In the last decade, there’s been a growing awareness of the challenges faced by women with disabilities, fueled by global advocacy movements, increased media representation, and discussions on social platforms. But while raising awareness is an essential first step, it’s simply not enough to dismantle the barriers that hinder the full participation of women with disabilities in society. Awareness must translate into action — action that addresses systemic inequities and empowers women with disabilities to lead independent, expansive and fulfilling lives.
Women with disabilities face unique, intersectional challenges that manifest in various aspects of life, including access to healthcare, education, employment, and housing. The World Health Organization and UN Women have emphasized that women with disabilities are among the most marginalized groups in the world, often excluded from decision-making processes and overlooked in policy and program development. The call for change is clear: it’s time to move beyond mere acknowledgment of these issues and focus on practical, sustainable solutions.
We now know there are actionable ways that everyone—governments, communities, businesses, and individuals—can take to support women with disabilities. From enacting and enforcing robust legislation to fostering community initiatives, improving media representation, and creating inclusive work environments, these steps run the gamut between compliance with legal frameworks and building a society where women with disabilities can thrive without fear of exclusion or discrimination. As I wrap up my series of articles for this fellowship, let’s take one last look at how we can make that vision a reality.
Policy Measures Need To Measure Up
Effective legislation is the cornerstone of an inclusive society, particularly when it comes to the rights of disabled women. Laws are there to establish essential protections and hopefully lay the groundwork for access to healthcare, education, housing, and employment. For women like me, robust legal frameworks are meant to guarantee I can live with dignity, free from discrimination, and have equal opportunities to thrive. Yet, despite international progress, significant gaps remain. While global frameworks like the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities have drawn attention to these issues, the lived experiences of disabled women show that existing laws often fall short of addressing their multifaceted needs.
In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 remains one of the most significant legal victories for the disabled community. It prohibits discrimination based on disability in employment, public accommodations, and transportation, and has been instrumental in advancing accessibility. But despite the ADA’s successes, enforcement remains inconsistent. Women with disabilities often find themselves navigating inaccessible healthcare facilities, battling housing discrimination, and unemployment rates that far exceed those of able-bodied people. This is compounded by intersecting issues such as gender discrimination – sadly, not always adequately addressed by the ADA.
Inspiration From Around The World
Tea UK’s Equality Act (2010) offers a comprehensive approach to disability rights by prohibiting discrimination across a range of areas including employment, education, and access to services. It covers discrimination based on multiple characteristics – in an ideal world, particularly beneficial for disabled women.
Yet many of us in the US still find that while the legal protections exist on paper, they are often not implemented in practice. This gap between legislation and reality remains where the struggle for true equality lies. And reproductive rights are mostly sidelined in broader disability policies – often leaving us without adequate access to family planning services, prenatal care, or even basic sexual health education. At the same time, we’re disproportionately affected by gender violence – yet policies addressing this sad truth often fail to consider the additional vulnerabilities living with a disability can bring. This highlights the urgent need for legislation that acknowledges and addresses the intersectional challenges of being both disabled and a woman.
Countries like Sweden and New Zealand have pioneered policies that incorporate a more holistic understanding of disability rights, embedding principles of gender equality into their disability frameworks. Sweden’s Disability Policy Coordination emphasizes physical accessibility in tandem with participation in social, political, and economic life. In New Zealand, the Disability Strategy aligns with the principles of the CRPD, focusing on promoting autonomy and well-being with specific provisions for women’s health and safety. These examples demonstrate how policy can evolve effectively – to reflect the real needs of disabled women.
Community Is Still Key
While legislation is essential for systemic change, community and organizational initiatives offer direct, on-the-ground support that can transform the lives of disabled women. These initiatives, led by local groups, nonprofits, and disability rights organizations, often provide vital services that bridge the gap between policy and practical, everyday solutions. They are the lifeblood of grassroots activism – creating networks of support filled with empowerment, resources, and solidarity.
Local community programs also play a pivotal role in addressing unique challenges found across sectors where government services fall short. In many cases, these programs focus on improving access to healthcare, education, and housing while offering opportunities for social connection. Initiatives like Housing First have been instrumental in securing safe, affordable, and accessible homes for disabled women. These projects prioritize housing as a human right – and offer a foundation to live independently and with dignity.
