'The World is Not Only for Hearing People - It's for All People': The Experiences of Women Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in Accessing Healthcare Services in Johannesburg, South Africa

Overview

Journal Afr J Disabil

Date 2021 Aug 16

PMID 34395202

Citations 3

Authors

Khetsiwe P Masuku

Nomfundo Moroe

Danielle van der Merwe

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Despite legal and adopted frameworks purporting access to healthcare and rehabilitation services, which are both a human right and key to developmental issues, women who are deaf and/or hard of hearing (HoH) are still excluded and experience barriers when accessing healthcare services. Largely, this is attributed to communication barriers between healthcare professionals and women who are deaf and/or HoH. There have been limited research studies carried out on women with invisible disabilities, such as deafness, especially amongst African women.

Objectives: This study sought to gain insights into the communication experiences of women who are deaf or HoH when accessing public healthcare services in hospitals in Johannesburg.

Methods: A qualitative research study employing semi-structured interviews with 10 African women who are deaf and/or HoH residing in Johannesburg, South Africa and attending government healthcare facilities was conducted. Participants were purposively selected. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results: Data revealed the following themes: communication barriers resulting in compromised quality of care and infringement on participants' right to confidentiality; accommodation that is not accommodative and negative attitudes of healthcare professionals.

Conclusion: The findings of this study confirm the alienating, exclusion, marginalisation, discrimination, invisibility, lack of independence and autonomy of women who are deaf and/or HoH when accessing healthcare services. Therefore, this study argues for a need for the conscientisation of healthcare professionals on communication needs of persons who are deaf and/or HoH. This has implications for the implementation of training programmes that will address communication, reasonable accommodation and attitudes of healthcare professionals.

Citing Articles

Hear our voices: The perceptions and experiences of women who are Deaf on gender-based violence.

Davids R, van Staden M Afr J Disabil. 2024; 13:1490.

PMID: 39650091 PMC: 11621921. DOI: 10.4102/ajod.v13i0.1490.

Understanding the impacts of the COVID-19 response measures on Deaf adults in Cape Town.

Slome C, van Pinxteren M, London L Afr J Disabil. 2024; 13:1371.

PMID: 38962748 PMC: 11219557. DOI: 10.4102/ajod.v13i0.1371.

"They still phone even though they know I'm deaf": exploring experiences of deaf people in health services in Wales, UK.

Terry J, Meara R, England R J Public Health (Oxf). 2024; 46(3):e520-e527.

PMID: 38936826 PMC: 11358617. DOI: 10.1093/pubmed/fdae112.

References

Chaveiro N, Porto C, Barbosa M . The relation between deaf patients and the doctor. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2009; 75(1):147-50. PMC: 9442605. DOI: 10.1016/s1808-8694(15)30846-6. View

Syed S, Gerber B, Sharp L . Traveling towards disease: transportation barriers to health care access. J Community Health. 2013; 38(5):976-93. PMC: 4265215. DOI: 10.1007/s10900-013-9681-1. View

Richardson K . Deaf culture: competencies and best practices. Nurse Pract. 2014; 39(5):20-8. DOI: 10.1097/01.NPR.0000445956.21045.c4. View

Sporek P . Improving the experience of pregnancy and childbirth for deaf people and their families. Pract Midwife. 2014; 17(4):12-4. View

Ubido J, Huntington J, Warburton D . Inequalities in access to healthcare faced by women who are deaf. Health Soc Care Community. 2002; 10(4):247-53. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2524.2002.00365.x. View

Harrison J, Thomson R, Banda H, Mbera G, Gregorius S, Stenberg B . Access to health care for people with disabilities in rural Malawi: what are the barriers?. BMC Public Health. 2020; 20(1):833. PMC: 7268500. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-08691-9. View

Eide A, Mannan H, Khogali M, Van Rooy G, Swartz L, Munthali A . Perceived Barriers for Accessing Health Services among Individuals with Disability in Four African Countries. PLoS One. 2015; 10(5):e0125915. PMC: 4489521. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0125915. View

PENCHANSKY R, Thomas J . The concept of access: definition and relationship to consumer satisfaction. Med Care. 1981; 19(2):127-40. DOI: 10.1097/00005650-198102000-00001. View

Adigun O, Mngomezulu T . 'They Forget I'm Deaf': Exploring the Experience and Perception of Deaf Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinics/Care. Ann Glob Health. 2020; 86(1):96. PMC: 7413196. DOI: 10.5334/aogh.2942. View

10.

Matter R, Eide A . Access to assistive technology in two Southern African countries. BMC Health Serv Res. 2018; 18(1):792. PMC: 6194741. DOI: 10.1186/s12913-018-3605-9. View

11.

Badu E, Opoku M, Appiah S . Attitudes of health service providers: The perspective of people with disabilities in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana. Afr J Disabil. 2017; 5(1):181. PMC: 5433446. DOI: 10.4102/ajod.v5i1.181. View

12.

Tomlinson M, Swartz L, Officer A, Chan K, Rudan I, Saxena S . Research priorities for health of people with disabilities: an expert opinion exercise. Lancet. 2009; 374(9704):1857-62. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61910-3. View

13.

Peters D, Garg A, Bloom G, Walker D, Brieger W, Rahman M . Poverty and access to health care in developing countries. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2007; 1136:161-71. DOI: 10.1196/annals.1425.011. View

14.

Gichane M, Heap M, Fontes M, London L . "They must understand we are people": Pregnancy and maternity service use among signing Deaf women in Cape Town. Disabil Health J. 2017; 10(3):434-439. PMC: 5484522. DOI: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2017.03.016. View

15.

Senayah E, Mprah W, Opoku M, Edusei A, Torgbenu E . The accessibility of health services to young deaf adolescents in Ghana. Int J Health Plann Manage. 2018; 34(1):e634-e645. DOI: 10.1002/hpm.2679. View

16.

Vergunst R, Swartz L, Hem K, Eide A, Mannan H, MacLachlan M . Access to health care for persons with disabilities in rural South Africa. BMC Health Serv Res. 2017; 17(1):741. PMC: 5693516. DOI: 10.1186/s12913-017-2674-5. View

17.

Gudlavalleti M, John N, Allagh K, Sagar J, Kamalakannan S, Ramachandra S . Access to health care and employment status of people with disabilities in South India, the SIDE (South India Disability Evidence) study. BMC Public Health. 2014; 14:1125. PMC: 4228146. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-1125. View

18.

Kritzinger J, Schneider M, Swartz L, Braathen S . "I just answer 'yes' to everything they say": access to health care for deaf people in Worcester, South Africa and the politics of exclusion. Patient Educ Couns. 2014; 94(3):379-83. DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2013.12.006. View

19.

Emond A, Ridd M, Sutherland H, Allsop L, Alexander A, Kyle J . Access to primary care affects the health of Deaf people. Br J Gen Pract. 2015; 65(631):95-6. PMC: 4325446. DOI: 10.3399/bjgp15X683629. View

20.

Kuenburg A, Fellinger P, Fellinger J . Health Care Access Among Deaf People. J Deaf Stud Deaf Educ. 2015; 21(1):1-10. DOI: 10.1093/deafed/env042. View