March 29, 2004
The New York Times on Sunday examined the problems that deaf and blind people have accessing information on HIV/AIDS in Africa, where education campaigns and prevention efforts have "largely forgotten" such individuals. According to the Times, disabled individuals worldwide have problems accessing HIV prevention and treatment information, but the problem "is particularly acute" in Africa, where HIV is "at its worst and where disabled people are still often shunned, hidden away and considered a curse." For example, AIDS education messages on the radio or television "do nothing" for people who cannot hear or see, according to the Times. In addition, people in Kenya who are deaf and cannot read English or Swahili often are denied services at HIV testing centers "because nobody knows how to communicate with them," the Times reports (Lacey, New York Times, 3/28). The complete article is available online.
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Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/hiv. The Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of the Kaiser Family Foundation, by The Advisory Board Company. © 2004 by The Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.