The resources included here include the increasing and varied experiences and perspectives of women with disabilities on a global perspective and cover a broad range of issues.

Abu-Habib, L. (1997). Gender and disability: Women’s experiences in the Middle East. Oxford, UK: Oxfam Publishing.

This book examines the situation of women with various types of disability in the Middle Eastern context, and describes the evolution of Oxfam’s perspective on working with disabled women. It provides a general overview of the concept of disability and includes several case studies from Lebanon, Yemen and the occupied Palestinian territories.

Each chapter looks at specific aspects of the issue and personal histories from disabled women and members of organizations for disabled people provide supplementary testimony.

Oxfam is a development, relief, and campaigning organization that works to find lasting solutions to poverty and suffering around the world.

Alcorn, P., Gropp, H., Neubauer, J., & Reitsma-Street, M. (2004, January). Housing realities and requirements for women living with disabilities in the capital region of British Columbia. Victoria, BC: Women’s Housing Action Team. Retrieved July 20, 2005 from http://web.uvic.ca/spp/documents/realitiesreq.pdf

“There is…little information on the housing situations or perceptions of women…who are living with disabilities. A research study by the Women’s Housing Action Team was conducted in 2003 to help redress this gap. This short report offers a commentary on the magnitude of concerns and a summary of housing realities and requirements identified by a diverse group of women living with visible and invisible physical disabilities in the Capital Regional District of British Columbia.”

Ali, A., & Toner, B. B. (2001, September). Symptoms of depression among Caribbean women and Caribbean-Canadian women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 25(3), 175-180.

This study compared an immigrant sample of Caribbean-Canadian women (n =: 20) and a sample of women living in the Caribbean (n = 20) on the following variables: dominant domain of meaning (defined as that aspect of the participant’s life from which she derives primary meaning for her sense of self); self-silencing (defined as the tendency to silence one’s thoughts and feelings; Jack, 1991); and symptoms of depression. Results revealed that the Caribbean women were more likely to report relational domains of meaning as primary (e.g., family, friendships, intimate relationships), while the Caribbean-Canadian women were more likely to report domain of self-nurturance as primary (e.g., career goals, spirituality). Furthermore, univariate analysis revealed that the Caribbean-Canadian women reported higher levels of self-silencing and depressive symptoms, and derived less meaningfulness from their primary domains of meaning compared to the Caribbean women. These findings suggest that the immigrant experience may be a factor in women’s emotional well-being.

Anderson, J. (2006, March). British women, disability and the Second World War. Contemporary British History, 20(1), 37-53.

This article examines the experience of disabled women during the Second World War. It details the ways in which women were disabled, how they were treated in the Services and the workplace, the processes of rehabilitation that were open to them and how they were catered for by central government. By looking at disabled women the article sheds light on one of the last understudied minorities in history, and seeks to add to the extensive historiography on women and war. The article concludes that disabled women had different wartime experiences to their male counterparts, but that they are a group that requires sustained future historical investigation.

Ansell, K. (2005). Hitting home: Stories of disabled women. Ouch! Disability Magazine [Online]. Retrieved February 22, 2005 from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/closeup/hittinghome.shtml

This web site related the experiences of four disabled women featured in the Disbelief video produced last year by the Leeds-Interagency Project, an organisation providing support for women in Leeds who are experiencing domestic violence. Disbelief was the work of Jane Bethell. Bethell is herself a disabled woman, and her role is to provide support specifically for disabled women experiencing domestic violence, and to raise awareness of the particular issues disabled women face when they become victims of abuse. She believes that she is the only paid worker in the country with such a remit.

Areschoug, J. (2005, September). Parenthood and intellectual disability: Discourses on birth control and parents with intellectual disabilities 1967–2003. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 7(3-4), 155-175.

In 1975, the sterilization of persons with intellectual disabilities was banned in Sweden. The ban can be regarded as an expression of a changed attitude towards persons with intellectual disabilities and towards their right to equal living conditions during the latter part of the 20th century. The question addressed in this study is whether this shift was paralleled by a changed discourse on intellectual disability and parenthood. I will argue that childbearing and parenthood in relation to individuals with intellectual disabilities have continued to be described as problematic and, therefore, as best avoided. The changed discourse on the rights of intellectually disabled persons, however, made it discursively impossible to suggest a coercive application of birth control methods. Instead, birth control was now introduced as an option and a benefit for the woman.

Arnade, S., & Häfner, S. (2005, July). Towards visibility of women with disabilities in the UN Convention. Winnipeg, MB: Disabled Peoples’ International. Retrieved February 20, 2005 from http://v1.dpi.org/lang-en/resources/topics_detail?page=278

A discussion paper on the integration of women’s issues in the “Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on the Protection of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities.”

Aronson, J. (2000, Fall). Missing voices in long-term care policy making: Elderly women and women with disabilities receiving home care. Centres for Excellence in Women’s Health Research Bulletin, 1(1), 14-15. Ottawa, Ontario: Centres of Excellence for Women’s Health Program and Research, Women’s Health Bureau. Retrieved March 18, 2005 from http://www.cewh-cesf.ca/bulletin/v1n1/page9.html
“This study explores the perspectives and aspirations of frail elderly women and younger women with disabilities who rely on care and assistance at home in Ontario. Their voices and their knowledge of the home care system are seldom included in current debates about long-term care policies that are, rather, dominated by the economically-driven imperatives of governments to manage efficiently and offload costs from the public ledger.”

This story is in the inaugural issue of the Centres of Excellence’s newsletter, focusing on a range of issues on women’s health. A full copy of the bulletin can be found at http://www.cewh-cesf.ca/bulletin/v1n1/CWH_english.pdf

Atkinson, D., McCarthy, M., Walmsley, J., Cooper, M., Rolph, S., Barette, P., Coventry, M., & Ferris, G. (Eds). (1999). Good times, bad times: Women with learning difficulties telling their stories. Worcestershire: British Institute of Learning Disabilities (BILD).

In this book, women with a learning disability give voice to their thoughts and feelings on a range of topics, which matter to them. The chapters cover subjects ranging from work, to relationships and the politics of learning disability. The book offers a unique insight into what it means to be a woman with a learning disability in Europe today. It also provides a detailed account of the process by which women with and without a learning disability worked to support each other to make their voices heard. It is essential reading for anyone involved in service provision and a landmark contribution to feminist writing.

Atkinson, D., & Williams, F. (Eds.). (1990). Know me as I am. London: Hodder and Stoughton.

This book is an anthology of poetry, art, and prose by people with learning difficulties. The editors have collected “life stories” from numerous people in such topics as memories, relationships, daily life, a sense of self, struggle and self-determination, oppression, creativity, imagination and fantasy, and transitions. The book concludes with three life stories and an exploration of the key themes of identity, personal struggle, and relationships. The editors also include implications for research and a discussion of their roles as editors.

Backhouse, C. (2005). “Pleasing appearance…only adds to the danger”: The 1930 insanity hearing of Violet Hypatia Bowyer. Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, 17(1), 1-13.

The state’s legal authority to detain individuals within insane asylums in early twentieth-century Canada was deeply influenced by factors of gender, class, and race. Violet Hypatia Bowyer, a working-class, white woman who was just twenty-two years old in 1928, was initially incarcerated in Ontario for leading a “dissolute” life. Wrongly diagnosed as “insane” by prison officials, she tried valiantly, but failed, to secure her release through legal challenge. The expert testimony of the prison officials, the psychiatric “experts,” and the decision of the court all testify to the terrifying coerciveness of law in Canadian history.

Barbuto, R. (2005, July). Issues of gender in the context of the movement of persons with disability. Winnipeg, MB: Disabled Peoples’ International. Retrieved February 20, 2005 from http://v1.dpi.org/lang-en/resources/topics_detail?page=279

Brief report and resolution following a DPI Europe conference, “Disabled Women and Personal Assistance,” that was held in April 2005 in Paestum, Italy.

Barlow, J. H., & Williams, B. (1999, January). ‘I now feel that I’m not just a bit of left luggage’: The experiences of older women with arthritis attending a personal independence course. Disability & Society, 14(1), 53-64.

Few interventions have directly addressed the needs of older people with arthritis. One exception is a recent initiative developed by Arthritis Care, a voluntary organisation working with and for people with arthritis in the UK. The initiative comprised two Phases. In Phase 1, older people attended a well established course designed to increase participants’ sense of control over their own ability to orchestrate the management of their arthritis-related needs. The focus of this paper is on Phase 2 of the initiative, a Personal Independence Course, which introduced older people to the social model of disability and encouraged them to take an active role in the community. Although Arthritis Care have considerable experience of working within a social model framework with younger people, this paper presents the results of the first Personal Independence Course targeting older adults with arthritis. Data were collected in a series of semi-structured interviews yielding rich insight into the lives of this often neglected group of older people.

Barron, K. (1997, April). The bumpy road to womanhood. Disability & Society, 12(2), 223-240.

This paper is based on a qualitative study dealing with societal constraints with regard to womanhood for physically disabled young women in Sweden. The findings show that the young women are subjected to stereotyped views on what having an impairment involves and have to deal with certain normative criteria of what constitutes womanhood. Despite being ‘children’ of their time and culture, i.e. rejecting the traditional subservient role of ‘the disabled’ and of women generally, the young women yearn for the pursuing of tasks, such as caring for children and the home, closely linked to the traditional role of (non-disabled) women. It is argued that this can be understood as a means of counterbalancing an early acquired role of passive recipient. Alongside a positive identification with the group of ‘the disabled’, the interviewees strive towards being seen as something other than disabled, i.e. as women.

Barron, K. (Ed.). (2004). Gender and disability. Lund, Sweden: Studentlitteratur.

This book seeks to contribute to the international discussion about gender issues in disability research.

Bastos, O.M., & Deslandes, S. F. (2008, September). Raising children with mental disabilities: Mothers’ narratives. Cad. Saúde Pública, 24(9), 2141-2150.

Technical advances in neonatology have increased the life expectancy of children with serious health problems. Many of these children experience developmental delay (mental disability) and require special care. The family must adapt to better provide for the child’s needs. This study aimed to identify mothers’ reactions and the obstacles they face to obtain what they consider the best treatment for their children. The study methodology was based on analysis of the mothers’ narratives, drawing on medical anthropology and linguistics. The most typical plots in the narratives showed the impact of the diagnosis and the search for means to adapt to the child’s care, as well as the difficulties encountered in the public health system to obtain what the mothers considered adequate care. The value ascribed to characters in the support network showed the importance of such support in these situations.

Bedard, C., Drummond, C., Ricciardi, J., & Husband, F. (2003). Community women’s circle: A partnership program developed to connect and serve homeless, poor and socially marginalized women with developmental disabilities. Journal on Developmental Disabilities, 10(1), 55-59. Retrieved July 21, 2005 from http://www.oadd.org/publications/journal/issues/vol10no1/download/
bedard_etal.pdf

For approximately three years Street Health Nursing Foundation, Regent Park Community Health Centre and Surrey Place Centre (SPC) have been conducting a drop-in, support group for women who have developmental disabilities and are homeless, poor, and socially marginalized. We found that these women came from a different culture and shared some increased vulnerabilities not shared by the clients we meet at SPC. In order to make the group accessible to these women, keep them coming and hopefully help them to get adequate nutrition, we offered something to eat and drink. The cost of their transportation was also covered. Our aim was to: 1) connect with women who could be referred to SPC services; 2) help them develop a positive sense of themselves; 3) help them to develop socially acceptable and satisfying ways of interacting with others; 4) help them to determine and express their own attitudes, feelings, and values; 5) increase their sense of independence; 6) increase their knowledge base regarding their heath; and 7) develop a method of evaluating the group and individual outcomes. Some of the topics covered in the group included: general health, education, jobs, housing problems, abuse, relationships, feelings, being safe at home and in the community, being assertive, self esteem, birth control, sexually transmitted diseases, losses, and problem solving. Structured monthly workshops have included such topics as biracial relationships, coping with frustration, and self esteem.

