Making HIV services more friendly for people with disabilities

Introducing 

An activist with advice on how to improve sexual health services for people with disabilities 

Step one 

Be welcoming 

I think that the health practitioners should actually say when a person with a disability comes in, they must make that person feel welcome, because if you go to a health practitioner and then they don't, they will start to ask you a lot of questions. Are you sick? I've never seen a deaf person being infected with HIV, or such compliments would then turn away people with disabilities. 

Step two 

Make facilities accessible 

We need to have some aid rooms which are accessible. Some of them do not have those ramps and lifts, so it becomes difficult for people with disabilities to have access in-depth. 

Step three 

Be respectful when discussing sexual health 

Some of them are taking fun out of us as we try to express because as you know, sign language it involves gestures and positions. So if I point in one of the positions, then they will start to laugh. They’ll start making funnies out of this. So as health practitioners, they should not shy away people with disabilities. 

Step four 

Treat people with equality and dignity. 

All nurses and doctors in hospitals they must stop saying, telling us as people with disabilities, you much not have a lot of children. They will suffer. It's up to us. We have rights to have our own children. 

How would you improve sexual health services for people with disabilities?