I’ve just received a great write up on the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists event that I attended at the end of June. My comments in the group discussion were noted in it, and the discussion it prompted was captured far better than I was able to myself.

“Another attendee of the conference spoke about being on the autism spectrum and the way in which for some ASD women, having children may exacerbate disability in the sense that a condition such as sensory overload may heighten. She asked the panel about their knowledge of experiences such as the one she described. Dr Frances Ryan responded and emphasised the need to increase awareness about the varied birth experiences of disabled women, including those of women who are susceptible to sensory overload and similar conditions. Women’s disabilities may deeply impact the quality of their birth experience itself, and scholars as well as medical professionals need to be more attuned to that.“

Professor Claire de Than contributed to the discussion, noting the need to re-evaluate disability
equality documents. Often, many of the assumptions in such documents need to be critically assessed and challenged. They are written for people with disabilities by people without them, and so need to be constantly challenged in light of that fact. Eleanor Lisney agreed with Professor de Than and additionally noted, in response to the attendee’s comments about ASD women, that when thinking about disabled women in the reproductive rights space there is frequently too much focus on physical disabilities in particular, at the expense of recognising the experiences of women with other types of disabilities as well.”

The full PDF review is available if you would like to get a complete summary of this thought provoking event: reproductive-rights-and-disability-event-write-up-final