual and reproductive health program takes a multi-sectoral approach, involving faith leaders, village elders, disabled people’s organizations, health workers, teachers, police officers, and judicial representatives. The program seeks to raise awareness on gender-based violence (GBV), which disproportionately affects women and girls with disabilities.
“We are now targeting youth centers to train youths with disabilities and educate them on their sexual rights. Sexual and gender-based violence is very common among women and girls with disabilities, and we are working to ensure they are informed and protected,” Athe added.
WCC is urging stakeholders, including national and county governments, to work together to address the challenges faced by people with disabilities, particularly in sexual and reproductive health. Their goal is to ensure that inclusive and accessible healthcare services become a reality for all.
