Wome n w ith Inte ll ectual Disability a nd Access to Reproduct ive Hea lth Information: A Case Stud y
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Date
2014-11
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This qualitative research describes the challenges women with intellectual disability face in
relation to their reproductive health using case study method. For this plll'lJOSe, 10 case study
participants who are women with mild and moderate intellectual disability and are members of
Ethiopian National Association of Intellectual Disability (ENAID) were interviewed using indepth
interview method. Two Focus Group Discussions (FGD:,) were conducted with two groups
o.fjJCIrents/guardians. Each of the FGD groups had six participants. In addition to theseJour
staffs of ENAID were interviewed and three guardians of women with intellectual disability were
key informants throughout the study. The findings of the research indicated that stereotypes
about sexuality of women with intellectual disability has restricted them from expressing their
sexuality, limited their access to information about sex, unwanted pregnancy, contraceptives,
sexually transmitted infections and methods of prevention, limited their access to reproductive
health services and contributed to their vulnerability to sexual abuse. In conclusion, although the
nature of their disability has an impact on their day-to-day life, women with intellectual
disability also have a unique way of learning and understanding their social environment. They
learn ways of behaving and canying out :,pecific tasks through repeated and simple instructions
and take more time to understand and process new information than other people without
intellectual disability. Hence, by focusing on their ability, :,pecial considerations should be
given about what kinds of methods are appropriate to their specific disability in order to teach
them about their sexuality and their sexual health.
Key words: intellectual disability, mild and moderate intellectual disability, sexuality, sexual
health, reproductive health.
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Keywords
intellectual disability, mild and moderate intellectual disability, sexuality, sexual health, reproductive health.