Improving access to health services
for women with disabilities

Why is improving access to health services a top priority?

	VWDN Advocacy Information Service activities
	Links - access to health services

Why is improving access to health services a top priority for the VWDN AIS?

In addition to addressing the two priority areas of preventing violence against women with disabilities and supporting women with disabilities in their parenting and reproductive rights, the VWDN AIS has an ongoing goal of ensuring that women with disabilities have equal access to health services in Victoria.

Improving access to health services is a priority because it is common for mainstream health service providers to neglect the specific needs of women with disabilities. For example, women with physical disabilities have difficulty accessing breast, cervical and bowel cancer screening programs when health centres fail to provide accessible parking, accessible toilets, and accessible examination tables.

VWDN AIS activities

In order to improve access to health services for women with disabilities, the VWDN AIS takes advantage of opportunities to raise awareness about the specific needs of women with disabilities.

VWDN AIS made presentations at the following events between 2005-2007

• Department of Justice Family Violence Stakeholders Forum
• Health Issues Centre Board Strategic Planning event
• Australian Women's Health Promotion Conference, 2005
• Best Practice in Disability Conference, Armidale 2005
• Statewide steering committee to reduce violence, "Women with disabilities and family violence issues paper", 2005
• Australian Health Promotion Conference, "Collaborative partnerships - strengthening both parties", Adelaide
• Women and Depression Conference, Sydney 2007
• Family Life, “Issues for women with disabilities who experience violence", Sandringham May 2007

Submission to Law Reform Commission on Abortion

On the 20th of August 2007, the Victorian Premier, Mr John Brumby, announced that that the Government would ask the Victorian Law Reform Commission for advice on drafting laws that reflect existing Victorian abortion practices. This came in response to a Private Members Bill to decriminalise abortion brought before the Parliament by Upper House MP Candy Broad.

Laws on abortion must take account of the specific experiences and needs of women with disabilities. A submission to the inquiry was prepared on behalf of VWDN, and can be downloaded in PDF format here (PDF 70KB) or Word format here (Word 85KB) .

Links - access to health services

Find links to organisations addressing access to women's health services here.