Belaza, M. L. (2003). Discrimination against women with disabilities. Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing.

Why do women with disabilities often have difficulty obtaining economic self-sufficiency and equal access to education and training? Women with disabilities should have an equal right to employment, and should be portrayed in ordinary situations in the media, thus letting society benefit from their talents.

Including practical information on how to improve their situation this publication draws attention to these and other problems. Prepared by a group of specialists it analyses the underlying factors of a double discrimination based on gender and handicap and proposes actions to achieve real equality. It will be of interest for all those preoccupied with the fight to counter discrimination throughout Europe.

Benjamin, S. (2002). Reproducing traditional femininities? The social relations of ‘special educational needs’ in a girls’ comprehensive school. Gender and Education, 14(3), 281–294.

The charity/tragedy discourse of disability and traditional versions of femininity bear some striking resemblances. Both are associated with dependence and helplessness, and with resultant practices that are implicated in the enduring reproduction of social and material inequalities. This article looks at the ‘identity work’ of a group of girls, all of whom had been identified as having ‘special educational needs’, in a mainstream school in the UK. Using findings from an ethnographic study, the article explores how the girls position themselves in relation to the subject ‘special needs student’. The findings suggest that historical meanings associated with femininity and disability combine with contemporary schooling practices to produce a constrained range of subject positions around which the girls have limited room for manoeuvre.

Birch, J. (2003, February). Congratulations! It’s Asperger syndrome. London: Jessica Kingsley.

Diagnosed with Asperger syndrome in adulthood, Jen Birch relates her story with humor and honesty, taking us through the years of frustration and confusion that led to her diagnosis in 1999. She candidly describes her continual search for ‘normality,’ her experiences at work, her difficulties with relationships, her time spent in a psychiatric hospital and her struggle for correct diagnosis. Talking positively about how her life has changed since her diagnosis, Jen aims to use this newfound knowledge to inform others about the syndrome and how, once its pros and cons are understood, life can be lived to the full.

Blackford, K. A. (1993). Erasing mothers with disabilities through Canadian family related policy. Disability, Handicap & Society, 8(3), 281-294.

Blackford explores family policy in Canada as it pertains to mothers with disabilities. She argues that Canadian public policy claims to empower disadvantaged groups, and while women with disabilities who are mothers fit into this group, the author shows that they are still, in fact, discriminated against. The author demonstrates through federal, provincial, and municipal government policies that inadequate accommodation for women with disabilities denies them the rights and entitlements due to all Canadian citizens.

Blackman, L. (1999). Lucy’s story: Autism and other adventures. Mt. Ommaney, Australia: Book in Hand.

In her autobiography, Lucy Blackman gives a very detailed insider’s view of autism before and after she learned to communicate through typing. Blackman adeptly discusses the social construction of speech and how her lack of a method of communication allowed the process of the experience of receiving and speaking to pass her by in her early years. In her later years, she developed a friendship with an Australian writer who became her mentor in her burgeoning desire to be a writer. This book, as well as being a fascinating autobiographical narrative, is essential reading on the aspects of sensory discrimination, issues of visual perception, and discussion of the rituals associated with autism. Blackman also provides an in depth discussion of her school placements, what worked, what did not work in her school settings, and how her family relationships bridged both her school and communication gaps. A majority of the book provides a comprehensive discussion of the method of facilitated communication (FC). Blackman goes into meticulous detail as to how she came to learn FC and she takes text from when she first acquired the method and analyzes it to show the process of communication. In this discussion she provides her own explanation for message passing errors (language keys, personal communication perceptions, vision issues), and discusses how she used the method in high school—what types of classroom situations and student-teacher/home communication methods were successful and not. Blackman also gives the reader an honest and sometimes humorous account of her relationship with her mother and sisters.

Blanck, P., Reina, M.V., & Adya, M. (2007, Winter-Spring). Defying double discrimination. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, 8(1), 95-104.

This article examines the 2006 UN Disability Convention aimed at protecting the rights of all people with disabilities, and in particular, its implications and specific provisions addressing the rights of women and girls.

Bourke, K. (Ed.). (2007). Special Issue on Gender Inequality and HIV/AIDS. Health Care for Women International, 28(8).

“This month’s issue of Health Care for Women International presents research into various aspects of how gender inequality and HIV-related stigma combine to affect girls and women. Individually and together, the articles reinforce a larger point: HIV/AIDS is both exposing and exacerbating the long-existing disadvantage and discrimination under which women live. HIV/AIDS policies and programs, across epidemics, must address this reality to be effective” (pp. 677-678).

Articles included in this feature issue include:

• Women and HIV/AIDS in China: Gender and Vulnerability
• Women’s Choice of Strategies for Improving Utilization of HIV/AIDS Screening Services
• The Impact of Migration on HIV Prevention for Women: Constructing a Conceptual Framework
• The Lived Experiences of HIV-Positive, Pregnant Women in Thailand
• Sexual Coercion, HIV-Related Risk, and Mental Health Among Female Sex Workers in China

 
Boylan, E. (1991). Women and disability. London: Zed Books Ltd.

Originally published as a kit for the International Year of Disabled Persons for The United Nations, the main purpose of this edited book is to provide information about the problems that women with disabilities face for not only survival, but for finding a place within their families and communities. The book covers such topics as prevention, education, rehabilitation, caregivers, aging women and disability, and some ways that women are “breaking out of the cocoon of disability.”

Bremer, K., Cockburn, L., & Ruth, A. (2010, March). Reproductive health experiences among women with physical disabilities in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 108(3), 211-213.

Objective: To investigate the reproductive health experiences among women with physical disabilities in the Northwest Region of Cameroon.

Methods: Data were collected in the city of Bamenda through semi-structured interviews with women with mobility impairments, discussions with healthcare providers, hospital observations, and field notes. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded and analyzed for key themes.

Results: The 8 participants included in the study had limited understanding of reproductive health and many had not received basic reproductive health education. Unplanned pregnancy was common and pregnancy was often feared. Respondents reported both positive and negative responses from family, community members, and healthcare workers regarding reproductive health. Most healthcare centers were physically and financially inaccessible.

Conclusion: Women with disabilities need greater education on reproductive health and improved access to health care.

Bualar, T., & Morshed Ahmad, M. (2009, February). Why does community-based rehabilitation fail physically disabled women in northern Thailand? Development in Practice, 19(1), 28-38.

Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) has been adopted in many countries to help disabled people. This article analyses the interplay between CBR and the self-alienation of physically disabled women from their communities. In-depth interviews with 40 women with physical disabilities in northern Thailand found that CBR was barely capable of enabling women with physical disabilities to realise their sense of self within their community, because in itself CBR was unable to change the community’s false impression of disability. Despite participating in CBR programmes, the self-alienation of physically disabled women from their community remained; the authors argue that this was due to the heavy reliance of CBR on medical practice, ignoring gender as a major contributing factor. In addition, CBR field workers obviously failed to grasp the magnitude of social models in disability rehabilitation.

Bucharski, D., Reutter, L. I., & Ogilvie, L. D. (2006, September). “You need to know where we’re coming from”: Canadian aboriginal women’s perspectives on culturally appropriate HIV counseling and testing. Health Care for Women International, 27(8), 723-747.

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to determine Canadian Aboriginal women’s perspectives on culturally appropriate HIV counseling and testing. Data were collected through semistructured individual interviews with 7 Aboriginal women, and one focus group, in a western Canadian city. Four major categories were elucidated through thematic content analysis: Aboriginal women’s life experiences that may influence their risk of HIV infection and their response to testing; barriers to HIV testing; guiding principles of the ideal HIV testing situation; and characteristics of culturally appropriate HIV testing. The fear of being judged by both the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities and the need for sensitivity to the historical and current context of Aboriginal women’s life experiences were pervasive themes throughout the findings.

Burke, R. J. (1999). Disability and women’s work experiences: An exploratory study. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 19(12), 21-33.

“This exploratory study examines the relationship of disability status and work experiences and satisfactions. A wide variety of disabilities fall under the status of being disabled. Some disabilities are invisible to others while other disabilities are visible to others. It is not clear how many working-age adults have disability status. It is also not clear whether some disabilities prevent people from holding down jobs or working at all. In summary, there is little information on the work experiences and satisfactions of the disabled compared with the abled. This research examines some of these questions in a preliminary way. It makes use of a larger study of the work and health experiences of women in Ontario. A potential limitation in all secondary analyses is that important data may not be contained in the original data base. It was also not possible to consider these
questions in a sample of men in Ontario.” (p. 22).

Burr, J. (2002, April). Providing a contrasting view to evolutionary psychology’s hypotheses on depression: Using a ‘material-discursive’ approach to interpret the experiences of depression in women from South Asian communities. Psychology, Evolution & Gender, 4(1), 93-113.

This study reports findings from a qualitative study exploring women from South Asian communities resident in the UK and their ‘experiences of depression’. The paper aims to provide an apparently contrasting social context to the evolutionary perspective on women’s experiences of depression. The theoretical foundation for the analysis of these findings is a ‘material-discursive approach’. Depression is recognized as ’embodied’, that is as grounded in the materiality of the body which is immersed in subjective experiences and the social context of women’s lives.

Burke, R. J. (1999, January). Disability and women’s work experiences: An exploratory study. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 19(12), 21-33.

Presents the findings of a questionnaire sent to nine occupational groups where women predominate such as healthcare, teaching and childcare, together with other forms placed in day-care and women’s centres in Ontario. Looks at disability, personal demographics, the work situation, workplace stress, physical demands, psychosomatic symptoms, job satisfaction, insecurity, harassment and family pressures. Discusses findings suggesting that disabled women tend to have more negative work experiences, possibly due to previous education problems, discrimination and the nature of roles offered which lead to lower income levels in lower status roles.

Campbell, H., Robinson, J., & Stratiy, A. (2002). Deaf women of Canada: A proud history and exciting future. Edmonton, Alberta: Duval House Publishing.

A collective history of Deaf women and their contributions to their various communities, Deaf Women of Canada recounts their anecdotes, stories and histories to help us understand their experiences. Information about the daily lives and struggles of Deaf women is not easy to come by, mainly because, until recent decades, women were not considered makers of history. Be inspired and sustained by the women whose remarkable accomplishments are traced in this book—heroines to call our own.

Canadian Abilities Foundation. (n.d.). Women with disabilities: Violence prevention resource guide. Toronto: Author. Retrieved February 21, 2005 from: http://www.enablelink.org/women/WOMEN.html

The grim statistics on reported abuse indicate that women with disabilities face a much higher risk than the rest of the female population–perhaps twice as high. Many women with disabilities must rely on other people for physical assistance, financial support or decision-making that involves their care. This increases their vulnerability to physical, emotional and sexual abuse, and/or neglect.

However, the good news is that the number of violence prevention resources available to support women is steadily growing, and more and more of these are accessible to women with disabilities.