Community-led initiatives like disability support groups offer another crucial layer of assistance. These groups, often organized by women with disabilities themselves, provide safe spaces for sharing experiences, learning from one another, and advocating for change. Organizations like the National Council on Independent Living have long been champions of empowering women with disabilities through peer support, advocacy, and leadership training. Similarly, the Disabled Women’s Network (DAWN) in Canada is an organization that focuses on advancing the rights and well-being of disabled women through grassroots mobilization and education. Another powerful example is the Global Disability Innovation Hub – partnering with local communities to develop assistive technology to support disabled people in all aspects of life across multiple issues.
Media Representation Must Move Forward
Fortunately, progress is being made for disabled women in media representation. Public awareness campaigns like #WeThe15which aims to highlight the rights and visibility of the 1.2 billion people with disabilities globally, are helping shift the conversation. By featuring disabled individuals in a wide range of roles—professionals, artists, athletes—campaigns like these break the mold of traditional portrayals and emphasize the potential of disabled women to lead full, empowered lives. The success of shows like Speechlesswhich featured Micah Fowler, an actor with cerebral palsy, and Atypicalwhich focuses on a teenager on the autism spectrum, demonstrates that audiences are hungry for authentic, diverse portrayals of disability.
Of course for each step forward, there are persistent challenges that need to be addressed. The media’s tendency to lean into “inspiration porn”—stories that frame disabled people as extraordinary simply for living their lives—often undermines the depth and complexity of actual experiences. This type of representation diminishes the broader struggles for equality and equity that disabled women face. Instead of being seen as fully realized people, we’re often portrayed as overcoming adversity in ways that do not reflect our everyday realities – and it’s important to shift societal views from seeing disability as a limitation to recognizing it as a natural part of the human experience.
Dismantling Employment Barriers
One of the biggest challenges women with disabilities face in the job market is the lack of accessible hiring processes. Many job postings, application platforms, and interview procedures are not designed with disabled candidates in mind – thus creating barriers from the very first step of the employment process. Digital platforms used for job applications may also lack compatibility with screen readers, or interviews may be held in entirely inaccessible locations. And many companies still have biases against hiring disabled people, assuming that accommodating their needs would be costly or burdensome when the opposite is true. Studies like the report from the International Labor Organization show the cost of workplace accommodations is often minimal – with the benefits of an inclusive workplace far outweighing any initial investments.
Successful corporate initiatives are showing that both creating accessible and inclusive workplaces is feasible and, in fact, beneficial for businesses. Microsoft’s Inclusive Hiring Program actively recruits disabled people by offering tailored recruitment processes and support systems – helping candidates perform at their best. Similarly, Accenture has made strides through its Disability Inclusion Advantage report, which outlines the measurable business benefits of inclusive practices. Their research shows companies that embrace disability inclusion outperform their peers in terms of profitability and value creation, precisely because by fostering diverse teams, they tap into a wider range of perspectives – leading to greater innovation and problem-solving. We can conclude, then, that inclusion is not just a moral imperative but also a business advantage (as is making sure women with disabilities have opportunities to advance into leadership roles).
An Accessible Future For Disabled Women Is Possible
My experience as a fellow with The Loreen Arbus Accessibility is Fundamental Program has deepened my understanding of the multifaceted struggles that women with disabilities encounter, not just in NYC, but across the globe. From the legal frameworks that still fall short of protecting our rights, to the persistent gaps in media representation, employment, and community support, there is so much work to be done.
But I’m also heartened by the countless examples of progress—where inclusive policies, grassroots activism, and corporate responsibility are starting to shift the tide.
Everyday tasks can be challenging—from navigating an inaccessible subway system to dealing with society’s ingrained biases—but there’s also so much beauty and power in the way disabled women navigate and shape the world around them. We’re the architects of our own futures, even as we push for greater access and equity. It’s been a privilege to share my reflections with you – and I leave this series with a renewed commitment to continue advocating for the inclusion we all deserve.
About the Author: Alejandra Ospina is a fellow with The Loreen Arbus Accessibility is Fundamental Program, a fellowship created with Women’s eNews to train women with disabilities as professional journalists so that they can write, research and report on the most crucial issues impacting the disabilities community.
