Abstract: One in five Canadians 15 years of age and older have a disability, and women are more likely to have disabilities than men. Disabled women face important social, health, and health care inequities. The 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognizes the sexual and reproductive rights of people with disabilities. However, women with disabilities report that they are under-served in sexual and reproductive health care settings. The Disability & Pregnancy Study was a National Institutes of Health-funded study that examined the pregnancy-related health outcomes and health care experiences of women with disabilities in Ontario.
In this presentation, Dr. Hilary Brown will present the findings of the study and discuss how a community-informed approach was used to develop recommendations to improve access and equity in pregnancy care.
Bio: Hilary Brown, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, in the Department of Health & Society and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She is cross-appointed to the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry and is an Adjunct Scientist at Women’s College Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). Dr. Brown holds a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Disability & Reproductive Health. Her research program examines maternal and child health across the life course, with a particular focus on populations with disabilities and chronic illness, health equity, and the social determinants of health.
Great Explorations, is a series of academic discussions we hope will inspire our communities. Our special thanks to our engaged, critical thinkers who attend our speaker series. The dialogues that came out of these talks, both in-person and online via Zoom, are integral to our campus community and Scarborough communities at large. We welcome your input for future topics, as well as a review of previous recorded sessions available on YouTube.