A print version (limited availability) may be available by writing to: Canadian Abilities Foundation, 489 College Street, Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, M6G 1A5, E-mail: info@enablelink.org

Canrinus, M., & Lunsky, Y. (2003). Successful aging of women with intellectual disabilities: The Toronto experience. Journal on Developmental Disabilities, 10(1), 73-78. Retrieved March 4, 2005 from http://www.oadd.org/publications/journal/
issues/vol10no1/download/canrinus&lunsky.pdf

Older women with intellectual disabilities are a growing population, whose perspective has been traditionally ignored in research. This study aims to identify some key issues in aging for this group from the perspective of the women themselves. Nine women in the Greater Toronto Area participated in 1 to 2 hour interviews addressing personal demographics, economic and personal safety net, health, social roles, and well being. Findings indicate that these women face significant challenges as they age, especially in the areas of health and economic well being. Despite their challenging situations, most women report feeling relatively happy and are satisfied with the support in their lives.

Chadwick, P., & Levine, S. (Producers). (1996). Disabled women: Visions and voices [Video]. Boston: Wide Vision Productions.

This video showcases the emergence and power of “group strength” among women with disabilities from around the world. This audio and photo documentary celebrates the experiences and accomplishments achieved at the First International Symposium on Issues of Women with Disabilities, the U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women and NGO Forum held in Beijing, China in the Fall of 1995.

Chenoweth, L., & Cook, S. (Eds.). (2001, April). Violence against women with disabilities [Feature issue]. Violence Against Women, 7(4).

The articles published in this issue include:

 

• A Brave New World? Neo-Eugenics and Its Challenge to Difference
• “Bring My Scooter So I Can Leave You”: A Study of Disabled Women Handling Abuse by Personal Assistance Providers
• Linking the Assessment of Self-Reported Functional Capacity With Abuse Experiences of Women With Disabilities
• Sterilization of Girls and Women With Intellectual Disabilities: Past and Present Justifications
• “Is It Meant to Hurt, Is It?” Management of Violence in Women With Developmental Disabilities
• The Investigation of Abuse and Women With Disabilities: Going Beyond Assumptions

Chernomas, W., & Clarke, D. E. (n.d.). Social support and women living with serious mental illness. Winnipeg, MB: Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence.

This project explored the social support in the lives of women living with schizophrenia. It was designed to build on an initial study, which examined the informational, and support needs as perceived by this population. In the initial study, women indicated there were a limited number of people in their lives. This present study focused on exploring with women their formal and informal sources of support, the kind of support people in their lives provided, and the kind of support women felt was lacking. Women were encouraged to talk about support in the context of their everyday lives, responsibilities, and sense of self, in light of having a serious mental illness. The Executive Summary and a link to the document in PDF is available at http://www.pwhce.ca/socialSupport.htm.
Chouinard, V. (2006, August). On the dialectics of differencing: Disabled women, the state and housing issues. Gender, Place and Culture: A Journal of Feminist Geography, 13(4), 401-417.

In this article, I discuss how neoliberal state policies and practices and processes of negative differencing have contributed to growing economic and housing insecurity for citizens in need, in particular disabled women in need of provincial income assistance in Ontario, Canada. I argue that their increasingly insecure relationships to housing and home can be explained as outcomes of dialectical processes of differencing through neoliberal regimes of state rule. A key advantage of this approach is that it emphasises how growing economic and housing security for more affluent citizens is linked causally to increasing insecurity and misery for others. I begin by discussing how diverse relations to housing and home can be conceptualised as outcomes of dialectical processes of differencing in advanced capitalist societies. Next, I illustrate this approach by discussing how changes in state regulation of housing and income assistance programmes in the province of Ontario have worked to advantage more affluent citizens at the expense of disabled and other citizens in need. This is followed by a detailed analysis of regulatory processes shaping how women receiving provincial income assistance are negatively differenced and situated in relation to housing and home. Here I draw on interviews with women receiving provincial income support through the ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Programme).

Chouinard, V. (2010). Women with disabilities’ experiences of government employment assistance in Canada. Disability & Rehabilitation, 32(2), 148-158.

Purpose. The purpose of this article is to explore women with disabilities’ experiences of government employment assistance in Canada.

Method. The article draws on the results of an online survey conducted in 2006. Data were coded and analysed according to key themes.

Results. The results indicate that many of the women with disabilities who responded to the survey regarded the employment assistance they have received as of very limited importance to their abilities to find and keep paid work. Their comments suggest that existing forms of government employment assistance, such as the provision of wage subsidies to employers, may be of limited effectiveness in enabling at least some women with disabilities to find and keep paid work. The women’s comments point to the limitations of existing employment assistance strategies including the need to shift program emphases away from individualistic models aimed at ‘reforming the worker’ and toward systemic barriers to employment.

Conclusions. The article concludes by discussing the implications of survey results for future research and strategies for improving the types of employment assistance available to women with disabilities.

Chouinard, V., & Crooks, V. A. (2005, January). ‘Because they have all the power and I have none’: State restructuring of income and employment supports and disabled women’s lives in Ontario, Canada. Disability & Society, 20(1), 19-32

We examine the connections between neo-liberal forms of state restructuring and intervention in disabled people’s lives, looking in particular at how these have affected disabled women’s experiences of an income support program, the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), in Ontario, Canada. We first outline why and how state programs have been re-designed and implemented in increasingly harsh ways as a result of such neo-liberal forms of state restructuring. Even groups formerly considered among the ‘deserving poor’ have found their access to social assistance diminished. We then argue that this is an outcome of state programs, policies and practices which are re-asserting and more deeply entrenching ‘ableness’ as a necessary condition of citizenship, inclusion and access to justice. Finally, we illustrate how disabled women’s lives and well-being have been altered as a result of changes in the provision of these forms of state assistance using in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with 10 women in Ontario.

Chung, H., Jung, K., & Park. J. (2006). Special education for girls with disabilities: Status and policy tasks. Women’s Studies Forum, 22, 33-47.

The purpose of this study is to examine and analyze the educational status of girls with disabilities receiving special education in elementary and secondary schools, to propose policy tasks to increase educational opportunities for the girls, and based on this, to help improve gender equity in special education and ensure high quality educational opportunities for girls with disabilities so as to facilitate their career development and enable them to become healthy members of our society. A total of 70 special schools (45 schools for students with mental retardation and emotional disorders, 16 schools for children with visual and hearing impairments, 9 schools for students with physical disabilities), and special classes at 162 general schools (62 elementary schools, 50 junior high schools, 50 high schools) were selected from 15 cities and provinces nationwide, excluding Jeju Island. However, the fact that the percentage of the boys is much higher than girls in types of disabilities that may be largely affected by social and environmental factors, such as learning disabilities and emotional disorders, implies that there may have been gender bias or gender differences in the types and level of problematic behavior that may not have been taken into account in identifying the disability.

Clements, J., Clare, I., & Ezelle L.A. (1995, December). Real men, real women, real lives? Gender issues in learning disabilities and challenging behaviour. Disability & Society, 10(4), 425-436.

This article seeks to define gender issues and explores the significance of these issues for challenging behaviour in the field of learning disability. It is argued that lack of awareness about these issues contributes to the development of challenging behaviour and to difficulties in identifying the needs expressed through these behaviours, whatever their origin. Specific areas examined include models of residential provision for adults, prioritisation of service activities, attribution processes (needs identification), and the sexuality of people with learning disabilities. In each area issues are raised and the implications for service practice defined.

Corbett, J., Jones, E., & Ralph, S. (1993). A shared presentation: Two disabled women on video. Disability, Handicap & Society, 8(2), 173-186.

In this article, the authors share their experiences about making a video in which disabled women present their lives and experiences as they wish to have them portrayed. They hope that this video will be seen as “emancipatory research” in which disabled and non-disabled women work together. Included in this article is a discussion of the representation of disability on British television, specifically focusing on negative and positive images and charities.

Crawford, J., Lewis, C., & Sygall, S. (2002). Loud, proud & passionate: Including women with disabilities in international development programs. Eugene, OR: Mobility International USA.

Loud, Proud and Passionate illustrates the importance of including women with disabilities in international development, women’s organizations and community projects and highlights the efforts and successes of disabled women worldwide.

Loud, Proud and Passionate is a valuable resource for international development organizations, women’s and disability organizations, International Studies and Disability Studies programs, and for any reader who wants to learn from women with disabilities from around the world.

Crompton, S. (2010, Summer). Living with disability series: Life satisfaction of working-age women with disabilities [Component of Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 11-008-X]. Canadian Social Trends No. 89 (pp. 26-32). Ottawa, ON: Statistics Canada.  Retrieved March 22, 2010 from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-008-x/2010001/article/11124-eng.pdf.

“This article examines how Canadian women with disabilities aged 25 to 54 describe their level of life satisfaction across three main dimensions: daily activities, quality of relationships with family and friends, and health. Using the 2006 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS), we identify some of the elements that are associated with a greater sense of well-being. In order to focus on the social dimensions of this issue, we discuss women’s satisfaction with their daily activities and the quality of their relationships first. Women’s feelings about their health are addressed separately at the end of the article” (p. 26).

Cross, P., & Anello, B. (2003, March). Disclosure of records workshop for women with disAbilities and Deaf women. North Bay, Ontario: DAWN Ontario & Ontario Women’s Justice Network (OWJN). Retrieved March 14, 2005 from http://dawn.thot.net/workshops/disclosure.html

This is an online version of a Canadian workshop designed to assist women with disAbilities and Deaf women make informed decisions regarding their therapeutic, medical and personal records. It focuses on how these records might be used in a variety of legal proceedings in which women who have experienced violence might become involved.

DAWN Canada. (n.d.). The only parent in the neighbourhood: Mothering and women with disabilities. North York, ON: Author. Retrieved March 16, 2005 from http://www.dawncanada.net/mother.htm

This position paper is based on the results of DAWN Canada’s 1988 survey of women with disabilities. The project included the distribution of 1,200 questionnaires, which were returned by 245 women with a variety of disabilities and meetings with approximately fifty of the respondents who volunteered to be interviewed. Through this project and this paper, DAWN Canada hopes to increase awareness of issues affecting mothers with disabilities and to point out areas for further discussion and research.

DAWN Ontario. (n.d.). Women with disAbilities & parenting: Plain language factsheet. North Bay, ON: Author. Retrieved March 15, 2005 from http://dawn.thot.net/wwd_parenting.html

A brief discussion of parenting for women with disabilities, focusing on attitudes, counseling, information, support services, transportation, reproductive technologies, and resources. DAWN Ontario has many other publications concerning parenting and women with disabilities available.

Das, V., & Addlakha, R. (2001, Fall). Disability and domestic citizenship: Voice, gender, and the making of the subject. Public Culture, 13(3), 511-531.

“In this essay, we propose to analyze notions of impairment and disability through a reconfiguration of the domestic sphere, offering ethnographic vignettes from the fieldwork we have conducted in different kinds of locations in Delhi. We hope to show that the domestic, once displaced from its conventionally assumed reference to the private, becomes a sphere in which a different kind of citizenship may be enacted—a citizenship based not on the formation of associational communities, but on notions of publics constituted through voice. The domestic sphere we present, then, is always on the verge of becoming the political. A focus on kinship not as the extension of familial relations into community, but as the sphere in which the family has to confront ways of disciplining and containing contagion and stigma yields startling revelations about disability and impairment as located not in (or only in) individual bodies, but rather as “off” the body of the individual and within a network of social and kin relationships.

