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As we settle into the new year, we asked friends, colleagues and fellow advocates how they are transitioning into 2021.
A person in a fuzzy purple jacket holding up a glass, as if toasting. Credit: Polina Tankilevich via Pexels
Despite the events of the past 12 months and ensuing exhaustion of our bodies and minds, the weeks and months continuing to pass, we find ourselves at the start of another year.
Moving from one year to the next doesn’t erase the events of 2020 or what we’ve seen and learned. We leave the year behind us but the loss, upset and uncertainty are carried forward and remain for many. What we do get is a new beginning. The notion of “new beginning” has symbolic and material value, as an idea and invitation to envisage equally new possibilities, of prosperity and growth, and ways to make them a reality.
2021 follows great international unrest, the world having been quite sombre for some time, but also impactful and innovative change with, for example, the unprecedented global efforts to produce a COVID-19 vaccine and, of course, the hard fought victories in the repro rights movement.
We’ve been kept afloat by our connections to one another, our friends, allies and colleagues. Today, we turned to them and asked about their wishes for 2021 and our movement.
This is what they had to say:
“My wish for 2021 is that the feminist movement takes women with disabilities and members of the LGBTQI+ community into account. To make it happen, we need to keep advocating and take up us much space as we can. My wish is that we can keep advancing our rights, and that nothing and no one gets in our way. My wish is that both institutions and States listen to us and work with us to ensure our inclusion and accessibility. My wish is that those who provide support to people with disabilities have dignified working conditions and do not have to face barriers to find a job.” — Celeste
“My wish is that my fellow advocates with disabilities can work doing what they love.” — Bri
“My wish is that States address violations to the rights of persons with disabilities and act in accordance with the CRPD.” — Irene
A person in a wheelchair, wearing a sparkly sequins dress, and holding up a sparkler. Credit: Polina Tankilevich via Pexels
“Throughout 2020 I was terrified that if I had a mental health episode that I wasn’t going to be able to go to the hospital due to COVID exposure. And if I did decide to go, it was possible that psych units would’ve been too full. In 2021, I will continue to focus on being able to breathe in public again.” — Rachel
“I’m worried that we are worried — we’ve been destructive and violent during a moment when we all need empathy, and we’re not listening to each other or ourselves. I’m hopeful, however, that we’re smarter than our fear, and that with marginalized voices amplified at central points in our [US] democratic republic (including Harris, Haaland and Pelosi) we can rebuild and recreate our sense of community, with no community left behind.” — Sia
“My wish is that everyone can get their jobs and their freedom back.” — Anonymous
“My wish is that people at the intersection of gender and disability can choose, without facing stigma and discrimination, when and with whom they want to be in a couple, get married and have children. I hope they can choose what work they want to do and that all fields are open to them, and I hope that they are present in all spaces where decisions are being made.” — Leonie
At Rewriting the Narrative, we’re hopeful that all your wishes will come true and that our wonderful community and movement continues to grow and flourish.
We believe deeply in the power of mutual aid and community spirit and want to thank all of you who’ve supported this initiative. We welcome you to our little digital home, a safe space to continue Rewriting the Narrative together, in 2021.
Por Luciana Sosa. Publicado por primera vez en Medium.
Las mujeres con discapacidad en América Latina tenemos una voz, y queremos que se la escuche.
Fotografía de una persona con cabello largo sosteniendo un megáfono blanco y rojo. Crédito: Clem Onojeguo vía Unsplash.
Uno de los principales objetivos del movimiento por los derechos de las mujeres con discapacidad es visibilizar la discriminación que atravesamos quienes vivimos en esta intersección en distintos espacios de la vida diaria. La situación es compleja: en Latinoamérica vivimos en una sociedad capacitista que nos discrimina por tener una discapacidad y que, además, es machista y nos discrimina por ser mujeres.
