The National Assembly of People with Disabilities of Ukraine is continuing the implementation of the “Women’s Health” project. The initiative addresses one of the least visible yet critically important issues — access to healthcare services for women with disabilities, particularly in the field of reproductive health.
“Women with disabilities still remain outside adequate attention when it comes to access to quality healthcare services. Right now, we have a chance to change this — not only on paper, but in real life,” says the project manager, Larisa Baida.
The project is actively working in seven pilot communities: Horokhiv community, Brovary community, Kazanka community, Chutove community, Kodyma community, Kaniv community, and Chernivtsi urban community.
At this stage, one of the key components of the project is an anonymous survey of women with different types of disabilities. Its goal is to identify the real level of access to reproductive health services and to better understand the barriers and challenges women face in the pilot communities. The results of the research are expected to become not only a record of existing problems, but also a foundation for developing practical solutions.
As part of the project, focus groups are also being conducted with girls and women with disabilities. Participants noted that the most pressing issues remain the physical accessibility of healthcare facilities, timely and accessible information about services available in their communities, the availability of accessible medical equipment (including mammography devices, gynecological examination chairs, examination couches, X-ray equipment, etc.), the possibility of receiving full medical examinations, postnatal support, and preventive healthcare information adapted to disability-related needs.
Conversations with mothers raising girls with different types of disability added another important dimension to understanding the issue. Many of them say they lack clear, calm, and age-appropriate explanations for their daughters about how the body changes during adolescence, what is normal during puberty, how to build self-care and hygiene skills, and how to talk about intimate topics without fear or discomfort. For many families, this remains a difficult area where support from both the healthcare and education systems is still insufficient.
Another important issue emerging through the research is how women themselves understand the concept of reproductive health. Very often, it is perceived quite narrowly — only as something related to motherhood or pregnancy planning. In reality, however, reproductive health is much broader and concerns the entire life cycle of a woman.
Reproductive health is also about puberty, understanding changes in one’s body, basic hygiene knowledge, disease prevention, and regular self-care. It is about access to understandable information that helps women feel confident in their own bodies regardless of age, health condition, or personal plans regarding motherhood. This broader, calmer, and non-judgmental approach is gradually becoming an important part of the conversation that the project is opening in communities.
Oleksandra Perkova, Communications Manager of the Project
