WhatsApp and participation in sexual and reproductive health for women with disabilities in Nairobi

Abstract

Socio-cultural, political and legal practices hinder women with dis￾abilities from accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) infor￾mation. This paper assesses the use of WhatsApp for sharing SRH information among women with disabilities. Feminism and uses and gratification theories were used in the mixed-methods study. A sample of 20 women with disabilities, who were members of disability specific WhatsApp groups were sampled. Key Informant Interviews of six women with disabilities were conducted. WhatsApp was found to be an effective platform for sharing SRH information among women with disabilities except for women who were Blind, Deaf Blind, and also women with intellectual disabilities. A few women with disabilities confirmed that the WhatsApp plat￾form helped them to understand SRH information. Findings indi￾cate a need for structured discussion on SRH in disability WhatsApp groups to increase awareness among women with disabilities. SRH information should be shared in ways that are accessible to people with disabilities. This includes platforms that support visual, pictor￾ial and audio forms. Further, the Ministry of Health, in partnership with other stakeholders, ought to disseminate SRH information through social media to women with disabilities.