Executive Summary: Women Enabled International COVID-19 at the Intersection of Gender and Disability

May 2020

In March 2020, Women Enabled International (WEI) identified a gap in initial global responses to COVID-19, in that many actors were discussing how to include women and persons with disabilities in the response, but few were considering the unique experiences of women with disabilities and others living at the intersection of gender and disability. At the same time, we heard from organizations of women with disabilities that they were distressed about the situations in their countries and had concerns about women with disabilities, especially around violence, access to health goods and services, and meeting basic needs.

Persons living at the intersection of gender and disability have a right to health, to an adequate standard of living, and to be free from violence, even during times of crisis. As such, we created the qualitative WEI COVID-19 Survey (Survey) to better understand these issues and how the lives and rights of women, girls, non-binary, trans, and gender non-conforming persons with disabilities were being impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, with the hope of guiding pandemic response efforts moving forward. WEI’s Survey was completed by 100 women, non-binary, and trans persons with disabilities across the globe.

Women Enabled International COVID-19 en la interseccion de genero y discapacidad resumen ejecutivo

En marzo de 2020, Women Enabled International (WEI) identificó una brecha en las primeras respuestas mundiales a la pandemia de COVID-19, ya que muchos actores debatían cómo incluir a las mujeres y a las personas con discapacidad en la respuesta, pero pocos tenían en cuenta las experiencias únicas de las mujeres con discapacidad y de otras personas que viven en la intersección de género y discapacidad.