32 chapter 2: Organizing for disability-friendly health care
BUT WHY wouldn’t
Delphine tell the
health workers
the name of her
boyfriend?
BUT WHY wouldn’t
he come to see
her any more?
Because she was afraid
he wouldn’t come to see
her any more.
Because he would be
ashamed. People in the
village would laugh at
him for having sex with a
woman with disability.
BUT WHY
would they
laugh at him?
When the women had named a long
list of causes, they decided to put the
causes in groups.
Because they do not think
of us as real women. People
would think there was
something wrong with him
because he had sex with a
disabled woman.
This way it was easier to see the different kinds of conditions that cause health
problems and the different areas in which solutions had to be found.
PHYSICAL CAUSES
• Gonorrhea germs
• Chlamydia germs
• W omen’s bodies are more
susceptible to STIs than
men’s bodies, especially if
there are cuts or sores in
the vagina or on the cervix.
• P oor nutrition and many
pregnancies can make
women weak and less
able to fight disease.
WRONG IDEAS
ABOUT DISABILITIES
• D isabled women are not
seen as “real” women.
• D isabled women can’t
have sex.
• D octors believe most
health problems disabled
women have are caused
by disability.
GENERAL SOCIAL CAUSES
• M en often have
other sex partners.
• M en won’t use condoms
because it’s “unmanly” and
spoils sexual pleasure.
• L ack of education about STIs.
• F emale condoms are expensive
and not easy to get.
• M en are ashamed of
disabled partners.