Lo complejo de esto es que no es suficiente sumar los obstáculos a los que nos enfrentamos como personas con discapacidad por un lado y como mujeres por el otro. No nos basta con sumar los reclamos de la agenda del movimiento por los derechos de las personas con discapacidad a los de las mujeres. Si bien todos esos reclamos son más que válidos para nosotras, hay algo que va más allá de la suma, y que está relacionado con la intersección, con determinadas situaciones que solamente vamos a vivir las mujeres con discapacidad.
Por ejemplo, si una mujer con discapacidad tiene que ir a una consulta médica o a radicar una denuncia por violencia de género, es allí donde encontramos obstáculos, es ahí donde la interseccionalidad es visible, porque, por lo general, los recursos existentes en las instituciones no cumplen con los requisitos de accesibilidad que necesitamos, ya sea intérpretes de lengua de señas, documentos de lectura fácil o infraestructura, y por ende no nos dan un servicio adecuado.
Si bien todos esos reclamos son más que válidos para nosotras, hay algo que va más allá de la suma, y que está relacionado con la intersección, con determinadas situaciones que solamente vamos a vivir las mujeres con discapacidad.
Las instituciones manejan todavía el modelo de una mujer “estándar”, sin ningún tipo de diversidad funcional, y no nos tienen en cuenta. Solo nosotras somos capaces de ver esos cruces con claridad, pero quienes se encargan de formular políticas para dar respuesta en nuestros países parecen no escucharnos.
Fotografía de tres personas paradas alrededor de una cuarta. Apoyan las manos sobre sus hombros. Crédito: Rosie Fraser vía Unsplash.
Estoy convencida, al escucharnos entre nosotras, de que es necesario tomar conciencia de nuestras experiencias y visibilizarlas. Al mismo tiempo, soy consciente de que esa es la tarea de los Estados: la de formar a todxs lxs funcionarixs de los distintos servicios públicos, aunque no sea fácil.
Solo nosotras somos capaces de ver esos cruces con claridad, pero quienes se encargan de formular políticas para dar respuesta en nuestros países parecen no escucharnos.
La resistencia básica a considerar a las mujeres con diversidad funcional a menudo usa el mismo discurso: el de la escasez de recursos. Cuando se nos niega -implícita o explícitamente- una atención adecuada en los servicios a los que recurrimos, se nos está discriminando. Se nos está mandando, otra vez, al cuartito del fondo.
Para hacer frente a la invisibilización, necesitamos ser “sujetas hablantes”: somos quienes debemos ser representantes y de a poco dejar de ser representadas. Solo quienes vivimos con la discapacidad podemos hablar “en nombre de”, ya que compartimos las mismas experiencias sociales asociadas a esa posición. Para lograr nuestro objetivo, necesitamos a nuestro colectivo más empoderado. Para seguir conquistando derechos, pero también para lograr un ejercicio pleno de los derechos que ya conquistamos.
Las mujeres y disidencias con discapacidad de Latinoamérica estamos inquietas. Al cuartito del fondo, nunca más.
Luciana Sosa nació en Fray Bentos, Uruguay. Tiene 26 años y es estudiante de bachillerato. Es una apasionada activista por los Derechos Humanos y forma parte de la Red META (movimiento estamos tod@s en acción) desde junio de 2017.
Por Merion Lomari. Publicado por primera vez en Medium.
Para esta ilustración, me inspiré en la militancia de las mujeres y disidencias con discapacidad. Creo fervientemente que hay distintas formas de militancia y que la idea de “poner el cuerpo” no es la única de ellas, pero también creo que los espacios de marcha son espacios públicos que deben considerar a todes, con ambientes accesibles y protocolos de seguridad con un enfoque de discapacidad.
En la ilustración se ve un juego de palabras: “Femidisca” que es la unión entre dos identidades políticas que nos atraviesan transversalmente a muches: la del feminismo y la discapacidad. En el primer plano, hay tres mujeres: una de ellas tiene atado en su bastón un pañuelo verde, que pertenece a la campaña por el aborto legal, seguro y gratuito en Argentina. Este es un símbolo de conquista de derechos y de resistencia por parte de las personas gestantes, incluidas las personas con discapacidad.
