ASSIST - heAlthcare incluSion of motherS wIth diSabiliTy

When taking into consideration disability, the vast majority consider it as an exceptional condition that affects only a few. Yet the numbers reveal a different reality; 87 million people within the EU have some form of disability, according to the EU SILC. According to the European Economic and Social Committee, there are almost 40 million women and girls with disabilities in the EU. This means that 16% of the population are women with some kind of disability.Despite the extensive research on persons with disabilities, research on the motherhood of disabled women is extremely restricted. The limited pieces of scientific literature point out severe cases of discrimination and biases prevalent in the healthcare sector against mothers with disability. Lack of knowledge and unscientific perceptions and practices of healthcare professionals are creating obstacles for women with disability in all phases of motherhood, that is, before, during, and after pregnancy.The ASSIST Project proposal aspires to contribute to the following:• Help to address the barriers faced by mothers with disability across Europe• Combat barriers linked to mothers with disability in healthcare through the development of training and outreach activities• Support the active and effective participation of people with disabilities in all aspects of social life• Contribute to the elimination of all forms of discrimination linked to mothers/mothers to be with disabilityThe ASSIST project will fill the gap both in research and in action regarding mothers with disability within the EU while at the same time will work complementarily to objectives set out in the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 by the European Commission and the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, and help Europe achieve several SDGs.