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Breaking Down walls; Transforming Health Ceneters into Inclusive Spaces

Mar 5, 2025 | Health System Strengthening

In a country where seeking healthcare can be a daunting experience, the challenges faced by hearingimpaired
individuals become incredibly difficult. Often this results in misdiagnoses, delayed treatment, and
increased anxiety.

Limited sign language proficiency among healthcare providers and negative attitudes towards disability
create significant obstacles to accessing essential care. This was the reality for many women and girls
with hearing impairment, who faced systemic barriers navigating appointments, explaining symptoms, and
understanding medical advice.

In 2023, the Make Way project aimed to break down
these barriers to Sexual and Reproductive Health
(SRH) through considering discrimination through an
intersectional lens, and intervening to address the
challenges faced by young people with disabilities.
This ambitious endeavor focused on empowering
healthcare providers and creating inclusive health
centers.

To achieve this, the project organized awareness
workshops to sensitize healthcare professionals
to the unique challenges faced by individuals
with hearing impairment, fostering empathy and
understanding.

A fifteen-day introductory sign language courses
were rolled out across 15 health centers in
Addis Ababa, equipping providers with crucial
communication skills. Following this training,
healthcare services providers supported an
estimated 30 individuals with hearing impairment
within these centers.

 

 

One dedicated healthcare professional started
training sessions for colleagues during night shifts,
expanding the program’s reach to an additional 60
staff members.

Through training and technical support, these
inclusive practices, significantly enhanced service
delivery for individuals with hearing impairment.
There was better communication between patients
and healthcare providers and it reduced wait times
for women with disabilities seeking SRH services.
To incentivize and sustain these efforts, health
centers successfully implementing inclusive
practices were publicly recognized and awarded
trophies. This encouraged inclusive practices
within health centers, ensuring their long-term
sustainability.

The project created a cultural shift, where women
and girls with disability felt respected, understood,
and valued. Key lessons from this project include
the paramount importance of training healthcare
professionals in sign language and other
communication skills, the immense power of peerled
learning, and the crucial need to recognize
and reward champions of inclusivity to encourage
broader engagement and sustain momentum for
positive change.

The Make Way project serves as a powerful example
of how targeted interventions can effectively
address systemic barriers by empowering healthcare
providers, creating institutional change, and a
culture of inclusivity. It has significantly improved
the lives of women and girls with disabilities,
demonstrating the power of investing in both people
and systems.