Creo fervientemente que hay distintas formas de militancia y que la idea de “poner el cuerpo” no es la única de ellas, pero también creo que los espacios de marcha son espacios públicos que deben considerar a todes.
[Descripción de imagen: contra un fondo celeste, se ve una multitud de personas con distintos tipos de bastones sostenidos en el aire. También se ven varios puños cerrados y brazos levantados. Hay un cartel con el símbolo de le usuarie de silla de ruedas con un puño levantado. En la ilustración se destacan tres mujeres. La primera de ellas es una mujer negra y ciega. Tiene el pelo largo hasta los hombros, y está vestida con un jean y una camisa verde. Levanta un bastón blanco y en la punta tiene atado un pañuelo verde. A su lado, está su compañera, usuaria de sillas de ruedas. Es pelirroja y lleva el pelo atado en una media cola. Viste un pantalón deportivo negro, una remera violeta con un símbolo lunar, y tiene una riñonera cruzada en el hombro, donde lleva un pin de la bandera LGBTIQ+. Levanta el brazo derecho en puño. Por último, hay una mujer de baja talla. Tiene el pelo rosado, viste un pantalón con pechera de jean y una remera amarilla. Levanta ambos brazos en puño. A un costado de la ilustración se lee la palabra “FEMIDISCA”.]
Mariana Veliz, alias Merion Lomari, vive en la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Es ilustradora, militante por los derechos de las personas con discapacidad y parte del colectivo LGBTTQI+.
This illustration is inspired in the advocacy and activism of women and other groups with disability. I firmly believe there are different ways to be an activist and that “putting one’s body on the line” is not the only one. But I also believe that marches are public spaces that must take everyone into account, with accessibility features and security protocols in place with a disability perspective.
In the illustration, there is a play on words: the clipping “Femidisca”, linking two political identities that intersect in many of us: that of feminism (femi– in Spanish) and that of disability (disca– in Spanish). One of the women in the illustration has tied a green scarf to her cane. The scarf is a symbol of the campaign for legal, safe and free abortion in Argentina. It is also a symbol of the fight for rights and the resistance of pregnant persons, including, of course, those with disabilities.
I firmly believe there are different ways to be an activist and that “putting one’s body on the line” is not the only one. But I also believe that marches are public spaces that must take everyone into account.
[Image description: against a light blue background, there is a crowd of people with different types of canes. There is a sign with the wheelchair user symbol with a hand raised in a fist. Three women are highlighted in the illustration. The first is a blind, Black woman. She has shoulder length hair and is wearing a pair of jeans and a green shirt. She is holding up a white cane. A green scarf is tied to it. Next to her, there is a woman in a wheelchair. She has red hair and is wearing it up on a half pony tail. She is wearing black sweatpants, a purple t-shirt with a lunar symbol, and is carrying a crossbody bag, with an LGBTIQ+ pin on it. She is raising her hand up in a fist. Lastly, there is a woman of short stature. She has pink hair and is wearing denim overalls. She is raising both her hands in fists. To the right of the image, a sign reads “Femidisca”.]
Mariana Veliz, alias Merion Lomari, Lives in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is an illustrator, an advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities and a member of the LGBTTQI+ collective.
Demonstrators hold up green handkerchiefs, which symbolize the abortion rights movement, during a demonstration in favor of legalizing abortion. Pañuelazo por el derecho al aborto legal, seguro y gratuito - Agustina Girardo, 8 April 2018, CC BY-SA 4.0
In one of those marches, there were literally hundreds of thousands of us in the street. I was overjoyed to be a part of it all, I felt alive, part of something bigger than myself and truly hopeful that a change was underway. Until…
A picture of a friend and myself at the Women’s March, #8M, held in Córdoba, Argentina, 2020. Credit: Victoria Guevara @vicguevarafotos
Yes, unfortunately, there is an “until…”
Until I asked the person standing in front of me if they could make a bit more space for me. I didn’t have enough room to put my crutches down. I could feel my balance starting to fail me, and needed to rest the weight of my body for a second. I was tired, so I asked them.
And what happened next I am still trying to process.
