Organizing for disability-friendly health care 31
Looking for the root causes of problems
After Delphine had taken the medicine and
was feeling better, she wanted to believe
her health problem was over.
But after reading the book, she
knew this was not true. The next
time her boyfriend came to see
her, she would get infected
again if he did not also
take the medicine and use
condoms.
Delphine discussed the
problem with the other
disabled women in the group, and together they decided to play a game
called “But why…” to help everyone identify all the conditions that created
the problem.
WHY did Delphine
get sick from
gonorrhea and
chlamydia?
Because she
was infected
by her
boyfriend.
BUT WHY did the
health workers at the
clinic stretch my arms
and legs instead of
treating my discharge?
BUT WHY did
they not believe
it was possible
for me to have
sex?
Because they believed
your disability was the
health problem. They
did not believe it was
possible for you to have
sex.
Because many health
workers do not see a
person with a disability
as a normal person with
normal feelings. They
do not understand that
disability is not a barrier
to sex.
A Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities 2007