Finally, by pairing the notion of the domestic with that of citizenship, we will also suggest that community as imagined by the modern liberal state in India makes state and citizenship complicated entities, and that claims to membership and belonging within the state may be enacted in everyday life in all kinds of dispersed sites. We identify the hospital as one such site, at which the domestic is instantiated performatively in relation to both state- and kinship-bounded figurations of community. Our ethnographic examples are drawn from a study of Punjabi kinship in which Veena Das was engaged in varying intensity from 1974 through 1994, and from a study of hospitalized female psychiatric patients in Delhi conducted by Renu Addlakha from 1990 to 1992” (pp. 511-512).

de Klerk, H. M., & Ampousah, L. (2002). The physically disabled South African female consumer’s problems in purchasing clothing. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 26(2), 93-101.

Physically disabled women today have to face the inconvenience of shopping for their own as well as their families’ clothes and the inability of finding fashionable clothes that fit any disability. A total of 40 physically disabled women between the ages of 21 years and 60 years were interviewed on the problems they experienced when shopping for fashionable clothes that fit their disabilities. A total of 40 clothing shops were observed to get information on the extent to which the shops cater for the needs of the physically disabled consumer. Results from the interviews showed that the majority of physically disabled female clothing consumers experienced major problems in finding fashionable clothes that fit their disabilities. It was also clear that these women experienced problems with unusable access routes, unsuitable parking lots, display racks that are too high, spaces between racks that are too narrow, inadequate space in fitting rooms and a lack of assistance in shops. The observations were compared with the complaints the women had and it was found that these women had not overestimated their problems.

Deane, R. (2005, February). Washing my life away: Surviving obsessive-compulsive disorder. London: Jessica Kingsley.

How many of us double-check that we really have locked the door or switched off the iron? For some people, such mundane everyday worries can become life-ruining obsessions. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) affects one in fifty people and one of them was Ruth Deane. In this frank and personal account she shares her own experience as an OCD sufferer, from the first innocuous signs of onset to the devastating effect of the condition on her relationships with her family and friends, her self-esteem and her marriage. Ruth Deane takes the reader on a moving, honest and at times light-hearted journey, from washing her hands until they cracked and bled, to hospital admission and eventual management and recovery from OCD.

This book offers hope and support to sufferers and an insight into the disorder for family, friends, professionals and all those who want or need to understand OCD and the recovery process.

DesMeules, M., Turner, L., & Cho, R. (2004). Morbidity experiences and disability among Canadian women. BMC Women’s Health, 4(Suppl 1). The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6874/4/S1/S10.

Health Issue: Women are more frequently affected by chronic conditions and disability than men. Although some of these sex differences have been in part attributed to biological susceptibility, social determinants of health and other factors, these gaps have not been fully explained in the current literature. This chapter presents comparisons of hospitalization rates, and the prevalence of chronic conditions and physical disability between Canadian women and men and between various subgroups of women, adjusting for selected risk factors. The Canadian Hospital Morbidity Database (2000–2001) and Canadian Community Health Survey (2000–2001) were used to examine inpatient hospital morbidity, prevalence of chronic conditions and disability.

Key Findings: Hospitalization rates were 20% higher among women than men. This was due to the large number of hospitalizations for pregnancies and childbirth. When “normal” deliveries were excluded, hospitalization rates remained higher among women. Women had slightly lower rates of hospitalizations for ambulatory-care sensitive conditions than men. Prevalence of activity limitation (mild and severe) was higher among women than men, and differences remained after adjusting for age, chronic conditions, socio-economic status, and smoking. Women who reported a disability were less likely than men to be in a partnered relationship, have less tangible social support, and have lower income and employment rates.

Data Gaps and Recommendations: The impact of morbidity and disability on Canadian women is substantial. These results identify areas for interventions among more vulnerable subgroups, and point to the need for further research in the area of risk factors for the prevention of morbidity and disability in the population.

Dew, A., Llewellyn, G., & Gorman, J. (2006, November-December). “Having the time of my life”: An exploratory study of women with intellectual disability growing older. Health Care for Women International, 27(10), 908-929.

In this paper we report on an exploratory study with a group of 13 older women with intellectual disability in Sydney, Australia, to add to the limited knowledge about how they perceive their lives as they grow older. We report the findings from the qualitative data gathered as an extension of a structured interviewing process. Analysis revealed five themes: “it’s just who I am,” “enjoying support from family and friends,” “being part of the community,” “feeling healthy,” and having “enough money to buy what I need.” We discuss these themes in relation to the concept of resilience. Overall, the women we talked with were ageing well, with meaningful, productive, and sustainable lives.

Dhungana, B. M. (2006, March). The lives of disabled women in Nepal: Vulnerability without support. Disability & Society, 21(2), 133-146.

The study examines a broad range of problems faced by physically disabled women. Qualitative interviews with 30 women with physical disabilities (congenital and acquired) were administered to understand various aspects of their lives. The research explores the causes of disability, which include gender discrimination, poverty, an inactive state security system, inadequate family support, negative attitudes and a lack of commitment on the part of government. The available services from non-governmental organizations have been proved to be unsatisfactory and gender biased in terms of training and employment. The importance of disability and its relation to gender has not been recognized by the state.

Disability Awareness in Action. (1997). Disabled women [Resource Kit No. 6]. London: Author. Retrieved March 1, 2005 from http://www.independentliving.org/docs2/daakit62.html

This is resource kit reviews the status of disabled women, includes strategies and action for change, and provides several resources and contacts. The kit can also be downloaded as a PDF file at: http://www.independentliving.org/docs2/daa6.pdf or http://www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies/archiveuk/disability%20awareness%20in%20action/daa%20disabled%20women.pdf

Disbelief [Film]. (2004). Leeds, UK: Leeds-Interagency Project.

Disbelief has been produced to raise awareness of the issue of disabled women experiencing violence from men they know. The film runs for 20 minutes and features four disabled women who have experienced violence from men they know. The women talk about their experiences of violence and the difficulties and barriers they encounter when seeking help and support. A resource/training pack accompanies the video and can be used with agency staff or women’s groups to explore the issues raised by the video in greater depth. To order a copy of Disbelief or for more information on LIAP’s work with disabled women experiencing domestic violence, telephone Jane Bethell at LIAP 0113 234 9090, or e-mail jane.bethell@leeds.gov.uk

Dive deeper in peer groups of disabled women. (2001). Helsinki, Finland: National Association of the Disabled in Finland. Retrieved March 31, 2005 from http://www.dpi.org/en/resources/pdfs/dive_deeper_women.pdf

This guide is the result of a joint women’s project of three national disability organizations. The project partners were from Finland, Romania and Sweden. The National Association of the Disabled in Finland and its women’s group were responsible for project co-ordination. The objective of Socrates DEEP–Disabled Women’s Empowerment & Energy–project was to increase equality and empowerment among disabled women as well as increase awareness generally about disabled women in society. The red thread of the project was the ideology of peer support: disabled women were active themselves in planning the project, as experts, trainers and a target group. This guide includes the materials produced by each project country and organization, and it is largely based on experiences collected in the course of the project.

Dobkin, P. L., Da Costa, D., Joseph, L., Fortin, P. R., Edworthy, S., Barr, S., Ensworth, S., Esdaile, J. M., Beaulieu, A., Zummer, M., Senecal, J. L., Goulet, J. R., Choquette, D., Rich, E., Smith, D., Cividino, A., Gladman, D., St-Pierre, Y., & Clarke, A. E. (2002, Spring). Counterbalancing patient demands with evidence: results from a pan-Canadian randomized clinical trial of brief supportive-expressive group psychotherapy for women with systemic lupus erythematosus. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 24(2), 88-99.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of Brief Supportive-Expressive Group Psychotherapy as an adjunct to standard medical care in reducing psychological distress, medical symptoms, and health care costs and improving quality of life in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: A randomized clinical trial was conducted with 133 SLE female patients from 9 clinics across Canada. Clinical and psychosocial measures were taken at baseline, posttreatment, and 6 and 12 months posttreatment. Outcomes assessed were psychological distress, quality of life, disease activity, health service utilization, and diminished productivity.

Results: Intention-to-treat analyses revealed that there were no clinically important group differences on any of the outcome measures.

Conclusion: Although both groups improved over time on several measures (e.g., decreases in psychological distress, stress, and emotion-oriented coping), these changes could not be attributed to the psychotherapeutic intervention. Thus, evidence does not support the referral of these patients to this type of intervention.

Doe, T., & Kimpson, S. (1999, March). Enabling income: CPP disability benefits and women with disabilities. Ottawa, ON: Research Directorate, Status of Women Canada. Retrieved March 1, 2005 from http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/pubs/0662279247/199910_0662279247_e.pdf

The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) is a contributory insurance program designed to be universal for all working Canadians, originally intended to replace a portion of lost income for workers at retirement or disablement. Currently, women (and men) with disabilities who show the capacity to earn income are generally disallowed CPP disability benefits because of the strict definition of “disability” and administrative inconsistencies. This research uses existing quantitative data and new qualitative data gathered in focus groups of disabled women in four cities across Canada, including qualitative data from a focus group with CPP administrators who were consulted on how the CPP currently works before developing cost-effective recommendations to “enable income.” These alternate disability pension policies would distribute resources equitably and respond to circumstances in the lives of women with disabilities, such as fluctuating health and ability to work. Although it is recognized that any policy reforms would affect both women and men with disabilities, this research focuses on women because of the inordinately adverse impact of current official federal definitions of work and disability, and thus policy, on the lives of disabled women. The report contends that, by eliminating the penalty for working, the CPP could empower women, provide incentives for returning to work by removing the threat of losing CPP disability benefits, generate needed income for the CPP and increase taxable dollars for general revenue. The proposed changes extend recent (1995) policy changes focused on creating “work incentives” for people with disabilities and would allow disabled women (and men) to return to work when they are able, without penalty, until such time as they can sustain themselves financially. Suggested policy reforms also address the need to redefine “disability,” aligning it more closely with the complex reality of being a woman living with disability. Themes emerging from these women’s experiences of the CPP demonstrate the difficulties they experience, including the fear of losing secured CPP disability pension income if they engage in paid employment.

Dossa, P. (2006, June). Disability, marginality and the nation-state-negotiating social markers of difference: Fahimeh’s story. Disability & Society, 21(4), 345-358.

Testimonial narratives of racialized women with disabilities bring into relief subjugated knowledge that reveal how the state constitutes and is reconstituted at the margins. Fahimeh’s case example, drawn from a larger study on immigrant Muslim women in metropolis Vancouver, shows how women resist and rework the stigmatized labels of disability and race from their social locations at the margins. Our analysis of particular events and critical episodes show how Fahimeh, speaking in a collective voice, implicates the state to bring home the message that racialized persons with disabilities are human. Their humanness (desire for a just world) is affirmed through blurring of boundaries of the private and the public, and everyday life and state institutions. Fahimeh’s testimonial shows that margins are not merely territorial; they are sites of practice that point to the makings of a just world.

Dossa, P. (2008). Creating alternative and demedicalized spaces: Testimonial narrative on disability, culture, and racialization. Journal of International Women’s Studies, 9(3), 79-98.

The literature on disability, gender and “race” has benefited from the political economy perspective. With its emphasis on unmasking the workings of power, this perspective has brought into relief the systemic, institutionalized and spatial oppression of disabled persons, compounded in the case of gender and “race.” This narrative of deconstruction, however, remains incomplete in the absence of voice and subjectivity of persons with disabilities. Using narrative moments, recounted by an immigrant woman with two “disabled” children, this paper makes a case for an integrated framework for a study of racialized persons with disabilities. Here, the margins2 are not out there in other spaces; they form part of the centre whose existence is brought into question by alternative and demedicalized spaces. The data are drawn from a larger study of health and well being of South Asian East African women in metropolitan Vancouver, Canada.

Driedger, D., Feika, I., & Batres, E. G. (Eds.). (1996). Across borders: Women with disabilities working together. Toronto: The Women’s Press.

