Policy brief: Access and Quality of Women with Disabilities’ Maternal Health

In collaboration with local Nepali researchers, Reach researchers from UCL Team Nepal interviewed women with disabilities, healthcare providers, and policymakers. Their goal was to identify actionable recommendations for improving disabled women’s access and quality of maternal healthcare. The team published their insights in Disability & Society journal and shared their findings on The Lancet Voice podcast. Following the case report, the researchers co-created two workshops in Nepal for stakeholders from the three participant groups. The workshops provided a platform to disseminate the research findings, foster dialogue between key stakeholders, and enable discussions about future policy action to ensure improved disability-inclusive maternal healthcare.

This policy brief reports on women’s experiences from various stakeholders’ perspectives in English and Nepali. It highlights the importance of adjusting policies to address the healthcare gap and driving collective action for inclusive and responsive maternal healthcare provision.