Abstract:
The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of people with disabilities (PWD) with regard to issues of sexuality and HIV/AIDS. More specifically, we investigate how PWD perceive social and sexual relationships, how they experience sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care including HIV/AIDS. This study relied on key informant (5) interviews and focused group interviews (FGDs). The three FGDs consisted of midlevel to senior officials (5), females with disabilities (5) and a mixed group of males and females with disabilities (12). The study supports the view that PWD experience differential treatment within extended families. The public has negative attitudes towards PWD who engage in sex in general and female PWD who fall pregnant particularly. It largely supports the literature that PWD are at great risk of physical and sexual abuse and are often denied reproductive rights. It points to the difficulties PWD find with HIV/AIDS education as a lot of the materials is not written in Braille or otherwise fail to take into account the different disabilities. People with disability also face problems accessing reproductive health services because of the negative attitudes of healthcare providers. There is a need for the government and society to focus on the SRH of PWD if the fight against HIV/AIDS is to succeed. There is also need to focus on PWD in the context of sexuality if the inalienable human rights and freedoms of all its citizens including PWD is to be realized.
