A Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities
by Jane Maxwell, Julia Watts Belser, and Darlena David
Published February 2007, 384 pages, illustrated
English ed. ISBN: 978-0-942364-50-7

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Women with disabilities often discover that the social stigma of disability and inadequate care are greater barriers to health than the disabilities themselves. A Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities will help women with disabilities overcome these barriers and improve their general health, self-esteem, and abilities to care for themselves and participate in their communities.

This groundbreaking handbook was developed with the help and experience of women with disabilities in 42 countries - women whose disabilities include blindness, deafness, amputations, paralysis, learning difficulties, small stature, epilepsy, arthritis, and cerebral palsy.

The book is full of useful advice on:

• Caring for daily needs with limited access to equipment
• Having healthy and safe sexual relationships
• Choosing family planning methods that work best with specific disabilities
• Preparing for pregnancy and childbirth
• Defending against violence or abuse
• Interactions of disability medicines with other medicines
• Organizing for disability-friendly health care

Health professionals, caregivers for women with disabilities, and trainers working with disability groups will also find A Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities an essential resource.

Related Materials

• Download individual chapters of this book at no cost on our Free Downloads page.
• Also available for purchase in Spanish: Un guia de salud para mujeres con discapacidad.
• This title is also be accessed in several other languages. For a complete listing, visit our Resources by Language page.
• Purchase and download the images in this title through Hesperian Images.
• If you are interested in books on children and disability, we encourage you to read Helping Children Who Are Deaf, Helping Children Who Are Blind, and Disabled Village Children.

What people have to say about A Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities:

"A Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities is an outstanding accomplishment, which uses the experiences and advice from women with disabilities throughout the world together with up to date, professional health information. The book captures the real life situations of women with disabilities and their issues, their experiences and their desires. This book is a "must-have" for health professionals, international development organizations, international women's organizations and anyone who believes in equality for women with disabilities."
- Susan Sygall, Co-founder and CEO of Mobility International USA, and a MacArthur Fellow

"Packed with useful information, helpful tips, and illustrations that deepen our learning, this practical tool for gaining health rights clearly reflects sound practice and the voices and experiences of women with disabilities from around the world. A breakthrough publication!"
-Karen Heinicke-Motsch, World Health Organization

"Long-awaited, this book provides us, and our families and caregivers, reliable information on sexuality, childbearing, aging and all the other life processes that affect every woman. An accessible resource for wisdom about our health."
-Venus M. Ilagan, Disabled Peoples' International

"This manual definitely can be used by women with disabilities to understand themselves better, help others to understand them better, and help them teach others to understand them better."
-Dr. Veda Zachariah, Sanjivini Trust, Bangalore, India