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<br />The Mayor’s Commi?ee on People With Disabili?es <br /> <br />Resources for Female-Specific Disabili?es (and Chronic Illness) <br />Contribu?ons Made By Christen Zulli <br /> <br />While discussing disability it is impera?ve to shine a light on both gender differences and the <br />specific needs of females with disabili?es that are gender specific. Female specific disabili?es and <br />chronic health condi?ons include but are not limited to Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), <br />Perinatal and Postpartum mental health diagnosis’s (pregnancy-specific anxiety, depression, rage, <br />OCD, sleep disorders, Psychosis, and other condi?ons), menstrual cycle-related migraines, <br />Polycys?c Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), Endometriosis, perimenopause, menopause, and disability <br />due to female-specific implantable devices, illnesses, and surgeries. Diagnosis for many of these <br />condi?ons are o?en difficult as symptoms can overlap with other condi?ons, vary greatly from <br />person to person, and some?mes require surgery; diagnosis can be made by doctors, therapists, <br />and other professionals in the medical field. This is a brief and non-comprehensive assessment of <br />the resources for female-specific disabili?es and chronic illnesses on the Big Island based on <br />internet search results. <br /> <br />Sta?s?cs across a variety of variables such as economic, health, and educa?on con?nue to show <br />all females with lower percentage points or disadvantages and these discrepancies are also seen <br />in gender comparisons of people with disabili?es. According to the United States Department of <br />Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy’s March 2021 Spotlight on Women with Disabili?es <br />Study, women have a slightly higher rates of disabili?es, and those percentages are most notable <br />at the end of the age range. In comparison to men with disabili?es, women with disabili?es are 4 <br />to 5 percentage points lower in employment for the “working-age” popula?on (16 to 64). While <br />women and men with disabili?es are more likely to be self-employed, women with disabili?es are <br />less likely to be self-employed than men with disabili?es. When not working for one’s self, women <br />with disabili?es in the workplace are more likely than men with disabili?es to ask for <br />accommoda?ons to help them do their job be?er. Addi?onally, in a comparison of males and <br />females without disabili?es and those with disabili?es, females with disabili?es had the lowest <br />rate of educa?onal a?ainment (bachelor’s degree or higher) between 2009 and 2020. <br /> <br />In looking at available resources on the island of Hawai’I, three variables were considered, 1. ease <br />of search (i.e. first page lis?ngs of web results), 2. medical professional’s self-promo?on of <br />specializing in female-specific disabili?es and chronic illness, and 3. social/community support. <br />The resources searched were a?ained u?lizing the internet through the SAFARI search pla?orm <br />and the key phrase, “medical providers on the Big Island who specialize in female-specific <br />disabili?es” was the first to be selected. A group of 20 providers varying in medical ?tles was <br />selected for a secondary search where the “about me”/skills and services of the providers were <br />inves?gated (private prac?ce providers, group prac?ces, and hospital affiliates were included). <br />Due to the fact that diagnosis can be made by providers with various professional ?tles, such as <br />medical doctor (M.D.) or licensed mental health counselor (LMHC), these providers ranged in <br />licenses and types of prac?ces. The result was that out of 20 providers searched and “about me’s” <br />read, only 4 providers listed “women’s health” as a service or focus, which could mean anything <br /> <br />