The Motherhood Experience of Disabled Women: Challenges and Approaches Encountered by Visually and Hearing Impaired Individuals During Pregnancy and Childbirth
Chapter from the book: Altuner, Y. (ed.) 2024. Women's Health, Pregnancy, and Neonatal Care in Health Sciences.

Gamze Gedikli
Karabük University
Reyhan Aydın Doğan
Karabük University

Synopsis

Disability is defined as physical, mental, or sensory impairments that affect individuals' daily lives. Globally, 16% of the population, and 12.3% in Turkey, consist of individuals with disabilities. Like other women, disabled women also desire to experience motherhood. However, they face various challenges in accessing healthcare services and communication during this process. Hearing-impaired women encounter difficulties in prenatal care due to communication barriers. Solutions such as written communication, sign language interpreters, and transparent masks are suggested for hearing-impaired women. Visually impaired women, on the other hand, experience emotions such as insecurity, fear, and anxiety. Practices like preparing educational materials in Braille can improve the quality of care. Disabled women are more frequently subjected to medical interventions and have higher cesarean rates. Communication barriers are a fundamental issue during childbirth. Interpreter support and the provision of assistive devices can alleviate these problems. Hearing-impaired women are unable to fully benefit from healthcare services due to the lack of interpreters. Visually impaired women prefer tactile and auditory methods for infant care. However, they may experience greater stress and insecurity regarding childcare and breastfeeding. Special equipment and appropriate accommodations can help reduce these challenges. Studies show that disabled women do not receive sufficient support from social and healthcare services. Accessibility of educational materials should be improved, and healthcare professionals' knowledge and awareness of disabled individuals should be enhanced. Disabled women should receive physical, emotional, and social support to experience motherhood more positively.

How to cite this book

Gedikli, G. & Aydın Doğan, R. (2024). The Motherhood Experience of Disabled Women: Challenges and Approaches Encountered by Visually and Hearing Impaired Individuals During Pregnancy and Childbirth. In: Altuner, Y. (ed.), Women's Health, Pregnancy, and Neonatal Care in Health Sciences. Özgür Publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.58830/ozgur.pub588.c2450

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Published

December 20, 2024

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