Coming Into View: Women and Disability

When disability rights advocate Anastasia Somoza, a young woman with cerebral palsy, gave her rousing speech at the Democratic National Convention in July she did more to bring disability into the mainstream’s view than anyone else in recent memory. She also reminded the world that there is a gender dimension to disability, one too long overlooked, misunderstood or left unaddressed.
One in five American women – about 27 million of them – have a disability. That number, which is growing, includes women veterans. But women with disabilities often have to fight against two forms of discrimination, one related to disability, the other to gender. This is especially true for women living in poverty, women who are members of marginalized ethnic or racial groups or women who are part of the LGBT community.
One problem, grounded both in disability and gender discrimination, is lack of access to appropriate, affordable, quality health care or regular health screenings, not only in the US but everywhere.
This double-edged issue is exacerbated by the employment challenges disabled women face. The United Nations estimates that 75 percent of women with disabilities are unemployed while employed women with disabilities often earn less than their male counterparts or than women without disabilities.
Internationally, gender disparities also exist in education. For example, while the overall literacy rate for people with disabilities worldwide is three percent, UNESCO estimates that ...

Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - October 4, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: dw at disruptivewomen.net Tags: Disabilities Women Source Type: blogs