Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt

20. JAHRGANG AUSGABE 3/2009Behinderungund Dritte WeltJournal for Disability and International DevelopmentSchwerpunktthema: Frauen mit Behinderungenin der internationalen Frauenrechtsarbeit undBehindertenbewegungZeitschrift des Forums Behinderung und Internationale Entwicklung

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAFILIPINO DEAF CULTURESystems of MeaningFilipino Sign LanguageSL Visual LiteratureDeaf values & belief systemsIndividual identityCollective identityReligious liturgy & practicesSocial OrganizationSchool-based social groupsDeaf organizationsDeaf events & gatheringsSocial norms (Filipino customs,practices & traits; Deafnorms)Cultural objects/itemsAssistive technologyTelecommunications devicesComputer & other multimediadevicesFigure 1: Components of Filipino Deaf Culture (PDRC and PFD 2004)nents (Figure 1, PDRC and PFD 2004).Sexual Violence and Deaf FilipinasThe vulnerability of the deaf and other personswith disabilities is recognized in societies worldwide,although the extent of abuse is only beginningto be uncovered lately. Disadvantagedgroups are vulnerable from two perspectives:As persons with disabilities, and as women.Among the deaf, a lack of understanding ofdeafness, deaf individuals and their needs incommunication is at the core of this seriousproblem. Hearing loss presents many forms ofcommunication barriers to an individual. Accessto information and learning, as well as the abilityto express ideas, feelings and experiences,and interact with others become extremely limited.Because of this, deaf Filipino women (deafFilipinas) are highly vulnerable to aggressorswho know that their victims are likely to be unenlightenedabout their rights, as well as unableto report exploitation. Asian women, onthe other hand, are already generally disadvantagedin society because they are viewed asthe ‘weaker’ gender and are relegated to domesticactivity and child bearing and rearing.Being both deaf, and a woman, multiplies therisk of vulnerability many times.There is already sufficient information toshow the high incidence of physical and sexualabuse among deaf Filipinas: Early data collectedby De Guzman in the late nineties revealedthat out of 32 Deaf women respondentsin Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, 72% wereabused or battered; and 63% were abused bytheir fathers (De Guzman 2002). In counselingprovided by the Catholic Ministry to Deaf People(CMDP 2005), approximately half of referralsof sexual abuse from 1996 to 2006 wereincest cases. Out of more than 50 cases of referredcases of sexual abuse from that decade,fourteen were filed in court. Of these, abouthalf have been either dismissed or archived.Unpublished data from a number of provinces(PDRC 2006) indicate as high as 1 out of3 rape cases among deaf women, and 65 to70% of sexual molestation among deaf minors.Deaf Filipinas as litigants in cases of sexual violencein the Supreme Court have had little orno access to the legal or judicial systems (Benjamin2007; Martinez 2007). The typical deafwoman victim in the Philippines is unschooledand indigent (Martinez 2006a).An in-depth understanding of the languageand culture of a deaf client, the deaf experience,are critical. Clusters of rape and sexualviolence occur in some deaf residential schools(PDRC 2006) perpetuated by teachers, and furthercovered up by school administrators. Numerouscases of incest involve complex dynamicswith the hearing male and female membersof the household (Tiongson/Martinez 2007).Discrimination among service providers(whether governmental or non-governmental)has been manifested as a refusal to accept deafclients for testing or evaluation, counseling,therapy or shelter. The inability of staff to sign isfrequently invoked as the reason, yet throughthe decades, even government facilities havenot made short- or long-term efforts to rectifythis situation. In the country today, the onlydeaf peoples’ organizations providing mentalhealth-related services to their own sector arethe Filipino Deaf Women’s Health and CrisisCenter, and the Support and Empower AbusedDeaf Children. Through the leanest of resourcesand the most skeletal corps of volun-Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/20095

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAteers, these deaf self-help organizations arefacing a gargantuan problem that practically nohearing entity wishes to even touch.The lack of awareness described above hasresulted in a dismal absence of policy, i.e. of anationally mandated system for interpreting(whether general or specific, to legal interpreting);guidelines for authentic linguistic-basedcurricula or training programs for sign languageand voice interpreting; and standards togovern selection of interpreters for court proceedings,and the quality of their interpretingduring these proceedings.Benjamin and Martinez (2008) call for arights-based policy in instituting language accessibilityto reflect a shift of treatment of deafnessas a social welfare concern, accommodationor special treatment. They maintain thatthe right to language is rooted in the constitutionas well as the international covenants, theUN Convention on the Rights of Persons withDisabilities.Milestones in AdvocacyIn the past five years, key players in the fightfor human rights in the arena of sexual violenceamong deaf women have been the followingNGOs: (1) the Filipino Deaf Women’s Healthand Crisis Center, (2) the Philippine Federationof the Deaf and (3) the PhilippineDeaf Resource Center. Other keyentities in the NGO sector includethe Catholic Ministry to Deaf People,the Women’s Crisis Center, and theInitiatives for Dialogue and EmpowermentThrough Alternative LegalServices. The chart summarizes theareas covered by these stakeholders.talatinigang pambatas sa wikang senyas ngmag binging Pilipino“, a translation of 300most commonly used legal terms in cases involvingdeaf women were translated into FSLand pilot tested in the Metro Manila area andCavite province.Academic LinkagesCollaborations with the national University ofthe Philippines were established with the Collegeof Law – Institute of Human Rights for aLawyers Forum on access of the deaf to thecourt system (Initiatives for Dialogue and EmpowermentThrough Alternative Legal Services2007). With the College of Social Work andCommunity Development, sign language learningand community immersion were included aspart of a Social Work Field Instruction. Workshopson community organizing, gender-basedviolence and gender sensitivity training wereconducted in cooperation with the Fil. DeafWomen’s Health and Crisis Center.A Participatory Video on Deaf Women Abusewas produced by the Fil. Deaf Women’s Healthand Crisis Center and the College’s Researchand Extension for Development Office.Service PartnershipThe Fil. Deaf Women’s Health and Crisis Center,the Phil. Deaf Resource Center and thePolicy advocacyData collectionResearch and Data CollectionDocumentation began on baselinedata on Deaf women respondentswho were interviewed on pregnancy,contraception, sexual experience,rape and sexual abuse, andlearning interest in reproductivehealth (De Guzman 2002; Iyer/Fortunato,in progress). Linguistic considerationsfor evaluating sign andvoice interpreting for application incourt interpreting were studied inequal access to communication andinformation for the Deaf in legalproceedings by the three NGOsmentioned above (Tiongson/Martinez2007). „Pagsalin at pagbuo ngInformation disseminationTrainingAcademic linkagesService partnershipFigure 2: Advocacy for human rights in sexual violence among deaf women6 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAWomen’s Crisis Center collaborate in providinginterpretation, counselling, case management,and shelter for Deaf victims of sexual violence.TrainingGround-breaking training is conducted by theFil. Deaf Women’s Health and Crisis Center andthe Women’s Crisis Center on the prevention ofphysical and sexual abuse, and on feministprinciples in counseling, management and operationof shelters.Information DisseminationPapers were presented by the Deaf for the firsttime at the 1st International Conference on ReproductiveHealth Management on sexualabuse by the Fil. Deaf Women’s Health and CrisisCenter (De Guzman and Mendoza 2006),Catholic Ministry to Deaf People (Tansiatco2006) and Phil. Deaf Resource Center (Martinez2006b). The Phil. Deaf Resource Center made apresentation at a women with disability(WOWLEAP) forum on sexual violence and legalsupport to deaf women (Martinez 2006d). ThePhil. Deaf Resource Center also sends its compendiumon deaf legal access to judges andlawyers of regional trial courts, which have ongoingcases with deaf parties. Other recipientsinclude law schools, legal advocacy organizations(e.g., International JusticeMission; Free Legal AssistanceGroup), interpreting organizationsand ministries, and freelanceinterpreters.At the 1st Regional WomenConference on Disability held inHong Kong in 2008, the only papersconcerning the deaf werethose from the Fil. DeafWomen’s Health and Crisis Center,the Phil. Federation of theDeaf, and the Phil. Deaf ResourceCenter (De Guzman/Mendoza 2008; Mendoza, Corpuzand Martinez 2008).The Phil. Deaf Resource Centerpresented papers at the PhilippineLinguistics Congress onlanguage-related concerns ofsexual violence in the deaf community(Benjamin/Martinez2008; Martinez 2006a).WOMENAdvocacy for PolicyA comprehensive proposal for an AmendatoryMemorandum Order for the existing SupremeCourt Memo 59-2004 (Authorizing the CourtAdministrator to act on and approve requests oflower courts for the hiring of interpreters for thedeaf) is prepared by the three key organizationsafter several months of focus group discussionsamong deaf leaders, legal consultants and thePDRC. The document includes provisions for theappointment, qualifications, compensation andconduct of sign language interpreters in courtproceedings. The proposal is currently underconsideration by the Supreme Court Office ofthe Court Administrator.AnalysisMultidimensional CommunicationRelationshipsAn examination of these advocacy milestones inthe past decade, particularly in the last fiveyears, reveals interesting implications for thedeaf, disability and women’s movements. Deafnessis not so much an absence of sound as it isthe critical loss of opportunities for information,communication and interaction. Deaf womenwho identify themselves with the sign languageand the values and aspirations of the communitymove in a complex environment. As membersto a cultural minority, gender, specialpopulation, as well as a country (Filipino) population,they carry a multi-faceted identity asshown below:DeafdeafPersons With DisabilitiesMENFigure 3: Membership of Deaf women in sectors defined by gender, disability,culture and communityBecause of this, they have to communicateacross different dimensions with various subsetsof people around them. Mainstreaming gender,deafness/disability, or both, thus encompassesthe following matrix of relationships summarizedbelow (see Figure 4, next page).Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/20097

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMADeaf womenThis matrix of relationships within which deafwomen find themselves, exists in a common environment.The characteristics of such environmentsare likely to be found in most developingcountries. Each of the connecting relationshipsalso has barriers distinct to itself. It is interestingto note parallels between genders, and acrosssectors (see Table 1).Interaction1a2a3a4a1b2b3b4bTable 1:Deaf women interactingwithWomenManDeafdeafPWDsHearingmajorityDeafdeafPWDsHearingmajority1a Deaf women2a deaf women3a Women with disability4a Majority of women(without disability)1b Deaf men2b deaf men3b Men with disability4b Majority of men(without disability)Figure 4: Relationship dimensions of Deaf women with varioussectorsType of BarrierGeographic Ethnic /MicroculturalGeographic Ethnic /Microcultural LanguageCommunicationCommunication ‘Disability’Gender Ethnic / MicroculturalGender Ethnic / MicroculturalGender CommunicationGender Communication‘Disability’BarriersThe archipelagic nature and mountainous terrainof the Philippines is a separating or evenisolating factor for communities of deaf Filipinos.Added difficulties are an unreliable postalsystem, poor telephone facilities and costly inter-islandtransportation. Strong ethnic and religiousdiversity (e.g., Roman Catholic, Muslim)in the major islands of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao,adds even more barriers.CommonenvironmentEconomicchallengesLiteracyPolitical instabilityInternal / localconflictsEnvironment and types of barriers affecting different relationship dimensions ofDeaf womenWithin the Filipino deaf community, regionalvariation of signs (PFD 2007, 2005) necessitateslanguage and cultural adjustments. Othersocio-linguistic factors such as generational differences,disparity in socio-economic status andeducational attainment, and local history, allaffect language attitudes and community interactions.For the non-signing Filipinos with hearingloss (deaf), the inability to sign presents a barrierwith the cultural population (deaf). Thissame barrier separates the deaf from other personswith disabilities, and the rest of the Filipinos,who usually would not know how to signeither.Superimposed across all the barriers describedabove, is the dimension of gender, doublingthe complexity of communication and interaction.Aside from the barriers imposed by face-tofaceinteraction, the serious problem of literacyamong deaf Filipinos places them at furtherdisadvantage in accessing materials in print, orthrough online communications. The nationwideemphasis in utilizing the Filipino languageas the medium of instruction in schools andother language domains is the complete oppositeof the entire formaleducation curriculum fordeaf children based almostexclusively on English.Thus, adult Filipinos(including deaf victims ofsexual abuse) cannoteven access informationor advocacy materials,which are predominantlywritten in Filipino.The absence of a nationalmandated signlanguage interpretingsystem has had a veryserious effect on advocaciesfor the deaf communityin general, anddeaf women in particular.Essential to any advocacyof any minority isbarrier-free information, communication andinteraction with the rest of the majority. Evenwhen the hearing majority is willing to reachout to the deaf minority and accommodate itsconcerns into the mainstream, the eventualcommunication hardships kill this potential relationship.The hearing majority which frequentlydoes not have the sign language fluencyto communicate fully and effectively withdeaf women has to rely then on volunteer sign8 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAinterpreters (if available). These volunteers areusually overworked and overextended, havingto shoulder even interpreting-related expensessuch as transportation, and lost compensationdue to unofficial leave or time off from work forthe interpreting task.Non-governmental entities experience thesame financial constraints as government agenciesin hiring interpreters. Ironically however,the latter seem to be more reticent in makinglong-term budgetary plans for this accommodation.Inclusion in the Agenda of the Women’sand Disability MovementsAgainst the backdrop of a century of history inthe women’s and disability movements, theparticipation of, and impact on deaf womenhas been seriously wanting. Milestones in deafwomen advocacy have emerged only in thepast decade and deaf women remain at the peripheryof both movements.The National Commission on the Role of FilipinoWomen is currently lobbying for a bill, theMagna Carta for women. It is noteworthy thatwomen with disabilities are included as a marginalizedsector. However, creation of actualprograms with a direct impact on deaf womenhave not been evident as of yet.The National Plan of Action of the NationalCouncil for Disability Affairs enumerates targetsrelating to anti-discrimination, organizationaltraining, and membership into national mainstreamwomen’s organizations for women withdisabilities. However, regional and national andregional efforts have hardly reached deafwomen in the provinces, if at all.The Voluntary Service Overseas – Philippineshas been at the forefront for several decades inmainstreaming gender. This was initiated in themid nineties through a European Union fundedIntegrated Skills for Women in Developmentprogram. Their Programme on Disability beganofficially in 2005. Their regional and nationalconferences on gender and development includeddisadvantaged sectors, but did nottackle specific issues for women with disabilitiesin general or deaf women in particular. However,a deaf female officer of the Phil. Federationof the Deaf participated in the nationalconference during these early efforts (VoluntaryService Overseas Philippines 2000, 1998). Inmore recent years, volunteers working with thePhil. Federation of the Deaf, Phil. Deaf ResourceCenter and Fil. Deaf Women’s Healthand Crisis Center led to several significant accomplishmentsalready described above.Views of Leaders in the Disability andWomen’s MovementsWomen with Disabilities Leap to Social Progressis an advocacy organization, which has been inexistence for the past nine years. There are effortsto include representatives from deafwomen but it has only been in the past threeyears (2006 to 2008) that their participationhas become more active in the leadership forumsand strategic planning. Awareness amongwomen with disabilities of the problem of sexualabuse of deaf women has been increasing.Carmen Reyes-Zubiaga, president, believes inthe importance of full awareness of this problemamong women with disabilities as well asFilipinas in general. She recognizes communicationbarriers as the primary hindrance for fullinteraction with the deaf. She considers longtermstrengthening of deaf women’s organizationsas a key to this problem, as well as thegreater involvement of hard-of-hearing or oraldeaf women who can articulate the concerns ofthe sector (Reyes-Zubiaga 2009).Joji Bonilla, programme manager for disabilitywith Voluntary Service Overseas - Philippinessince its establishment, observes that the problemof sexual abuse among deaf women hasseldom, if at all surfaced in discussions in thewomen’s sector and society in general. Thus,there has been little or no effort in the mainstream,even in gender discussions at the levelof Overseas Development Assistance, to evendiscuss this. She notes that there is moreawareness about this problem among womenwith disabilities. However, their own struggleswith abuse have been a hindrance to full understandingand realization of their efforts tosupport deaf women. Full participation has remainedelusive for deaf women in both the disabilityand women’s sectors and she attributesthis to lack of access (whether infrastructure /environment related or information dissemination)as well as a dearth of local data. She seesgreater visibility of deaf women as a key to thesituation, i.e. wider membership in networksand consistent provision of sign language interpretingin all meetings and discussions. A shiftin perspective, viewing the problem not only asa disability concern but as a rights-based problemneeds to be combined with greater effortsin disseminating information to the mainstream(Bonilla 2009).It is interesting to compare the above viewswith those of deaf women leaders. Marites RacquelCorpuz, founding member and currentpresident of the national Phil. Federation of theDeaf thinks that neither women with disabilitiesnor the women’s sector in general, have comeZeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/20099

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAto a full understanding of deaf women abuse.Yet despite this, she recalls that a single effortby one of the leading women’s organizations,the Women’s Education Development Productivityand Research Organization, to provide genderand development training to six deaf officersfrom 1998 to 2001 brought awareness tomember deaf organizations in the major islandsof Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Furthermore,she believes that this pioneering effort laid thefoundation for bringing Deaf women into themajority of leadership positions up to the presenttime. In the past few years, she credits thepresence of deaf volunteers of Voluntary ServiceOverseas – Philippines and the networkingefforts by the Phil. Deaf Resource Center tohave exerted the greatest influence in bringingdeaf women leaders into the mainstream. Shebelieves that the concerns of deaf women areimportant to both the disability and women’ssectors and barriers to information should bedismantled through sign language interpreting.Both sectors should also strive to understandthe culture of the deaf in order to foster lastingbonds (Corpuz 2009).Founding member and long-time leader ofthe Fil. Deaf Women’s Health and Crisis Center,Jeniffer Mendoza, sees some awareness in boththe disability and women's sectors about theproblem of deaf abuse. But she laments thatsociety as a whole has not yet fully acceptedthe existence of this problem. She recognizeshowever, the efforts of the organization Womenwith Disabilities Leap to Social Progress toreach out to them in recent years. She also citescollaborative endeavours with the mainstreamin the past five years including the University ofthe Philippines College of Social Work for theParticipatory Video project; the Phil. Deaf ResourceCenter for women’s health lectures;workshops by leading women’s nongovernmentalorganizations Women’s Crisis Center andWomen’s Legal Education, Advocacy and Defensefor crisis intervention and legal informationon sexual harassment; and orientation providedby the Government Department of SocialWelfare and Development, for shelter and fostercare concerns. For full participation in boththe disability and women’s sectors, she recommendscomprehensive teaching of sign languagecoupled with inclusion of deaf women infront-line women’s desks throughout the country,and the training of female deaf relay interpretersas well as facilitators/trainers. She alsoemphasizes priority areas for livelihood developmentfor deaf women to attain economic independence,and the continuing use of media(e.g., participatory video) to bring greater visibilityto deaf women (Mendoza 2009).Advocacy Milestones and MultidimensionalRelationshipsIntegrating selected advocacy milestones forand by deaf women described above, with theassociated dimensions of relationships revealTable 2.All these relationship dimensions of deafwomen have been affected by advocacy milestonesin the past decade. It is noticeable however,that more of these accomplishments dealtwith other women: first, with the hearing majorityof Filipinas who have no disability, andsecond, with other deaf women. Little interactionand impact was seen with women with disability,and worse, with nonsigning deaf Filipinas.With the male gender, the same patternwas seen with the greatest impact first on thehearing majority of Filipino men, and second,on deaf men.Looking at the dozen milestones enumeratedhere, the top three with the broadest impactappeared to be: Participation in the PhilippineLinguistics Congresses, the proposal to the SupremeCourt, and the The Asia Foundation/U.S.Agency for International Development legal accessproject outcome. Different reasons accountedfor this. The congresses, though heldonly in 2006 and 2008, had 200-300 participantsfrom provinces all over the country.Granting that their interests were in (spokenlanguage) linguistics, they quickly appreciatedhowever, the language issues at stake. The increasedawareness about the deaf and signlanguage among these numerous hearing Filipinossent out a far-reaching contingent of enlightenedindividuals in the different islands.On the other hand, approval of the AmendatoryMemorandum by the Supreme Court willaffect hundreds of trial courts and set importantprecedents in the pursuit of justice. The importanceof institutionalization of advocacythrough policy is clearly seen here. Thirdly, thepublished compendium and the national seminarof the The Asia Foundation/U.S. Agency forInternational Development flagship projectwere highly significant avenues for informationdissemination.The observation that about half of theseenumerated milestones resulted in an internalimpact within the community of deaf womenseems to imply that full participation is both anessential part of empowerment as well as a fuelingresult of advocacy. Thus, strengtheningties within this group is imperative.Filipinas who are deaf (non-signers) are severaltimes more vulnerable to abuse than deaf10 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAOrganizations involved in AdvocacyMilestonesVoluntary Service Overseas - PhilippinesPhil. Federation /World Federation of the Deaf1st International Conference onReproductive Health ManagementWomen in Disability ForumWomen’s Crisis CenterUniversity of the PhilippinesInstitute of Human RightsWorld Bank grant competitionThe Asia Foundation and U.S.Agency for International DevelopmentNational Commission for Cultureand the ArtsSupreme CourtUniversity of the PhilippinesSocial Work Field InstructionUniversity of the PhilippinesParticipatory VideoRegional Women Disability ConferencePhilippine Linguistics CongressDeafDeaf women interacting withWOMENMENdeaf Persons HearingDeaf deaf PersonswithwithDisabilitietymajori-DisabilitiesHearingmajorityTable 2: Relationship dimensions affected by advocacy milestones for Deaf FilipinasFilipinas because their nonsigning status is oftena result of low educational attainment andsocio-economic status. They are isolated bothphysically and linguistically, and present extremelydifficult challenges for empowerment.There are also lessons to be learned in lookingat those dimensions of relationships whichhave barely or not at all been affected. Filipinomen who are (nonsigning) deaf or have a disabilityhave been completely left outside thesphere of interaction of Deaf women. EvenDeaf men were just at the periphery of theseadvocacies. The significantly lower impact onall men should be noted since reaching wouldbe-perpetratorsof sexual violence requires targetingthe male gender. There are no formalstatistics yet but cases of lateral violence bydeaf or deaf perpetrators have been alreadyencountered several times.Integrating movementsThe successes that deaf Filipinas have beenable to secure so far, even in the absence of acomprehensive national interpreting systemand other barriers mentioned above may be attributedto a number of reasons. The advent ofmobile phone technology into the country, andthe wide popularity and very low cost of textinghas made rapid and reliable communicationpossible for the first time within the deaf populationand between all its stakeholders. Theinternet and all the various forms of web communicationsalso bypass interaction barriers, althoughit is not quite as affordable yet as mobiletelecommunications. However, advances inwireless technology and increasing commercialor public internet venues is bringing unprecedentedaccess even to the most remote islandsof the Philippines.The recent senate ratification of the UNConvention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilitiesprovides a powerful policy instrument.However, like Republic Act 7277 (Magna Cartafor Persons with Disabilities), monitoring duringZeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/200911