They looked at me, or rather at my legs, and said “well, what are YOU doing here? Why did you come if you knew it was going to be like this?” I was shocked at the time and the only thing I could say was “I have as much right to be here as you”, then left. That was a tough moment, and for a second, I thought “Oh well, it’s just another day. Just let it slide and go home.”
“I have as much right to be here as you.”
I felt humiliated, but, mostly, I felt angry. I could not believe that someone in the same movement that advocates for equal rights was, right then and there, implying that as a woman with a disability my place was not at the march. The thing is I am a woman, too, so I should be everywhere where our rights — particularly our sexual and reproductive rights- are being discussed and decided.
But then, when I actually was home, and I had talked about it with other friends in the disability community, I realized that as an advocate -both for myself and for other women with disability- letting it slide was the worst thing I could do.
“The thing is I am a woman, too, so I should be everywhere where our rights — particularly our sexual and reproductive rights- are being discussed and decided.”
That experience became a reminder of all the work that lied ahead of us, and it is a blatant example of how ableism permeates every space, even those that are supposed to be safe spaces. When you think about it, though, you may say “I would never say something like that”. There are, however, more subtle ways in which women with disabilities are being excluded from feminism, and those ways –being harder to notice- are even more dangerous. Think for example of the number of feminist events being held on upper floors and having no elevators, accessible bathrooms, close captions, sign language interpretation and so on, and think of how often we take that inaccessibility as the norm.
“We need accessibility, yes, but we also need an attitudinal shift that does not question our place in the movement.”
In the end, I didn’t let that comment slide. I took it and the anger it sparked in me and I turned them into the fuel that lights my activism today. I kept going to the marches. I still do, even when they are not accessible, to show that we exist, that we care, and that those are our rights, too.
I still fight for sexual and reproductive rights in general and for abortion rights in particular because the bill that would make abortion legal, safe and free in Argentina has yet to be passed, and because countries like Poland, instead of amplifying sexual and reproductive rights, are further restricting them.
If feminism is to achieve equality for all, it cannot afford to leave women with disabilities, –one fifth of women worldwide– behind. We need accessibility, yes, but we also need an attitudinal shift that does not question our place in the movement.
There is a lot of work to do, and we are here to do it.
Together, as it should be, because we are women, too.
Virginia is a women’s rights and disability rights advocate. Originally from Argentina, she has moved around quite a bit for the last decade and now lives in the UK. She enjoys reading, writing and having her coffee with three sugars. Some might say she likes her sugar with a bit of coffee.
She is a member of the Latin American youth movement META- Movimiento Estamos Tod@s en Acción and is also the Communications and Programs Advisor at Women Enabled International.
By Shubha Nagesh, Mildred Omino, Seble Frehywot, Yianna Vovides, and Chulwoo Park. First published on Medium.
Photo of a magenta sign on green grass, with the disability symbol, the text “Step free route” and an arrow pointing to the right. Credit: Yomex Owo Via Unsplash.
Persons with Disabilities (PWD) constitute the largest minority population in the world- 80% of these people live in developing countries and more than half are women. Kenya and India are categorized as Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs), precisely the United Nations place the two countries under developing countries category where majority of Persons with Disabilities live. Disabled women are in very bleak situations globally and they almost represent 15% of the global population. It is known that women and girls with disabilities face a higher proportion of gender-based violence, sexual abuse, and neglect (Valentine et al., 2019). Physical environment, infrastructure, facilities, and services, depending on how they are planned and built, can impede or enable access, participation, and inclusion of women with disabilities in society. Moreover, their overall literacy rates are lower and unemployment rates are higher as compared to male counterparts (UNESCO, 2018). In all this, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities clearly elaborates and specifies the rights of women and girls with disabilities (Steinert et al., 2016).
