In the years following the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), international disability rights advocacy was mostly focused on getting on the human rights agenda. It was about getting into the room, becoming visible in places where persons with disabilities had been invisible, and participating in policy development. These were important targets and there was an important focus on uniting people with disabilities across impairments, but less attention was paid to the multiple identities people with disabilities hold.
Today, with the Sustainable Development Goals, leaving no one behind is not only a reference to marginalized communities such as persons with disabilities, but the need for the disability rights community to better include marginalized persons with disabilities.
Women with disabilities are a stark example of the marginalization some sub-groups face within the disability community itself. It’s exciting to hear how many governments are talking about the need for inclusion of women with disabilities. And we also need to keep challenging ourselves.
- How much of the funding reflects this commitment?
- How are we sharing this work and listening to women with disabilities?
- How are we strengthening the movement to include women with disabilities in leadership?
- How are women’s rights donors contributing to this work?