UMass Medical School researchers have created a framework to better examine the health of women with physical disabilities around the time of their pregnancy. That framework has been described in a paper published in the Disability and Health Journal.
Monika Mitra, PhD, and Linda Long-Bellil, PhD, JD, co-authored the paper, which says that 12 percent of women of child-bearing age reportedly have disabilities as well as a mobility or personal care limitation. Women with disabilities face inaccessibility and disability-related stigma throughout their lives, and access to health care and the quality of the care they receive are key to improving their perinatal care.