Research indicates that women and girls with disabilities are subjected to multiple layers of discrimination based on their gender and disability and often face “double discrimination”(Kabia et al., 2018).While there are several issues affecting women and girls with disabilities, lack of access to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights disproportionately affects women and girls with disabilities, in particular the following rights: access to health care, decision making on family planning and legal capacity, marriage and family, ownership of property, violence against women with disabilities, the institutionalization of girls with disabilities, and access to justice. The persistent failure to recognize the intersectionality between gender and disability has led to inaccessible sexual reproductive health rights, which escalates to other rights mentioned above. Globally, the invisibility, lack of acceptance, stigma and discrimination experienced by girls and women with disabilities can be addressed if people around them adopt radical attitudinal shifts towards inclusion and accommodation. More than anything, the stigma and discrimination faced by girls with disabilities from people they know–families, neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces- can be eradicated if they adopt inclusive practices that bring out the potential in young girls with disabilities.
The persistent failure to recognize the intersectionality between gender and disability has led to inaccessible sexual reproductive health rights.
As per the Census 2011, 44.1% of the disabled population in India are women, and many of the girls with disabilities are more likely to stay home. They neither attend schools nor participate in intervention centers, or other platforms where they could interact with their peers. Two sources of stress for most parents remain menstruation and marriage, both of which are associated with significant stigma and become causes for social isolation and discrimination (Dawn, 2014). In India, the exclusion of girls and young women with disabilities is persistent and worsens where societal and cultural norms that add to the stigma and discrimination become more pronounced and visible.
Societal norms, such as beliefs that girls and women with disabilities are asexual, unable to raise families or offer parental care to their children, are infantilized or have pervasive sexuality have negative implications on equitable access to sexual reproductive health rights. Often their unique needs are largely ignored owing to such societal norms. The reality does not quite reflect the Rights of Person with Disability Act 2016, particularly the sexual and reproductive rights of women in section 25.
More than anything, the stigma and discrimination faced by girls with disabilities from people they know–families, neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces- can be eradicated if they adopt inclusive practices that bring out the potential in young girls with disabilities.
The lack of knowledge, low awareness, poor access, and deficient utilization of services by women with disabilities are made worse particularly in remote and rural areas. The overall situation in rural areas is manifested by underdeveloped infrastructure and lack of social amenities which compound the already adverse situation of girls and women with disabilities. Most of girls and women with disabilities in rural areas do not get opportunity to access basic rights such as education, health and even information necessary for critical decisions about their sexual reproductive health.
According to the 2019 Kenya’s Population and Housing Census preliminary reports, there are 523,883 women with disabilities in Kenya. However, this data does not seem to reflect the realities on the ground due to fewer registrations, invisible disabilities, stigma, low awareness, and inadequate training of census administrators on disability. Reports by the WHO and the World Bank confirmed the gap in disaggregated data in disability (Owino, 2020).
The Reproductive Health Bill of 2019, which is yet to be passed by parliament, has a strong definition of informed consent to ensure that women themselves can make the decisions around reproductive health procedures. However, under the section on abortion, the bill still requires guardians or parents to make the decision for a “mentally unstable person” — which often includes women with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities — to undergo what amounts to a forced abortion. Furthermore, the bill does not address the issue of sterilization without the informed consent of women with disabilities and an all-too-common occurrence in Kenya as well as a serious human rights violation, including a violation of the right to find a family and to be free from torture or ill-treatment.
There is an urgent need for a holistic radical shift in society to remove structural and systemic barriers that hinder meaningful inclusion of girls with disabilities. Investment in their future is worth every penny, and can transit them from their homes to schools, colleges, and employment opportunities. Girls with disabilities are potential change makers, sources of income and support to the family, and capable of leading economically and socially productive lives. Slowly but steadily, key people in the community like health personnel, educationists, and the youth should work to ensure girls and women with disabilities realize their potential by creating safe spaces for them.
There is an urgent need for a holistic radical shift in society to remove structural and systemic barriers that hinder meaningful inclusion of girls with disabilities. Investment in their future is worth every penny, and can transit them from their homes to schools, colleges, and employment opportunities.