This edited book with an international perspective highlights the experiences of women with disabilities working together. Each chapter is written by disabled women leaders and explores how women with primarily physical disabilities join together to demand participation in society, and document their experiences of working together and of forming disabled women’s self help groups. Across Borders begins with a description of the growth of the disability movement worldwide and discusses the issues facing women with disabilities in the areas of employment, education, attitudes, and violence. The essays are grouped by region, and also include poetry and photographs.

Driedger, D., & Gray, S. (1992). Imprinting our image: An international anthology by women with disabilities. Toronto: Women’s Press.

The editors compiled articles from 17 countries by women with disabilities. They stress the importance of understanding disability not as an inherent tragedy but as a social problem created by a lack of sensitivity and awareness to the experiences of women with disabilities and to the physical, social, and psychological barriers that occur as a result of this insensitivity. The book is organized around its central principle that women with disabilities are citizens with the means to contribute to their societies. The book is divided into five sections. They include: Our Image in the Family, Our Image in the Community, Imprinting Our Image on the World, In Spite of the World, and Dealing with the World.

Duncan, B., & Berman-Bieler, R. (Eds.). (1998, May). International leadership for women with disabilities final report. New York: Rehabilitation International. Retrieved March 31, 2005 from http://www.rehab-international.org/publications/Leadership_Women/index.html

The International Leadership Forum for Women with Disabilities was one of the most heralded, far reaching and successful events of 1997. Held June 15-20 in Washington, DC, the Forum attracted legislators, artists, advocates, organizational executives, trainers, international assistance experts and grassroots development specialists from around the globe. As a follow-up to the United Nations 4th World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995, the Forum served as an international progress report on concrete implementations of the Beijing Platform for Action benefiting the world’s estimated 300 million disabled women and girls.

Dunn, R. (n.d.). Funny you should ask: Living with a disability. Winnipeg: Council of Canadians with Disabilities.

In Funny You Should Ask, Ms. Dunn presents a humorous collection of short stories which describe what it is like to be a woman living with a disability. Peter Carver in his foreword to Funny You Should Ask writes, “For if there is content in these stories, there is also great style. The style of a humorist. You will find in these stories an observant eye, but an eye with a gleam in it. That is a great gift.”

Edhborg, M., Friberg, M., Lundh, W., & Widström, A. M. (2005, August). “Struggling with life”: Narratives from women with signs of postpartum depression. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 33(4), 261-267.

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore and describe how Swedish women with signs of postpartum depression two months postpartum experience the first months with their child.

Method: A grounded theory approach was chosen. Twenty-two women who showed signs of depression, i.e. scored 10 or more on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), were interviewed at an average of 80 days after the delivery.

Results: The new mothers were struggling with life related to the self, the child, and the partner. They expressed feelings of loss of who they are, felt overwhelmed by the responsibility for the child, and were struggling with feelings of abandonment, worries, and breastfeeding problems. They often felt like “bad mothers” but they never blamed the child. Most mothers were reluctant to speak about their feelings and they assigned their depressed mood to personal weakness rather than illness. In relationship to the partner the mothers were struggling to keep their equality in the new situation and to get him involved in childcare.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that depressed feelings postpartum may be explained in terms of losses and changes. However, postpartum depressive symptoms remain hidden and it is important to understand the complexity of postpartum depressive mood, described here as struggling with life related to three different dimensions: the self, the child, and the partner.

Einerhand, M., & Van Der Stelt, H. (2005, January). Growing disability rates – The gender issue: The Dutch case in an international perspective. International Society Security Review, 58(1), 65-84.

In the Netherlands, with its remarkably high disability rates, a new phenomenon seems to be emerging. Growing disability rates in the past few years have been exclusively caused by the growing inflow of women into the disability schemes. Comparing the Dutch situation internationally shows that roughly the same problem seems to exist in those countries in which there is a more general problem of large inflow into disability. Women are overrepresented in these arrangements. The Dutch literature shows that there are many factors (both work- and non-work-related) that contribute to a larger push of women towards disability. We conclude that the benefit system can be seen as a sort of “filter.” If the filter is weak, many persons will enter disability. If the pressure on women to enter is larger (or the forces to stop women from entering disability smaller), then inflow risks for women will be higher.

Emmett, T., & Alant, E. (2006). Women and disability: Exploring the interface of multiple disadvantage. Development Southern Africa, 23(4), 445-460.

In general, women with disabilities are more discriminated against and disadvantaged than men with disabilities. In the industrialised countries there are consistent, although not necessarily large, gender differences in income, employment and education for people with disabilities. Poverty and deprivation magnify these inequalities, and can determine access to food, care and social inclusion, and even threaten survival. Women with disabilities are also at greater risk of physical, mental and sexual abuse, and because of stigmatisation have lower marriage prospects. There are more barriers to access and participation for women than for men, and mothers and caregivers in particular face enormous challenges when raising children with disabilities or chronic illnesses, especially within the context of women-headed households and early pregnancy. This article emphasises the need to approach disability as an integral part of development rather than as a separate need competing with other causes and manifestations of poverty.

Employability in Canada. (2006, September). Halifax, NS: Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women. Available: http://women.gov.ns.ca/pubs2006_07/EmployabilityBriefSept2006.htm.

This brief makes recommendations to foster the employability of women with disabilities, with a view to improving their economic security and ensuring that Canada benefits from their contributions. The brief reviews persuasive evidence for the continued economic and labour market difficulties confronting women with disabilities and makes recommendations.

Enarson, E. (2009, November).  Women, Gender & Disaster: Abilities & Disabilities [Gender Note # 4]. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Gender and Disaster Network, School of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University. Available: http://www.gdnonline.org/resources/GDN_GenderNote4_Abilities.pdf.

“Women and girls who live with disabilities also too often live with poverty and social exclusion, compounded by a `gender neutral’ approach to disability in disasters that renders them invisible. The care work of women with and without disabilities is also minimized and little is known about the factors that produce the specific disabilities of girls and women. Mobilizing the capacities, insights and life experience of women and men who live with disabilities builds stronger, more resilient families, workplaces and communities” (p. 1).

England, K. (2003). Disabilities, gender and employment: Social exclusion, employment equity and Canadian banking. In V. Chouinard & V. A. Crooks (Eds.), Disability in society and space [Feature issue]. The Canadian Geographer, 47(4), 429-450.

People with disabilities, especially women, suffer from appallingly high rates of poverty, and paid work is frequently cited as a primary route out of poverty. I draw on feminist analyses of work and disability studies to reflect on the Canadian federal government’s Employment Equity Act. I use the example of the ‘Big Six’ banks to investigate the numerical representation and occupational distribution of women and men with disabilities compared to their counterparts without disabilities. However, social justice in the workplace is at least as much about the quality of social relationships as it is about statistical effects. Reaching workplace equity also involves the creation of a workplace climate where people with disabilities experience supportive and responsive supervision, along with a sense of being respected and valued. I assess the banks’ progress towards identifying and eliminating discriminatory disabling barriers. I close with a discussion of workplace climate and locate the Act in the context of a broader network of change that includes challenging ableism.

Fairchild, S., & Quinn, P. (2000, July 29). Socio-empowerment issues for women with disabilities. Paper presented at CASSW Pre-Conference Symposium on Women, Joint Conference of the International Federation of Social Workers and the International Association of Schools of Social Work, Montreal, Canada. Retrieved March 1, 2005 from http://www.mun.ca/cassw-ar/papers2/Fairchild.pdf

In this discussion, we chose to examine the legislative and political environment affecting women with disabilities in four different countries: India, the United Kingdom, the United States, and South Africa. The intent was to determine what laws and policies have been enacted and how these efforts have affected women with disabilities.

Fawcett, G. (2000, May). Bringing down the barriers: The labour market and women with disabilities in Ontario. Ottawa: Canadian Council on Social Development. Retrieved April 4, 2005 from http://www.ccsd.ca/pubs/2000/wd/index.htm

“This report provides the most up-to-date statistics available on working-age women with disabilities. Of particular interest to those who work at the community level are the statistics at the Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) level within Ontario. Integrating quantitative research with qualitative research, this report provides insights into the complex interplay of factors that create employment barriers for women with disabilities. While women and men with disabilities are typically both affected by the same barriers to employment, they are not always affected to the same degree or in the same way. Because of both their gender and their disability, women often face a unique obstacle course when trying to navigate their way through the world of paid work.”

Feature issue on cancer and international health for women. (2006, January). Health Care for Women International, 27(1).

This special issue features articles reporting on international health for women with breast and cervical cancer.

Feld, R., Colantonio, A., Yoshida, K., & Odette, F. (2003, August). Mental health and vitality among Canadian women with physical disabilities. Psychological Reports, 93(1), 75-83.

This study investigated scores for mental health and vitality in a large community-based sample of women with physical disabilities. The scores from two subscales of the SF-36 were collected from 1,096 women with physical disabilities through a mailed survey regarding health and well-being. These scores were compared to normative data using t tests. The mean scores of the vitality subscale were significantly lower than that of the normed sample when analyzed by age groups. The mental health scores were significantly lower as well, except for one age group (65-74 yr.). These results suggest that health care workers should address aspects of mental health and energy when caring for women with physical disabilities, as these areas are often overlooked in this population. Health promotion programs aimed at these topics should be designed specifically for this population as well.

Fey, C. (2006, February). Listening to Megan: Narratives of a female aboriginal youth with a disability [SSTA Research Centre Report #02-06]. Regina, SK: Saskatchewan School Boards Association. Available: http://www.saskschoolboards.ca/research/students/02-06.htm.

The study chronicles the decade-long friendship between two unexpected friends: a researcher/educator and an Aboriginal youth, who describes herself as an “adventurous teenager in spirit”. In a shared narrative between “Megan” and myself, I investigated what it means to be a female youth with a disability. Using narrative methodology, I taped conversations while the participant was attending Grade 11 and Grade 12. The two types of data that appear are text from the interviews themselves and the emerging story from the participant’s reflections upon the text. Through short stories, poems, songs, and plays, Megan conveys her realities and life experiences. The themes arising include: resilience, freedom, feminine desires, disabilities, and youth identity. The study emphasizes self-determination of youth with disabilities in both content and methodology as the participant collaborated in co-editing and analyzing her own words. A forum is provided for a currently marginalized voice to be heard and empowered.

Foster, M. D. (2007). The question of the Slit-Mouthed Woman: Contemporary legend, the beauty industry, and women’s weekly magazines in Japan. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 32(3), 699-720.

“…In the pages that follow, I explore a number of interpretations of the Slit-Mouthed Woman as an abject and monstrous female; I then focus particularly on her appearance in popular women’s weekly magazines, venues in which she raises significant questions about normative femininity, the fashion industry, and female agency. Academic discussion of the Slit-Mouthed Woman in Japan has primarily considered only oral versions of the legend, but by reading closely her textual appearance within the context of these particular magazines and by examining her legend with regard to contemporary gender issues, we discover a figure of resistance who speaks meaningfully of female subjectivity against the backdrop of the Japanese women’s movement. On a broader level, by exploring various readings of this polyvalent text, I also hope to offer interpretive strategies through which we can better understand the ways oft-ignored cultural products such as contemporary legends can encode sometimes contradictory ideologies, providing insight into the dynamics of complicity and resistance as well as into the complex sociohistorical concerns of a given moment” (p. 700).

