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Persons with disabilities have often been overlooked in the context of HIV and AIDS risk prevention and service provision. This paper explores access to and use of HIV information and services among persons with disabilities.

Disability and Rehabilitation Journal
https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2018.1498138

Purpose: This study aimed to provide insights into factors that influence the acquisition, accessibility, and utilisation of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) information and services by deaf people who communicate using Ghanaian Sign Language (GSL).

Method: The study explored deaf people’s perceptions about barriers to SRH information and services in Ghana. There were 26 participants in 3 focus groups: 10 executives of Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD), 7 deaf adult males and 9 deaf adult females. A key informant, who had experience in working with deaf people, was also interviewed. Review of documents and observations helped to clarify data gathered from the focus groups.

Results: Study findings indicated that when accessing SRH information and services in Ghana, deaf people encounter numerous barriers such as problems with communication, ignorance about deafness, negative attitudes, and services that are not customised to their needs.

Conclusion: If it is to succeed, any SRH programme for the deaf community must make the eradication of communication barriers a priority, since communication is fundamental to all challenges that deaf people encounter.

Background: Persons with disabilities in general face serious barriers to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and services due to institutional and attitudinal barriers. However, because deaf people have unique communication and linguistic needs, which are often misunderstood or ignored, they face greater barriers than other persons with disabilities. Whilst available data indicated that there is a wide gap between knowledge and usage of contraceptive amongst Ghanaians, little is known about the level of contraceptive knowledge and usage amongst deaf people.

Objectives: The objective of the study was to investigate the level of knowledge and use of contraceptive methods amongst deaf people in Ghana with the aim of understanding their contraceptive behaviour and to improve access.

Method: The study was a participatory SRH needs assessment utilising a two-phase, sequential, mixed methods design. The study included 179 participants, consisting of focus groups with seven executives of Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD), 10 male deaf adults, and 9 deaf female adults. A total of 152 deaf people, made up of students, women, and men participated in a survey, whilst one hearing person served as a key informant.

Results: The findings of the study indicated that of the 13 methods shown in the survey, only three were known to about 70% of the adults and 60% of the students. Level of knowledge of the remaining nine methods was low.

Conclusion: Clear and effective policies are needed to guide the provision of SRH information and services for deaf people in Ghana.

This publication is aimed at governments, development partners, and public and private health facilities seeking to provide ART as part of comprehensive care and support for people living with HIV and AIDS. It describes valuable lessons learned from several ART learning sites throughout Ghana, Kenya and Rwanda. By the end of April 2005, more than 5,800 new patients had initiated ART through this treatment and care initiative. Strategies, challenges and key recommendations are presented and comments by national and community leaders, providers and patients appear throughout the text to give readers a sense of the programs as they progressed. The lessons may not have direct relevance to all health facilities providing or planning to provide ART; it should be used or adapted depending on the epidemiological, political, social, cultural and economic context of each setting