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAimplementation is critical to see policy comefully into practice.The National Commission on the Role of FilipinoWomen could potentially be a key player.However, despite its establishment over threedecades ago, communication barriers isolatedeaf and deaf Filipinas: First, from otherwomen with disability, and further, to the majorityof hearing Filipinas.Linkages with the academe, particularly withthe national University of the Philippines is verypromising. Awareness about the deaf at thecolleges of social work and community development,social sciences and philosophy (includinglinguistics and psychology) has been slowlygaining ground. With about a dozen deaf studentsnow enrolled in the Diliman campus atthe college of education and college of finearts, initial steps have been taken by universityofficials to institutionalize accommodations fortheir needs (Bustos/Martinez 2008).Alliances with organizations such as VoluntaryService Overseas - Philippines, the Knowledgefor Development Centers of the WorldBank, and project support from The Asia Foundationand the US Agency for International Developmenthave brought wide and significantvisibility to the needs of the deaf in general,and deaf women in particular. Specific linkagesof the Phil. Federation of the Deaf to the WorldFederation of the Deaf network have also providedimportant support.ConclusionThe impact generated by advocacy efforts forand by deaf women in the Philippines is mostevident on the hearing majority of Filipinowomen. It has also strengthened internal tieswithin its own cultural minority. Influence on relationshipswith women with disability or evennon-signing deaf women has been limited.Deaf women have remained largely at theperiphery of both the women’s and disabilitymovements, and their concerns on sexualabuse and violence have not fully come to thesurface. In the same sense, the women’s anddisability sectors have also been at the peripheryof the deaf world, separated from them bycommunication barriers. Success in the futurehinges on an integration of deaf women intothe disability and women’s movements to overcomethese barriers in their multidimensionalcommunication relationships. Further researchand documentation on the problem of sexualabuse to deaf women is imperative. The greatervisibility of deaf women through comprehensiveand consistent sign language interpreting shallalso enable participatory membership into networksin both the women’s and disability sectors.Continued support to deaf women by individualsand entities who can communicate andinteract comfortably with both the deaf communityas well as the women’s and disabilitymovements is critical. This enabling support cansustain the linkages to academe, government,civil society and the public at large which havealready been initiated.Notes1 The FDWHCC is a deaf women’s advocacy organizationdocumenting and addressing issues on reproductivehealth, violence and human rights. It also providescounselling, survivor support and other forms ofsupport to Deaf women. It was established formally in2002 and is based in the Metro Manila area. It networkswith government entities (e.g. the Departmentof Social Welfare & Development), non-governmentalwomen’s organizations and shelters, and deaf womenthroughout the Luzon and Visayas areas.2 The PFD is a federation of over 20 Deaf organizationsall over the Philippines and is the official representativeto the World Federation of the Deaf, a globaldeaf advocate. Founded in 1997, PFD has conductednationwide projects for the Status Report on the Useof Sign Language in the Philippines (National SignLanguage Committee) and the Online Corpus projectand was the Philippine counterpart for the PracticalDictionary for Asian-Pacific Sign Languages. It representsthe deaf community in cross disability endeavorsas well as policy planning with government agencies.Its overall goal is to empower the deaf to becomeunited, equal and productive members of society.3 The PDRC was founded in 2001 on the cornerstonesof research, information and networking. It is guidedby the view of deafness as a culture in carrying out itsmission for research-based advocacy. It is the sole researchgroup for deaf issues and is active in publications,conferences and academic linkages. It is comprisedof hearing and deaf volunteers and maintainsstrong ties with grassroots deaf organizations to facilitatenetworking with government and non-governmentsectors.12 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

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(2008): Abuse in the FilipinoDeaf Community - Current concerns.” Presented ina seminar „Regional Conference on women with disabilities2008 (East and South-east Asia).“ On07.01.2008. Hong KongMENDOZA, J. / CORPUZ, M.R.E./MARTINEZ, L.B. (2008):Fighting for Access to Communication for Deaf womenin the Philippine Legal System – A Situationer.Presented in a seminar „Regional Conference on WomenWith Disabilities 2008 (East and South-eastAsia).“ On 07.01.2008. Hong KongNATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE ROLE OF FILIPINOWOMEN. (2009): Magna Carta of Women Bill. http://www.ncrfw.gov.phNATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE ROLE OF FILIPINOWOMEN. (2008): http://www.ncrfw.gov.phNATIONAL COUNCIL FOR DISABILITY AFFAIRS. (2006):http://www.ncda.gov.phNATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE WELFARE OF DISABLEDPERSONS (2004): National Plan of Action. PhilippineDecade of Persons With Disabilities (2003-2012).Quezon CityNATIONAL SIGN LANGUAGE COMMITTEE (2008): StatusReport on the Use of Sign Language in the Philippines.Philippine Federation of the Deaf. Quezon CityNATIONAL STATISTICS OFFICE (2000): CensusPADDEN, C./HUMPHRIES, T. (1988): Deaf in America: Voicesfrom a Culture. Harvard University Press. CambridgePHILIPPINE DEAF RESOURCE CENTER / PHILIPPINE FEDE-RATION OF THE DEAF (2004): An Introduction to FilipinoSign Language. Philippine Deaf Resource Center.Quezon CityPHILIPPINE FEDERATION OF THE DEAF (2007): A Compilationof Signs from Regions of the Philippines, Part 2.Philippine Federation of the Deaf. Metro ManilaPHILIPPINE FEDERATION OF THE DEAF (2005): A Compilationof Signs from Regions of the Philippines, Part 1.Philippine Federation of the Deaf. Quezon CityREYES-ZUBIAGA, C. (2009): Personal communicationSHEAD, M. (2008a): Beliefs, Disability and Causation ofthe Filipinos. http://www.livinginthephilippines.com/philculture/beliefs_disabilitySHEAD, M. (2008b): Nature and Meaning of Disability.http://www.livinginthephilippines.com/philculture/natureTAGUIWALO, J. (2005): The Women of the First QuarterStorm of 1970: Women :Fully Engaged in the Makingof History”. http://www.josemariasison.org/jumi02/inps/judypaperTANSIATCO, R. (2006): Reproductive Health: The CMDPExperience. Presented in a seminar „The 1st Internati-Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/200913

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAonal Conference on Reproductive Health Management.“On 03.05.2006. ManilaTIONGSON, P. / MARTINEZ, L. (2007): Full Access: ACompendium on Sign Language Advocacy and Accessof the Deaf to the Legal System. PDRC/IDEALS. QuezonCityVOLUNTARY SERVICE OVERSEAS PHILIPPINES (2000):National Conference on Gender and DevelopmentWork: Concepts, Tools and Strategies. On02.09.1999. BoholVOLUNTARY SERVICE OVERSEAS PHILIPPINES (1998):Mainstreaming Gender in Development Work: Strategiesand Lessons Learned. Visayan Conference Proceedings.On 30.03.1998. CebuWIKIPILIPINAS. (2008): Feminist Movement in the Philippines.http://en.wikipilipinas.orgZusammenfassung: Im Bereich des sexuellen Missbrauchsvon gehörlosen Filipinas wurden die Opfer im letzten Jahrzehntimmer besser vertreten, weil sich Gehörlosen-Organisationenzusammen mit anderen NGOs dafür eingesetzthaben. Dieser Artikel bewertet die jüngsten Meilensteineund untersucht sie im Kontext multidimensionaler Zugehörigkeitund Beziehungen gehörloser Frauen in verschiedenenBereichen, unterteilt nach Geschlecht, Behinderung,Gemeinschaft und Kultur. Er beschreibt zudem die Umgebungund die Hindernisse, die gehörlose Filipinas in diesenverschiedenen Wechselbeziehungen erfahren. Der Überblicküber die Eckdaten dieser kulturellen Minderheit offenbartdie Lücken und zeigt die Herausforderungen auf, umFrauen- und Behindertenbewegungen in Zukunft einzubeziehen.Résumé: La sensibilisation dans le domaine de l’abussexuel des femmes sourdes aux Philippines a progressécette dernière décade grâce à l’engagement des organisationsde malentendants en partenariat avec d’autres ONG.L’article passe en revue les étapes récentes et les examinedans le contexte de participations et relations multidimensionnellesdes femmes malentendantes dans différents secteurssubdivisés par genre, handicap, communauté et culture.Il décrit également l’environnement et les obstaclesrencontrés par les femmes sourdes dans ces différentes interactions.Le passage en revue des points forts de cette minoritéculturelle révèle où sont les lacunes et montre les défisà relever pour intégrer dans le futur les mouvements defemmes et de personnes handicapées.Resumen: En el campo de acción del abuso sexual de filipinassordas se ha mejorado notablemente su representaciónen las últimas décadas, porque organizaciones de sordosy otras ONG se preocuparon por este grupo. Este artículovaloriza los últimos hitos y explora los efectos dentrode un contexto multidimensional de pertenencia y relacionesde mujeres sordas en diferentes áreas, seccionados ensexo, discapacidad, comunidad y cultura. Además él describeel medio ambiente y los obstáculos, que viven las mujeressordas mismas. La vista de conjunto sobre los datos deesta minoridad cultural enseña las lagunas que hay que llenary los desafíos para incluir el movimiento de los discapacitadosy el movimiento de la mujer en el futuro.Autorin: Dr. Liza Martinez ist Gründerin und aktuellDirektorin des Philippine Resource Center. Sie ist dieeinzige hörende Linguistin für Zeichensprache, die aufden Philippinen forscht. Sie unterrichtete Zeichensprachean der Gallaudet University, war verantwortlichfür Universitätsprogramme für Gehörlose auf denPhilippinen und in den USA und ist überzeugte Anwältinfür die Rechte Gehörloser.Anschrift: Liza B. Martinez, Philippine Deaf ResourceCenter, 27 K-7 St., West Kamias, Q.C. 1102, Philippines,lizamartinez@phildeafres.org,www.phildeafres.org.14 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAForgotten Voices: Women with Disabilities, Sexualityand the AIDS PandemicMyroslava Tataryn & Marusia Truchan-TatarynThis article argues that an integration of feminist disability issues into the women’s movement could provide astrong force in the fight disabled women are waging against HIV/AIDS by exploring the deeply entrenched prejudicesthat exist regarding the sexuality of women with disabilities and how they exacerbate the effects of HIV/AIDSon disabled women. It discusses how the women’s movement has historically reinforced stereotypes of disabledwomen but also how today there are growing opportunities for cooperation. It is based on a review of a limitedsample of feminist disability studies texts as well as the personal experiences and research of the authors.IntroductionOne of the most socially and emotionally damagingstereotypes troubling women with disabilities1 is asexuality: A belief that we cannotand indeed must not express our sexuality. Disabledwomen’s bodies do not conform to themold designed and designated as normal, anda homogenous mainstream denies our humanity,increasing disabled women’s risk of abuse,decreasing our access to reproductive and sexualhealth care and services, and thereby increasingthe risk of being infected and severelyaffected by HIV/AIDS.In a recent global survey of disability advocates,87 percent of the organizations surveyedreported that HIV/AIDS is of immediate concernto the disabled populations they serve (Groce2005: 222). Although few studies have beenconducted and almost no hard data exists, individualswith disabilities are anecdotally estimatedto be at twice the risk of contractingHIV/AIDS. Once infected, people with disabilitiesoften have little or no access to treatmentor care (Tataryn 2008).As the AIDS pandemic becomes increasinglyfeminized throughout the world, pervasive genderinequality compounds HIV/AIDS issues forwomen. In addition, women are affected severelyand disproportionately by physical andmental disabilities (Shakespeare 2006: 138).They comprise 74 percent of disabled people inlow and middle-income countries, and worldwidethey receive only 20 percent of the rehabilitationresources (Shome 2008). Women aremore likely than men to become disabled duringtheir lives, often because they have fewerresources, receive less medical attention whenill, and are less likely than men to get preventativecare and immunizations (Shakespeare2006, Shome 2008). The United Nations reportsthat the “combination of male preferencein many cultures and the universal devaluationof disability can be deadly for disabled females”(UN 2003).Much of the evidence and anecdotes exploredin this text stem from Myroslava Tataryn’swork at the intersection of disability,gender, sexuality and HIV/AIDS issues in sub-Saharan Africa over the past 5 years. Wherepossible, these experiences have been linkedand contrasted with existing feminist, disabilitystudies literature.Disabled Women and SexualityWhile sexism relegates women to substandardsystemic treatment, the social prejudice that deniesdisabled women’s sexuality dismisses disabledwomen as women – ultimately rejectingus as human beings. Initiatives concerningwomen’s wellbeing have further alienated disabledwomen. Excluded, marginalized, or invisiblein HIV policies, advocacy, and funding,disabled women are exposed to neglect andabuse with no recourse. Regardless of stereotypes,women with disabilities engage in thesame sexual behaviours and are consequentlyexposed, at a minimum, to the same risk of HIVas the general population (Groce 2005). Theyare also three times more likely to be victims ofsexual abuse and rape (Groce 2005). Thereby,Dick Sobsey, a researcher of violence and disability,points out that disability itself does notcreate vulnerability to abuse. “Complex interactionsbetween disability, society, culture, andviolence” artificially construct this vulnerability(1994: 87). Unexamined stereotypes of disabilityand sexuality expose disabled women tohigher levels of coercive sexual intercourse and,consequently, higher risk of HIV infection. Thisfact, combined with severely restricted access toprevention information and services, placeswomen with disabilities at very high risk of contractingthe virus.Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/200915

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAAn increased risk of rape is not the only vulnerabilitycreated by the cultural stereotyping ofdisabled women’s sexuality. Rosemarie GarlandThomson observes how “cultural stereotypesimagine disabled women as asexual, unfit toreproduce, overly dependent, unattractive – asgenerally removed from the sphere of truewomanhood and feminine beauty” (2004: 89).Hence, many women with disabilities worldwideface common barriers when seeking acommitted partner or a good relationship. Disabledwomen are less likely to marry and morelikely to be divorced or separated than eitherdisabled men or non-disabled women (Lloyd1992). Encoded notions of physical features requiredin a partner, the social construction ofdisabled women as a burden, and their perceivedinability to fulfill the care-giving andhousekeeping expected of wives and mothers(Odell 1993, Reinikainen 2008) obscure disabledwomen’s person-hood and identity. Thisdehumanization means that women markedwith disability endure oppressive treatment at arate that would never be tolerated for non-disabledwomen or men. Perpetrators of the rape,forced sterilization, and marital abuse experiencedby women with disabilities are too oftenprotected by relative social impunity. In fact,abusers are frequently among those applaudedfor their care ‘giving‘ (Sobsey 2004).Prejudice and devaluation of women withdisabilities is so pervasive in societies aroundthe world that they are rendered invisible, anddiscriminatory treatment can therefore be unnoticed.We ourselves as disabled women areat risk of internalizing this imposed invalidationto the extent that we also come to expect it.Marion Young (1990) recognizes this mundaneand ubiquitous erosion of personal dignity asoppression, oppression that tyrannizes evenwithout the rule of a police state. 2Ableism and Sexism IntertwineMany patriarchal structures that oppresswomen’s bodies oppress all disabled people,regardless of sex. Physical immobility, for instance,symbolically still signifies emasculationin dominant mainstream cultures, despitepopular campaigns to dispel the myth. Also,gender bias affects all women regardless of disability.However, sexism and ableism intertwineto create unique dilemmas for disabled womenin claiming and restricting their identities, particularlyregarding our sexuality.A review of mainstream feminist literatureand a glance at the history of the women’smovement demonstrates that, traditionally,non-disabled feminists have ignored the experienceof their disabled sisters thereby beingcomplicit in societal oppression of women withdisabilities. But, in the author’s opinion, feminismneeds the voices of disabled women in orderto work effectively towards justice.Among the many issues that have alienateddisabled women, and that the internationalwomen’s movement must confront in its drive toemancipate all women, are the issues of careand reproductive rights.Care Giving: Nothing Newfor WomenCare giving is a complex social issue that involveswomen with disabilities on multiple levels,in lived experience and in stereotyped culturalimagination. The feminist critique of unpaidor underpaid care-work as a devaluating,gendered role may seem to benefit the womenwho are unable to fulfill these tasks; however,“the force of the feminist argument has beenprovided through the construction of the disabledperson as a burden” (Lloyd 1992: 215).Rather than valuing care giving as an integralpart of human communities, the feminist stancehas perpetuated the erroneous derogation ofcare-giving as domestic drudgery, at the sametime invalidating the receivers of care many ofwho are perceived as defective because theyare physically or cognitively incapable of fulfillingthe prescribed care giving model 3 . The ideologyof fitness supports patriarchal standardsof work and income generation as measures ofhuman worth.In the midst of the AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa we react with sadness and frustrationwhen a family pulls out a girl child fromschool to care for a sick relative. We react withsurprise at the far-reaching nature of the pandemic,as if this is happening for the very firsttime because of HIV/AIDS. Yet, this has beenoccurring in families with disabled relatives fordecades. How many sisters of disabled childrenhave had to forgo attention from parents, afterschoolactivities, even school itself, in order tocare for their disabled siblings or other familymembers?The spread of HIV/AIDS and the consequentincreasing need for palliative and long-termcare of chronically and terminally ill HIV/AIDSpatients in addition to orphan care is awakeningthe world to issues surrounding care givingresponsibilities; for instance, the layers of discriminationembedded in the gendered expectationsaround care giving. These are issuesthat people with disabilities, along with their16 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAfamilies and caregivers, have been grapplingwith for many years. The AIDS movement hasmuch to learn from the disability movement regardingissues such as compensation for personalcare assistants, grappling with the dynamicsof unpaid care giving work, integratingcare giving supports into community-basedstructures and so on. The disability movementhas problematized notions of dependence andinterdependence and the AIDS movement couldgain valuable perspectives through a considerationof these critiques.Constraints on the ReproductiveRights of Disabled WomenIssues of reproductive rights similarly illustratethe murky coexistence of ableism and sexism.Choice over reproductive capabilities is a familiarrallying call for women’s rights activism.However, as the women’s movement fights forabortion rights, women with disabilities mustfight for their right to give birth and their rightto be alive. While many feminists with disabilitieschampion a woman’s right to choose a safeabortion, the issue is complicated by the increasingregularization of prenatal diagnostictechniques intended to abort disability. Whatare the implications for disabled women whensociety finances advances to eradicate the possibilityof births with disabling conditions at thesame time that it withholds funds for accommodationsfor citizens with unconventional bodies?While feminists have fought for accessible birthcontrol, women with disabilities still must fightcoerced sterilization and abortion of their pregnancies.And parents of disabled children mustoften fight for their children’s rights to accessthe same standard of medical care as is providedto non-disabled children.Historically disabled women have had tofight for their rights outside the domain ofmainstream feminism that in its early days representeda non-disabled, white, Western voice.It is only now, perhaps in the last decade, thatfeminism has been opening up to more diverseperspectives and addressing different layers ofmarginalization experienced by women. Disabledwomen must continually fight to assertour right to choose to have and to keep ourchildren. Our choices regarding childbearingand child rearing are systemically constrainedfrom two sides: medical and legal. It is onlynow that feminist discourse is slowly embracingthese issues. For example, the AWID Forum, abiannual forum of the Association of Women’sRights in Development, first put disability issuesat the forefront as recently as 2008. 4Medicine assumes control over our choicesthrough prenatal testing and determining whichphysical or mental ‘abnormalities‘ are acceptableand which ones are not. Decisions cloakedin medical discourse involving fitness and survivalobscure entrenched notions of desirableversus undesirable bodies that have little to dowith a child’s health or survival potential. Theunspoken biases of the medical profession havebeen brought to light in cases where both partners,having similar disabilities, have wanted tobear a child with the same disability. 5 Themedical profession’s discomfort with selectingfor an impairment rather than their routine selectionsagainst impairments exposes theeugenic perspective embedded in medical decisions.In Finland, Marjo-Riitta Reinikainen’s paperDisablistic Practices of Womanhood, documentsthe ambivalent treatment of doctors towardtheir female patients with disabilities: “The doctorwas angry at me for being pregnant. I didnot understand this, since nobody had told me Iwas not allowed to bear more children. I hadbeen told to lead as normal a life as possible”(2008: 26). Another respondent felt that herphysician assumed the right to decide whetheror not a patient was to have children: “They[doctors] are increasingly in charge of who isallowed to be born. Likewise, they also gladlydecide who gets to give birth…I have givenbirth to four children. The doctors were mostdisapproving already with my second child. Andyet, my impairment has never in any way affectedthe pregnancy, childbirth or looking afterthe children” (2008: 24).Similarly, a report by an Equity Committeeon Midwifery in Canada cites many examples ofnegative and stereotypical attitudes displayedby health care professionals towards the reproductiverights of women with disabilities. Awoman without an arm was asked on the maternityward, “How are you going to raise thatbaby?” A woman with polio, when learningfrom her doctor that she was pregnant, wastold at the same time that she had beenbooked for an abortion. Alienating commentslike these can discourage women with disabilitiesfrom accessing prenatal care. Devaluing attitudesthat demand a constant defense ofone’s dignity eventually erode health, confidence,and well-being. Persistent mistreatmentin the medical arena, whether attitudinal or environmental,in the absence of accommodationsfor differences, prevent disabled womenfrom accessing sexual and reproductive healthinformation, services, and supports that areotherwise available to non-disabled women.Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/200917

