Four Women Tell Their Stories

What to know

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, and having a disability does not make you immune. Learn the facts about breast cancer and why screening should be a regular part of your health care. Listen to women with disabilities tell their stories about the importance of regular mammograms.

A group of women with various disabilities

Breast cancer and disability

In the United States in 2021, the percentage of women with disabilities aged 50–74 that received a mammogram during the past 2 years was lower than the percentage of women without disabilities of the same ages who received a mammogram during the past 2 years (73.5% vs. 80.4%).1

Studies also show higher rates of death related to breast cancer among women with disabilities, even when diagnosed at the same stage as women without disabilities.2 Having regular mammograms can lower the risk of dying from breast cancer.

Diane smiling at the camera
Diane says, "You have to be your own advocate. This is your health. This is your life."
Helen, using a walker, being hugged by her husband
Helen reminds women with disabilities that cancer doesn't discriminate. That's why screening is so important.
Judi smiling with her chin resting on her hand
Judi says, "No one can protect your life better than you."
June smiles while sitting in her electric scooter.
June encourages women to "insist on an accessible mammography."

More information

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Content Source:
National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD)
  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Division of Human Development and Disability. Disability and Health Data System (DHDS) data [online]. Accessed January 2, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/dhds/index.html
  2. McCarthy EP, Ngo LH, Roetzheim RG, et al. Disparities in breast cancer treatment and survival for women with disabilities. Annals of Internal Medicine 2006; 145:637–645.