Frazee, C., Gilmour, J., Mykitiuk, R., & Bach, M. (2002). The legal regulation and construction of the gendered body and of disability in Canadian health law and policy. Toronto: National Network on Environments and Women’s Health. Retrieved March 8, 2005 from http://www.yorku.ca/nnewh/english/pubs/LegalRegulationandConstruction.pdf

This study seeks to document and analyze the uneasy relationship between that most ubiquitous and unyielding form of social control–the institution of law–and the “unwieldy… humanness” of women’s bodies “in all their glorious imperfection.” Our over-riding objective is to make visible and concrete the links between a woman’s lived experience of health, and the organization of her experience by law.

Frohmader, C. (2002). ‘There is no justice: Just us!’ – The status of women with disabilities in Australia. Tasmania: Women with Disabilities Australia.

This report outlines the need for a specifically funded national peak body for women with disabilities in the context of the status of women with disabilities in Australia. This context includes the relative absence of research, data collection and policy development to improve the social and economic status of women with disabilities and the historical neglect of the skills and abilities of women with disabilities by governments, industry and the community as a whole. There are other publications by WWDA available at http://www.wwda.org.au/pubsale.htm

Gadalla, T. M. (2008, July). Disability associated with comorbid anxiety disorders in women with chronic physical illness in Ontario, Canada. Women & Health, 48(1), 1-20.

Anxiety disorders are more prevalent in individuals with chronic physical illness compared to individuals with no such illness, and about twice as prevalent in women as in men. This study used data collected in the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey (21,198 women and 20,478 men) to examine factors associated with comorbid anxiety disorders and to assess the relation of these disorders on short-term disability and suicidal ideation. Comorbid anxiety disorders were more prevalent among women who were young, single, poor, and Canadian-born, and among women with chronic fatigue syndrome; fibromyalgia, bowel disorder or stomach or intestinal ulcers, or bronchitis had the highest rates of anxiety disorders. The presence of comorbid anxiety disorders was significantly associated with short-term disability, requiring help with instrumental daily activities, and suicidal ideation. Our findings underscore the importance of early detection and treatment of anxiety disorders in the physically ill, especially those who also suffer from mood disorders.

Gahagan, J., Loppie, C., Rehman, L., Maclellan, M., & Side, K. (2007, January). “Far as I get is the clothesline”: The impact of leisure on women’s health and unpaid caregiving experiences in Nova Scotia, Canada. Health Care for Women International, 28(1), 47-68.

This qualitative study explored the unique ways in which caregiving and leisure are conceptualized and mediated among diverse groups of female caregivers (n = 98) in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. Data were obtained through 17 focus group discussions between March and June of 2002. Findings reveal that the contexts within which caregivers experience the health effects of caregiving create meanings, opportunities, and challenges for leisure. This study of diverse caregiving experiences fills a significant gap in the existing literature by integrating considerations of subjectivity and the ways in which caregiving influences women’s perceptions and engagement in leisure pursuits. Constructivism guides the interpretive framework upon which the data were analyzed; results inform recommendations relative to policy and program audiences associated with unpaid caregiving.

Galati, M., Coppedè, N., Napolitano, E., Soldevila, R. R., Talavera Mua, E., Cabellaero Pérez, I. M., Schmitt-Guerrero, J., & Bouzid, H. (2004). Gender identity in the life of people with disability: Women and mothers in contact with disability – Opportunities of meeting in the female universe. Italy: DPI Italia. Retrieved March 1, 2005 from http://www.dpi.org/en/resources/topics/documents/kitinglese.pdf

This document was produced as part of the Alba research project, a collaboration between DPI Italia. G.F.P.H (Groupement Francais des Personnes Handicapées), France and COCEMFE (Confederaciòn Coordinadora Estatal de Minusvalidos Fisicos de Espagna), Spain.

“The activities carried out in the project Alba and the analysis of the contents that came forward from the focus groups of disabled women and mothers of disabled children follow the same direction. The point of view, proposed in these reflections, is the point of view of women; in fact, women were the leitmotiv of Alba. The working group chose this frame to look at the world of disability, being conscious of the richness and the variety of the contribution of women, but also acknowledging the role of the women-mothers in a family with a disabled child (assistance, care, etc.), and in society (mothers, workers, daughters, etc.).

The group, which carried out the research, was composed of disabled women and non, they worked together integrating their professional resources and their life experiences, sharing them in order to propose new knowledge and new ways. Another type of integration, resulting from the research, was the European one: Italian, Spanish and French women had a confrontation and collaborated, from a professional point of view, to share their cultures, their knowledge and their experiences. The final product was this kit, which represents the whole, but also the fusion and integration of different points of view, different ways of living as a woman in contact with disability.

The final aim of this enterprise was to find new methods and new contents, useful for the processes of empowerment, as well as the analysis of new innovating proposals for the processes of female advocacy. We tried to answer the question: how can we support women in these processes of independence and autonomy?

We hope that these reflections may support the female roles in disability and may suggest new strategic lines for those that wish to follow this new road towards emancipation.”

Gender and women’s mental health. (n.d.). Geneva, Switzerland: World Health International. Retrieved March 12, 2005 from http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/genderwomen/en/

This fact sheet on gender and women’s mental health, published by WHO, reviews the facts concerning gender disparities and mental health, women’s mental health, gender specific risks, gender bias, and WHO’s focus on women’s mental health. Other resources concerning gender and mental health from WHO are available at http://www.who.int/mental_health/resources/gender/en/

Ghai, A. (2002, Summer). Disabled women: An excluded agenda of Indian feminism. In E. Kittay, S. Silvers, & S.Wendell (Eds.), Special issue: Feminism and disability II. Hypatia, 17(3), 49-66.

My purpose in this essay is to locate disabled women within the women’s movement as well as the disability movement in India. While foregrounding the existential realities for disabled women in the Indian scene, I underscore the reasons for their absence from the agenda of Indian feminism. I conclude by reflecting on the possibilities of inclusion within Indian feminist thought.

Ghai, A. (2003). (Dis)embodied form: Issues of disabled women. New Delhi, India: Her-Anand Publications.

“(Dis)embodied Form is an engagement with the issues of disabled women. Written from the epistemic location of an existential reality of physical disability, the author’s goal is to locate disability within the feminist discourse. The author’s primary objective is to create a bridge between feminism and disability theory and practice. The book underscores the struggle by disabled women against the hegemony of normality and patriarchy. The reader will come across both the experiential terrain as well as the theoretical nuances, which have contributed to the experience of disability.”

Global voices for gender equity: How women create change. (2003, June). Washington, DC: American Association of University Women Educational Foundation. Retrieved March 4, 2005 from http://www.aauw.org/ef/internationalsymposium_finalreport.pdf.

Proceedings of the AAUW Educational Foundation’s Fall 2002 international symposium, International Perspectives: Global Voices for Gender Equity that was held in partnership with the Educational Testing Service. The report highlights key speakers, presentations, and issues that emerged, including the symposium track on education for women with disabilities.

Goldblatt, B. (2009, September). Gender, rights and the disability grant in South Africa. Development South Africa, 26(3), 369-382.

South Africa’s disability grant is critical for the survival of many disabled people and their families, and is especially important to disabled women, who face further disadvantage because of their family responsibilities, their generally deeper poverty and their greater vulnerability to HIV/AIDS and other illnesses. Valuable engagement between feminism and disability theory offers a useful framework for understanding the needs of disabled women in South Africa’s social assistance system. This paper sets out the findings of a study of the disability grant system in two provinces in South Africa. It discusses the administrative problems with the system and the financial and other costs that burden the grant applicants and beneficiaries. It proposes that a comprehensive response to poverty, disability and gender inequality is needed, and makes specific recommendations for an improved system.

Goodman, J. (2005, March). Pedagogy and sex: Mary Dendy (1855-1933), feeble-minded girls and the Sandlebridge schools, 1902-33. History of Education, 34(2), 171-187.

Mary Dendy has received attention from historians because she was the first paid commissioner under the Board of Control (the administrative body that regulated the 1913 Mental Deficiency Act), was at the forefront in disseminating views regarding the sexual proclivities of feeble-minded women and because she advocated permanent segregated care for the feeble-minded. This article takes a gendered approach to examine two dimensions of her work. First, it explores some of the ways in which the segregated education that developed at Sandlebridge in the context of permanent care was an encoding of Dendy’s highly sexualized and eugenic view of “feeble-minded”. Second, it explores the relationship between Dendy’s notions of permanent care for the feeble-minded and her advocacy of aspects of progressive pedagogy. Progressivism included the notion of learning by doing, instruction based on experience and the education of the whole child, ideas that grew from the work of Rousseau, Pestalozzi, Froebel and Herbart. The last section of the article draws together aspects of the two dimensions of her work to analyse ways in which the physical, intellectual and moral education, promoted by Dendy and practised at the Sandlebridge Schools, constituted a control of the female body of the feeble-minded.

Grant, K. R., Amaratunga, C., Armstrong, P., Boscoe, M., Pederson, A., & Willson, K. (Eds.). (2004). Caring for/caring about: Women, home care and unpaid caregiving [Health Care in Canada Series]. Aurora, ON: Garamond Press.

The Canadian health care system is undergoing steady change, but one thing that remains constant is the key role that women play in providing care. Women are estimated to be comprise nearly 80% of both the paid and unpaid care workers in this country. Yet, their numbers do not coincide with their influence. Government reforms such as the introduction of market systems in health care may result in some cost efficiencies, but not necessarily better working conditions for those who care, much less better care for those who need it. Similarly, the increasing transfer of patients into community care may mean that individuals are able to convalesce in more familiar surroundings and with the people they love, but the added burden on family members—usually women—may mean forgone paid work, not to mention changes in personal relationships between those who care and those who are cared for and about.

Gray, D. E. (2003, February). Gender and coping: The parents of children with high functioning autism. Social Science and Medicine, 56(3), 631-642.

Gender is a concept that is frequently discussed in the literature on stress, coping and illness. Research has reported that women are more vulnerable than men are to stressful events and use different strategies to cope with them. Furthermore, it is often asserted that these gender-based differences in coping may partially explain the differential impact of stressful events on men and women. Unfortunately, much of this research has equated gender with sex and failed to contextualise the experience of illness and coping. This paper presents a qualitative analysis of the role of gender and coping among parents of children with high functioning autism or Asperger’s syndrome in an Australian sample. It attempts to analyse the different meanings of the disability for mothers and fathers and describes the various strategies that parents use to cope with their child’s disability.

Greater London Action on Disability (GLAD). (1998). ‘I’m used to it now’ – Women in Residential Care Project Report. London: Author.

Details interviews with 44 women in 16 “homes” across London, highlighting the lack of choice and poor quality of life which they experience. An order form for GLAD publications can be found online at: http://www.glad.org.uk/services/publications/order.shtml#doctop

Greater London Action on Disability (GLAD). (2002). Disabled women hold up half the sky. London: Author.

Report from a conference for disabled women where disabled women were able to discuss some of the issues affecting them. A summary of this conference is available online at: http://www.glad.org.uk/services/report-summaries/womconf.shtml#doctop

Greater London Action on Disability (GLAD). (2003). Disabled women showing our power. London: Author.

Report from the second GLAD conference for disabled women.

Groce, N. E. (1997). Women with disabilities in the developing world: Arenas for policy revision and programmatic change. In K. F. Schriner, S. N. Barnartt, & B. M. Altman (Eds.), Disabled women and public policy: Where we’ve been, where we’re going [Special issue]. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 8(1&2), 177-193.

Examines some of the most important issues women have to face, in light of poverty and traditionally negative attitudes towards women in general and disabled women in particular.

Habib, L. A. (1995). Women and disability don’t mix: Double discrimination and disabled women’s rights. Gender and Development, 3(2), 49-53.