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAThe example of the Midwifery Committee’sconsciousness of disability issues attests to theneed for disabled women’s perspectives in thestruggle to reclaim women’s control from themale industry of obstetrics and the medicalizationof female bodies (Lloyd: 1992). Gender equityand women’s self-determination cannot berealized without politicizing the exclusion ofwomen with disabilities from gender concerns.Our reproductive choices, as disabledwomen, are also constrained by the law. Wecannot presume that our civil and human rightswill be protected. In the early and middle periodsof the 20th century in Canada the compulsory(non-consensual) sterilization of womenwith disabilities was commonplace and legallysanctioned in some provinces. This will be discussedfurther in the context of eugenics.Today HIV positive women in Namibia arebeing sterilized against their will. The sexualrights of women with disabilities are also beingcurtailed in the recently emerging issue of thecriminalization of HIV transmission. 6 On aregular basis, women with disabilities experienceoppression as a ‘minority within a minority’and often the first site of this subjugation isoppression of sexuality: constraint of sexualrights and the denial of freedom to makechoices about ones sexuality. In emerging discussionsand cases arising from the criminalizationof HIV transmission we are beginning tosee the ways in which women will be the firstones to suffer from these new laws.Disabled women’s experience illuminates theableism inherent in gender oppression andconsequently facilitates pathways towards justiceby revealing hidden biases against thenatural occurrence of the human diversity welabel as disabled. This is not to deny that somedisabling conditions are a source of pain and/or suffering. The point is that disability is part ofthe human condition and its occurrence doesnot naturally diminish one’s humanity. Culturallabels of defect are what rob people of theirdignity and rights. Confronting disabledwomen’s issues as integral to feminist endeavorsenriches society. “We need an understandingof disability that does not support a paradigmof humanity as young and healthy. Encouragingeveryone to acknowledge, accommodate,and identify with a wide range ofphysical conditions is ultimately the road toself-acceptance as well as the road to liberatingthose who are disabled now” (Wendell: 108).Currently, feminist discourse indicates a shiftto inclusion of disabled women’s voices. A Koreandisability rights activist spoke at the openingplenary of the 2008 Forum of the Associationof Women’s Rights in Development-perhapsthe foremost international feminist gatheringin the world. The conference program includedfive sessions specifically dedicated to theconcerns of disabled women. This is a recordnumber of disability-specific sessions at an internationalconference not specifically focusedon disability issues. We, individually and collectively,need to make a conscious effort to dismantlethe naturalized stereotypes of disabilityand specifically the myth of disabled women’sasexuality in order to effect meaningful socialchange. Otherwise we face the risk of reinforcingprejudice through tokenism or patronizingcharitableness.Eugenics and its Role in DisabledWomen’s OppressionIn Canada, the institutionalization of disabledwomen’s oppression emerges from the brief butformative reign of eugenics, the so-called scienceof selective human breeding and socialimprovement. The Canadian suffragists whowere at the forefront of women’s emancipationin the early 20th century were avid eugenicistswho degraded women and men with disabilitiesin order to further their feminist project. Bydelineating disability as the marker of true humaninferiority, first wave feminists assertedtheir equality with the elite males who comprisedCanadian structures of power.These women’s rights activists played an instrumentalrole in constructing the differencethey targeted in other women as abnormal,subnormal, and separate from themselves. Wehave to confront this history if we hope to everlive in harmony with diversity. Prominent Canadiannation builders such as Emily Murphy andNellie McClung deliberately worked to shift culturalimages of incompetence and weaknessaway from females to people whom they identifiedas defective. Thus perceived physical orcognitive impairment, non-British ethnicity,criminality, prostitution, and poverty were constitutedas a feeblemindedness that threatenedthe fabric of Canadian society. Eugenicists advocatedfor the identification, segregation, andcontrol of defectives through sexual sterilization.Although eugenics fell out of fashion afterknowledge of its implementation in Nazi exterminationcamps surfaced 7 scholars such asDaniela Stehlik argue that eugenic practicescontinue, only now they are surrounded bywhat she calls the updated “corporate/neoeugenicdiscourses” (2001: 374) of genetic engineering,prenatal testing, abortion, andeuthanasia. These discourses sanction violence18 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAand surveillance of women in the name of personalimprovement and social progress. Theease with which society condones surgical sterilizationfor young girls with disabilities alsosuggests continued sanctioned violence. Eugenicsprovides an important lens through which torecognize insidious ableist practice in our society.Euthanasia, sterilization, DNR (do not resuscitate)orders in hospitals routinely given tofamilies of patients with disabilities hardly seemliberating or democratic when disproportionatelyinvolving people who are socially devaluedbecause of their disability label.Today, we see parallels emerging betweenthe struggles of women living with HIV/AIDSfighting for their right to bear and raise children,and the struggles of disabled women. Despitethe availability of drugs and protocols thatdrastically reduce the risk of vertical transmissionof HIV (also known as mother-to-childtransmission) women with HIV who choose tobear children are often criticized for this decision.Worse still, activists have identified newthreats in the current trends towards criminalizationof HIV transmission. Although proponentsof HIV criminalization contend that thelaws are to protect people from willful transmission(through rape, for example) evidence suggeststhat women will be the first to suffer fromthese laws. According to ARASA (AIDS andRights Alliance for Southern Africa) the legalprotections that women need in recourse torape and other sexual violence largely alreadyexist. New legislation criminalizing the transmissionof HIV would only oppress women livingwith HIV, not protect them. 8 As they fight fortheir own sexual and reproductive rights, currentlyunder threat, women living with HIV/AIDS could benefit from the knowledge and experienceof disability rights activists and advocatesA Way Forward: The Fight AgainstHIV/AIDSIn countries dealing with a generalized AIDSpandemic, the marginalization of women withdisabilities can be deadly. The devaluation ofthe life of disabled women is far reaching: 1.Disabled girls are less likely to go to school oreven learn to read and write, making it moredifficult for them to receive AIDS preventionmessages; 2. Disabled women are less likely tobe employed; poverty can compel women toengage in transactional sex or other types ofcoercive sexual behavior which increases therisk of contracting HIV/AIDS and 3. The voicesof women and girls with disabilities often donot reach the ears of law enforcement officersor are not respected by them, increasing disabledwomen’s vulnerability to abuse, whichalso increases their risk of contracting HIV/AIDS.In addition to collaboration around specificissues such as criminalization and reproductiverights, feminist discourse has much to gain froma disability rights perspective, especially in regardsto the fight against HIV/AIDS. In otherwords, “feminist analysis must recognize andembrace disability issues” (Lloyd: 217) in orderto contribute to the dismantling of the factorsthat place disabled women in such a disadvantagedposition in the AIDS pandemic. Feministtheories of disability can help us to unravelgender stereotypes by spotlighting layers ofpower mechanisms that have been previouslyignored. Not only do women with disabilitiesexist in every country and culture on this planet,it is also highly likely that most women (andmen) will experience some kind of disability atsome point during their lifetimes. Therefore,admitting and accepting that disability is a verynormal part of human life and integrating adisability perspective into activist work, programdesign, and implementation of services is integralto the building of a more just and inclusivesociety for all women.Notes1 In this article both the terms disabled women andwomen with disabilities is used. In certain countriesthe disability movement prefers using one term overanother. Due to the international scope of theauthor’s experience, both terms are used. The termdisabled women is mostly used to denote the socialgroup with a shared experience of social marginalizationwhile woman with disabilities is mostly used todenote individuals or groups of individuals, considereddisabled, but without making reference to thesocial group.2 For a more recent and more complex analysis of disability-focusedoppression, see Tom Shakespeare’sDisability Rights and Wrongs (2006).3 See Neath (1997), Reinikainen (2008) and Lloyd(1992) for further elaboration of these claims.4 AWID Forum 2008, held in November, 2007, in CapeTown, South Africa5 See Jeanette Winterson’s article: "How would we feelif blind women claimed the right to a blind baby?" inThe Guardian (Tuesday, April 9, 2002). Winterson discussesthe case of a lesbian couple specificallysearching for sperm donors who would pre-disposetheir child to Deafness. They argued that, as Deafparents, they are much better equipped at parentinga Deaf child rather than a hearing child. There wasZeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/200919

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAalso a case of a Dwarf couple, who once pregnant,wanted to abort a fetus that would grow to an averageheight rather than being a Dwarf (Discussed atDisabled Peoples International World Summit inSeoul, Korea in 2006). There was a huge outcryagainst the parents’ decision, unlike the public assentfor routine pre-natal tests that allow parents thechoice of aborting a fetus with a pre-disposition toDwarfism. This double standard illustrates theeugenic, ableist ideology of our contemporary society.6 The topic of HIV, Human Rights, and Women in thecontext of HIV Criminalization emerged several timesat the most recent International Conference on AIDSand STIs in Africa (ICASA) held in Dakar, Senegal inDecember 2008. A specific session discussed this atlength as well as exposing the links between thestruggles of people living with HIV/AIDS and criminalizationand people with disabilities and reproductiverights. This session was hosted by ARASA (AIDSand Rights Alliance for Southern Africa) on December4, 2008. Please see www.arasa.info for more details.7 The Nazi program of racial hygiene took eugenic philosophyto its logical conclusion, eliminating peoplejudged to be unfit or subnormal. People with disabilitieswere the first to be targeted as useless eaters. Atleast one hundred thousand people with disabilitiesand mental illnesses were murdered in gas chambers(Roeher Disability, Community and Society: Exploringthe Links. North York: L’Institut Roeher Institute 1996,7). The “philosophy, personnel, and equipment usedto kill people with disabilities” developed the processfor the extermination of Jews and other ethnic groups(21). Eugenic enthusiasts in Canada fell silent whenthe news became public that Nazi race improvementpractice shifted from sterilizing to killing the unfit(McLaren 147). See also Black, Edwin. War Againstthe Weak: Eugenics and America's Campaign to Createa Master Race. New York: Four Walls Eight Windows,2003. and Forgotten Crimes: The Holocaustand People with Disabilities. A Report by DisabilityRights Advocates. December 1999.8 This was discussed in ARASA’s session on HIV and HumanRights at ICASA 2008 (Dakar, Senegal).ReferencesNo author (1993): Childbirth support for women with disabilities:a report of the equity committee of the interimregulatory council on midwifery. Canadian women’sstudies. DownsviewBLACK, E. (2003): War Against the Weak: Eugenics andAmerica's Campaign to Create a Master Race. NewYorkBLACK, E. (1999): Forgotten Crimes: The Holocaust andPeople with Disabilities. BerkeleyENNS, R (1999). A voice unheard: the Latimer case andpeople with disabilities. HalifaxGROCE, N. (2005): HIV/AIDS and individuals with disability.Health and human rights. BostonLINTON, S. (1998): Claiming Disability: Knowledge andIdentity. New YorkLLOYD, M. (1992): Does she boil eggs? Towards a feministmodel of disability. Disability, handicap and society.LondonMCLAREN, A. (1990): Our own master race: eugenics inCanada, 1885-1945. TorontoNEATH, J. (1997): Social causes of impairment, disabilityand abuse: a feminist perspective. Journal of disabilitypolicy studies. AustinODELL, T. (1993): Disability and Relationships. CanadianWoman Studies. DownsviewREINIKAINEN, M. (2008): Disablistic practices of womanhood.NORA – Nordic journal of feminist and genderresearch. OsloTHOMSON, R.G. (2004): Integrating disability, transformingfeminist theory. Gendering disability. PiscatawaySHAKESPEARE, S. (2006): Disability rights and wrongs.OxonSOBSEY, D. (1994): Violence and abuse in the lives of peoplewith disabilities: The end of silet acceptance?BaltimoreSTEHLIK, D. (2001): A brave new world: neo-eugenicsand its challenge to difference. Violence against women.DaytonUNITED NATIONS (2003): United nations enable website.International norms and standards relating to disability,rights of women with disabilities.www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/comp504.htmYOUNG, I.M. (1990): Justice and politics of difference.PrincetonWENDELL, S. (1989): Toward a feminist theory of disability.Hypatia. BaltimoreWINTERSON, J. (2002): How would we feel if blind womenclaimed the right to a blind baby? The Guardian.LondonZusammenfassung: Dieser Artikel argumentiert, dass eineEinbindung des Themas Frauen und Behinderung in dieFrauenbewegung den Kampf von Frauen mit Behinderunggegen HIV/AIDS stärken kann, indem man die tiefsitzendenVorurteile erforscht, die in Bezug auf die Sexualität vonFrauen mit Behinderung bestehen und wie sie die Wirkungvon HIV/AIDS auf Frauen mit Behinderung verschärfen. Ererörtert, wie die Frauenbewegung in der Geschichte dieVorurteile gegenüber Frauen mit Behinderung verstärkt hat,aber auch die heute wachsenden Möglichkeiten, zusammenzu arbeiten. Er basiert auf einer Überprüfung einerbeschränkten Auswahl von Studien über Frauen mit Behinderunggenauso wie auf persönlicher Erfahrung und Forschungder Autorinnen.Résumé: Cet article présente la thèse que l’intégration duthème Femmes et Handicap dans le mouvement féministepeut renforcer le combat que mènent les femmes handicapéescontre le HIV/SIDA en explorant les idées reçues concernantla sexualité des femmes handicapées et commentelles exacerbent les effets du VIH/SIDA sur les femmes han-20 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAdicapées. Il décrit comment le mouvement féministe a dansson histoire renforcé les stéréotypes des femmes handicapéesmais aussi comment aujourd’hui de nouvelles opportunitésde coopération apparaissent. Il se base sur un choixlimité d’études sur le sujet ainsi que sur des expériences etrecherches personnelles des auteurs.Resumen: Este artículo discute que la integración del temamujeres y discapacidad en el movimiento de la mujer puedafortalecer la lucha de mujeres discapacitadas contra elSIDA. Es necesario de investigar los prejuicios que existenen relación a mujeres discapacitadas y como éllos agravanel efecto de SIDA a mujeres discapacitadas. Además el articulotematiza, como el movimiento de la mujer ha generadoprejuicios contra mujeres discapacitadas en la historia,así como también las posibilidades actuales de cooperación,que existen hoy.Autorinnen: Myroslava Tataryn, BA (Queens, Kanada),arbeitet als Beraterin für marginalisierte Bevölkerungsgruppenbei AIDS-Free World, einer internationalenAIDS-Organisation, die sich darum kümmert,marginalisierten Themen im globalen AIDS-Diskurseine Stimme zu geben. Ihre Erfahrung mit Feminismusund Behinderung stammt von ihrem 26-jährigen Lebenals Mensch mit Behinderung und einem JahrzehntArbeit im NGO-Bereich.Marusia Truchan-Tataryn, PhD (Saskatchewan, Kanada),hat ihre akademische Arbeit abgeschlossen, inder sie sich auf Porträts von behinderten Menschen inder kanadischen Literatur konzentriert hat und erforschthat, welche gesellschaftlichen Meinungen diesspiegelt und verstärkt. Als Feministin und Mutter zweierTöchter mit Behinderung ist sie überzeugte Partnerinund Fürsprecherin behinderter Frauen.Anschrift: myroslavatataryn@aids-freeworld.org,truchan@rogers.comZeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/200921

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAEmpowered Voices: Infusing a Disability Perspectiveinto Women’s MovementsLessons Learned from the Women's Institute onLeadership and Disability (WILD)Susan Dunn & Cindy LewisThis article examines how women with disabilities can increase visibility of their issues and contribute to their communitiesby reaching out to broader women’s rights movements. With over 28 years of experience working withdisabled women leaders from around the world, Mobility International USA (MIUSA) is able to offer practical solutionson the inclusion of women with disabilities in women’s rights movements. This article explores how MIUSA’swomen’s leadership programs have provided opportunities for women with disabilities to link their efforts towomen’s movements.Women with disabilities are coming together tosolve their own problems and claim their humanrights: to access education, decent work,clean water, health services and full participationin all aspects of community life. There area growing number of disabled women worldwidewho are proud of who they are, passionateabout their work and making their voicesheard. Nonetheless, lack of legal structures,negative social attitudes and poverty are stillpervasive barriers that prevent women with disabilitiesfrom fully participating in their communities,especially in developing countries.Women with disabilities must continue toforge international networks of support to increasevisibility of their needs and issues. In aneffort to bring disabled women’s issues to theforefront, women with disabilities have discoveredthey can link their advocacy efforts tobroader social movements. This article examineshow, over the past decade, Mobility InternationalUSA’s women’s leadership trainingshave created opportunities for disabled womento secure a space on the agenda of women’srights movements.Mobility International USA’sApproachMobility International USA (MIUSA) is a U.S.based non-profit organization co-founded in1981 by two women, one with and one withouta disability. MIUSA’s mission is to empowerpeople with disabilities around the world toachieve their human rights through internationalexchange and international development.One of MIUSA’s unique attributes is that wenaturally work with a gender lens. Empowermentof women is integral to who we are andwhat we do. MIUSA values diversity and believesthat all stakeholders have an equal rightto participate and benefit from development intheir communities. It is therefore vital to addressthe needs and experiences of the mostmarginalized groups in all sectors of communitydevelopment, including women, indigenouspeople, youth, older people, and people withdisabilities.Our hands-on grassroots projects have empoweredmore than 2,000 men and womenwith disabilities from over 100 countries. Since1995, Mobility International USA (MIUSA) hasspotlighted the unique needs and issues ofwomen with disabilities, and built a strong networkof women across disability, class, race,and national borders.MIUSA also promotes a human rights approachto the inclusion of women with disabilities.Women with disabilities face double discriminationand are more vulnerable to humanrights violations. Just as women’s rights organizationshave framed gender equality from a humanrights perspective, inclusion of womenwith disabilities must also be seen from thisframework.Laying the FoundationMIUSA initiated the first international symposiumon issues women with disabilities face atthe 1995 Fourth World Conference on Womenin Beijing. Participants of this symposium recognizedand expressed the need for more leadershipprograms specifically for women with disabilities.Since that time, MIUSA has responded22 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAwomen have a boost in self-confidence and aneagerness to harness their creative energy.WILD participants return home equipped withthe skills and resources they need to implementindividual as well as collaborative action plans.They have learned to articulate clear messagesabout their needs to employers, funders, themedia and development organizations. Participantsof MIUSA’s women’s programs move forwardin their personal and professional roles asdisabled world leaders, actively committed toensuring human rights, equal opportunities anda peaceful, just world for all women.By bringing women together, MIUSA haslearned from the experts about the critical, reallife issues that affect women with disabilities,and is better prepared to advocate and providetechnical assistance and information to promotethe inclusion of women with disabilities.“WILD helps us learn concretely what we oftentalk about in theory,” said Sygall. “We are ableto speak more accurately about the issues thatwomen face throughout the world.”Infusing the Disability Perspectiveinto Women’s Rights MovementsThe outcomes of the WILD program revealedmany opportunities for bringing a disability perspectiveto international, regional and nationalefforts to promote the human rights of women.The following are a few lessons learned fromMIUSA’s trainings.1) Women with Disabilities should seek partnerships“I am now better equipped to approachany international development organizationwithout any form of intimidation andto discuss the rights of women with disabilitieswith them.” (WILD Delegate2008)Women with disabilities learned that theyshould actively seek out partnerships. Effectivelyapproaching and communicating with womenfrom the women’s rights movements will putdisabled women’s priorities on the agenda. Disabledwomen must go to meetings, suggest cooperation,offer support, and share their needs.Women with disabilities who are able to communicatea clear message about not only theirconcerns but also offer solutions will increasechances of securing funding for projects, gainingpublic support, building partnerships, attractingmedia attention and achieving overallgoals.MIUSA’s Tips- Do your homework. Know the goals andA WILD delegate from Macedonia practices staying on messagewhile being interviewed during a media workshop.Photo credit: Mobility International USAmission of the women’s rights organization,and be sure that your request is compatiblewith that mission. Be able to explain howyour goals fit with the overall mission of thatorganization. Learn the vocabulary used bythe organization, and use it.- Be specific about exactly what you want fromthe women’s rights organization. For example,“we want women with disabilities to participatein your microcredit program” is moreeffective than “women with disabilities needeconomic empowerment.”- Be prepared to explain the mission of yourorganization and the key points of your requestas concisely as possible. Practice expressingyour main idea in one sentence,then making a brief explanation of youridea.- Be prepared to counter stereotypes aboutwomen with disabilities. Emphasize the capabilitiesof women with disabilities ratherthan focusing only on their problems. Emphasizethat women with disabilities are notinterested in handouts, but want the opportunityto show what they can contribute.- Be polite, positive and persistent. If awomen’s rights organization is resistant onthe first approach, try again (and again!).- Make an offer. Ask how you can assist theorganization, for example with recruitmentefforts, ideas and contacts for making adaptations,accessible meeting space, etc., or insome other way support the NGO in meetingits goals.2) Outreach to Women with Disabilities"The [WILD delegates] were especially impressivehumble yet strong women withreal drive and the potential to becomesignificant leaders in their countries. I24 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAhope that as a result of the GDDI, eachparticipant will secure a mentor or supporterin their country or region, so thatthey can be linked to regional activitiesand additional learning opportunities."(American Friends Service Committee staffmember)More opportunities are needed for womenwith disabilities to share their message. Nondisabledwomen can assist by inviting womento speak on panels and contribute to generaldiscussions, as opposed to creating separatesessions or programs specific to disability. Inthis way, disabled women’s organizations, feministorganizations, and international developmentorganizations can work together and listento each other routinely to support their mutualgoals. Many of the organizations WILDwomen connected with during their trainingshave a far reach and a strong presence amongfeminist movements worldwide.MIUSA’s Tips- Reach out: invite women with disabilities toyour meetings and ask for invitations to theirmeetings. Ask community members to helpSuccess story: Including Women withDisabilities in Nigerian Gender andDevelopment ProgramsA 2003 WILD alumna, Ekaete Umoh of Nigeria,reported on how she was able to put these skillsinto practice. In addressing issues of invisibilityand discrimination of women with disabilities inher community, she has successfully infused theirperspective into the mainstream women’s movement.Ms. Umoh leads a team of disabled and nondisabledpeople as the national coordinator andexecutive director of Family Centered Initiativefor Challenged Persons (FACICP).“Since the WILD program, we have been ableto convince development agencies and embassiesto identify with our work. Through a series ofadvocacy visits paid to development agencies involvedin health and reproductive rights issues,more women with disabilities are being graduallyincluded in the works of these organizations,”said Umoh.Women with disabilities are now being includedin discussions of women’s reproductiverights, HIV/AIDS, and domestic violence. “We arenow well-positioned to promote the issues ofwomen and girls with disabilities in Nigeria,”Umoh stated, “by ensuring that disabled womenissues are included in all development efforts, especiallyas it relates to gender and developmentprograms.”A representative from Sexual Assault Support Services,a nonprofit in Eugene, speaks to WILD women aboutproviding support for women with disabilities.Photo credit: Mobility International USAyou find disabled women. Contact parentgroups, health clinics, social centers, schoolsfor disabled children, churches and communityprograms.- Conduct informational sessions, applicationprocesses and training at the places wherewomen with disabilities meet.- Hold meetings of your projects in the placeswhere women with disabilities meet.- Form partnerships with organizations led bywomen with disabilities.- Hire qualified women with disabilities asfield staff, consultants, trainers, administrators.- Include women with disabilities on communityadvisory councils and Boards of Directors.- Incorporate your services into existing projectsrun by women with disabilities.- Make sure that program information reacheswomen with disabilities in a format that theycan use.- Seek out women with disabilities to contributetheir perspectives and concerns on policiesregarding human rights, development,and issues of importance to women.- Provide support for women with disabilitiesto participate in regional and internationalconferences and policy and decision makingmeetings.- Facilitate coalition-building between womenwith disabilities and other disenfranchisedwomen.- Introduce disabled community leaders to potentialfunders and partners.- Pass on relevant information, news, announcements.- Facilitate opportunities for women and girlsZeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/200925

