'The world is not only for hearing people - It's for all people': The experiences of women who are deaf or hard of hearing in accessing healthcare services in Johannesburg, South Africa

Khetsiwe P Masuku; Nomfundo Moroe; Danielle van der Merwe

doi:10.4102/ajod.v10i0.800

'The world is not only for hearing people - It's for all people': The experiences of women who are deaf or hard of hearing in accessing healthcare services in Johannesburg, South Africa

Afr J Disabil. 2021 Jul 20:10:800. doi: 10.4102/ajod.v10i0.800. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Khetsiwe P Masuku¹, Nomfundo Moroe², Danielle van der Merwe³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Speech Pathology, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
² Department of Audiology, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
³ Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Abstract

Background: Despite legal and adopted frameworks purporting access to healthcare and rehabilitation services, which are both a human right and key to developmental issues, women who are deaf and/or hard of hearing (HoH) are still excluded and experience barriers when accessing healthcare services. Largely, this is attributed to communication barriers between healthcare professionals and women who are deaf and/or HoH. There have been limited research studies carried out on women with invisible disabilities, such as deafness, especially amongst African women.

Objectives: This study sought to gain insights into the communication experiences of women who are deaf or HoH when accessing public healthcare services in hospitals in Johannesburg.

Methods: A qualitative research study employing semi-structured interviews with 10 African women who are deaf and/or HoH residing in Johannesburg, South Africa and attending government healthcare facilities was conducted. Participants were purposively selected. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results: Data revealed the following themes: communication barriers resulting in compromised quality of care and infringement on participants' right to confidentiality; accommodation that is not accommodative and negative attitudes of healthcare professionals.

Conclusion: The findings of this study confirm the alienating, exclusion, marginalisation, discrimination, invisibility, lack of independence and autonomy of women who are deaf and/or HoH when accessing healthcare services. Therefore, this study argues for a need for the conscientisation of healthcare professionals on communication needs of persons who are deaf and/or HoH. This has implications for the implementation of training programmes that will address communication, reasonable accommodation and attitudes of healthcare professionals.

Keywords: South Africa; access; deaf; healthcare; women.