Health, Reproductive Rights & Sexuality

One in five women in the U.S. suffers from a physical or mental disability. Women live longer than men, and more than half of women over age 65 live with a disability. Women with disabilities are disproportionately likely to have poor access to health care, inadequate screening for common conditions, increased incidence of secondary complications and diminished quality of life. Studies have shown that health professionals can lack responsiveness and sensitivity to disabled women, and traditional health professional training fails to provide the knowledge and skills needed by clinicians to provide optimal care to women with disabilities. Women of color with disabilities must deal with additional economic, social and cultural factors that can negatively affect their access to health care and their ability to cope.