Finally, investments should be made with deliberation to promote accessibility in society, schools, offices, and public conveniences. Girls with disabilities should be able to navigate society and their community with ease, dignity, and respect–so they can get past inhibitions and reluctance to create their identity and demonstrate positive impact, all to ensure they fully enjoy their rights and make the way easier for those after them. The world can uphold disability equity if community leaders and policymakers are all involved in different ways by ensuring that they take responsibility in upholding the rights of girls and women with disabilities in all spheres of life including but not limited to education, health and economic empowerment.
Dr. Shubha Nagesh works for The Latika Roy Foundation, Dehradun, India, with children and young adults with developmental disabilities.
Ms. Mildred Omino is an Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity with a fellowship focus on Reproductive Health Equity for Girls and Women with Disabilities. She is a Kenyan Gender and Disability Rights Activist.
Dr (Prof.) Seble Frehywot is the cofounder of IT for Health and Education Systems Equity initiative, Associate Professor of Global Health and Director of Health Equity Online Learning at the George Washington University.
Dr (Prof.) Yianna Vovides is the cofounder of IT for Health and Education Systems Equity initiative, serves as Director of Learning Design and Research at the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS), Professor for the Master of Arts in Learning, Design, and Technology (LDT) program at Georgetown University, and Curriculum Director for LDT, Georgetown University.
Dr (Prof.) Chulwoo Park is faculty of IT for Health and Education Systems Equity initiative, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health and Recreation at San José State University.
Photo of three white surgical face masks against a red background by by Anna Shvets from Pexels.
Freedom for some is not freedom for all. As a high-risk disabled Californian staying at home in San Francisco, I am not jealous that people are enjoying bars, beaches, and parks. I am angry seeing so many people outdoors not wearing masks or social distancing. As various cities and states begin to ease their shelter-in-place restrictions, I fear for the millions who will be left behind.
The public is incredibly eager to get back to “normal” as thousands of people continue to die in congregant settings and institutions such as nursing homes, detention centers, prisons, shelters, and psychiatric, residential, and other long-term care facilities, out of sight, out of mind. I am perplexed by the lack of urgency in response to people trapped in institutions and congregate settings who face maximum risks with minimal protections. Many are my disabled kin — they are part of the disability community segregated and isolated in the name of “safety” and “care.”
One of the first widely-publicized COVID-19 outbreaks happened at a nursing home in Kirkland, WA, with 142 cases and 35 deaths from February to March. As of June 4, over 43,725 people in long-term care facilities died from COVID-19 in 40 states, with New York reporting the highest number: 6,237 according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. All of these numbers come with names, faces, and families, not just body bags. What number will be high enough for people to care? This is a complete political and moral failure.
The federal government is considering rolling back infection control requirements in nursing homes, which prevent or stop the spread of infections with procedures such as having standard practices on hygiene and handling equipment. A 2017 analysis of nursing home data by the Kaiser Family Foundation reported at least 40 percent of the nursing homes had at least one infection control deficiency that year.
At least 18 states have laws or governor’s orders that protect nursing homes from lawsuits and/or criminal prosecution related to the pandemic. New York and New Jersey so far are the only two states to provide immunity to corporate officials from the nursing home industry from civil lawsuits and some forms of criminal prosecution. Governor Gavin Newsom received a request in April from a group of hospital and assisted living lobbyists for a sweeping Executive Order granting broad immunity from civil and criminal liability objected by advocates from the disability community.
Governors need to launch investigations into outbreaks at all congregate settings, mandate reporting of infections and deaths, enact universal testing for all workers and residents, provide adequate personal protective equipment, increase wages and protections for workers, and deny the nursing home industry the legal immunity it is demanding. In a May 6, 2020 video featuring the late Stacey Park Milbern, a disabled activist and a founder of the Disability Justice Culture Club, she warned:
There has to be checks and balances on hospitals and nursing homes. Otherwise, disabled people, especially people of color, are left alone in a system that already doesn’t care about us.
“Working within the frameworks of capacity and disability, I use photographs to examine and reclaim my own identity.”
– Aurora Berger
Aurora Berger is an award-winning photographer with visual and physical disabilities based in rural Vermont, USA. As a visually impaired artist, Aurora not only uses the camera as an extension of her perspective, but also as a weapon against ableism, and as a way to reclaim her identity.
