article · Disability and Rehabilitation
This study investigated access to perinatal care for women with physical disability in rural Ethiopia, where inclusive care policies are scarce. Using an instrumental case study approach, researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with women with disabilities, healthcare providers, and close family members, alongside document reviews. The findings revealed that women's journeys to motherhood and their perinatal care-seeking were significantly influenced by emotional reactions to pregnancy, community perceptions, and available information sources. While support from close individuals encouraged care-seeking, stigma and limited involvement from community health workers acted as deterrents, leading women to rely on peers for information. The research concluded that women with physical disability encounter significant psychosocial, informational, and structural barriers to accessing perinatal care. Improving access requires disability-responsive services, including preconception and mental health support, alongside training for healthcare providers and community-level efforts to reduce stigma.
This research highlights critical challenges faced by women with physical disability in accessing essential perinatal care, revealing how societal attitudes and lack of support impact their health journeys. Understanding these barriers is crucial for developing equitable healthcare systems that cater to the needs of vulnerable populations, ensuring better health outcomes for mothers and children.
The abstract does not indicate a direct commercialisation pathway for a product or service. However, the findings are highly relevant for informing the development of inclusive health policies and programmes. These insights could be used by non-governmental organisations, public health bodies, and healthcare providers to design disability-responsive perinatal care services, implement healthcare provider training, and create community-based stigma reduction initiatives. This is early-stage research for policy and programme design.
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PURPOSE: We explored access to perinatal care for women with physical disability in East Dembia Woreda, Ethiopia, where evidence for inclusive perinatal care and policy is lacking. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Instrumental case study was conducted using semi-structured interviews, document reviews, and field notes. Twelve women with physical disability, seven healthcare providers, and five close persons were interviewed. Policies and care guidelines were also reviewed. We analyzed data using reflexive thematic analysis and triangulated across data sources. RESULTS: We present the theme "Journeys to Motherhood: Reactions, Community Perceptions, and Information Sources Influence Motherhood for Women with Physical Disability." This theme captured how emotional reactions to pregnancy, community perceptions, and information sources shaped motherhood journeys of women with physical disability and ultimately perinatal care-seeking. Some participants were motivated to seek care, desiring disability-free child, while unplanned pregnancies delayed pregnancy acceptance and care-seeking. Support from close persons facilitated care-seeking, whereas stigma and limited engagement from community-based health workers discouraged service use and increased reliance on peers for information. CONCLUSION: Women with physical disability faced psychosocial, informational, and structural barriers when seeking perinatal care services. Improving access requires disability-responsive services, including preconception and mental health supports, alongside training healthcare providers and community-based stigma-reduction efforts.
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DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2026.2716297
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