‘They don't know how to defend themselves’: Talk about disability and HIV risk in South Africa

Abstract

Purpose. Disabled people in South Africa have been included, for the first time, in policy documents on HIV prevention. However, little is known about how persons with disabilities in South Africa may be at risk, or not. For policy to be implemented in effective practice, we need to know what the risk issues are for disabled people in South Africa.

Methods. This study draws on qualitative findings from a survey and interview study exploring organisational responses to the HIV epidemic for disabled people. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic and discourse analysis.

Results. An analysis of comments made about risk factors for HIV, identified sexual abuse as a key risk. Furthermore, findings suggest that disability stigma may be a key factor on increasing disabled people's vulnerability in engaging in unsafe sex.

Conclusion. The findings provide much needed exploratory findings, in an area in which little is known; useful for considering issues for HIV prevention. However, caution needs to be taken that these findings are not the perspectives of disabled people themselves, and may reproduce accepted discursive truths.

Keywords:

• HIV/AIDS
• disability
• South Africa
• disabled people
• HIV prevention
• sexual abuse

Acknowledgements

The financial assistance of the National Research Foundation (NRF) towards this research is hereby acknowledged. Opinions expressed and conclusions arrived at, are those of the author and are not necessarily to be attributed to the NRF. The author thanks Nora Groce for granting permission to use her survey instrument as the questionnaire for this study. The author thanks Marguerite Schneider, and especially Leslie Swartz, for their support on this study.

Notes

1. Sexually transmitted infections.

2. This paper will refer to “persons with disabilities” as referring to all disability types, unless otherwise specified. This includes physical, sensory, cognitive and disabilities as a result of chronic illnesses. Although the term “persons with disabilities” may suggest homogeneity, we stress that the experience of disability is varied, and includes people from a variety of life experiences and backgrounds.

3. National representative bodies for disability groups in South Africa, of which there were 14.