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAwith disabilities to have mentors - and to bementors.Success Story: Including Women withDisabilities at International Women’sForumsAs an international membership organization,the Association for Women’s Rights in Development(AWID) is committed to advancing therights of women and including marginalizedgroups that have had difficulty getting theiragenda heard on a global stage.AWID, a consistent attendee of the GDDI,took the initiative to invite WILD women to theirinternational forum event. Through personalcontacts made at GDDI, AWID brought WILDwomen from Lebanon, Sri Lanka and Tanzaniato the 2008 AWID Forum in Cape, Town, SouthAfrica. As AWID has demonstrated, the seed forinclusion can start with simply making it possiblefor a few women with disabilities to attendan international women’s conference.3) Women’s Rights Organizations Should beAccessible and Inclusive“The experience of working side by sidewith a blind women made me understandvery concretely what had previously beenan abstract concept: the need for accessibleformat materials.” (GDDI Developmentagency representative)Participants at GDDI noted that the opportunityto spend time with disabled women as colleagueshas brought home the importance ofproviding access and all have incorporated accessibilityconsiderations into the regular projectplanning process.Assessing your organization and programsand receiving technical assistance to improveaccessibility is crucial for ensuring inclusion. MI-USA has built an international network ofwomen with disabilities, creating a significantpool of expertise others may tap into for adviceand resources on making programs inclusive.MIUSA encourages participants to stay in contact,share information and support each others’endeavors. MIUSA also acts as a clearinghouseto assist organizations or individuals infinding the resources or consultants they needto make their work accessible and inclusive.MIUSA’s Tips- Collect data about participation of womenwith disabilities in projects.- Provide training and resources to headquartersand field staff on disability and inclusiveprogramming.- Seek technical assistance from qualifiedwomen with disabilities to assess inclusivenessof policies, staff and programs.- Use low-tech, low-cost solutions to reduceaccessibility barriers.- Seek out the advice of disabled communityleaders and disability-led organizations tofind solutions to accessibility problems.- Arrange for your application processes, materialsand training programs to be accessible:use sign language interpreters, readers,Braille materials, cassette tapes and othercreative arrangements.- Make your meeting places accessible: meetin ground floor rooms, build ramps, addhand-rails to stairways.- Find solutions to transportation barriers:contract with taxis, private drivers, ambulanceservices, rehabilitation services; offermobility aids to assist women with disabilitiesin using inaccessible transportation systems.A representative from the Global Fund for Women explainshow women with disabilities can apply for grants to supporttheir work. Photo credit: Mobility International USASuccess Story: Making Women’sOrganizations More InclusiveA consistent attendee of the GDDI, the GlobalFund for Women, provides small grants tograssroots women leaders throughout theworld. After meeting disabled women at GDDI,the Global Fund assessed their grant-makingprocess. They revised their grant application,which now requires applicants to explain howwomen with disabilities will benefit from theirprojects. They also track how many of theirgrantees are women with disabilities.By making an organizational assessmentand monitoring the inclusion of women withdisabilities in their grant-making process, theGlobal Fund has leveraged their position to impactinclusion of women with disabilities inwomen’s projects around the world.26 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAdisabled women, improving access, and engagingthe academic community will continue to bepowerful catalysts for change. All of thesestrategies have increased the abilities of disabledwomen to connect their work withbroader social movements. Many disabledfeminists around the world are already active infighting for women’s rights; many are newlyemerging leaders. We must ensure that nondisabledwomen involved in the women’smovement consistently make projects, organizations,and meeting spaces inclusive, so we allhave access to each other’s knowledge andsupport. Keep the spirit of international cooperationalive on a personal level, and togetherwe will find strength in our diversity to createmore effective movements for social change.For more information on MIUSA’s women’sleadership trainings or to apply for the nextWomen’s Institute on Leadership and Disability(WILD), please contact womenleaders@miusa.org.Notes1 The Gender, Disability and Development Institute(GDDI) is a four-day retreat held during the WILDprogram where women with disabilities and professionalsfrom international development agenciesmeet to learn from each other and plan for future collaboration.The GDDI is hosted at a retreat center inthe coastal mountain range outside of Eugene, Oregon,USA.ReferencesMOBILITY INTERNATIONAL USA (2004): Building an InclusiveDevelopment Community: A Manual for IncludingPeople with Disabilities in International Development.Eds. Karen Heinicke-Motsch and Susan Sygall.Eugene, Oregon, USAMOBILITY INTERNATIONAL USA (2006): Moving TowardsInclusion. Eds. Cindy Lewis and Susan Sygall. Eugene,Oregon, USA.SYGALL, S./LEWIS. C. (2002): Women with Disabilities: InBeijing and Beyond. Report from the InternationalSymposium on Issues of Women with Disabilities andthe Fourth United Nations NGO Forum on Women:Loud, Proud and Passionate. Eugene, OR, USA.Zusammenfassung: Dieser Artikel untersucht, wie Frauenmit Behinderung ihre Themen sichtbar machen können undwie sie ihre Gemeinschaft unterstützen können, indem siesich an größere Frauenrechtsbewegungen wenden. Mitüber 28-jähriger Erfahrung in der Arbeit mit den Führerinnenbehinderter Frauen auf der ganzen Welt kann MobilityInternational USA (MIUSA) praktische Lösungen anbieten,wie Frauen mit Behinderung in die Frauenrechtsbewegungintegriert werden können. Dieser Artikel erforscht, wie dieMIUSAs Führungsprogramme für Frauen, Frauen mit Behinderungermöglicht haben, ihre eigenen Bemühungen mitder Frauenbewegung zu verknüpfen.Résumé: Cet article étudie comment les femmes handicapéespeuvent renforcer la visibilité de leurs préoccupationset contribuer à leurs communautés en s’intégrant àdes mouvements plus larges sur les droits de femmes. Avecplus de 28 ans d’expérience de travail avec les femmes dirigeanteshandicapées à travers le monde, Mobility InternationalUSA (MIUSA) est en mesure de proposer des solutionspratique pour l’inclusion des femmes handicapées dansles mouvements sur les droits des femmes. Cet article passeen revue comment le programme de Leadership desfemmes de MIUSA a permis de joindre les efforts desfemmes handicapées avec ceux du mouvement féministe.Resumen: Este artículo analiza, como mujeres puedenvizualizar sus temas y como ellas pueden apoyar a su comunidadbuscando contacto con una organización de losderechos de la mujer. Mobility International USA (MIUSA)tiene una experiencia de 28 años de trabajo con líderes demujeres discapacitadas y ofrece soluciones prácticas,decomo mujeres discapacitadas pueden ser integradas en losmovimientos de los derechos de la mujer. El artículo investigaen especial los programas para mujeres líderes con discapacidad,y como ellas vinculan sus actividades con elmovimiento de la mujer.Autoren: Cindy Lewis ist Programmdirektorin bei MI-USA. Susan Dunn ist Projektkoordinatorin für die internationalenEntwicklungs- und Behindertenprogramme.Anschrift: Mobility International USA, 132 E. BroadwaySuite 343, Eugene, OR, USA 97405, Phone/TTY:+1(541) 343-1284, Fax: +1(541) 343-6812,sdunn@miusa.orgwww.miusa.org.28 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAIncluding Women with Disabilities in Gender and DisabilityPolicy: Reflection on Experiences in the Asia-Pacific RegionFareen WaljiWomen with disabilities form part of society’s most poor and excluded members. A review of the limited availableliterature suggests that they are not being included in policies meant for all women. Neither are the specific issuesof women with disabilities successfully captured by organizations that represent people with disabilities, in whichmen tend to be the more powerful stakeholders. Some agencies in the Asia-Pacific region are beginning to engagewith gender and disability as interconnected issues. However, in order to ensure that both gender and disabilitypolicies are inclusive of women with disabilities, they must be engaged in both the process and the outcomesof policy development.IntroductionIt is not new within disability and developmentliterature that women with disabilities are triplydisadvantaged, due to their gender, disabilityand developing world status (UNESCAP 1995,Rao 2005). Though they are the poorest andthe most vulnerable, they are also the leastlikely to be included in development policiesand programs meant for the benefit of all. Asan example, the Millennium DevelopmentGoals (MDGs), the international benchmarksfor alleviating poverty through global progressin vital areas such education, health and genderequality, make no mention of women withdisabilities, or indeed men or children with disabilitiesat all. In particular, though, it seemsthat the connection between women, disabilityand development has yet to be made in manysettings.This article reviews recent gender and disabilitypolicies and examines the extent towhich some of the needs and interests ofwomen with disabilities have successfully beenintegrated into mainstream gender and disabilitypolicies. Where gaps are identified, my aimis to make some recommendations for bridgingthem. The underlying objective is to contributeto improvements in the process of policy developmentand the eventual outcomes for womenwith disabilities.As a practitioner with some recent experienceof disability-inclusive development in Asia-Pacific, I use this region as my primary referencepoint. The literature suggests that policiesdeveloped here share common themes withthose developed in other regions. As policy developmentin the areas of both gender and disabilityare rolled out by bilateral and multilateralagencies, experiences here may help informthe process in other regions.I am also keenly aware that as a womanwithout a disability my understanding of thegaps and priority areas I identify are limited bya lack of personal experience with disability. Myengagement with the issue arises from a studyof the available literature and from workingwith women with disabilities. Their contributionto this debate is much more valuable than mineis, but is often missing. My hope is that this articleprompts policy developers and implementersto ensure that the voices of women with disabilitiesare always central to debates about theissues affecting them.Issues of Voice, Representation andDifferenceWomen with disabilities face unique disadvantagesand differences in life experience to menwith disabilities and also to other women (Thomasand Thomas 2003). Women with disabilitiesare also, themselves, a diverse group. Forexample, the life opportunities available to agirl with a disability born to a middle-class familyin an urban setting may bear little resemblanceto the experiences of a girl in a poor ruralsetting. In most developing countries, however,some commonalities exist.Girls with disabilities are least likely to beable to access an adequate education, or findproductive work; a situation exacerbated by theisolation of rural and remote settings (DfID2000). Early barriers to education and social inclusionleave women with disabilities with fewviable and meaningful work choices later on inlife. Although attitudes about the value of educatingwomen, and including them in meaningfulproductive work, are rapidly changing in theAsia Pacific region, little of this progress hastrickled down to women with disabilities. As agroup, worldwide, less than 5 per cent ofwomen with disabilities are literate (DfIDZeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/200929

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMA2000). Girls attend school on even a more infrequentbasis than boys with disabilities (DfID2000). Even when women with disabilities areengaged in paid work, they earn lower incomesthan other women, hardly sufficient to make anadequate living (UNESCAP 1995). All of thisadds to the perception that they are burdens ontheir family and society, rather than people withthe same potential, given the opportunity forequal participation.Women with disabilities are not adequatelyrepresented in organizations of people with disabilities(DPOs). Studies suggest that althoughpresent, they are less likely to be leaders or decision-makersof DPOs (UNESCAP 1995). MaleDPO leaders in charge of setting advocacyagendas can certainly raise issues of commoninterest to men and women with disabilities,such as access to infrastructure and education,but cannot adequately capture the genderedexperience of disability or the unique barriersfaced by women with disabilities. Anecdotally,livelihood, for example, is often expressed as apriority advocacy area, whereas access to reproductivehealth and education is not.Organizations representing women havealso yet to engage adequately with the uniqueexperiences of women with disabilities. Key issuessuch as poverty, gender-based violence,and barriers to reproductive health care, nodoubt affect women with disabilities as well. Butexperienced in conjunction with disability, barriersto support and other appropriate servicesare magnified for women with disabilities. Forexample, some studies, such as one conductedwith women with disabilities in the Indian stateof Orissa indicate that experiences of violenceare ubiquitous in their daily lives (Mohapatraand Mohanty 2004). Evidence from developedcountry settings suggests that women with disabilitiesare more likely to use permanentmethods of contraception such as hysterectomiesand tubal ligation, with involuntary sterilizationstill in evidence (Fiduccia and Wolfe1999). Suboptimal reproductive health practicesare likely to occur to an even greater extentin developing country contexts wherewomen with disabilities are less likely to knowabout the different options available to them,but are rarely included in reproductive healtheducation programs (UNESCAP 1995). Physicalbarriers to services, communication barriers forinclusion in awareness-raising programs andattitudinal barriers are all examples of howwomen with disabilities experience difference.In addition, women with disabilities are oftenunaware of their own right to control theirsexuality, and education on these rights is onearea where empowering women with disabilitieswould make a huge impact on their abilityto control life choices (CBM 2007).Advocates of women with disabilities suggestthat the self-defined needs of women with disabilitiesremain on the margins of the socialjustice movement, leaving their voices unheardand their views invisible (Fiduccia and Wolfe1999). Sands (2005), reflecting on experiencesfor women with disabilities in the Pacific region,writes that the interconnection between disabilityand gender remains invisible withinwomen’s rights, disability and development.This is particularly evident for women of the Pacificregion where they have not been recognizedas a development priority.Some agencies in the region, amongst them,the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and theAustralian Aid Agency for International Development(AusAID) are beginning to realize thatdisability is an important concern of thewomen’s rights movement, as is gender to thedisability movement.Inclusion of Women with Disabilitiesin Gender PoliciesAusAID’s gender policy aims to advance equalityand empower women as an overarchinggoal of the aid program (AusAID 2007). Thepolicy focuses on improving women’s economicstatus, facilitating access to health care andeducation, and increasing women’s leadershipthrough the promotion of a human rightsframework (AusAID 2007). Although equity,empowerment, access to health care and educationare also important issues for women withdisabilities, no mention is made of how theywere consulted in policy development, or ofhow they will be included in policy outcomes.In a recent audit of its development effectivenessprogram, AusAID recognized that inkey areas such as women’s leadership, the reductionof violence, maternal mortality andmorbidity, results in the Asia-Pacific region havebeen disappointing for all women (AusAID2008). Millennium Development Goals aroundmaternal mortality are far from achieved andhalf a million women continue to die each yearfrom pregnancy related causes (UN MillenniumProject 2005). A further 20 million women sustaininjuries that, left untreated, can lead topermanent disabilities, an example of which isobstetric fistula (UNFPA 2003). This means thatprevention of disability targets around maternityare not being met either.Concerns that women with disabilities arenot well integrated into regional policies have30 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAbeen investigated. In a survey of 16 focal pointsacross the Asia Pacific region on women anddevelopment, not one of them reported thatwomen with disabilities had been included inoverall policy and programming for women(UNESCAP 1995). The same survey found thatwhen programs are developed, too often theyare based on charity or service delivery models,focusing specifically on the rehabilitation ofpeople with disabilities, rather than on the rightto be included in programs meant for allwomen.Although precious little precise disability-disaggregateddata exists for the Asia-Pacific region,we know that because women with disabilitiesare farther behind than their peerswithout disabilities, development activities haveso far made even less impact on them in thesekey areas. The Asian Development Bank suggeststhat gender programming is one blatantexample where the needs of women with disabilitieshave not been addressed; clearly demonstratingthat even in programs focusing onvulnerable groups, women with disabilities willare not yet fully included (Edmonds 2005).Experiences from the Asia-Pacific region suggestthat the concerns of women with disabilitieshave not successfully been raised in genderpolicy, nor are programs effectively includingthem. This is particularly concerning as issuessuch as maternal and reproductive health andgender–based violence, traditional, women’spolicy areas, are unlikely to have overlaps indisability policies.Inclusion of Women with Disabilitiesin Disability PoliciesThe Biwako Millennium Framework for Action2003–2012 (BMF), with its focus on strengtheningthe leadership capacity of disabled people’sorganizations (DPOs) in the Asia-Pacific region,places particular emphasis on the inclusion ofwomen with disabilities. Recently, AusAID’s Developmentfor All: Towards a disability-inclusiveAustralian aid program 2009 – 2014 has takenwhat appears to be a mainstreaming approachto women with disabilities in policy.Mainstreaming came into widespread use inthe mid-90s as an internationally agreed strategyfor ensuring that women’s as well as men’sinterests and experiences were considered andincluded in the “design, implementation, monitoringand evaluation of all legislation, policies,and programs, so that women and men benefitequally” (Derbyshire 2002, p. 9). This approachhas met with varying success. Critics suggestthat gender mainstreaming, rather than a holisticmodel, has grown into a random collectionof diverse strategies and activities concernedwith moving forward the gender equalityagenda (Rao and Kelleher 2005). Critiqueshave also been made that mainstreaming hasbeen approached by some organizations in atoken or ad-hoc manner, rather than as awholehearted institutional commitment. Millerand Albert write that “despite the immense politicalweight applied to make gender a crosscuttingissue and the apparent acceptance ofthis by almost every development agency, theoutcomes have not lived up to expectation”(2006, p. 52). The arguments put forward hereby a number of authors suggests that gendermainstreaming is not, by itself, the solution togender equity issues.In engaging with gender the AusAID disabilitypolicy has taken an important step that isnotably reciprocally lacking in many disabilitypolicies, and its own gender policy: an explicitacknowledgment of the interaction betweengender and disability. The policy states its commitmentto including women with disabilities asfull participants in the development process. Itfurther commits itself to “incorporating genderissues into disability program design (and disabilityissues into gender program design)”,and is one of the first development agencies todo so (AusAID 2008, p. 36).While the acknowledgment of disability/genderinteraction is certainly an important firststep, lessons from gender mainstreaming indicatemore has to be done to ensure womenwith disabilities are fully and equally includedin disability policy.In addition, women with disabilities havespecific concerns and face gender-specific obstacles,which cannot be fully addressed bymainstreaming them into disability policy. As anexample of these specific concerns, access toanti-violence programs, reproductive and sexualhealth education and services have beenframed as both evidence-based and expressedneeds by women with disabilities (Rao 2005,Sands 2005). An early indication that the AusAIDdisability policy may not fully incorporatedevelopment goals for women with disabilitiesis the chosen focus on education and infrastructuraldevelopment, with little mention of violenceor reproductive choice.Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/200931

