March 8 is International Women’s Day. A day of celebrating women across the world. The ‘suffragette movement’ or the fight for women’s rights dates back to the late 19th century. The advocacy for the women’s right to vote started primarily in the UK and United States, but it had a global impact, shaping various feminist movements across countries.
In India, the movement started off with reforms in education, progressing into equal rights in politics, health, wages and so on. After independence, several women’s organisations emerged seeking fair treatment of women at home and at work.
While we can all agree that a considerable amount of change is seen in terms of women’s participation in decision making of all sorts, women inclusion still remains a big agenda of most diversity forums.
And when we add layers of intersectionality, equality is a far-fetched dream for women of lower caste, for women with disabilities, for women of low economic status and so on.
Speaking of women with disabilities, they face double discrimination. Stigma not only surrounds the gender but also the physical or mental limitation. Out of the 2.68 crore (severe undercount) of the total disabled Indian population, nearly fifty per cent are women. And a majority of these women remain hidden from the mainstream, treated as liabilities by their families.
During the course of interaction with a family in Delhi NCR a few years ago, I learned that one of the daughters who had a vision and speech impairment, remained confined to one room. She had never interacted with the outside world or gone to a school. And this is not a unique case of isolation and exclusion.
While we aggrandise the digital strides being made by India, women with disabilities in rural parts of the country have little or no access to a phone. Seeking help or exploring options is not possible without the intervention of the man of the house.
Much like other women, the state of women with disabilities is also influenced by various social, cultural, economic, and political factors. Ill-conceived societal mindset towards disability is an additional disadvantage, that leads to intersecting forms of discrimination and marginalization. As a result, women with disabilities may have lower levels of education due to lack of access to educational institutions. This means they are less likely to be employed. Also, women with disabilities often end up being emotionally, physically, and sexually abused by family, friends, and caregivers.
Yes, the reality is grim. Does that mean there is no reason for this community to celebrate the International Women’s Day? Quite the contrary. Women with disabilities are up against magnanimous odds. So, their success stories scream of resilience and resourcefulness.
Here’s a list of few women who have not only had successful careers but challenged stereotypes, promoting inclusion and equal representation of women with disabilities.
Malvika Iyer: A disability rights activist, an international motivational speaker, and a national awardee. She completed her Ph D after losing both her hands in a bomb blast. She is also a model for accessible fashion.
Sangeeta Gala: Hellen Keller awardee, Sangeeta has trained some of the biggest actors in Bollywood to play the parts of hearing or speech impaired characters. She was born with deafness which also impacted her speech. She has worked as a trainer on several films including Black, Guzaarish, Barfi, Raavan et cetera.
Suvarna Raj: A national awardee, an international para athlete, Suvarna is a vociferous activist for equal accessibility rights for persons with disabilities. As an accessibility auditor, she works closely with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on the Sugamya Bharat campaign. Stricken by polio at the age of two, Suvarna is a para champion in table tennis, powerlifting and athletics.
Preeti Monga: Blind since birth, Preeti is Founder CEO of Silver Linings, working towards education and empowerment of blind women. She is also the first blind Aerobics instructor in India. She is also a national awardee for her work towards employment of persons with disabilities. Preeti has authored two autobiographies, ‘Flight without Sight’ and ‘The Other Senses’.
Virali Modi: A TEDx speaker, influencer and a disability rights activist, Virali is also India’s first wheelchair using model. She was paralysed from waist down at the age of fifteen. Virali has voiced many advocacy campaigns for equal access like #MyTrainToo and #RampMyRestaurant. A marriage registrar in Mumbai was suspended last October when Virali had to be carried up two flights of stairs to register her marriage.
There are several women with disabilities across the world famous for their work and success. Marlee Matlin is an Academy Award winning actress who is deaf. Judy Heumann, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services was well known as the Mother of Disability Rights Movement. Stella Young is an Australian comedian, journalist, and disability rights activist. Haben Girma is an American disability rights advocate and the first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School.
Interestingly, the theme of the International Women’s Day this year is Inspiring Inclusion. Individuals, companies, civil society organisations and even the media makes a spectacle on March 8. And then all is forgotten.
How can we mobilise change? Can we vow to socially include at least one woman with disability this year?