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People with disabilities account for 13% of all pregnancies in Ontario, but a new report shows that this population was more likely to experience pregnancy complications such as emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and preterm birth. Researchers from ICES, the University of Toronto Scarborough, and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have released a landmark report detailing findings from one of the largest studies to date on disability and pregnancy . The Disability and Pregnancy Study used health care data on nearly 150,000 births to people with disabilities and interview data to examine the preconception, pregnancy, labor and birth, and postpartum and newborn health outcomes and health care experiences of people with physical, sensory, developmental and multiple disabilities in Ontario, Canada.

"In our in-depth interviews with over sixty people with disabilities, service-providers, and policymakers, we certainly found examples of positive pregnancy care experiences," says lead author Hilary Brown, Adjunct Scientist at ICES and Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Society at the University of Toronto Scarborough. "But we also heard just how inaccessible pregnancy care can be for people with disabilities." Interviews with people with disabilities revealed challenges that many face in the pregnancy care system, including barriers to accessibility, fragmented care, poor health care provider knowledge about disability, and disrespectful an.



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