resources
Health handbook for women with disabilities
Sarah Allen, a disabled parent living in Catalonia, Spain, reviews A health handbook for women with disabilities by Jane Maxwell, Julia Watts Belser and Darlena David. 2007, Berkeley, California Hesperian Foundation. ISBN 0-942364-50-3 Price US$20. Available from The Hesperian Foundation, Book Orders, 1919 Addison Street, Suite 304, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA. Download free from www.hesperian.org
This handbook aims to help disabled women in developing countries overcome barriers by providing useful advice and medical information, and by promoting confidence and equality.
The authors advocate 'not special treatment but equal treatment' and this resource works on boosting confidence in disabled women to expect the same treatment as other women. At the same time, the book offers lots of information to allow women to be pro-active and take responsibility for their health. It is aimed at girls and women - tackling physical, emotional and sexual health from puberty through to the menopause - with the emphasis on self-respect, confidence and strength gained from peer group support.
It promotes the destruction of urban myths, with an onus on the disabled woman educating and encouraging non-judgmental attitudes in society. Where social provision lets women down, the book's message is that taking responsibility and planning for your own needs with your own support system is the key to maintaining dignity, self-respect and power while still fighting for change. The handbook includes practical information necessary to enable women to self-diagnose common health complaints with sound medical advice. It even tells you how to make alternative health aids with things at hand.
The authors also recognise the importance of support networks, care givers and the role of health workers. The book provides advice for them but also encourages healthy relationships, promoting self-respect, clear boundaries and good communication. It also encourages the creation of social revolution at the roots of education - challenging ingrained perceptions and attitudes from the start.
The text is very easy to read - in short sentences and paragraphs, with clear headings and useful illustrations - but there is no 'dumbing-down' of content. It is evident that much time has been taken in tackling complex issues about disability and health in a plain and simple but thorough and intelligent way. For example, definitions of disability are explored, explaining ´impairment' as well as the medical and social models of disability. Importantly, it separates 'illness' from 'disability', highlighting that this is something the medical profession does not necessarily do.
Many of the issues covered resounded in me, and I was impressed by the clear and down-to-earth way in which they were discussed. The many thought provoking real life examples in the book raise questions about how disabled women are treated. For example, charity workers may go into a village and build a well which disabled women can't access, meaning that they are excluded and unequal, and a role and status they may have had before has actually been taken away.
All the way through the book, there are first-hand experiences of women so you do not feel alone - the writers have brought together women's experiences in 42 countries to produce a comprehensive and incisive book.