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAEnsuring Inclusion of Women withDisabilities in Gender and DisabilityPoliciesAs new disability policies and improved genderpolicies are rolled out across the Asia-Pacific region,an important question to ask upfront is:How and where do gender and disability policiesintersect? How will gender policies effectivelyincorporate the needs, experiences andviews of women with disabilities? How will disabilitypolicies mainstream women with disabilities,and effectively incorporate issues thatare a specific priority for women with disabilities?Development of joint frameworks that acknowledgethe links between gender and disabilityis one step in the right direction. Delineatingpolicy objectives and outcomes specificallyfor women with disabilities is another. In practicalterms, this may mean empowering womenwith disabilities to be engaged in gender and indisability policy development and in the monitoringof policy roll out.Some questions policy developers can askthemselves are:- Is mainstreaming an effective strategy for includingwomen with disabilities in genderand disability policy?- Are there additional strategies that can bedeployed alongside mainstreaming focusingspecifically on women with disability?- Have lessons from gender mainstreaming inother sectors been adequately absorbed sothat the similar oversights are avoided in disabilitypolicy?- Is it enough for disability policies to pledge acommitment to equal participation, contributionand benefit for men and women withdisabilities when women with disabilities experiencemarginalization and exclusion in diverseand different ways to men?The approach to disability has been steadilyshifting from a welfare model to a rights-basedand empowerment one, and this has been apparentin the increasing deployment of inclusiveand participatory policy development methodologies.For example, AusAID went about formulatingand articulating its disability policy byconsulting organizations of people with disabilitiesin the Asia-Pacific region. The result is astrategy underpinned by a commitment to theattainment of human rights rather than a focuson service delivery.Similarly, policies in both the gender anddisability sectors can do more to ensure womenwith disabilities have a voice in its development.This could include:- Engaging women with disabilities in dialogueand decision-making in both the areasof gender and disability policy prioritization.- Collecting adequate disaggregated data onwomen with disabilities and building localcapacity to do this effectively, so that policy isinformed by evidence.- Focusing on the financial, attitudinal andphysical barriers that prevent equal access(bearing in mind that women with disabilitiesface different obstacles to women withoutdisabilities and men).- Strengthening the leadership of organizationsspecifically representing the experiencesand interests of women with disabilities.- Increasing the capacity of women with disabilitiesto represent themselves in both disabilityand gender interest groups.- Create mechanisms for accountability inboth sectors and including women with disabilitiesin all aspects of this process.- Developing a specific policy addressing thekey concerns of women with disabilities, andensuring these are well integrated into bothdisability and gender policies.Moving ForwardA review of the literature suggests that womenwith disabilities are not being effectively includedin gender policies. Their specific concernsmay not also be adequately addressedwith disability policies alone. Ensuring that theinteraction between gender and disability isconsidered in policy development may be oneway of providing equity for women with disabilities.Another is by including women withdisabilities in gender policies. In addition, genderand disability silos could be broken downby articulating unique policies addressing thekey concerns of women with disabilities. Thisarticle puts forwards some issues for policy developersto consider with regard to more effectiveinclusion. However, by far, the most importantmeans of ensuring women with disabilitiesare being included is by ensuring they play acentral role in both the process and the outcomeof all gender and disability policies.32 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAReferencesALBERT, B./MILLER, C. (2006): Mainstreaming disability indevelopment cooperation: lessons from gender mainstreaming.In or out of the mainstream? Lessons fromresearch on disability and development cooperation.The Disability Press. LeedsAUSAID (2007): Gender equality in Australia’s aid program– why and how. AusAID. CanberraAUSAID (2008): Gender equality: Annual thematic performancereport 2006 – 2007. AusAID. CanberraAUSAID (2008): Development for all: Towards a disability-inclusiveAustralian aid program 2009 – 2014. AusAID.CanberraCBM (2007): CBM Disability and Development Policy.CBM. BensheimDERBYSHIRE (2002): Gender Manual: A practical guidefor development policy makers and practitioners. SocialDevelopment Division, DFID. LondonDFID (2000): Disability, Poverty and Development. DFID.LondonEDMONDS, L.J. (2005): Disabled People and Development.Poverty and Social Development Papers. No. 12/ 2005. ADB. ManilaFIDUCCIA, B.W./Wolfe, L.R. (1999): Women and girls withdisabilities: defining the issues. Center for WomenPolicy Studies and Women & Philanthropy. WashingtonMOHAPATRA, S./MOHANTY, M. (2004): Abuse and activitylimitation: A study on domestic violence against disabledwomen in Orissa, India. Swabhiman. OrissaRAO, I. (2005): Equity to women with disabilities in India.CBR Network. BangaloreRAO, A./KELLEHER, D. (2005): Is there life after gendermainstreaming? Gender and Development. 13 (2), 57– 69SANDS, T. (2005): A voice of our own: advocacy by womenwith disability in Australia and the Pacific. Genderand Development. 13 (3), 51 -62THOMAS, M./THOMAS, M.J. (2003): Addressing concernsof women with disabilities in CBR. Paper presented atUNESCAP Workshop on Women and Disability. BangkokUNESCAP (1995): Hidden Sisters: Women with Disabilitiesin the Asia Pacific Region. Social Development DivisionUNFPA (2003): Maternal mortality update 2002: A focuson emergency obstetric care. UNFPA. New YorkUNITED NATIONS MILLENIUM PROJECT TAST FORCE ONEDUCATION AND GENDER EQUALITY (2005): TakingAction: Achieving gender equality and empoweringwomen. Earthscan. LondonZusammenfassung: Frauen mit Behinderung gehören zuden ärmsten und ausgegrenztesten Mitgliedern der Gesellschaft.Eine Überprüfung der beschränkten verfügbaren Literaturlegt nahe, dass sie nicht in die Politik eingeschlossensind, die für alle Frauen bestimmt ist. Geausowenig werdendie speziellen Fragen zu Frauen mit Behinderung in Organisationenberücksichtigt, die Menschen mit Behinderungvertreten und in denen Männer für gewöhnlich die mächtigerenAkteure sind. Einige Behörden in der Asien-Pazifik-Region beginnen, sich um Geschlecht und Behinderung alsmiteinander verbundene Themen zu kümmern. Um jedochzu gewährleisten, dass beide – Gender- und Behindertenpolitik– Frauen mit Behinderung einschließen, müssen diesesowohl in den Prozess als auch in die Ergebnisse der Politikentwicklungintegriert werden.Résumé: Les femmes handicapées représentent une partiede la société la plus exclue et la plus pauvre. Un passageen revue du peu de littérature disponible suggère qu’ellesn’ont pas été inclues dans les politiques concernant les femmesen général. De même les aspects spécifiques aux femmeshandicapées n’ont pas été pris en compte par les organisationsde personnes handicapées, dans lesquelles leshommes handicapés sont généralement plus fortement représentés.Certaines agences dans la région Asie Pacifiquecommencent à traiter les thèmes genre et handicap commedes sujets interconnectés. Cependant pour s’assurer que lespolitiques sur le genre et sur le handicap soient toutes deuxinclusives pour les femmes handicapées, celles-ci doiventêtre intégrées au niveau du processus de développementdes politiques mais aussi dans leurs réalisations.Resumen: Mujeres con discapacidad forman parte de losmiembros más pobres y segregados de la sociedad y sonexcluidas de la política, que representa a todas las mujeres.También las organizaciones de personas discapacitados sondominadas por hombres. Recién comienzan algunas autoridadesen la región Asia-Pacífico a preocuparse por el temasexo y política de la discapacidad. Para asegurar la inclusiónde mujeres en la política de la discapacidad y la de laigualdad de hombres y mujeres, ellas tienen que ser integradasen los procesos y los resultados del desarrollo de lapolítica.Autorin: Fareen Walji arbeitet als Forschungsleiterininnerhalb der Partnership for Disability Inclusive Development,enstanden 2008 zwischen CBM Australiaund dem Nossal Institute for Gobal Health an derUniversität Melbourne. Ihr Forschungsinteresse undihre -praxis konzentrieren sich auf Gender, Behinderungund die Wechselwirkungen zwischen verschiedenenFormen der Benachteiligung. Ihre bisherige Berufserfahrungbeinhaltet Forschung zu Frauenrechtenin Südindien und die Koordination von Projekten zuBehindertenrechten mit Handicap International in Indonesien.Sie hat einen B.A. in Politikwissenschaft, einenM.A. in Development Studies und einen Master inWomen's Health.Anschrift: Research Officer, Disability, Joint Position -The Nossal Institute for Global Health, University ofMelbourne / CBM Australia, 187 Grattan Street, Carlton,Victoria 3010, Australia,Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/200933

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAThe Potential and Promise of the CRPD on the Role ofWomen with Disabilities in the Global Move towardsRecognition and InclusionCharlotte McClain-Nhlapo & Laura McDonaldResearch on the experience of women and girls with disabilities is limited, particularly in resource-poor settings.Existing studies to date highlight that girls and women with disabilities are often vulnerable to discrimination, exclusionand violence. Such exclusion is often caused by societal stigmatization linked to their status in society as itrelates to their disability and gender. This double form of discrimination is furthered by limited research and continuedsocio-economic exclusion. Together, their marginalization within the larger community and society, resultsin their limited access to key activities, critical for health, empowerment, development and well-being, includingfor example, access to education, health services and employment. In this article, in addition to providing informationon the marginalization of girls and women with disabilities, the authors underscore the potential of the Conventionon the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) to respond effectively. The CRPD, widely ratified by morethan 71 countries worldwide, has the potential to lead to concrete actions which can play an important role in ensuringthat the rights of girls and women with disabilities are respected, promoted, and protected. The authorsalso provide recommendations for priority action.The Convention on the Rights of Persons withDisabilities (CRPD) which entered into force inMay 2008 codifies, for the first time, the legalobligation and commitment of its states partiesto protecting, promoting and ensure the humanrights of people with disabilities. To date, theCRPD has been ratified by more than 66 countriesworldwide 1 . This legally binding instrumentwill have an impact, in particular, on thelives of women and girls with disabilitiesthroughout the world – who continue to facedouble discrimination as a result of both theirdisability and gender status (Groce 1997). TheCRPD’s specific and concrete provisions addressthe lived experience of women and girls withdisabilities of dual-faceted discrimination whichoperates at both the policy- and communitylevels.Despite the numbers of women and girlswith disabilities worldwide, there is scarce researchto date on their needs compared toother vulnerable groups. And, in particular,there is scant information on the intersectionbetween gender and disability. This is, in part, aresult of limited research on disability in resource-poorsettings (McDonald & Rockhold unpublished).Not a priority to date in the internationalresearch and/or development agenda.One study, to date which attempts to uncoverthe lived experience of people with disabilities 2and, in particular, that of women and girls withdisabilities.International development and humanitarianaid literature, however, in recent years has increasinglyemphasized that people with disabilities,particular women and girls with a disability,are vulnerable to discrimination, exclusionand violence. In terms of women with disabilities,research has found that women withdisabilities are often a highly marginalizedgroup. In many settings, they are disproportionatelypoor, illiterate, socially isolated and underserved,with reduced if any access to publicservices (Hershey 2000). The literacy rate ofpeople with disabilities worldwide highlights thelevel of exclusion experienced by people withdisabilities – reaching as low as 3%. It furtherunderscores the disparity in terms of genderwhere among women with disabilities the literacyrate is even much smaller at an estimated1%. (UNDP 1998).Within the literature, and in emerging discussionand research, various issues which profoundlyaffect the lives of women with disabilitieswhich require action and attention. Theseinclude: sexual and reproductive health, livelihoodactivities, as well as violence, abuse andexploitation. (Brownridge 2006; Becker et al.1997; Hassouneh-Phillips & Curry 2002). Thecentrality of these issues was recently highlightedin the context of a World Bank/GlobalPartnership for Disability & Development(GPDD) led E-Discussion on Women with Disabilitiesin Development which took place fortwo weeks in March 2009 (see summary in thisIssue and the World Bank Disability & Developmentwebsite 3 ).Despite the noted limitation in research, ex-34 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAisting studies within these areas provide seriouscause for concern. Within many societies worldwide,severe exclusion of girls with disabilitiesbegins at a very young age where they areneedlessly prevented from engaging in basicactivities essential for their development. Forexample, girls with disabilities are not able toaccess schooling. While less than 5 % of childrenwith disabilities access education andtraining according to the UN Secretary General’sReport on the Implementation of theWorld Programme of Action Concerning Disabled,the percentage among girls alone maybe much lower (Rousso 2006). One-third ofout-of-school children in developing countrieshave a disability (Peters 2003). Disability is astronger correlate of non-enrolment than eithergender or class (Filmer 2008).In many contexts, a disabled child is consideredeither a curse or of little use to a family (interms of their livelihood, ability to marry andprocreate, etc.). Further, societal favoritism ofmales can increase the likelihood that girls willexperience slowed development and disability –and exacerbate any existing conditions. For example,in societies which favor boys, familieswith scarce resources might expend greater attentionin meeting the needs of boys which canresult in poorer nutrition and/or reduced healthcare among girls, likely to hamper healthy developmentand to increase the possibility of disabilityand exacerbate any existing disabilitiesor lead to secondary disabilities.The systemic exclusion girls experience islikely to have a negative impact on their selfesteemand perceived value and worth in theirsociety – more specifically, their perceived potentialto participate in society as productivemembers – as workers, as wives, and/or asmothers. These girls – as they become womencontinue to face significant socio-economic exclusionwhich is often thought to signify their“dependency, loss of status and relegation toan unproductive, asexual role in community”(Morris 1991). Such views even further theirisolation. While views that women cannot beadequate mothers and wives are held moretightly among some societies than others, eventhe most modern societies – do not believe inand/or assume women with disabilities are capableof such roles (see Malacrida 2009). A recentWorld Bank study, for example, in Indiafound that women with disabilities were lesslikely to be married than their non-disabledpeers (World Bank 2007).Research in various settings worldwide hasfound that adults with disabilities have highrates of unemployment compared to their nondisabledcounterparts. This is true in both developingand industrialized countries (Eide &Loeb 2006; McDonald & Rockhold, undated; Elwan1999; U.S. Department of Labor 2008).Further, it has been found that women with disabilitiesare affected far worse than their malecounterparts in terms of accessing employmentwhereby “men with disabilities are almost twiceas likely to have jobs than [sic] women with disabilities.”(O’Reilly 2003) Moreover, the experienceof women with disabilities who are in employmentis extremely sub-standard: “Whenwomen with disabilities work, they often experienceunequal hiring and promotion standards,unequal access to training and retraining, unequalaccess to credit and other productive resources,unequal pay for equal work and occupationalsegregation, and they rarely participatein economic-decision making” (Ibid).In the context of severe stigmatization andsocio-economic exclusion across the lifespan,violence is likely to occur and further render awoman with disabilities – precisely because ofher exclusion and required dependence on others– incapable of escaping. Their exclusion, relianceon others for socio-economic well-beingand physical support – combined with limitedaccessibility and accommodation of basic needsby assistance programs, women with disabilitieshave few options for escaping or resolving theabuse.Violence, abuse and exploitation are often acomponent of the lived experience of womenwith disabilities. According to a recent nationalstudy in the U.S. of nearly 1,000 women, 62%of both women with and without disabilitieshad experienced emotional, physical, or sexualabuse over their lifetime. It was also found,however, that women with disabilities experiencedviolence for longer periods of time andwere victimized by a wider variety of perpetrators(i.e., attendants, adult child caregivers,spouses, etc.) than non-disabled women. Ofthe women with disabilities, 13% described experiencingphysical or sexual abuse in the previousyear. (Baylor College of Medicine, undated)This rate is significantly higher than therate of violence reported by their non-disabledcounterparts. Such a high incidence of violenceexperienced by women with disabilities hasbeen found in numerous settings worldwide(Sullivan & Knutson 2000; Hassouneh-Phillips2005; Octay & Tompkins 2004; Kvam &Braathen 2006; Saxton 2009).Research on such areas, as those highlightedabove, can play a critical role in informing policy-making,determining priorities and guidingaction and response of assistance organiza-Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/200935

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAtions. It is also a high level of international attention,commitment and collaboration whichcan act as an impetus for research. Attention tothe needs and rights of women with disabilities,however, has been noticeably absent in internationalhuman rights instruments until very recently.This is part as a result of limited attentionto the needs and rights of all people withdisabilities – and also the gender and the disabilitymovement’s tendency to overlook thoseindividuals whose needs fell in the very nexusof these two movements.International attention to the rights ofwomen as part of the international gendermovement gained attention before attentionwas focused on the rights of those with disabilities.The rights of women were first formally includedin a UN Convention on the Eliminationof Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)which was adopted by the United Nations GeneralAssembly in 1979 and put into practice inSeptember 1981. While CEDAW marked a majorachievement, there was no mention ofwomen with disabilities. Further, while the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights – and theirtwo instruments: the Covenant on Economic,Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and its twinthe Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – addressthe human rights of all people worldwidethey did not make specific reference to personswith disabilities. It was not until the Conventionon the Rights of the Child (CRC) that the rightsof children with disabilities were specificallymentioned in a UN Convention (Article 23).In 1985, only a couple of years after the ratificationof CEDAW and less than 25 years ago,in the context of the third World Conference onWomen, held in Nairobi, was it that womenwith disabilities became more visible. This was,in large part, due to the efforts of women activistsworldwide with disabilities themselves. Theyinsisted in being present and participating inthe conference to ensure that their voices wereheard. While the location of the parallel NGOForum was not very accessible and many governmentaldelegates were more concerned withpolitical issues, activists such as Ruth Begunfrom Disabled Persons International (DPI) in theU.S., were able to convince governments to includetwo paragraphs on women with disabilitiesin the section of the Nairobi Forward-lookingStrategies for the Advancement of Womenon groups requiring special concern.In the above mentioned paper, women withphysical and mental disabilities were among the13 special groups of women listed in the Strategies,and taken together, they were consideredto be vulnerable (UN Enable Website). This importantachievement was followed in 1990 bythe International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention(No. 159) which has been the onlybinding international treaty – until the recentadvent of the CRPD – which specifically mentionswomen with disabilities. This key instrumentaddresses the instruments relates to theright to decent work of persons with disabilitiesand prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability.This achievement was then followed in 1991by the General Recommendation No. 18 madeto CEDAW which also mentions women withdisabilities, recommending that states parties“provide information on disabled women… andspecial measures taken to deal with their particularsituation, including special measures toensure that they have equal access” to varioussocial services and the opportunity to “participatein all areas of social and cultural life”.While the movements towards gender equalityand disability rights over time had beengaining strength and influence, as noted aboveeach was remiss particularly in the early phasesof their movements, to ensure that the lived experienceof individuals who faced discriminationon both fronts – as a result of gender anddisabilities – were protected and considered.These individuals, caught in the nexus of thesetwo movements were at risk of further discriminationas the groups that were thought to representthem – had left their needs and rightsbehind. Those committed to gender equity, byfailing to consider disability and those committedto disability equity, by failing to considergender – perhaps unknowingly and unwittinglyrendered girls and women with disabilities invisible(Rousso 2006).“…women with disabilities are invisibleboth among those promoting the rights ofperson with disabilities, and those promotinggender equality” (UN 2009).This pervasive double discrimination – ordouble jeopardy has promoted a lived experienceamong girls and women with disabilitiesof discrimination and exclusion. Having hadtheir human rights consistently ignored – bothby international policy and on-the-ground, theirhealth and well-being as a result of denied opportunitieshas been impacted. The needs andrights of women with disabilities has gained attentionin recent years – in terms of policy andpractice – and some efforts have been made toprotect and promote their rights and needs. Ata policy level, CEDAW General Recommendationswere added subsequent to its adoption(1991) which specifically focus on the rightsand considerations of women with disabilities.36 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAFurther, there has been growing awarenessamong the disability sector of the importance ofincluding women with disabilities in their movementas leaders. This has generated interestand concern in assistance communities. Otherconventions and growing voices in the contextof the disability movement in various countrieshave also laid claim to the rights and capacitiesof girls and women with disabilities.Despite these efforts, however, for many girlsand women with disabilities, stigma and exclusionhave remained a part of life. The entry intoforce of CRPD has the potential of improvingthe lives of girls and women with disabilities inthe short- and long-term. For the first time, awidely acknowledged and ratified UN core humanrights treaty emphasizes in detail therights of all people with disabilities – with specificattention to the rights of women with disabilities.Gender is specifically mentioned in theConvention’s Preamble and in Article 8 whichfocuses on awareness-raising specifically assertingthat states which are party to the CRPD“combat stereotypes, prejudices and harmfulpractices” including those “based on sex”. Further,and significantly, Article 6 represents thefirst “stand alone” article within a UN Conventionto recognize the specific experience, andrights of, girls and women with disabilities. It“recognize(s) that women and girls with disabilitiesare subject to multiple discriminations”and calls for states to take concrete action toremedy any negative experiences.Specifically, the CPRD provides positive dutyand/or action for the State to rectify any policieswhich abrogate an individual’s humanrights. And, concretely, Article 6 “requires thatmeasures to ensure the full and equal enjoymentby them [girls and women with disabilities]of all their human rights and fundamentalfreedoms” and continues, asserting that “theseinclude the full development, advancement andempowerment of women, for the purpose ofguaranteeing them the exercise and enjoymentof the human rights and fundamental freedomscontained in the CPRD.” This Article is largelycredited for increasing the visibility of this importantissue and for promoting responsibilityacross sectors, organizations and capacities interms of ensuring its effective implementation.The tide is beginning to turn as this issue isexplicitly and increasingly addressed in internationalfora, for example in the recent InternationalRoundtable held by World Bank andGPDD mentioned above. It should be noted,however, that while the CRPD has a stand aloneArticle on “Women with Disabilities”, the CRPDin its entirety extends to women with disabilities.This means that the rights of women with disabilitiesshould not be seen as separate fromthose of all persons with disabilities – for theCRPD pertains to all people with disabilities.The effective and appropriate translation of theCRPD to on-the-ground activities and objectivesrequires the application of a gender lenswhereby women with disabilities are mainstreamedinto all aspects of project design,planning, implementation and evaluation.By acknowledging the lived experience ofwomen with disabilities – and delineating theStates Parties’ responsibility to concretely respondto ensure that the rights of women andall others with disabilities are promoted, protectedand respected, the CRPD marks an historicalachievement. In addition to the CRPDbeing the first international convention to focuson and specifically assert the legal rights ofpeople with disabilities it is also the first Conventionto have been developed with wide participationof the intended beneficiaries themselves.The voices of people with disabilitiesplayed a significant role in the internationalpush towards greater recognition of rights andin the development, design and overall acceptanceof the CRPD in various countries throughoutthe world. Similar to other, nationally-baseddisability movements, this ownership has resultedin a sense of empowerment and reinforcementof the more relevant outcomes whenensuring all policies and interventions arebased on the principles of nothing about us –without us (Charlton 1998). The essence of thisprinciple is that people with disabilities must beinvolved in all aspects of developing norms,standards, policies, processes and proceduresthat affect them as they are often the custodiansof the lived experience and thus are bestequipped to impart such knowledge.This landmark achievement embodied in theConvention can, if applied correctly andthoughtfully, act as a unique catalyst for changewithin signatory countries themselves, implyingmodified legislation and policy, with meaningfulchanges in the lived experience of the lives ofall people with disabilities. The teeth of this instrument,as with all international human rightsinstruments, is the signatory States’ reportingobligations on their adherence to it and on anyadvances, and/or clear efforts, that have beenmade in line with the CRPD’s principles and obligations.States parties that have ratified theCRPD must report on the implementation of theprovisions of the CRPD to the Committee set upto monitor the CRPD. The first report is due twoyears after ratifying the CRPD and then everyfive years. In addition to States parties submit-Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/200937

