Zeitschrift Behinderung und Dritte Welt

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