| dc.description.abstract | Persons with disabilities are a marginalised population, and their access to Maternal, Sexual and Reproductive Health (MSRH) has been neglected for decades due to social and cultural myths, beliefs and misconceptions regarding disability. Although there has been a tremendous improvement in access to MSRH services for people without disabilities globally, persons with disabilities in Uganda continue to face significant barriers in access to reproductive health and related services. These include attitudinal, institutional (in the form of policies and laws that discriminate persons with disabilities), environmental and physical barriers, and barriers to functional reproductive related information in accessible formats. It is therefore important to investigate access to MSRH services by persons with disabilities in Uganda, especially in the COVID-19 era where access to the above services has become increasingly difficult. This was a qualitative research methodology. The research design was phenomenological and descriptive (Groenewald, 2004). Phenomenological studies examine human experiences through the descriptions provided by the people involved, in this case persons with disabilities (Parse et al., 1985). The goal of phenomenological research design is to describe the meanings that experiences hold for each subject. I interviewed 40 persons with disabilities as in-depth respondents and 20 key informants from the districts of Kampala, Luwero, Wakiso and Mpigi. Data was analysed using NVivo software that supported the identification of themes presented in these findings. The findings reveal significant higher, institutional, attitudinal and individual barriers to accessing MSRH services for persons with disabilities. Higher level barriers include the lack of a deliberate policy that mainstreams the MSRH needs of persons with disabilities. Institutional barriers include inaccessible health facilities and inaccessible health information. Attitudinal barriers encompass prejudice, discrimination, stigma and stereotyping on the part of health workers. Individual barriers include: the individual’s lack of knowledge of contraceptives; their perceptions about family planning; cultural beliefs and misconceptions surrounding the Person with Disabilities; their distance from home to the hospital; the lack of support from their family; and the lack of their informed consent in the provision of MSRH services. Barriers substantially associated with COVID-19 included the lack of transport to attend MSRH services, the lack of prioritization of MSRH needs (such as converting MSRH centres into COVID-19 treatment centres), and the limiting of the number of times persons with disabilities might attend antenatal and postnatal care. This study reveals significant barriers in access to MSRH services for persons with disabilities, calling for deliberate strategies to promote inclusive MSRH services in line with Article 25 of the Convention on the Rights of persons with disabilities (CRPD) and Goals Three and Five of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). | en_US |