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAting a report, the CRPD also allows for shadowreports which can be filed by civil society.The CRPD with careful implementation andadherence to its guiding principles has the potentialof furthering and/or making gains alongthe following lines critical in addressing theneeds and rights of women with disabilities.Specifically, it has the potential to promote:Increased Recognition and Voice of Womenwith Disabilities in the InternationalCommunity and in Decision-Making.The potential of women with disabilities asleaders is important in promoting change inviews of women with disabilities as active leadersand role models within their societies. Efforts,such as the 4 th International Women’s Instituteon Leadership and Disability, a threeweektraining held by Mobility InternationalUSA, are taking hold. There have been effortsin various settings to increase the visibility ofwomen with disabilities in the disability movementand to ensure that their voices are heard.In Sri Lanka, the Association of Women withDisabilities (AKASA), in Bangladesh, the SocialAssistance and Rehabilitation for the SociallyVulnerable (SARPV) and in India, the Associationof Women with Disabilities (AWWD) are allengaged in building the capacity and confidenceof women with disabilities to be leaderswith prominent voices in the movement for disabledpeople's rights. In time, it is hoped therewill be a movement of disabled women in everyregion where women with disabilities are takingleadership roles in their communities.A More Inclusive and ResponsiveDevelopment Agenda.The growing recognition in international aidagencies of the importance and relevance of inclusivedevelopment as a necessary step inachieving key strategic objectives, such the MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs). Most ofthe major relief and development agencies aredeveloping and strengthening their understandingof how to ensure inclusive developmentand relief. By changing perceptions ofwomen with disabilities from passive recipientsof assistance – to active partners in programmedesign, planning and implementation will playa key role in ensuring that girls and womenwith disabilities are included, not an add on inassistance programming. By demonstrating internationaland national commitment to therights of people with disabilities, internationalorganizations have received a message thatpolicies and programmes must adapt. Further,it is widely acknowledged that women can askfor more and hold such agencies accountable –as they can more effectively “claim their right toaccess to projects if they are backed up by specialsupportive measures”.Increased Socio-Economic Empowermentand Agency of Women with Disabilities.By promoting the rights and needs of womenwith disabilities – and their potential as productivemembers in society given access to opportunities– such empowerment will reap gainsboth for women with disabilities and the largercommunity. Such programs might focus on entrepreneurialdevelopment assistance such asthe Tigray Disabled Veterans Association inEthiopia. Through this program, individuals areempowered to use their abilities to operatesmall businesses and generate income forthemselves and their families. Another example,specifically focusing on women, is theWomen with Disabilities Entrepreneurship Projectwhich was undertaken in Ethiopia. Economicempowerment will also reinforce theirvoice in community – and empower and emboldenthem to assert their rights in various importantareas – such as health. Often, as notedabove, women with disabilities have reducedaccess to health services yet they are also have“hesitation [in] to ask for services”. Further, theyare “afraid that the request [for specific healthservices and/or attention] will be rejected byprofessionals.” (Nakinishi, undated) This type ofengagement in the community where they areconsidered a productive and valued memberwill likely result in attention to various rightsand needs they may have.Reduced Stigmatization of women withdisabilities at local, national andinternational levels.The severe stigmatization is a major obstacle towomen with disabilities in participating in theircommunities – throughout the lifespan – interms of schooling, employment, and familylife. By addressing current perceptions ofwomen with disabilities as passive recipients –through some of the approaches describedabove – it is possible to break down these barriers.Further, the CRPD brings the rights ofpeople with disabilities into the fore – and emphasizesthe responsibility of countries to promote,protect and respect their rights. As theCRPD has been widely endorsed on an internationallevel – the issue of disability will likelybecome a key consideration in development assistance.Together, these efforts can reducestigma and promote action at all levels and inall settings.38 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAThe authors acknowledge that this list is notexhaustive however they put forward some priorityactions that can help advance the inclusionof women with disabilities:- Disability – and its lived experience and adequatemeasures to ensure inclusion ofwomen with disabilities – must take its rightfulplace on the international researchagenda. Such studies should focus on epidemiology,anthropology, architecture and infrastructure,access to health and education,to name a few. Such research can be used tostrengthen understanding of the lived experienceof people with disabilities and can beused to inform programs and policy development.- Efforts to ensure inclusive development andpromote participation of women with disabilitiesin development must inform interventionsacross sectors, including but notlimited to: socio-economic inclusion, economicempowerment; education includinghealth education (including HIV), protectionagainst violence and abuse, HIV/AIDS preventionand treatment. This can be informed,in large part, by research efforts and input ofwomen with disabilities themselves (see priority3).- Programs and activities to protect and promotethe rights and needs of women withdisabilities should be informed by womenwith disabilities themselves as they are mostcapable of understanding these needs andrights and key aspects of the lived experience.- Women with disabilities are not a homogenousgroup – their disabilities, ages, interests,talents and the settings in which theylive are distinct and often very different. Programsmust be designed with considerationfor these unique factors. Further, attentionmust be paid to specific contexts whichheighten their vulnerability, for example, inthe context of man-made and natural disasters.- Advocacy should continue to encouragecountries to ratify the CRPD. This should becompleted with information on practical approachesand concrete steps that countriescan take to ensure that the CRPD leads toreal and lasting improvements in the lives ofwomen with disabilities.Worldwide, women with disabilities are emergingfrom their isolation to organize themselves,and to form their own self-help and rightsgroups to address their concerns. In developingcountries, there are a few women with disabilitieswho have overcome prejudices and negativesocial attitudes to become role models forothers. Some countries in the global South haveformulated policies relating to health care, educationand rehabilitation to include women withdisabilities. Many non-governmental organizations(NGOs) in these countries are also beginningto include issues facing women with disabilitiesinto their agenda.However, women with disabilities continue toface problems related to access to opportunities,negative attitudes and environmental barriers,which are problems that all persons withdisabilities face. These barriers, coupled withsome of the unique disadvantages that womenwith disabilities face in traditional societies indeveloping countries, have contributed to keepingthem marginalized, preventing them fromtaking their rightful places in these societies. Itis possible to bring about a change in theirsituation through the implementation of theCRPD and in so doing empower women withdisabilities to overcome the disadvantages thatthey face and enable them to contribute to theirsocieties, with the same opportunities andchoices as anyone else.Notes1 http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=2572 One recent study/report that provides a good exampleof the situation of people within a country is “Disabilityand Poverty in Uganda: progress and challengesin PEAP (Poverty Eradication Action Plan) Implementation1997 – 2007” (Uganda Ministry of Finance,Planning and Economic Development, 2008).3 Go to: www.worldbank.org/disabilityDisclaimerThe findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressedin this paper are entirely those of the authors.They do not necessarily represent the views of the InternationalBank for Reconstruction and Development/WorldBank and its affiliated organizations, orthose of the Executive Directors of the World Bank orthe governments they represent.Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/200939

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAReferencesANDERSON, I. (1996): The Status of Women With Disabilitiesin Australia; report prepared for Women WithDisabilities Australia (WWDA); unpublished; WomenWith Disabilities Australia, CanberraNOSEK, M.A./HOWLAND, C.A. / RINTALA, D.H. /YOUNG, M.E. / CHANPONG, G.F. (1997): NationalStudy of Women with Physical Disabilities: Final Report.Houston: Center for Research on Women withDisabilitiesBECKER, H./STUIFBERGEN, A. / TINKLE, M. (1997): Reproductivehealth care experiences of women withphysical disabilities: A qualitative study Archives ofPhysical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Volume 78, Issue12, Supplement 5, Pages S26-S33BROWNRIDGE, D.A. (2006): Partner Violence AgainstWomen With Disabilities. Violence Against Women,Vol. 12, No. 9, Pages 805-822CHARLTON, J.I. (1998): Nothing About Us Without Us:Disability Oppression and Empowerment. Berkeley:University of California Press. Convention on theRights of Persons with Disabilities (2006)EIDE, A.H./LOEB, M.E. (Eds.) (2006): Living Conditionsamong people with activity limitations in Zambia: anational representative study. Report No. A262, SIN-TEF Health Research, Oslo. Available online at: http://www.sintef.no/1c and http://.sintef.no/1c (accessed:January 2007)ELWAN, A. (1999): Poverty and Disability: A Survey of theLiterature. SP Discussion Paper No. 9932. The WorldBank.FILMER, D. (2008): Disability, Poverty and Schooling inDeveloping Countries: Results from 14 HouseholdSurveys. WB Econ. Rev. 22:141-163GROCE, N. (1997): Women With Disabilities in the DevelopingWorld Journal of Disability Policy Studies, Vol.8, No. 1-2, 177-193HASSOUNEH-PHILLIPS, D. / CURRY, M.A. (2002): Abuseof women with disabilities. Rehabilitation CounselingBulletin, Vol. 45, No. 2, 96-104HERSHEY, L. (2000): Women with Disabilities: Health, Reproduction,and Sexuality. International Encyclopediaof Women: Global Women's Issues and Knowledge, 4volumes, published by Routledge PressINTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION (2003): DevelopingEntrepreneurship among Women with Disabilities(DEWD) in Ethiopia: Starting Point: ExploratorySurveys in Addis Ababa and the Tigray Region . Skillsand Employability Department (EMP/SKILLS)KVAM, M.H./BRAATHEN, S.H. (2006): Violence and abuseagainst women with disabilities in Malawi. SINTEFHealth Research. November. Found August 27, 2009at: http://www.sintef.no/upload/Helse/Levekår%20og%20tjenester/AbuseMalawi.pdfMALACRIDA, C. (2009): Performing motherhood in a disablistworld: dilemmas of motherhood, femininity. InternationalJournal of Qualitative Studies in Educationand disability. Vol. 22, No. 1, 99–117MCDONALD, L./ROCKHOLD, P. (unpublished): The HiddenLandscape of DisabilityMORRIS, J. (1991): Pride Against Prejudice: TransformingAttitudes to Disability: A Personal Politics of Disability.The Women’s PressNAKNISHI, Y. (undated): Development and Self-HelpMovement of Women with Disabilities. August 26,2009 at: http://www.independentliving.org/docs5/nakanishi.htmlO’REILLY, A. (2003): Employment Barriers for Womenwith Disabilities. In: The Right to Decent Work ofPersons with Disabilities. IFP/Skills Working Paper No.14. International Labour OrganizationPETERS, S. (2003): Education for All: Including Childrenwith Disabilities. Education Notes, August 2003. WashingtonDC: World Bank.ROUSSO, H. (2006): Education for All: A gender and disabilityperspective. Report prepared for World Bank.Found August 27, 2009 at: http://sarpn.org.za/documents/d0002185/Education_Disability_Rousso_2006.pdfSAXTON (ed): Sticks and Stones: Disabled People’s Storiesof Abuse, Defiance and Resilience. See for moreinformation: http://www.wid.org/news/sticks-and-stones-1SMITH, A./TWOMEY, B. (2002): Labour market experiencesof people with disabilities. Labour Market Trends.August. National Statistics Features. Found August27, 2009 at: http://www.habintegdec.org.uk/data/files/publications/people_with_disabilities_aug2002.pdfUganda Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development(2008): Disability and poverty in Uganda:progress and challenges in PEAP (Poverty EradicationAction Plan) implementation 1997 – 2007, pp 129UNDP (2008)UN (2009): Women with Disabilities. Women Watch: Informationand Resources on Gender Equality and Empowermentof Women. Found August 27, 2009 at:http://www.un.org/womenwatch/enable/UN Secretary General Report: Information found here citingthe SG’s report: http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=258U.S. Department of Labor (2008): Labor Force Statisticsfrom the Current Population Survey. Bureau of LaborStatistics. Found August 27, 2009 at: http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsdisability.htmWORLD BANK (2007): People with Disabilities in India:From Commitments to Outcomes. Human DevelopmentUnit, South Asia Region. Washington DC: WorldBankZusammenfassung: Die Forschung zu Erfahrungen vonFrauen und Mädchen mit Behinderung ist begrenzt, besondersin ressourcenarmen Gebieten. Bereits existierende Studienzeigen, dass Mädchen und Frauen mit Behinderungoft anfällig sind für Diskriminierung, Ausschluss und Gewalt.Dieser Ausschluss wird häufig durch die gesellschaftli-40 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

S CHWERPUNKTTHEMAche Brandmarkung hervorgerufen, die mit ihrem gesellschtlichenStatus, verbunden mit ihrer Behinderung undihrem Geschlecht, zusammenhängt. Diese doppelte Formder Diskriminierung wird durch begrenzte Forschung undkontinuierliche sozioökonomische Ausgrenzung vorangetrieben.Zugleich führt ihre Marginalisierung in größerenGemeinschaften und der Gesellschaft zu begrenztem Zugangzu Schlüsseltätigkeiten, die entscheidend sind für Gesundheit,Empowerment, Entwicklung und Wohlbefinden,beispielsweise Zugang zu Bildung, Gesundheitswesen undArbeit. Zusätzlich zur Bereitstellung von Informationen überdie Marginalisierung von Mädchen und Frauen mit Behinderungunterstreichen die Autorinnen die Möglichkeiten derConvention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities(CRPD), wirksam Stellung zu nehmen. Die CRPD, weithinratifiziert von über 71 Ländern weltweit, hat das Potenzial,zu konkreten Handlungen zu führen, die eine wichtige Rollespielen können bei der Sicherstellung, dass die Rechtevon Mädchen und Frauen mit Behinderung respektiert, gefördertund geschützt werden. Die Autorinnen geben zudemdringende Handlungsempfehlungen.Résumé: Les recherches sur les expériences des femmes etfilles handicapées sont limitées, en particulier dans les communautésles plus pauvres. Les études existantes aujourd’huimentrent que les filles et les femmes handicapéessont souvent exposées à la discrimination, l’exclusion et laviolence. Cette exclusion est le plus souvent liée à la stigmatisationsociale liée à leur position dans la société due àleur handicap et à leur genre. Cette double forme de discriminationest renforcée par un manque de recherche et uneexclusion socio-économique permanente. Dans l’ensemble,leur marginalisation au sein de la communauté et de la sociétélimite leur accès aux activités essentielles déterminantespour leur santé, leur développement et leur bien-êtrecomme par exemple l’accès à l’éducation, aux services desanté et à l’emploi. Dans cet article, en plus de donner desinformations sur la marginalisation des filles et des femmeshandicapées, les auteurs soulignent le potentiel de la Conventionsur les droits des personnes handicapées pour apporterdes réponses appropriées. La convention, déjà ratifiéelargement par 71 pays a la capacité de susciter des actionsqui peuvent jouer un rôle important pour assurer quelles droits des filles et des femmes handicapées soient respectés,renforcés et défendus. Les auteurs proposent égalementdes recommandations pour l’action.Resumen: La investigación sobre experiencias de mujeresy muchachas con discapacidad es limitada, especialmenteen medios ambientes de pocos recursors. Estudios existentesmencionan, que éllas son vulnerables con respecto a ladiscriminación, exclusión y violencia. La exclusión es causadaen muchas ocasiones por estigmatización de la sociedadcon el resultado de un acceso limitado a la educación, serviciosde salud y empleo. En este artículo, los autores subrayanla importancia de la Convención sobre los Derechosde las Personas con Discapacidad, que fue ratificado por71 estados en el mundo, y que tiene el potencial de lograracciones concretas. La convención tiene un papel importantepara asegurar que los derechos de mujeres y muchachascon discapacidad sean respetados, promovidos y protegidos.Además los autores proveen recomendacionespara actividades de prioridad.Autorinnen: Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo istMenschenrechtsanwältin. Sie machte ihren Master ofLaws an der Cornell Law School. Sie war ein Mitgliedder South African Human Rights Commission. Bei derWeltbank ist sie zur Zeit Senior Operations Officer imHuman Development Network und Mitglied im TeamBehinderung und Entwicklung.Laura McDonald machte ihren Master an der FletcherSchool of Law and Dimoplacy. Sie arbeitet für dasHarvard Program in Refugee Trauma, das Welternährungsprogrammund ist zur Zeit eine Beraterin desTeams Behinderung und Entwicklung der Weltbank.Anschrift: Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo:cmcclainnhlapo@worldbank.orgLaura McDonald: lmcdonal@jhsph.edoHuman Development Network, The World BankGroup, 1818 H Street, N.W. Washington D.C. 20433,USAZeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/200941

B ERICHTESummary: E-Discussion on Women withDisabilities in DevelopmentWomen with disabilities are consistently among themost marginalized populations in all societies, includingin developing countries. This marginalizationcan - and often does - catapult women with disabilitiesinto poverty and exclude them from their ownhomes and communities. In order to increase thevisibility and understanding of issues affectingwomen with disabilities worldwide among the WorldBank and other organizations, the Global Partnershipfor Disability & Development (GPDD) along withthe World Bank’s Disability & Development Team(part of the Social Protection Sector of the HumanDevelopment Network), Gender & DevelopmentGroup and Office of Diversity Programs, held an InternationalRoundtable Panel Discussion on Womenwith Disabilities in Development on March 10th,2009 in Washington, DC.During this event, the World Bank Vice Presidentof the Human Development Network, Joy Phumaphilaunched a two-week E-Discussion (March 10 –March 25, 2009) on women with disabilities in development.The E-Discussion brought together morethan 140 individuals worldwide. Many of whomwere women with disabilities. Some countries representedinclude Australia, Bangladesh, Germany, India,Jamaica, Kosovo, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia,New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines,and the U.S. The forum played an important role inconsolidating knowledge and raising awareness asto the lived experience of women with disabilities indeveloping countries and how to better ensure theirparticipation in development efforts.The thematic topics posed for discussion included:framing the issue of women with disabilitiesin development; reproductive health of women withdisabilities; violence and access to justice; educationof women with disabilities; women with disabilitiesand the environment; women with disabilities andemployment; and ways to ensure that women withdisabilities claim their place in the developmentagenda. In addition to the themes used to structurethe overall flow of discussion, participants alsoraised, and discussed, additional topics such as infrastructureand accessibility issues, refugee populations,sanitation issues; and caregiving, among others.The barriers women with disabilities face can becategorized according to the three following types:social and environmental; development program/organizational;and with regard to policy dialogue.During the E-Discussion, participants stressedthat the rights and needs of women with disabilitiesare often overlooked given widespread misconceptionsabout women with disabilities and neglect ofeven minor environmental adjustments that couldenable access to basic social services. For example,women with disabilities are often considered asexualor incapable of being a wife or a mother. As a result,participants noted that women with disabilities areoften not provided adequate health care services orinformation, or they may be forcibly sterilized.Women with disabilities also face extreme barriers inaccessing education and employment. In developingcountries, most schools have no wheelchair access,Braille materials, or other features for students withdisabilities, which leads to their exclusion from theeducation system altogether. Employers, for example,may refuse to hire disabled employees on thebasis of concerns that they will need more medicalleave than non-disabled employees. These forms ofdiscrimination, and others, only reinforce the socioeconomicexclusion – and dependence – of womenwith disabilities.Both sexual and domestic violence is a part of thelived experience of many women with disabilitiesworldwide. While women with disabilities have beenfound to be at higher risk of such violence than theirnon-disabled counterparts, often assistance programsand existing legal systems are unfit to addresstheir needs. For example, assistance programworkers may be unfamiliar with how to obtain signlanguage interpreters or their offices may have nowheelchair ramps. In some cases, the law does notafford equal protection to women with disabilitiescompared to women without disabilities. Womenwith disabilities, more likely to be illiterate, may beless equipped to advocate for themselves in legalfora. As a result, women with disabilities often donot report violence. Women who are dependent ona caregiver for their economic and physical caremay, as a result, perceive no option for escape iftheir caregiver becomes violent.Daily life is characterized in many settings by aphysically disabling environment in which governmentbuildings, local businesses and even their ownhomes may be inaccessible for women with disabilities.This further restricts the likelihood of participatingin community and development activities outsidethe home. Moreover, these environments placethose with disabilities are heightened risk in the caseof natural and man-made disasters because theymay be unable to escape danger. The E-Discussionalso highlighted the more marginalized populationsamong women with disabilities – including girls andwomen with learning disabilities, those who are les-42 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

