Gilliet Chigunwe
Zimbabwe Open University, Zimbabwe
Keynote: J Health Educ Res Dev
The study was set to establish as to what extent inaccessible to public toilets at clinics and hospitals affected women with physical disabilities in Zimbabwe, Africa. This research was motivated by Chigunwe (2017)â??s findings that revealed that persons with physical disabilities faced difficulties in accessing health care buildings due to their infrastructural designs. Qualitative methodology was used for this research. Thus research findings based on focus group discussions with persons with physical disabilities, self-advocates and key informants interview with healthcare professionals. Results from the study indicated that women with physical disabilities faced health care disparities in the areas of access to health care sanitary facilities. Most toilets at health care institutions had steps at the entrance with no ramps to enable access of a wheelchair user. The research also revealed that the accessibility challenges of the clinic and hospital toilets saw women with physical disabilities giving birth in their homes. The findings also revealed that most women with physical disabilities did not take their children for the baby clinic because they dreaded challenges they faced in accessing health care buildings and sanitary facilities. The study recommended future research and policy directions to address health disparities in Zimbabwe and other countries with similar problems so that good health care is catered for all.
Dr Gilliet Chigunwe was born in Zambia, a country which is in the northern part of Zimbabwe and she is a Zimbabwean citizen, Southern part Africa. She is a Regional Programme Coordinator (RPC) and senior lecturer at Zimbabwe Open University, Department of Disability Studies and Special Needs Education, Faculty of Applied Social Sciences. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Inclusive Education. She did a three year study that was set to assess inclusivity of public sanitary infrastructure. Provisions for persons with physical disabilities in Zimbabwe. Her area of interest is Inclusive programming and special needs education. She has published more than 28 publications in reputable journals and presented papers on disability issues both locally and at international forum. Besides being a lecturer, Dr Gilliet Chigunwe is the Director and founder of Ruvimbo Simulation Centre, a School that aims to habilitate and rehabilitate persons with disabilities with life skills.
E-mail: gchigunwe@gmail.com
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