A health handbook for women with disabilities

1. Disability and the community......................................................................................5 2. Organizing for disability-friendly health care...........................................................29 3. Mental health..............................................................................................................49 4. Understanding your body...........................................................................................71 5. Taking care of your body............................................................................................85 6. Health exams.............................................................................................................125 7. Sexuality....................................................................................................................139 8. Sexual health: preventing sexually transmitted infections including hi v/aids ..........157 What is disability?..........................................6 Causes of disability...................................... 10 Wrong ideas about disability .....................15 Working for change..................................... 16 Root causes of problems.............................. 31 Health care is a human right for all..............33 Making health services easier to use.................35 Make buildings easier to use..........................38 Learning about disability............................ 41 Helping women with particular disabilities...............................43 Working for change.....................................44 Challenges to mental health.......................50 Depression....................................................54 Trauma..........................................................56 Serious mental illness (psychosis) ............59 Working towards mental health.................60 Forming support groups..............................65 When a girl’s body starts to change (puberty)...................................................71 Monthly bleeding (menstruation) ............ 74 A woman’s reproductive system.................77 Infertility...................................................... 81 Creating a family through adoption...............83 Eat well for good health..............................86 Keep your body moving..............................88 Contractures.................................................94 Preventing common problems...................96 Bladder control........................................... 101 Urinary infections.....................................105 Bowel control.............................................107 Monthly bleeding .....................................109 Infections caused by yeast......................... 111 Pressure sores............................................. 114 Dysreflexia.................................................. 117 Managing pain...........................................120 Working for change...................................121 Easier to use toilets and latrines...............123 What regular health exams can tell you..............................................126 The breast exam ........................................128 The pelvic exam ........................................130 Other exams to stay healthy.....................135 Working for change...................................136 Harmful beliefs about disabled women’s sexuality..................................140 Learning about sexuality..........................142 Different ways of having sex..................... 147 Possible problems during sex...................151 Working for change...................................154 Trichomonas..............................................159 Gonorrhea and chlamydia........................160 Sores on the genitals..................................163 Genital herpes and genital warts.................165 Hepatitis.....................................................167 What is HIV/AIDS...................................... 169 Treatment for HIV/AIDS........................... 176 Preventing infection at home...................179 Safer sex......................................................180Family planning......................................................................................................185 10. Pregnancy................................................................................................................209 11. Labor and Birth.......................................................................................................235 12. Caring for Your Baby..............................................................................................253 13. Growing older with a disabilty...............................................................................277 14. Abuse, violence, and self-defense............................................................................287 15. Support for Caregivers............................................................................................313 Green Pages...................................................................................................................327 Appendix A: Take care of your equipment..................................................................363 Appendix B: Sign language for health........................................................................369 List of difficult words..................................................................................................372 To learn more..............................................................................................................375 Index...........................................................................................................................385 How family planning works.................... 187 Barrier methods........................................ 189 Intra-Uterine Devices (IUDs).................. 195 Hormonal methods.................................. 196 Birth control pills...................................... 197 Breastfeeding............................................. 199 Natural family planning..........................200 Sterilization...............................................203 Emergency methods.................................205 Abortion....................................................207 Planning for pregnancy and birth........... 213 Staying healthy .............................................215 The 9 months of pregnancy..................... 217 Discomfort during pregnancy.................220 Movement and balance............................222 Muscle cramps ........................................225 Aches and pains in the joints ..................228 Common health problems.......................230 Toxemia of pregnancy..............................232 Working for change..................................233 How to tell you are in labor.....................236 How to make labor easier........................240 Birth by operation (Cesarean) ................244 Danger signs during labor........................ 245 Danger signs after birth........................... 247 Care for a new mother.............................. 249 Care for a new baby..................................250 Working for change.................................. 251 Breastfeeding.............................................255 Feeding an older baby.............................. 265 Comforting the baby................................266 Changing and dressing the baby.............268 Cleaning the baby .................................... 269 Carrying and moving the baby............... 271 Protecting children’s health..................... 274 Immunizations......................................... 276 Health problems caused by aging........... 278 Find new ways to do things..................... 281 When monthly bleeding stops.................282 Live an active life......................................285 Emotional abuse.......................................290 Physical abuse...........................................294 Preventing abuse.......................................295 Leaving violent partners...........................297 Sexual abuse..............................................298 Health problems caused by rape.............302 Abuse in institutions................................306 Self-defense...............................................308 Value caregivers......................................... 315 Caregivers need help too.......................... 317 Take care of yourself................................. 319 Start a caregiver’s group........................... 321 How to take medicines safely.................. 327 Taking other medicines with your disability medicines..................... 328 Kinds of medicine..................................... 330 Problem List.............................................. 331 Oral contraceptives .................................. 355 Emergency family planning .................... 357 Medicines for AIDS (ART) ...................... 358 Hearing aids.............................................. 363 Using a stick to get around....................... 365 Taking care of your wheelchair................366 1 Working for change...................................