Aurora’s artistic process, collections, and self-portraits confront the medical model of disability and internalized ableist constructs of disability, worth, and beauty. Recently, she was honored by The John F. Kennedy Center for the Preforming Arts with an Award of Excellence as part of the VSA Emerging Young Artists Program.
“My work is about existing in the body that I have, in the life that I am living. It is about inhabiting spaces, perceiving surroundings, and above all, the process of survival.” – Aurora Berger
If you identify as a woman, non-binary, or gender non-conforming persons with disabilities whose livelihood is affected by COVID19 and want your work to be featured on our social media platforms, please fill out the linked interest form.
COVID-19, sometimes called the coronavirus, has impacted the health and safety of communities around the world. We at Women Enabled International believe it is having a particular impact on women, girls, non-binary, and gender non-conforming persons with disabilities, including on their economic livelihoods.
This month, we’re highlighting the work of women, non-binary, and gender non-conforming persons with disabilities who are economically impacted by COVID-19 on our social media platforms.
Small business owners, artists, speakers, musicians, entrepreneurs, authors, web-designers, freelancers, and others are encouraged to submit their contact and business information through the linked interest form.
If you identify as a woman, non-binary, or gender non-conforming persons with disabilities whose livelihood is affected by COVID-19 and want your work to be featured on our social media platforms, please fill out the linked interest form. A member of our staff will reach out if we plan to highlight your work.
Please share among your networks.
WEI is a human rights non-governmental organization working to advance rights at the intersection of gender and disability, particularly as related to women and girls with disabilities. If you have any questions, please contact Brittany Evans, WEI Program Assistant, at b.evans@womenenabled.org.
In my work as an advocate for greater awareness of the global burden of diarrheal disease and the tools that can help solve it, I’m struck by how illness is so often a proxy for inequitable access to basic needs. There’s even a term for it: “diseases of poverty.” Diarrhea is rarely a killer in places like the United States, but is the second leading infectious killer of children in places where access to healthcare and clean water and sanitation are poor. Access to the most basic tools is the deciding factor between living and dying.
As usual, women bear the brunt of this crisis and on multiple fronts, particularly when it comes to the consequences of unsafe drinking water and sanitation. Women spend many hours a day collecting water for their families that may not even be safe to drink, and a lack of toilets exposes them to the danger of sexual assault when they seek privacy under the cover of darkness. The long-term effects of repeated enteric infections – malnutrition and stunting – follow girls throughout their lives as they become malnourished mothers that give birth to underweight babies. The cycle is multigenerational.
“As usual, women bear the brunt of this crisis and on multiple fronts, particularly when it comes to the consequences of unsafe drinking water and sanitation.”
It stands to reason that women and girls with disabilities fare even worse. Unless their voices are heard, toilets that do come to the community will lack the necessary accommodations to improve their quality of life, and we will fall short of the equitable access aspirations set by the Sustainable Development Goals and the Declaration on Universal Health Coverage.
Encouragingly, the rights of people with disabilities are gaining momentum. The theme of last year’s World Water Week was “leaving no one behind.” Many sessions reinforced the importance of designing sanitation programs with populations facing increased barriers in mind, as this is much more economical and streamlined than retrofitting facilities after they’ve been built. WaterAid has several great examples of how they have woven inclusive approaches into their programs. They start with a local landscaping of the opportunities and challenges of people with disabilities, tailoring solutions to a community’s needs.
Advocacy at all levels has made these conversations possible. Visibility has real-world implications; those who are invisible are less likely to be included in data that guide policy decisions and program implementation, and this is what makes the work of WEI so essential. Only where women and girls with disabilities are seen can we bridge the gap of access to the most basic of human needs, and the most basic of human rights. ♦
About the author Hope Randall is a Digital Communications Officer at PATH, a global team of innovators working to eliminate health inequities so people, communities, and economies can thrive. Learn about PATH’s Defeat Diarrheal Disease Initiative at www.DefeatDD.org.