In this brief article with an international perspective, the author asserts the importance of understanding and addressing gender issues and how they impact on the experiences of women. She argues that this is important in order to develop strategies for establishing and enforcing the basic human rights of people with disabilities in order to fight double discrimination in such areas as family life, marriage, education, health care, and care for a disabled child.

Handa, S. (1998, June). Gender and life-cycle differences in the impact of schooling on chronic disease in Jamaica. Economics of Education Review, 17(3), 325-336.

The incidence and correlates of adult health are becoming a policy issue in many middle-income countries due to the aging of population structures associated with medical technology and the demographic transition. Adult health problems such as physical disability and non-communicable chronic diseases require unique health infrastructure and expertise and can impose a large cost on already cash-strapped health services. This paper explores the socioeconomic determinants of chronic illness in Jamaica, a middle-income country where chronic diseases are the primary source of the nation’s disease burden. Econometric results from a national household survey indicate that additional education significantly reduces the reporting incidence of chronic illness, with the impact especially strong among adults aged 14–49. Moreover, this relationship persists after controlling for household resources, suggesting even greater health related social benefits to education than previously considered. Finally, as in other parts of the world and for other health measures, Jamaican women report earlier and higher incidences of chronic illness, but these differences cannot be explained by differences in the level or impact of education, nor are they likely to reflect mortality selection.

Haniff-Cleofas, R, & Khedr, R. (2005, January). Women and urban environments: Women with disabilities in the urban environment. Toronto: National Network on Environments and Women’s Health, Bureau of Women’s Health and Gender Analysis, Health Canada & Toronto Women’s Call to Action. Retrieved July 21, 2005 from http://www.yorku.ca/nnewh/documents/wwdisaEN.pdf

“The issues concerning women with disabilities are immense. Much research, however, limits its focus only to the barriers to employment for persons with disabilities. An examination is needed of the broader social participation of women with disabilities by focusing on how issues of identity, accessibility, poverty, housing supports, transportation, and urban governance intersect with one another.”

The National Network on Environments and Women’s Health partnered with Toronto Women’s Call to Action in January 2005 to produce background papers for NNEWH’s March 4th workshop entitled Building Healthy Cities for Canadian Women. This is one of five papers.

Hans, A., & Patri, A. (Eds.). (2003). Women, disability and identity. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

This volume consists of critical and theoretical articles about women with disabilities in both developed and developing countries. Disabled women and their place in these societies has been a subject that has been neglected in the past, therefore these essays will fill a gap in the evolving literature on disability studies.

The nature of the problems faced by disabled women are such that they need to be addressed by both the feminist and disability movements. But the fact is that they remain invisible within the women’s movement at large. This volume, therefore, attempts to provide a space to women with disabilities in the global feminist literature and movement.

Hanson, N. (2002, April 10). On approval: The geography of disabled women and work. Paper given at the New Directions in Disability seminar series, Centre for Disability Studies, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. Retreived March 1, 2005 from http://www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies/archiveuk/Hanson/On%20Approval.pdf

“Failure to recognise the potential (economic or otherwise) of disabled persons within the labour market has left this segment of the population with few alternatives for gaining access to essential goods and services…. Disabled women face additional…role complexity owing to assumed private domestic and parenting duties, coupled with public gender role expectations.”

Hastings, E. (1996, August). Assumption, expectation and discrimination: Gender issues for girls with disabilities. In Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) Gender Equity Taskforce, Gender equity: A framework for Australian Schools. Hobart, Tasmania, Australia: Department of Education, Tasmania. Retrieved March 1, 2005 from http://www.education.tas.gov.au/equitystandards/gender/framewrk/
assumption.htm

This chapter concerns the perspective of girls with disabilities in education and is from a document developed by the Gender Equity Taskforce and Reference Group following the national Promoting Gender Equity Conference in Australia which brought together a wide range of academics, practitioners, parents and others with an interest in the area of gender equity.

Hawley, J. (2003). From the margins: Voices of women with disabilities. International Journal of Disability, Community & Rehabilitation, 2(2).

Employment is considered a key element in full citizenship and is strongly linked to both disability-related supports and incomes. Employment provides a sense of fulfillment and self-worth. It is also the best defense against poverty. With the lowest rate of labour force success and one of the highest rates of poverty in Canada, women with disabilities are the most employment challenged of any adult group. This interaction of gender and disability is further pronounced by racial, cultural, and sexual orientation.

The researcher uses her twenty years of experience of working with women with disabilities to construct fictionalized accounts of the vocational rehabilitation experiences of women. This collection of short fiction highlights the economic, psychological, attitudinal, and systemic challenges that women with disabilities experience as they attempt to enter or re-enter the paid work force.

The stories cover a number of themes: self-confidence and relationship to reality is undermined without the authentication of a disability; the prevalence of abuse, both as the etiology of a disability and the vulnerability for abuse for a women with a disability; the interconnections between abuse dynamics and vocational development patterns; the impact of the social construct of women as caregivers; income support polices that contribute to the feminization of poverty; negative societal attitudes toward women and the resulting lack of support; and gender bias in career counselling. These accounts are intended to challenge and transform the rehabilitation praxis.

Hellum Braathen, S., & Hoem Kvam, M. (2008, August). ‘Can anything good come out of this mouth?’ Female experiences of disability in Malawi. Disability & Society, 23(5), 461-474.

The aim of this article is to give an overview of the daily life stories of 23 women with disabilities in Malawi. The stories were gained through qualitative interviews that covered aspects of being a woman and living with a disability in Malawi. Recent studies from countries in southern Africa have documented how people with disabilities experience poorer living conditions than people without disabilities. It is generally assumed that the living conditions of women are worse than those of men. There is, however, a large gap in the literature concerning women with disabilities in Africa. The results present a mixed picture. While several of the informants had experienced discrimination and exclusion because of their impairments, most of the women had been well taken care of and were treated equally by their closest family and friends. They had a strong wish to be empowered through education and employment.

Hoffman-Goetz, L., & Donelle, L. (2007, April). Chat room computer-mediated support on health issues for Aboriginal women. Health Care for Women International, 28(4), 397-418.

Within contemporary health care, increases in chronic disease have necessitated a disease management focus. Given that chronic disease is managed, more so than cured, there are increased demands for greater participation by health care consumers and they are expected to take on increased responsibility for self-care. The emphasis on consumer responsibility has increased the significance of health-promoting behavior change in contending with contemporary health care concerns. In Canada, the reported inequity in health status between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians further emphasizes the need for innovative health strategies. For Aboriginal women isolated by geography, changing societal norms (e.g., women working outside of the home, single parent families), and cultural distinction, online chat participation serves as a novel medium for the provision of health knowledge, support, and motivation within a virtual “neighborhood.” Recognizing the significance of social support in the promotion of positive health behavior change, we investigated the theme of social support within health conversations among Aboriginal women participating in an online chat room. Content analysis was the primary methodological focus within a mixed methods approach. Of 101 health-based online conversations, the majority reflected one of three forms of social support: (1) emotional support, (2) informational support, or (3) instrumental support. The value of social support and social cohesion within health has been well documented. The current investigation suggests that “community” need not be physically constructed; virtual communities offer great potential for social cohesion around the issues of health and health care.

Holt, G. (Ed.). (2004, October). Women with learning disabilities and mental health [Feature issue]. Tizard Learning Disability Review, 9(4).

In May 2002 a conference, Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Women with Learning Disability, was held at Guy’s Hospital [UK], a joint venture between the Judith Trust and the Estia Centre, Guy’s. The aim was to enable discussion of the importance of good mental health for everyone, for good services for those who become mentally ill and for these services to be sensitive to the particular needs of women with learning disabilities.

Hugemark, A., & Roman, C. (2002). Disability, gender and social justice: Claims for redistribution and recognition in the Swedish disability movement [Working Paper Series 2002/1]. Uppsala, Sweden: Sociologiska institutionen, Uppsala universitet. Retrieved March 31, 2005 from http://www.soc.uu.se/publications/fulltext/wp2002-01.pdf

In their struggle for social justice most disadvantaged groups face both cultural injustices (non-recognition, disrespect etc.) and socio-economic injustices (exploitation, marginalization, deprivation etc.). Political claims must thus be made both for being recognised as a group, and for the redistribution of economic resources. Such claims stand in an uneasy relationship, however, because recognition claims tend to promote group differentiation, while redistribution claims tend to promote group dedifferentiation. Attending specifically on intersections between gender and disability, the purpose of this paper is to discuss this dilemma in relation to different parts of the disability movement, and changes in welfare state policies.

Hume, J. (1996, January 26). Disability, feminism and eugenics: Who has the right to decide who should or should not inhabit the world? Paper presented at the Women’s Electoral Lobby National Conference, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia. Retrieved March 17, 2005 from http://www.wwda.org.au/eugen.htm

“In this paper I wish to explore the implications of the resurgence of the ‘new eugenics’ as a philosophy underpinning modern reproductive practices from the perspective of the abuse and denigration of the rights in people with disabilities in general and women with disabilities in particular. These practices, I believe also infringe women’s rights and should be a matter of grave concern for all feminists. The following discussion is not about the rights and wrongs of the abortion debate but adopts a disability rights interpretation of new reproductive and genetic technologies.”

Hussain, Y. (2005, August). South Asian disabled women: Negotiating identities. The Sociological Review, 53(3), 522-538.

This paper is concerned with the identities of disabled South Asian women within Britain. It presents empirical evidence concerning how disability, gender and ethnicity are negotiated simultaneously for young disabled Muslim and Sikh women. How these identities are negotiated is analysed in the realms of family, religion and marriage drawing on qualitative interviews with the young women, their parents and siblings. The paper argues against ideas of singular identity or the hierarchisation of identities or oppressions. The paper contributes to contemporary debates about how young South Asian women are constructing new forms of identity in Britain.

International leadership for women with disabilities: Selected resources on women & girls with disabilities. (1998, May). In B. Duncan & R. Berman-Bieler (Eds.), International leadership for women with disabilities final report. New York: Rehabilitation International. Retrieved March 31, 2005 from http://www.rehab-international.org/publications/Leadership_Women/SelectedResources.html

This is an extensive bibliography on resources concerning women and girls with disabilities including resources published after 1990 and content “relevant to international issues.”

Jackson, J. (1992). Letters from our lives [Film]. Reading, PA: Bullfrog Films.

“Disabled women are often isolated and hidden away, so we know very little about their struggles. To mark the end of the United Nations’ Decade of Disabled People in 1992, disabled women from around the globe have written open letters to the world describing their individual plights. In parts of the world where being a woman automatically demotes one to being a second class citizen, being a disabled woman represents a double dose of discrimination. In this moving program, we hear the sadness and the hope of disabled women in Zimbabwe. We share in their struggle to survive on a daily basis and to create a better world for their children. Not only will Letters from Our Lives foster a deeper understanding of people with disabilities, but it will send an inspirational message to anyone facing a hardship. It will touch a deep chord within all viewers.”

Jirasuradej, L. (Director/Producer). (2002). Mama Wahunzi [Film]. New York: Women Make Movies.