B ERICHTEbian, bisexual and transgender, who are of shortstature, the young and the aging, ethnic minorities,indigenous people, and forcibly displaced populations.E-Discussion participants made recommendationsfor responding to the concerns they raised. Forexample, to promote attention to the health careneeds of women with disabilities, it was suggestedthat pertinent information should be integrated intothe curriculum in medical schools. To ensure adequatehealth education among women with disabilities,information should be made available in a widerange of formats, for example, visual materials fordeaf women or auditory and Braille materials forblind women. Similarly, training should be providedto the police force and other judicial stakeholders atcommunity and institutional level to promote understandingand access to justice and protection. Publictransportation systems should be accessible (e.g.,wheelchair lifts in buses, etc.) to enable transportationto schools, places of employment, and otherpublic services. Children should be given the opportunityto participate in educational activities with attentionto accessible infrastructure, Braille materialsfor blind students, and a sign language environmentfor deaf students. Micro-credit programs should bemore proactive, for example, in including womenwith disabilities to enable access to more social andeconomic opportunities.An overarching recommendation which emergedfrom the E-Discussion was the need for professionalsin the field of development to learn to viewwomen with disabilities not merely as passive recipientsof aid but active agents of change. Participantsemphasized that women with disabilities are themost knowledgeable of their own needs and howthey can be met. Concretely, this means that peoplewith disabilities should be involved in project activitiesat all phases of planning, implementation andevaluation, not only as recipients but also as employedstaff, researchers, and expert consultants.Participants also suggested the following measures:building public awareness by making women withdisabilities more visible in every sphere of society;consulting women with disabilities on developmentactivities which affect them; promoting leadershiptraining for women with disabilities; integrating attentionto the needs of people with disabilities fromthe earliest stages of program and policy planning;and supporting the rights of people with disabilitiesat the local, national and international levels.A summary of the E-Discussion will be publishedshortly.Andrea Shettle & Laura McDonaldReaching the Marginalised – How to ApproachInclusive EducationKinder und Jugendliche, die ethnischen Minderheitenangehören, in städtischen und ländlichen Armutsgebietenleben, von Kinderarbeit betroffen sindoder mit Behinderungen leben, sind nur einige vonzahlreichen benachteiligten Gruppen, die in vielenGesellschaften von der Teilhabe an Bildung ausgeschlossensind. Allgemeinbildende inklusive Schulenfür alle sind nach Überzeugung von internationalenBildungsexperten die wichtigsten Voraussetzungendafür, dass Kinder aus marginalisierten Bevölkerungsgruppeneinen gleichberechtigten Zugang zuBildung und Ausbildung in ihren Ländern erfahren.Dies gilt angefangen von der Vorschulbildung überdie Grundschulbildung bis hin zu weiterführendenBildungsangeboten.Auf Einladung des Bundesministeriums für wirtschaftlicheZusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ),des UNESCO International Bureau of Education (IBE)und der Peter Ustinov Stiftung trafen sich 80 ExpertInnenaus aller Welt und von unterschiedlichenübernationalen wie auch nationalen Organisationenam 10. und 11. September in Schloss Garath inDüsseldorf, um Empfehlungen für Inklusive Bildungals einen künftigen Schwerpunkt der Bildungszusammenarbeitzu entwickeln. Durch Inklusive Bildungsangebotesoll das Ziel des UNESCO ProgrammsBildung für alle, bis 2015 allen Kindernweltweit eine qualifizierte Schulausbildung zu ermöglichen,besser erreichbar werden. Dafür müssennach Ansicht der Konferenzteilnehmer auch der sozialeHintergrund der Familien und die Bildungsbedarfeder betroffenen Kinder und Jugendlichen indie Maßnahmen einbezogen werden.„Bisher gibt es keine verbindliche Definition derRandgruppen, die von den unterschiedlichen Schulsystemenin aller Welt nicht erfasst werden" stelltedie parlamentarische Staatssekretärin im BMZ, KarinKortmann (MdB), bei der Veranstaltung fest. „Darumist es ganz wichtig, in dieser Konferenz eine Übereinstimmungzu erzielen, welche Kinder zu denwichtigsten Randgruppen gehören und durch welcheProbleme ihnen der Zugang zu den Bildungssystemenihrer Länder erschwert oder unmöglich gemachtwird. Darüber hinaus sollten wir uns auf Mus-Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/200943

B ERICHTEter-Konzepte einigen, mit denen die Hindernisse beseitigtwerden können.“ Die Konferenz verständigtesich auf drei Länder in Afrika, Südamerika und Asien,in denen die Empfehlungen der Konferenz beispielhaftumgesetzt werden sollen.Gemeinsam mit den Partnerländern sollen politischeLeitlinien und Umsetzungsstrategien einer InklusivenBildung, die sich an alle Kinder und Jugendlicherichtet, entwickelt werden. Dabei müssendie unterschiedlichen Rahmenbedingungen der Länderberücksichtigt werden, um relevante und qualitativeBildungsangebote in allen Formen und auf allenBildungsstufen gewährleisten zu können.Die Peter Ustinov Stiftung, die sich bereits seitzehn Jahren für benachteiligte Kinder und bessereBildungschancen engagiert, hat zum Abschluss derinternationalen Konferenz zu Inklusiver Bildung dieAbsicht erklärt, erste Maßnahmen des vereinbartenAktionsplans umzusetzen. Drei Projekte an Musterschulenauf drei Kontinenten werden initiiert undunterstützt.Die Probleme vor Ort sind sehr vielfältig. Verschiedenartigefinanzielle Belastungen der Familien,welche durch den Schulbesuch der Kinder entstehen,sind beispielsweise ein wichtiger Hinderungsgrundbeim Zugang zu Bildung: „40 Prozent derärmsten Familien in den Entwicklungsländern müssenzehn Prozent des Familieneinkommens für dieSchulbildung der Kinder aufbringen,“ erläuterteDina Craissati von UNICEF New York. Dabei sei esschwer, die tatsächlichen Kosten zu erfassen, denneine einheitliche Statistik gebe es nicht. Zu den Belastungengehören neben Schulgeld auch Kosten fürBücher, Schuluniformen oder die Teilnahme an bestimmtenSchulprogrammen. „In manchen Ländernmüssen sich die Eltern auch an der Bezahlung derLehrer beteiligen“, erläuterte Craissati. Sicher seinach entsprechenden Erfahrungen in Afrika, dassdie Zahl der Schüler sprunghaft ansteige, wenn dieKosten für Schule gesenkt oder abgeschafft werden.Wie unterschiedlich die Herausforderungen fürdie benachteiligten Gruppen in den verschiedenenTeilen der Welt sind, wurde in den Vorträgen deutlich.Matthias Brenzinger von der Universität Kölnerläuterte, dass es in Afrika im Schulalltag vor allemVerständigungsprobleme gebe. Auf dem afrikanischenKontinent seien 2000 Sprachen erfasst. Welchedavon im Unterricht benutzt werden, wie dieKinder aus anderen Sprachgruppen integriert werdenund wie eine sprachliche Verarmung in Folgeder Einführung allgemeiner Bildung vermieden werdenkönne, sei vielfach noch ungeklärt. Zur Zielgruppeder Kinder und Jugendlichen aus städtischenSlums erläuterte Alex Erich von AVEDIS Social DevelopmentConsultants, dass mehr als die Hälfte dieserGruppe in Asien lebe, vor allem in China, Indienund Pakistan. Die Slums wachsen nicht zuletzt, weildie Überlebenschancen in ländlichen Bereichennoch geringer sind. Es wurde darauf hingewiesen,dass Investitionen in die städtischen Gebiete dieProbleme verschärfen könnten, weil sie damit denZustrom in diese urbanen Randbereiche noch verstärkten.Ein mit städtischer Armut eng verknüpftesThema ist Kinderarbeit. Laut Patrick Quinn von derInternational Labour Organisation sind die Bildungslaufbahnenvon arbeitenden Kindern vor allemdurch einen späten Eintritt sowie frühem Ausscheidenaus dem Bildungssystem gekennzeichnet, dasich Arbeit und Schule meist nicht vereinbaren lassen.Um Kinderarbeit vorzubeugen und zu reduzieren,sei es deshalb entscheidend, Bildungsangebotezu schaffen, die kostenlos, verpflichtend und an dieMobilität der arbeitenden Kinder flexibel anpassbarsind.Von allgemeinbildenden Inklusiven Bildungssystemenprofitieren würden auch Kinder und Jugendlichemit Behinderungen. Jamie Gentile aus Südafrikaführte aus, dass 40 der 115 Millionen Kinder undJugendlichen, die keine Schule besuchen, mit Behinderungenin unterschiedlicher Ausprägung leben.Wenngleich das oberste Ziel die bestmögliche Inklusionvon möglichst vielen dieser Kinder in das reguläreBildungssystem darstellt, so wird es jedoch nachAnsicht der Teilnehmer auch weiterhin für einigeKinder und Jugendliche mit sehr spezifischen Bedarfeneigene Bildungseinrichtungen geben müssen.Das Grundmodell der von der UNESCO empfohlenenInklusiven Bildung wird nicht allein in den Entwicklungs-und Schwellenländern umgesetzt. Es eignetsich auch, in wirtschaftlich hochentwickeltenStaaten mit ausgebauten Schulsystemen umgesetztzu werden und eine bessere Ausbildung für benachteiligteBevölkerungsgruppen zu erreichen. So informiertebeispielsweise Pirjo Koivula aus dem Schulministeriumin Helsinki, dass Finnland derzeit nachdem Ideal von Inklusiver Bildung die Schulgesetzgebungreformiere. Ziel dieser Reform sei, mit einemgerechten und effizienten Bildungssystem vor allemauch Kinder mit Behinderungen besser zu integrieren.Kristina Wendland44 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

B ERICHTELandminen: Neuer Opferbericht veröffentlichtDer neue Bericht Voices From the Ground – Die Stimmender Opfer zeigt, dass die Regierungen weltweittrotz der Fortschritte in der Vernichtung von Lagerbeständenund in der Minenräumung ihre Versprechennicht einhalten, die Opfer von Landminen zuversorgen und wieder in die Gesellschaft zu integrieren.Zehn Jahre, nachdem das Abkommen vonOttawa über ein Verbot von Landminen in Kraft trat,fühlen 67 % der Überlebenden, dass ihre Bedürfnissenoch immer nicht von den nationalen Opferhilfeplänenberücksichtigt werden. Der Aufruf an dieStaaten, das Abkommen besser umzusetzen, unddie Veröffentlichung des Berichts erfolgen zusammenmit dem zweiten Vorbereitungstreffen in Genfam 3. und 4. September, bei dem rund 150 Länderüber den weltweiten Aktionsplan für die nächstenfünf Jahre beraten werden.Der Bericht wurde von Handicap Internationalund anderen Mitgliedern der Internationalen Kampagnefür ein Verbot von Landminen weltweit veröffentlicht.Es ist der erste Bericht, der die Meinungder Überlebenden zur Opferhilfe untersucht. DieStudie wurde im Juli 2009 abgeschlossen und beinhaltetAngaben von 1.645 Opfern aus 25 betroffenenLändern.Der Bericht legt offen, dass Opfer kaum in Entscheidungenund Programme involviert sind, die ihnenselbst dienen sollen. Mehr als zwei Drittel derBefragten fühlten sich von ihren Regierungen in derenPlänen zur Opferhilfe nicht berücksichtigt. Diefehlende Beteiligung erklärt, warum die Mehrheitder Opfer an dem politischen Willen ihrer Regierungin der Bereitstellung von unterstützenden Maßnahmenzweifelt.Überlebende müssen Diskriminierung erleidenund um stark begrenzte Leistungen kämpfen. TrotzVerbesserungen in medizinischer Versorgung undphysischer Rehabilitation müssen sich die meistenOpfer Unterstützung bei ihren Familien und Freundensuchen. Der größte Handlungsbedarf besteht imBereich Arbeit und Bildungsmöglichkeiten. Ergebnissedes Berichts über die mangelnde Opferhilfe beinhalten:Nothilfe und weiterführende medizinische Versorgung:36 % der Befragten sahen Fortschritte im Bereichmedizinische Versorgung, was meist auf verbesserteInfrastrukturen der Gesundheitssysteme zurückzuführenwar.Während viele angaben, Verbesserungen in derAusbildung von Personal zu erkennen, war dasFachpersonal meist nicht dazu bereit, in ländlichenGebieten zu arbeiten. Zudem gab es kaum Unterstützung,die über eine Basisversorgung hinausging.Physische Rehabilitation: 39 % der Opfer warender Meinung, dass sich die Qualität der mobilenEinrichtungen gebessert hätte. Die meisten davonwerden von internationalen Organisationen angeboten.Der Transport zu den festen Einrichtungenbleibt aber ein Problem.Psychologische Betreuung und soziale Wiedereingliederung:Nur 21 % der Befragten sagten, dasssich psychologische Betreuung und soziale Wiedereingliederungseit 2005 verbessert hätten.Das Abkommen von Ottawa über ein Verbot vonLandminen ist der erste internationale Vertrag, derdie Staaten dazu auffordert, Opferhilfe zu leisten.Obwohl alle Mitgliedsstaaten in der Lage wären,den Opfern Unterstützung zu bieten, kommt der Berichtzu dem Ergebnis, dass weniger als ein Viertelder Überlebenden Fortschritte in ihrer alltäglichenLage sehen.Den ausführlichen Bericht in englischer Sprachefinden Sie unter http://en.handicapinternational.be/Voices-from-the-ground_a616.htmlEine Zusammenfassung des Berichts auf Deutschfinden Sie unter http://www.streubomben.de/dieopfer/die-stimmen-der-opfer.htmlDr. Eva-Maria FischerTen years: the African Decade of Persons with DisabilitiesIt is now ten years since the African Decade of Personswith Disabilities was proclaimed. Disability in Africa remainscritical. A lot has been done and gratitude goesto Disabled Peoples Organisations who have put inplace effective mechanisms.Disabled People Organisations in Africa have takenup the responsibility to have disability incorporated intothe development agenda of their governments. It is importantto note that the disability movement in theworld and most significantly of DPOs saw the cominginto force of the UNCRPD in May 2008.A lot of lobbying and advocacy has led to the recognitionof persons with disabilities and changed theworld view of thousands who today accommodate theviews and contribution of persons with disabilities. Thekey objective of most of these DPOs has been to main-Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/200945

B ERICHTEstream disability.The Secretariat of the African Decade of Personswith Disabilities (SADPD) came into being and openedits offices in Cape Town five years ago to support theactivities of the DPOs in the continent and to offertechnical expertise. Its mandate is to facilitate the implementationof the Continental Plan of Action by governments,Disability Organisations and non-governmentalorganisations. Programme work began immediatelyin the five pilot countries, Kenya, Senegal, Ethiopia,Rwanda and Mozambique.To date, the Secretariat has programmes in 21 Africancountries. It envisages to support all 53 Africancountries in the next 10 years (African Decade extendedto 2019). The Secretariat has a number of programmeswhich include HIV/AIDS, Youth and Children,PRSP and Law Policy and Livelihood Opportunities.Implementation of these programmes has been carriedout jointly with DPOs of the various countries. Initialfeedback from disabled persons in the variouscountries indicate that there is an increased inclusionof persons with disabilities.A key achievement of the secretariat is the trainingof 36 resource persons from anglophone, francophoneand lusophone countries as disability consultants andare now supporting SADPD with their diverse activitiesacross the countries such as base line surveys, workshopsand trainings.Training manuals have also been developed andused covering project management, finance and administration,advocacy and lobbying, gender mattersand disability awareness for journalists among others.These manuals are available on the SADPD website.Over the years, information on people with disabilitieshas been lacking. Information is needed for policydevelopment, planning and implementation of inclusiveprogrammes and services. The secretariat hasstarted to fill this gap. It is now possible to know who isdoing what with regards to disability advocacy and lobbyingand service delivery.The SADPD has also established a database of contactsthroughout the continent of DPOs, NGOs, governments,education institutions, individuals, businessesand international agencies such as the UN andthe World Bank. Currently we are building up our informationand knowledgebase to include information onexisting resource materials, tools, policies, legislationsand models of programmes that can be shared asgood practice on disability and inclusion in Africa.The media has been an important tool in disseminatinginformation. People with disabilities are generallyinvisible which leads to lack of power and exclusion.Awareness raising about disability is therefore animportant aspect of the work of the SADPD.On HIV/AIDS, people with disabilities were not includedin the HIV/AIDS awareness efforts around thecontinent although they belong to the more vulnerablegroups. The Secretariat partnered with 16 organizationsfrom Africa and the international community andlaunched the Africa Campaign on HIV/AIDS and Disabilityin Cape Town in January 2007 and the secondCampaign meeting was held in Kampala, March 2008.Both these events enhanced the awareness of governmentsand the general public about the campaign. InDecember 2008 the campaign met in Senegal to promotethe inclusion of disability into the ICASA conference.The Africa Campaign strategic objectives cover afive year period from 2007 – 2011. More than ever,there is increased understanding of the strengths oflobbying and advocacy.There is commitment of governments in 21 states tosupport the inclusion of disability issues in the nationalmainstream policies and strategies, and to strengthenthe leadership of DPOs. Establishment of a network ofparliamentarians with disability in Africa has helpedpromote disability inclusion in political governance.A successful Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) and Disability conference held in Nairobi 15th-17th September 2008, hosted by SADPD jointly withother NGOs drew attention to the world community onthe isolation of disabled people in global developmentprocesses.12 Objectives of the Decade Continental Planof Action1. To formulate and implement national policies, programmesand legislation to promote the full andequal participation of persons with disabilities2. To promote the participation of persons with disabilitiesin the process of economic and social development3. To promote the self-representation of people withdisabilities in all public decision-making structures4. To enhance support services for disabled persons5. To promote special measures for children, youth,women and elderly persons with disabilities6. To ensure and improve access to rehabilitation,education, training, employment, sports, the culturaland physical environment7. To prevent causes of disability8. To promote and protect disability rights as humanrights9. To support the development of and strengthen DisabledPersons’ Organisations10. To mobilize resources11. To provide mechanisms for coordination, monitoringand evaluation of the activities of the AfricanDecade of Persons with Disabilities12. To advocate and raise disability awareness in generaland awareness of the African Decade of Personswith Disabilities in particularThe Secretariat of the African Decadeof Persons with Disabilities46 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

