Introduction:Women with disabilities living in developing countries generally suffer from triple discrimination because of their disability, gender and socio-economic position and are therefore assumed to have a lower Quality of Life (QoL). In the present study conducted in South India, women with lower-limb disabilities using orthotic or prosthetic devices were compared to non-disabled women.

Method:119 participants. Socio-demographic data was collected and the WHOQOL-BREF in English and Kannada was used to measure QoL in four domains: physical, psychological, social relationships and environment.

Results:No statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) were found in the mean scores of the four domains between the two groups. However, differences related to socio-demographic factors were found: The married test group had lower scores in the physical, psychological and environmental domains compared to the married control group. The test group with children had lower scores in the physical domain compared to the control group with children. Women in rural areas use their assistive devices far less than women living in the city, although no difference in device satisfaction was found.

Discussion:QoL is not determined to be low when living with a physical disability. Marriage and life with children have a greater impact on the QoL of women with disabilities. Higher education levels might help to improve their status and enable full participation in society, underlining the importance of CBR work in this area. Though device satisfaction is quite high, taking environmental factors and women’s needs into consideration when developing assistive devices might increase daily use.

Conclusion:Socio-demographic variables play a significant role in determining the QoL - education, income, marriage and children affect domain scores. Methodological constraints and the small sample size suggest further investigation.