It is important to understand that mothers have had disabilities as long as children have had mothers but there are perhaps countless testimonials of the disrespect and lack of encouragement expressed when women with disabilities show an interest or expectation in childbearing. At a weekend conference discussing motherhood and disabilities, Gerry, university educated and gainfully employed, said she was told she should not think about boys or marriage or having a family; "but Gerry wanted to be in love, have children and to work."¹³ Her story continues: "Stereotypic attitudes were not only prevalent in her culture and religion, but also within the medical system that had encouraged her to become independent.

On one hand the medical systems had all of this great technology and they wanted you to move ahead and be independent. On the other hand, when it looks like you are going to have a child, all of that goes out of the window. The system can bring you down to your knees.’ When Gerry was in the hospital, her pediatrician from her first son came by and was a bit cautious about whether she could raise this child. ... Nurses on every shift came in and grilled Gerry after the birth of her son."

The following describes how Jo-Ann, a women who frequently uses a wheelchair, experienced events surrounding her child bearing: "All of Jo-Ann's (4) children were born by natural childbirth and none had any sign of her disability. She did have some problems with health care professionals, however. ... Weight gain was not discussed ... some doctors did not believe her when she said the baby was coming during delivery. They did not credit Jo-Ann with knowing her own body."

Ora Prilleltensky found the greatest attitudinal barrier to becoming a mother was "lack of information on pregnancy and childbirth for women with my type of disability."¹⁴ There is also a great lack of accessible information on preventing pregnancy. A Report of the Equity Committee of the Interim Regulatory Council on Midwifery found that many examples were cited of negative and stereotypical attitudes displayed by health care professionals. One woman without an arm was asked on the maternity ward, How are you going to raise that baby? Jan, a woman with polio, when learning from her doctor that she was pregnant, was told at the same time that she had been booked for an abortion."^l5

Lisa Jones, in discussing her personal experience with donor insemination as a woman with a disability, tells of various attitudinal barriers she had to overcome. After answering her personal and practical questions, Lisa was faced with negative attitudes from her family, co-workers and friends. To qualify for donor insemination she faced excessive discrimination: "There may be assumptions that you may not be able to take care of your baby. The medical panel's reactions can undermine your confidence and good feelings about becoming a mother. Lisa was forced to write a ten-page essay on how she would take care of her baby at different stages.

One doctor gave an example of a woman they inseminated who had Multiple Sclerosis and could not take care of her baby. Children's Aid had to take the baby away from her. Lisa was told to get an additional psychiatric evaluation. All single women had to get one, but she had to get two. She refused, and went to another doctor who had been helpful in the prescreening process."¹⁶

Education and Retraining

When disability is acquired later in life, retraining is often an option. But mothers in school are not only burdened with school and family work, homework is thrown in to complicate the matter. Time management becomes a significant issue. Transportation, meal, social and recreation schedules must be coordinated with often time consuming, accommodated learning.

Attitudes are changing with regards to education. Where it was once unheard of for people with disabilities to go to college or university, it is slowly becoming the norm. Statistics Canada reports "Women with disabilities are more likely than men with disabilities to achieve 8 years of education (or less), but are more likely to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree. The dominant finding is that disability, not gender or the combination of gender and disability, determines educational attainment."¹⁷

Limitations in verbal communication, often misinterpreted as limited brain function, are now being explored to find alternative communication modes. Non-verbalizing individuals can communicate using devices ranging from low-tech bliss boards up to complex computer systems. Expressing knowledge is how we measure ability, and recent developments in technology allow for more accurate assessment.