K URZMELDUNGENKurzmeldungenUmsetzung der VN-Konvention über die Rechtevon Menschen mit Behinderungen im Rahmender deutschen EntwicklungszusammenarbeitUnter diesem Titel wurden bei der Deutschen Gesellschaftfür Technischen Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) in Eschborn am 1.September 2009 die Ergebnisse einer entsprechendenStudie präsentiert. Geladen waren VertreterInnen relevanterMinisterien, Durchführungsorganisationen öffentlicherdeutscher Entwicklungszusammenarbeit, Behindertenverbändeund Nichtregierungsorganisationen. Über die GTZvom Bundesministerium für Wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeitund Entwicklung (BMZ) waren Prof. Dr. Theresia Degenervon der Evangelischen Fachhochschule Bochum undder University of the Western Cape in Kapstadt sowie Dr.Christian Jahn im Jahr 2007 zur Durchführung der Studiebeauftragt worden. Mit dem Fokus auf §32 der Konventionzur internationalen Kooperation präsentierte die Autorinnun die Ergebnisse der Studie: Stärken und Schwächenin der bisherigen Umsetzung sowie Empfehlungen an diedeutsche EZ. Die neue BMZ-Referentin für Behinderungsfragenim Sektor Soziale Sicherung und der Leiter desGTZ-Kompetenzfeldes Soziale Sicherung stellten die Reaktionenihrer Abteilungen auf die Empfehlungen der Studiedar und standen den VeranstaltungsteilnehmerInnen fürFragen und Diskussion zur Verfügung. Eine von der GTZherausgegebene Zusammenfassung der Studie ist nun unterdem selben Titel veröffentlicht, die digitale Fassung sowiedie komplette Studie sollen demnächst abrufbar seiWeltwärts mit bezevDas Auswahlverfahren für einen weltwärts-Freiwilligendienstin 2010/11 läuft. bezev unterstützt in Afrika, Asienund Lateinamerika vorrangig Projekte mit Menschen mitBehinderung und sucht dafür interessierte junge Erwachseneim Alter von 18 bis 28 Jahren. Eine Ausreise ist jährlichim Zeitraum Juli bis Oktober möglich, der Mindestaufenthaltim Projekt beträgt 8 Monate. Mehr zum Bewerbungsverfahrenunter www.bezev.de.Die RückkehrerInnen sollen MultiplikatorInnen für dasThema Behinderung in Afrika, Asien oder Lateinamerikasein und sich nach ihrem Auslandsaufenthalt in Deutschlandentwicklungspolitisch engagieren.In der Pilotphase des von der Bundesregierung gefördertenFreiwilligendienstes von 2008 bis 2010 wird bezevvoraussichtlich insgesamt 50 Freiwillige entsendet haben,darunter bislang eine gehörlose. Perspektivisch möchtesich bezev stärker an junge Menschen mit einer Behinderungrichten und ihnen einen weltwärts-Freiwilligendienstermöglichen. Weitere Perspektive ist ein Süd-Nord-Austauschprogramm(so genanntes Reverse), für das sich bezevengagiert.bezev-Preis 20102010 wird wieder der bezev-Preis für hervorragende wissenschaftlicheArbeiten zum Thema Behinderung und Entwicklungszusammenarbeitverliehen.Die Arbeiten können deutschsprachige Diplom-, Zulassungs-,Magister- und andere Abschlussarbeiten sein, diean einer Universität oder Fachhochschule vorgelegt wordensind.Als Auszeichnung werden i.d.R. wertvolle Buchpreiseund eine Urkunde in einer öffentlichen Feierstunde überreicht.Es besteht die Möglichkeit, die prämierten Arbeiten aufwww.bezev.de zu veröffentlichen.Bewerbungsverfahren- Die Arbeiten sollten nicht älter als zwei Jahre sein.- Schicken Sie bitte bis zum 01.04.2010 zwei Exemplarean die Geschäftsstelle von bezev sowie eine digitaleVersion der Arbeit.- Bitte fügen Sie ein Gutachten bzw. eine Befürwortungdes betreuenden Dozenten/der betreuenden Dozentinder Hochschule/Fachhochschule oder einer NRO bei.Bei weiteren Fragen wenden Sie sich bitte an die Geschäftsstellevon bezev.Behinderung und Entwicklungszusammenarbeit e.V.(bezev)Wandastr. 9, 45136 EssenTel.: 0201 - 17 88 963, Fax: 0201 - 17 89 026E-Mail: info@bezev.de, Internet: www.bezev.deMemorandum fordert Reform derEntwicklungszusammenarbeitWie bei früheren Bundestagswahlen hat eine Gruppe vonFachleuten der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit auch für dieWahl am 27. September 2009 ein Memorandum mit Erwartungenan Parlament und Bundesregierung zur künftigenEntwicklungspolitik vorgelegt. Zentral ist die Forderungder Fachleute, in der aktuellen Finanz- und Wirtschaftskrisedie anderen drei langfristig wohl noch bedeutenderenBedrohungen nicht zu vergessen: Die Klima- undUmweltkrise, die Ernährungskrise und verstärkte regionaleKonflikte, die sich zu einem weltweiten Sicherheitsrisikoausweiten können.Weiterhin fordern die Autorinnen und Autoren einedeutliche Steigerung der finanziellen Aufwendung zur Eindämmungund Anpassung an den Klimawandel. DieseKosten müssten zusätzlich zur Öffentlichen Entwicklungshilfe(ODA) bereitgestellt werden. Zusammen sollten lautMemorandumsgruppe die Klimakosten und die Mittel fürEntwicklungszusammenarbeit auf mindestens 1,2 Prozentdes Bruttonationaleinkommens gesteigert werden.Die Lösung der globalen Krisen erfordere integrierteAnsätze unter anderem in der Sicherheits-, Klima-, Energie-und Handelspolitik. Der Entwicklungspolitik kommedabei eine wesentliche Rolle zu; deshalb müsse auch inZeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/200947

K URZMELDUNGEN & LITERATURZukunft die Eigenständigkeit des BMZ erhalten bleiben.Allerdings sei eine bessere Abstimmung mit den anderenrelevanten Ressorts innerhalb der Bundesregierung notwendig,so die AutorInnen. Angesichts der drastisch gestiegenNahrungsmittelpreise in den vergangenen Jahrenspricht sich die Memorandumsgruppe dafür aus, auf denforcierten Anbau von Pflanzen zur Herstellung von Agrarkraftstoffenzu verzichten.Das Memorandum 2009 Entwicklungspolitik in der Zeitweltweiter Krisen wurde in den vergangenen acht Monatenkoordiniert von Germanwatch von entwicklungspolitischenFachleuten aus allen Fachrichtungen erstellt. Unterstütztund finanziell getragen wird es von bisher 170 UnterzeichnerInnen.Es ist abrufbar unterhttp://www.weitzenegger.de/memo/LiteraturDeeg, SophiaStreubomben – Tod im MaisfeldISBN: 978-3-89502-278-4Musa hört einen Hahnenschrei. Seit dem Krieg sind dieauch durcheinander. Krähen mitten in der Nacht, langevor dem ersten Gebet! Er hasst es aufzuwachen, sich indiesem engen Raum wieder zu finden und von verrücktgewordenen Hähnen daran erinnert zu werden, dass dadraußen alles kaputt ist. Krater wie auf dem Mond. Häuser,die in die Knie gegangen sind. Das Wohnzimmer, daszu einem Sandwich geworden ist: zwischen Betonscheibenzerquetschte Sessel, Lampen, ein jämmerliches Tischbeinragt heraus, und ein von der Mutter besticktes Deckchenwirkt wie das übliche Salatblatt im Brotfladen. Musas Hefteund Bücher zerfetzt und verdreckt tief unten im Krater.Musa lebt in einem libanesischen Dorf, das im Krieg vonisraelischen Streubomben getroffen wurde. Als sein Vaterversucht, die gefährlichen Blindgänger am Rande des Dorfeszu finden, wird er schwer verletzt. Musa muss nun dieVerantwortung für die Familie übernehmen, für seine Mutter,die ältere Schwester und die jüngeren Geschwister.Schule und Universität, das Medizinstudium, von dem erund seine Familie für ihn geträumt haben, kann er vergessen.Doch das ist alles nicht so schlimm, wie seinenVater so zu sehen ...Die Geschichte von Musa und dem israelischen JungenMoshe, den er kennen lernt, ist eine Erzählung der AutorinSophia Deeg in einem Buch, das im April neu erschienenist. Die zweite Erzählung handelt von Denis, einem Minenexpertenaus Serbien, der bei Räumarbeiten verletztwird. Mühsam versucht er, sich in seinem Leben im Rollstuhlund ohne seine Hände zurechtzufinden, als er zwei jungenStudentinnen aus Belgrad begegnet ...Das Buch Streubomben – Tod im Maisfeld, herausgegebenvom Verlag Horlemann und Handicap International, bringtden Leserinnen und Lesern anschaulich und sehr persönlichdie Schicksale von Menschen nahe, deren Leben durchStreubomben eine grausame Wendung nahm. Ein informativerInnenteil versammelt Fakten und Hintergründe undmotiviert zum Engagement gegen Streubomben.Bezug: http://www.handicap-international.de/material/buecher-und-broschueren/buch-streubomben-tod-immaisfeld.htmlWHO/UnicefWorld Report on Child Injury PreventionISBN 978 92 4 156357 4Child injuries are a growing global public health problem.They are a significant area of concern from the age of oneyear, and progressively contribute more to overall rates ofdeath until children reach adulthood. Hundreds of thousandsof children die each year from injuries or violence,and millions of others suffer the consequences of non-fatalinjuries. For each area of child injury there are provenways to reduce both the likelihood and severity of injury –yet awareness of the problem and its preventability, aswell as political commitment to act to prevent child injury,remain unacceptably low.In 2005, WHO and UNICEF issued a call for a greatly expandedglobal effort to prevent child injury). This was followedin 2006 by WHO’s ten-year plan of action on childinjury. The plan listed objectives, activities and expectedoutcomes on child injury and covered the fields of data,research, prevention, services, capacity building and advocacy.This joint WHO/UNICEF World report on child injury preventionbrings together all that is currently known aboutthe various types of child injuries and how to preventthem. At the same time, it recognizes that there are majorgaps in knowledge. The report expands on and strengthensthe areas of action set out in the 2005 Global call toaction and the WHO ten-year plan. It is intended, furthermore,to help transfer knowledge into practice, so thatwhat has proven effective in decreasing the burden ofchild injuries in some countries can be adapted and implementedin others, with similar results.The World report on child injury prevention is directed atresearchers, public health specialists, practitioners andacademics. A summary of the report containing the mainmessages and recommendations and a set of fact sheetsare available for policy-makers and development agencies.A version aimed at children – to create awarenessand provide children with a sense of ownership of the issues– and a set of posters have also been produced.Bezug: http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/child/injury/world_report/en/48 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/2009

L ITERATURSwift , Anthony / Maher, StanfordGrowing Pains - How Poverty and AIDS areChallenging ChildhoodISBN: 978 1 870670 35 7Authors Anthony Swift and Stanford Maher bring togetherengaging personal stories and first-hand experiences fromSouth Africa on the effect of HIV and AIDS on young children.The book reveals the wider policies and practice thatare currently falling short of the much needed support tothose impacted by poverty and AIDS. It goes beyond governmentframeworks to explore the grassroots interventionsand effective community responses that are providingcrucial circles of support for vulnerable families andchildren.Bezug: http://www.panos.org.uk/?lid=23576Medico InternationalGlobal Gerecht Gesund? Fakten,Hintergründe und Strategien zurWeltgesundheitISBN: 978-3899652932Gesundheit für alle - unter diesem Leitbild, dieser Forderungsteht die Arbeit von medico international seit 1968.Mit dem Fortschritt der Globalisierung ist dieses Anliegennoch dringlicher geworden.Drei Milliarden Menschen führen heute ihren Kampf umsÜberleben mit weniger als zwei Dollar täglich. Ein Drittelaller Menschen verfügt nicht einmal über die notwendigstenMedikamente. Gar nicht zu reden von den sozialen,kulturellen, ökonomischen und politischen Bedingungen,die für ein gesundes Leben auf Dauer wichtiger sind alsärztliche Hilfe, beginnend mit dem unteilbaren und unbedingtenRecht auf gleichen Zugang zum erreichbarenHöchstmaß an Gesundheit.Die Arbeit von medico international und die seiner Partnerinnenund Partner in Afrika, Asien und Lateinamerika hataber nicht nur mit der Armut, sie hat stets auch mit Kriegund Bürgerkrieg zu tun. Sie setzt deshalb der Gewalt entgegen,womit je vor Ort ein ziviles Leben beginnt, besser -erst beginnen kann: die psychosoziale Betreuung von Gewaltopfern,die Rehabilitation von Kriegsversehrten, dieRäumung von Minen, die Wiederansiedlung von Flüchtlingen,die Ausbildung von Fachkräften, den Aufbau von Gesundheitsdienstenund die Stärkung zivilgesellschaftlicherSelbstorganisation in Basisinitiativen und nationalen wieinternationalen Netzwerken.Solche Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe verlangt, zu den Hintergründenund Ursachen der Not auch politisch Stellung zu nehmen,mit einer anderen Politik zu beginnen.Bezug: BuchhandelTamil Information CentreEnduring War and Health Inequality in SriLankaISBN 1852010215This evidence-based report by the Tamil Information Centre(TIC) analyses, from a human rights and public healthperspective, the impact of the violent conflict in Sri Lankaon health, the health system, and relief and reconstruction.In particular it examines the deteriorating health ofthe population in the conflict zones of the northern andeastern Provinces. This report is the fruit of an extensiveliterature review and discussions with health professionalsand health workers in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. It citesand analyses data derived from the reports of internationaland nongovernmental agencies that have worked inSri Lanka or been involved with Sri Lanka over manyyears. TIC has also collected data, and has initiated andfacilitated the visits of Sri Lankan expatriate health professionalsto assist local agencies and institutions involved inhealth provision and promotion in war-torn areas of theisland.This report highlights the failure of all sides in the conflictto protect health, or to facilitate the rebuilding of thehealth system. It describes the devastating direct and indirectimpacts of the conflict particularly for those living inthe North-East but also for Sri Lanka as a whole. Conflict,criminality, social inequality, lack of democratic processes,political instability and decrepit essential infrastructurecombine to damage health and arrest the development ofa decentralised, primary care-based health system. Immediateaction is needed: the need to find alternatives to violenceand to resolve political differences peacefully, notleast so that ordinary people can rebuild their shatteredlives, could not be more urgent.Bezug: http://www.tamilinfo.org/healthreport.pdfWHOWorld Health Statistics 2009ISBN 9789241563819World Health Statistics 2009 contains WHO’s annual compilationof data from its 193 Member States, and includesa summary of progress towards the health-related MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs) and targets. This editionalso contains a new section on reported cases of selectedinfectious diseases.The contents of this book have been collated from publicationsand databases produced and maintained byWHO’s technical programmes and regional offices. Indicatorshave been included on the basis of their relevanceto global health, the availability and quality of the dataand the reliability and comparability of estimates. This setof indicators provides a comprehensive summary of thecurrent status of national health and health systems, including:mortality and burden of disease, causes of death,reported infectious diseases, health service coverage, riskfactors, health systems resources, health expenditures, inequitiesand demographic and socioeconomic statistics.The section on inequities presents statistics on the distributionof selected health outcomes and interventions withincountries, disaggregated by sex, age, urban and rural settings,wealth and educational level. Such statistics are primarilyderived from analyses of household surveys andare currently available only for a limited number of countries.Bezug: http://www.who.int/whosis/whostat/EN_WHS09_Full.pdfZeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 3/200949

VERANSTALTUNGEN25.11.2009 Tagung: Globales Lernen und Engagement in der Förderschule - Haben wir nicht andereProbleme? in BonnVeranstalter: Behinderung und Entwicklungszusammenarbeit (bezev), Enablement, HandicapInternational und KindernothilfeInformation: Behinderung und Entwicklungszusammenarbeit e.V. (bezev), Wandastr. 9,45136 Essen, Tel.: 0201/17 88 963, Fax: 0201/17 89 026E-Mail: info@bezev.de, Internet: www.bezev.de25.11. - 27.11.2009 Bildungsmarkt: Bildung ohne Ausgrenzung in BonnVeranstalter: Behinderung und Entwicklungszusammenarbeit (bezev), Enablement, HandicapInternational und KindernothilfeInformation: Behinderung und Entwicklungszusammenarbeit e.V. (bezev), Wandastr. 9,45136 Essen, Tel.: 0201/17 88 963, Fax: 0201/17 89 026E-Mail: info@bezev.de, Internet: www.bezev.de26.11. - 27.11.2009 Tagung: Inklusive Bildung: Der Weg, Bildung für Alle zu erreichen (Arbeitstitel) in BonnVeranstalter: Behinderung und Entwicklungszusammenarbeit (bezev), Enablement, HandicapInternational und KindernothilfeInformation: Behinderung und Entwicklungszusammenarbeit e.V. (bezev), Wandastr. 9,45136 Essen, Tel.: 0201/17 88 963, Fax: 0201/17 89 026E-Mail: info@bezev.de, Internet: www.bezev.de28.11.2009 Messe: Engagement Weltweit 2009 mit mehr als 50 Organisationen der personellen Entwicklungszusammenarbeit,der Not- und Katastrophenhilfe und der Bildungsarbeit.Ort: Beethovenhalle - Forum Süd, Wachbleiche 26 in 53111 Bonn.Information: www.engagement-weltweit.org02.12.2009 Internationale Konferenz: „Towards realisation of the MDGs for women and girls with a disability“Ort: Amstelveen, NiederlandeInformation: http://www.dcdd.nl/default.asp?407629.03. - 31.03.2010 Tagung: Zweite regionale Konferenz für Frauen mit Behinderung in Guangzhou, China. Thema:„Innovation mit Dynamik, Entwicklung für Inklusion.“Veranstalter: Guangzhou Disabled Persons' Federation und Guangzhou Association of DisabledWomen.Information: http://www.wdconference2010.org/en/16.06. - 19.06.2010 15. Weltkongress von Inclusion International in BerlinInformation: CTW-Congress Organisation, Thomas Wiese GmbH, Hohenzollerndamm 125,14199 Berlin, Tel.: 030/85 99 62-29, Fax: 030/85 07 98 26,E-Mail: inclusion@ctw-congress.de, www.inclusion2010.de50 Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 2/2009

Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte WeltJournal for Disability and International DevelopmentBehinderung und Dritte Welt ist die Zeitschrift desForums Behinderung und Internationale Entwicklung.Sie erscheint seit 1990 dreimal jährlich in einerAuflage von 850 Exemplaren und wendet sichv.a. an deutschsprachige Interessierte im In- undAusland.Vor allem dank der Unterstützung der Kindernothilfe,Handicap International, Misereor, Caritas International,Christoffel-Blindenmission und Behinderungund Entwicklungszusammenarbeit e.V. erreichtsie viele WissenschaftlerInnen, Fachleute und sonstigeInteressierte in allen Kontinenten.Ihr Anspruch ist einerseits, ein Medium für einengrenzüberschreitenden Informationsaustausch zurThematik darzustellen und andererseits, die fachlicheDiskussion zu pädagogischen, sozial- und entwicklungspolitischensowie interkulturellen Fragenim Zusammenhang mit Behinderung in Entwicklungsländernweiterzuentwickeln.Die Redaktion und der sie unterstützende Fachbeiratsind insbesondere darum bemüht, Fachleute aus allenTeilen dieser Erde hierfür zu gewinnen und einzubinden.Publikationssprachen sind Deutsch undEnglisch; Beiträge in Französisch, Spanisch oder Portugiesischwerden nach Möglichkeit übersetzt. DasProfil der Zeitschrift zeichnet sich durch jeweils einSchwerpunktthema pro Ausgabe sowie einen Informationsteilaus. Die Ausgaben der Zeitschrift Behinderungund Dritte Welt sind auch im Internet abrufbarunter: www.zbdw.de.Dem Fachbeirat der Zeitschrift gehören an:Prof. Dr. Friedrich Albrecht, GörlitzDr. Niels-Jens Albrecht, HamburgMusa Al Munaizel, Amman/JordanienProf. Dr. Mawutor Avoke, Winneba/GhanaBeate Böhnke, FreudenbergSimon Bridger, Kampala/UgandaDr. Windyz Ferreira, Joao Pessoa/BrasilienGeert Freyhoff, Brüssel/BelgienErnst Hisch, WürzburgFrancois de Keersmaeker, MünchenDr. Andreas König, Addis Abeba/ÄthiopienProf. Dr. Narayan Pati, Bhubaneswar/IndienSchwerpunktthemen kommender Ausgaben derZeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt1/2010 Schwerpunktfreie Ausgabe (verantwortlich: Stefan Lorenzkowski)2/2010 Kambodscha (verantwortlich: Mirella Schwinge)3/2010 Umsetzung von Artikel 11/32 der Behindertenrechtskonvention in der deutschen Entwicklungszusammenarbeit(verantwortlich: Gabriele Weigt)Interessierte Autorinnen und Autoren werden aufgefordert, nach vorheriger Rücksprache mit der Redaktionhierzu Beiträge einzureichen. Darüber hinaus sind Vorschläge für weitere Schwerpunktthemen willkommen.HauptbeiträgeKurzbeiträgeAusgabe 1/2010 Ausgabe 2/2010 Ausgabe 3/201031. Juli 200931. November 2009 31. März 201015. November 2009 15. März 2010 15. Juli 2010Liebe Leserinnen und Leser,bitte informieren Sie uns über eine eventuelle Adressenänderung oder wenn Sie die Zeitschrift nicht mehrbeziehen möchten. Geben Sie bitte ebenso Bescheid, falls Ihnen die Zeitschrift nicht zugestellt worden ist.Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt 2/200951

Forum Behinderung und Internationale EntwicklungDas Forum Behinderung und Internationale Entwicklung ist ein Ort für Einzelpersonen und Organisationen,die sich wissenschaftlich und/oder praktisch mit dem Thema Behinderung in Entwicklungsländernauseinander setzen. Beteiligte des Forums können daher sein: Fachkräfte aus dem entwicklungspolitischenund behinderungsspezifischen Kontext, an der Thematik interessierte Einzelpersonen, Organisationender Entwicklungszusammenarbeit, andere involvierte Institutionen/Organisationen sowie Hochschulen.Das Forum will die wissenschaftliche und praxisorientierte Auseinandersetzung mit der Thematik unterstützen.Das Forum gibt außerdem die Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt. Journal for Disability andInternational Development heraus, organisiert bei Bedarf gemeinsame Veranstaltungen und möchte dieVernetzung der am Forum Beteiligten fördern.Kontakt:Forum Behinderung und Internationale Entwicklungc/o Behinderung und Entwicklungszusammenarbeit e.V. (bezev)Wandastr. 9, 45136 Essen, GermanyTel.: +49-(0)201/17 88 963, Fax: +49-(0)201/17 89 026E-Mail: info@bezev.deInternet: www.bezev.deDie Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt wird unterstützt durch:Kindernothilfe Caritas International Europäische Union*Behinderung undChristoffel-Blindenmission Misereor Handicap International Entwicklungszusammenarbeite.V.* Diese Publikation wurde mit Unterstützung der Europäischen Union hergestellt.Für den Inhalt tragen einzig die Herausgeber die Verantwortung;er reflektiert nicht notwendig die Ansichten der Europäischen Union.