Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to sexual and reproductive health services for women and gender-diverse people with disabilities in Canada: a qualitative study
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental impact on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and rights globally. However, little is known about the experiences of people with disabilities accessing SRH services during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this community-engaged qualitative study, we examined COV...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/26410397.2024.2441027 |
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| author | Meredith Evans Alexandra Rego Nkem Ogbonna Kate Welsh Sidrah K. Zafar Lucy C. Barker Anne Berndl Janice Du Mont Yona Lunsky Amy McPherson Lesley A. Tarasoff Ashley Vandermorris Hilary K. Brown |
| author_facet | Meredith Evans Alexandra Rego Nkem Ogbonna Kate Welsh Sidrah K. Zafar Lucy C. Barker Anne Berndl Janice Du Mont Yona Lunsky Amy McPherson Lesley A. Tarasoff Ashley Vandermorris Hilary K. Brown |
| author_sort | Meredith Evans |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental impact on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and rights globally. However, little is known about the experiences of people with disabilities accessing SRH services during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this community-engaged qualitative study, we examined COVID-related impacts on access to SRH services for people with disabilities. We interviewed 61 women and gender-diverse people in Canada from May 2022 to March 2023. Informed by disability reproductive justice, we identified four major themes through constructivist analysis. First, COVID-related changes to SRH service delivery disrupted access to care and caused disability-related health implications. Second, pandemic response measures changed SRH service accessibility: in-person accessibility barriers were amplified, new in-person accessibility barriers were introduced, and the transition to telehealth exacerbated, as well as mitigated, accessibility barriers. Third, COVID-related social changes (e.g. lockdowns) had disability-related SRH and rights implications. Fourth, disabled people recommended improving SRH services by enhancing funding, provider training, information and communication, disability accommodations, representation, and comprehensive community engagement. Cutting across these themes were disproportionate negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to SRH services for racialised women and gender-diverse people with disabilities. Failure to ensure SRH and rights for women and gender-diverse people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic undermined disability reproductive justice. Comprehensive disability community engagement is necessary to inform accessible SRH services and policies, both during and beyond a pandemic. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-db33e4a3a45d4d57bc9dedd19bc1ca85 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2641-0397 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters |
| spelling | doaj-art-db33e4a3a45d4d57bc9dedd19bc1ca852025-01-13T09:40:01ZengTaylor & Francis GroupSexual and Reproductive Health Matters2641-03972024-12-0132110.1080/26410397.2024.2441027Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to sexual and reproductive health services for women and gender-diverse people with disabilities in Canada: a qualitative studyMeredith Evans0Alexandra Rego1Nkem Ogbonna2Kate Welsh3Sidrah K. Zafar4Lucy C. Barker5Anne Berndl6Janice Du Mont7Yona Lunsky8Amy McPherson9Lesley A. Tarasoff10Ashley Vandermorris11Hilary K. Brown12Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Health and Society, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, CanadaPeer Researcher, Department of Health and Society, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, CanadaPeer Researcher, Department of Health and Society, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, CanadaPeer Researcher, Department of Health and Society, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, CanadaResearch Coordinator, Department of Health and Society, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, CanadaScientist, Women’s College Hospital Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada; Psychiatrist, Reproductive Life Stages Program, Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada; Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaMaternal-fetal Medicine Specialist and Director of the Accessible Care Pregnancy Clinic, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada; Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Associate Scientist, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, CanadaSenior Scientist, Women’s College Hospital Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada; Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaScientific Director, Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaSenior Scientist, Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada; Associate Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaAdjunct Lecturer, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Programme Manager, Ontario Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health, Toronto, ON, CanadaStaff Physician, Division of Adolescent Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto, ON, Canada; Assistant Professor, Department of Paediatrics, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaAssociate Professor, Department of Health and Society, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada; Associate Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Adjunct Scientist, Women’s College Hospital Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.The COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental impact on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and rights globally. However, little is known about the experiences of people with disabilities accessing SRH services during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this community-engaged qualitative study, we examined COVID-related impacts on access to SRH services for people with disabilities. We interviewed 61 women and gender-diverse people in Canada from May 2022 to March 2023. Informed by disability reproductive justice, we identified four major themes through constructivist analysis. First, COVID-related changes to SRH service delivery disrupted access to care and caused disability-related health implications. Second, pandemic response measures changed SRH service accessibility: in-person accessibility barriers were amplified, new in-person accessibility barriers were introduced, and the transition to telehealth exacerbated, as well as mitigated, accessibility barriers. Third, COVID-related social changes (e.g. lockdowns) had disability-related SRH and rights implications. Fourth, disabled people recommended improving SRH services by enhancing funding, provider training, information and communication, disability accommodations, representation, and comprehensive community engagement. Cutting across these themes were disproportionate negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to SRH services for racialised women and gender-diverse people with disabilities. Failure to ensure SRH and rights for women and gender-diverse people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic undermined disability reproductive justice. Comprehensive disability community engagement is necessary to inform accessible SRH services and policies, both during and beyond a pandemic.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/26410397.2024.2441027COVID-19disabilityaccessibilityequityintersectionality |
| spellingShingle | Meredith Evans Alexandra Rego Nkem Ogbonna Kate Welsh Sidrah K. Zafar Lucy C. Barker Anne Berndl Janice Du Mont Yona Lunsky Amy McPherson Lesley A. Tarasoff Ashley Vandermorris Hilary K. Brown Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to sexual and reproductive health services for women and gender-diverse people with disabilities in Canada: a qualitative study Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters COVID-19 disability accessibility equity intersectionality |
| title | Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to sexual and reproductive health services for women and gender-diverse people with disabilities in Canada: a qualitative study |
| title_full | Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to sexual and reproductive health services for women and gender-diverse people with disabilities in Canada: a qualitative study |
| title_fullStr | Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to sexual and reproductive health services for women and gender-diverse people with disabilities in Canada: a qualitative study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to sexual and reproductive health services for women and gender-diverse people with disabilities in Canada: a qualitative study |
| title_short | Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to sexual and reproductive health services for women and gender-diverse people with disabilities in Canada: a qualitative study |
| title_sort | impacts of the covid 19 pandemic on access to sexual and reproductive health services for women and gender diverse people with disabilities in canada a qualitative study |
| topic | COVID-19 disability accessibility equity intersectionality |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/26410397.2024.2441027 |
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