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Access to Health Care

Illnesses and Disabilities Home > Access to Health Care

Americans with disabilities consume a large portion of the nation's health care services. Despite the large numbers of disabled women who need these services and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), there are many barriers that reduce the quality and accessibility of their care. One type is physical barriers that make health care settings unfriendly and inaccessible. In many cases, women also lack the transportation and support services they need to get to health care appointments.

There also are invisible barriers to care, such as policies that deny service to women who cannot easily get up onto exam tables, or that let doctors refuse to see women with disabilities. There also are health care providers who have little or no knowledge about certain disabilities. As a result, women with disabilities oftentimes receive inadequate health care.

Publications

1.   New Freedom Initiative: Fulfilling America's Promise to Americans with Disabilities - This site gives information on the New Freedom Initiative, part of a nationwide effort to remove barriers to community living for people with disabilities. It provides information on what the different branches of the government are doing to remove these barriers.

   http://www.hhs.gov/newfreedom

2.   The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities: What It Means to You - This publication provides in simple language the same basic information found in the larger Call to Action and its purpose is to improve everyone’s knowledge about the health and wellness of people with disabilities.

   http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/disabilities/calltoaction/whatitmeanstoyou...

3.   Women with Disabilities: Access to Health - This publication discusses some of the barriers that women with disabilities face in receiving adequate health care. It also lists accommodations that can make hospitals and health clinics more accessible to women with disabilities.

   http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/women/access.htm

4.   Access to Preventive Health Care Services for Women with Disabilities (Copyright © ASTHO) - This fact sheet provides an overview of some of the major barriers to accessing preventive health care that women with disabilities face. In addition it provides actions state public health agencies can consider pursuing to eliminate these barriers.

   http://www.astho.org/pubs/WomenwithDisabilitiesFactSheet2.pdf

5. Educate Your Doctor (Copyright © NCODH) - This web page links to a publication you can give to your doctor, called “Removing Barriers to Health Care: A Guide for Health Professionals.” It will help them understand the barriers disabled women experience when trying to go to the doctor.

   http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~ncodh/orchid/pages/educatedoctor.cfm

6. Health Care-Ability to Obtain Care (Copyright © Baylor College of Medicine) - This publication discusses the difficulties women with disabilities face in getting medical care and treatment. In addition it provides information and newsletters on a variety of topics.

   http://www.bcm.edu/crowd/?pmid=1434

7. A Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities (Copyright © Hesperian Foundation) - This book is written for women with disabilities around the world. It contains chapters about understanding and taking care of your body, growing older with a disability, abuse, violence, self-defense, and much more.

   http://www.hesperian.org/publications_download_wwd.php

Organizations

1.   DisabilityInfo.gov
2.   Office on Disability, HHS
3.   The Office of Disability, Aging and Long-Term Care Policy
4. Center for Research on Women with Disabilities
5. National Disability Rights Network

= Indicates Federal Resources