In Kenya and Uganda, poor healthcare, disease and economic disparity have created an overwhelming shortage of wheelchairs, with more than 200,000 in demand yearly. In both countries there only exist five production shops, where 250 wheelchairs are built yearly. Of these, a staggering 1% are given to women. Mama Wahunzi, literally meaning “women blacksmiths” in Swahili, is an inspiring documentary about three disabled East African women who countered conventional wisdom and expectation by learning how to build wheelchairs for themselves and their community. Trained at a metal workshop sponsored by the American organization, Whirlwind Wheelchairs International, the women share how they gained control of their mobility and became self-sustaining entrepreneurs. This uplifting film shows how they single-handedly combated stereotypes of disability, gender and poverty, while finding a local solution to an international development problem. Their courage and hard work presents a universal and powerful tale of resilience, strength and hope. A press release for this film is available at: http://www.wmm.com/Catalog/press/Mamawa_presskit.pdf

Johansson, A., Brunnberg, E., & Ericksson, C. (2007, May). Adolescent girls’ and boys’ perceptions of mental health. Journal of Youth Studies, 10(2), 183-202.

The aims of this study are to analyse the concept of mental health from the perspective of adolescent girls and boys and to describe what adolescent girls and boys regard as important determinants of mental health. Interviews with 48 children, 13 and 16 years old, in Sweden were held individually or in focus groups. The adolescents perceived mental health as an emotional experience, where positive as well as negative health is part of the concept. Family is the most important determinant for young people’s mental health, closely followed by friends. Neither girls nor boys believed that there were any large differences in mental health between girls and boys. Age differences seemed to be more important than gender in the perception of mental health by children.

Johnson, K., Strong, R., Hillier L., & Pitts, M. (2002, October). Screened out! Women with disabilities and cervical screening. Carlton, Victoria, Australia: PapScreen Victoria. Retrieved March 15, 2005 from http://www.papscreen.org/ps/pdf/Screened_out.pdf

“Screened Out! was a six month study funded by PapScreen Victoria which was undertaken by the Australian Research Centre in Sex Health and Society at La Trobe University. The project arose from concerns that women with disabilities are less likely than other women in the community to have regular cervical screening (Pap tests). This is a matter of concern because cervical screening has been found to be a very effective means of lessening the number of women who develop cervical cancer. In the project we aimed to discover the barriers that women with disabilities met when they had cervical screening. We began the study with a series of consultations with key organisations that provided services for women with disabilities or advocated with them. We then held interviews with 25 women who had sensory, intellectual, psychiatric or physical disabilities. We talked with other women in small groups. Finally we met with cervical screening providers and discussed how they saw the barriers for women with disabilities. We found that while some women did not have any problems in having Pap tests, other women found it very difficult.”

Jones, M. K., Latreille, P. L., & Sloane, P. J. (2003, November). Disability, gender and the labour market [IZA Discussion Paper No. 936]. Bonn, Germany: Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). Retrieved March 31, 2005 from http://www.iza.org/index_html?lang=en&mainframe=http%3A//www.iza.org/en/webcontent/publications/papers/viewAbstract%3Fdp_id%3D936&topSelect=publications&subSelect=papers

Using data from the 2002 LFS, we examine the impact of disability on labour market outcomes by gender. Our results indicate that substantial differences in both the likelihood of employment and levels of earnings exist, despite several years of operation of the Disability Discrimination Act. Significant heterogeneity within the disabled group is identified: those suffering from mental health forms of disability fare particularly badly. Wage decompositions suggest the ‘penalty’ for disability is greater for women than for men. Using the Baldwin and Johnson (1992) methodology, we find the employment effects associated with wage discrimination against the disabled are very small.

Jones, M. K., Latreille, P. L., & Sloane, P. J. (2004, March). Disability, gender and the labour market in Wales. Swansea, Wales: WELMERC, Department of Economics, University of Wales Swansea. Retrieved March 15, 2005 from http://www.swan.ac.uk/welmerc/DISABILITY%20GENDER%20and%20the%20LABOUR%20MARKET%20IN%20WALES%20-%20WELMERC.doc

Wales exhibits high rates of disability and inactivity, and a higher incidence of mental health problems than other parts of Britain. Using data from the Welsh Local Labour Force Survey 2001, our results indicate that the low participation rate of the disabled in Wales is partly attributable to their having fewer qualifications; marginal effects suggest education could be a potent remedy for improving their labour market status. In terms of the pay differential between disabled and non-disabled individuals, it would appear that disabled women in Wales suffer disproportionately to disabled men.

Jones, M. K., Latreille, P. L., & Sloane, P. J. (2006, July). Disability, gender, and the British labour market. Oxford Economic Papers, 58(3), 407-449.

Using UK LFS data, we examine the impact of disability on labour market outcomes by gender since the Disability Discrimination Act. Substantial differences in employment incidence and earnings continue to exist, especially for those with mental health problems. Distinguishing between work-limiting and non-work-limiting disability, the unobserved productivity effect of disability can be separated from discrimination. Limited evidence of wage discrimination against the disabled exists, but the `penalty’ for work-limiting disability, while falling for men, has increased for women. The improvement for disabled males is largely `unexplained’, possibly reflecting the impact of the legislation; this is not the case for females.

Jongbloed, L. (1998). Disability income: The experiences of women with multiple sclerosis. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 65(4), 193-201.

Article examining the experiences of unemployed women with multiple sclerosis (MS) with 3 income support programs: the Canada/Quebec Pension Plan, long term disability insurance, and social assistance. Data are from ethnographic interviews with 23 women. Difficulties the women have experienced with the programs are discussed, including the low level of benefits in 2 of the programs, the earnings-based component of 2 of the programs, and requirements in eligibility criteria that applicants be defined as permanently unemployable. The consequences of these policies for economic status and employment reentry are discussed, along with implications for occupational therapists.

Julius, E., Wolfson, H., & Yalon-Chamovitz, S. (2003). Equally unequal: Gender discrimination in the workplace among adults with mental retardation. Work: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment, and Rehabilitation, 20(3), 205-213.

Level of occupation and salary earned were examined in 227 adults in Israel with mental retardation to explore the correlation between gender and employment among people with mental retardation in the workplace. Women were found to be employed mainly in sheltered workshops and lower levels of occupation, and earned significantly less than men. Closer examination of each work place revealed that within each level of occupation there were no significant gender differences in salary. The findings suggest that while women with mental retardation earn lower salaries than men, this is mainly the result of their lower level of occupation.

Kampi brings out the potential of disabled girls. (2000, July). Raising Our Voices: The Newsletter of the Global Fund for Women. San Francisco: The Global Fund for Women. Retrieved March 4, 2005 from http://www.globalfundforwomen.org/
4news/newsletter/2000-07/Disabled_Rights.html

Brief article on the Katipunan Ng Maykapansanan Sa Pilpinas (KAMPI) program in the Philippines which “promotes a family approach to self-reliance through skills development of the disabled and training programs for their parents and siblings” and how it assists girls with disabilities.

Keith, L. (Ed.). (1994). Mustn’t grumble: Writings by disabled women. London: The Women’s Press, Ltd.

This edited book, compiled by a disabled woman, presents writings by other women who have a range of physical disabilities. The short stories and poems included in this book range in topic from issues of accessibility to abuse to equality. Disability is framed by these narratives as a social, cultural, and political issue, not only as a personal one. This is an excellent account of disability issues from a woman’s perspective. It is powerful, moving, and educating for all readers.

Keith, L. (Ed.). (1996). What happened to you? Writings by disabled women. New York: The New Press.

Lois Keith compiled collections of fiction, essays, and poetry by disabled women in her new book, What Happened To You? Her goal is to give women with disabilities a space to express their views on such topics as abuse, equality, sexuality, prejudice, and legislation dealing with disability issues. These narratives construct disability as a cultural and political issue, not only as a personal one.

Kiani, S. (2009, June). Women with disabilities in the North West province of Cameroon: Resilient and deserving of greater attention. Disability & Society, 24(4), 517-531.

Cameroonian women living with disabilities face three-fold discrimination as a result of their sex, perceived inability and low socio-economic status. A needs assessment using focus groups (two focus groups, n = 24) and key participant interviews (n = 12) was conducted to explore the experiences of women with disabilities in the North West province in both urban and rural areas. The findings show that women faced both physical and attitudinal barriers, lived in poverty and felt that they lacked opportunities for gaining an education, finding employment and forming meaningful social ties. There was significant complexity of relationships, marriage and children in their lives. Participants generated ideas on changes that needed to be made for the betterment of their lives. Aspirations included increasing empowerment and education, gaining support from family and friends, increasing public awareness, adapting the physical environment and finding allies.

Kingston, A. K. (2003, April 20-24). Maternal power against a deaf Irish state: Unearthing the narratives of mothers of children with learning disabilities. Paper presented at Gender and Power in the New Europe, the 5th European Feminist Research Conference, Lund University, Sweden. Retrieved March 31, 2005 from http://www.5thfeminist.lu.se/filer/paper_319.pdf

“This paper discusses findings from a qualitative study of mothers with children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Down syndrome and/or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Ireland. Firstly, I will give a brief historical introduction to existing disability policies in Ireland and give examples of the power struggle between mothers and the Irish State. Secondly, I discuss my preliminary research findings of my participants’ lived experience of mothering a child with special needs. Finally, I will argue that the feminist movement has ignored this group of women in our society who, as active agents for their children, are fighting a very lonely battle and need a structured feminist forum for emancipation.”

Kirkebæk, B. (2005, September). Sexuality as disability: The women on Sprogø and Danish society. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 7(3-4), 194-205.

The aim of this article is to show how, through professional diagnoses, social problems declared a specific group of women persona non grata in Danish society. The article is based on data derived from the archives of an institution directed at women of “loose and promiscuous character and low intelligence”: Sprogø in Denmark. The analyses focus on the professional narratives of the interned women, particularly the diagnoses and treatment applied, as they emerge from the archival material. Reading the “Sprogø-girls’” voluminous case sheets it becomes clear that the most marked professional buzzword is “sexuality”. Information was sought on the women’s sexual behaviour and, for the staff on Sprogø, there was a special demand to report any signs of “sexual impulses” in the confined women. One recurring aspect was that, sexually, the women were seen as the active and inviting part, and that their behaviour was deemed deviant.

Kristiansen, K., & Traustadottir, R. (Eds.). (2004). Gender and disability research in the Nordic countries [Social Research on Disability]. Lunde, Sweden: Studentlitteratur.

What is disability? What is gender? Why gender and disability? In addressing these questions, this book introduces Nordic scholarship combining gender and disability to an English speaking audience. The book is the first to provide a comprehensive overview of current Nordic research in this area. The content is mostly empirical rather than theoretical and includes studies focusing on the lives of disabled women and men, and others affected by disability. The 15 contributors utilize various theoretical and methodological approaches, including qualitative and quantitative methods as well as historical, text and discourse analysis. The theme unifying the different studies is a focus on the intersection of gender and disability, with an emphasis on providing a gender or feminist analysis of various aspects of disability.

The book should be of value to anyone interested in gender and disability, in particular scholars and students of disability and feminist studies, and other disciplines concerned with the intersection of disability, gender and other social dimensions. The empirical analysis of disabled people’s everyday lives and the services designed for them also make the book relevant for disability activists, policy makers and practitioners in the field of disability.

Kumar, G. S. J., & Mary, A. R. (2001). Training and development of school heads in disabled welfare – A neglected area. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 21(7), 39-46.

This article deals with the concerns of women with disabilities as they progress. Girls who are blind, deaf, or mobility-impaired face many problems of rejection, not only possibly by their parents, but by public school personnel whenever they are “mainstreamed.” While there are social and academic advantages to the residential schools, when disabled women enter college, they often face difficulties with negative peer attitudes and misunderstandings with professors and administrators, as well as lack of access to the campus. These concerns are no less complicated by the fact that few successful and achieving role models for disabled women exist.

Kvigne, K., & Kirkevold, M. (2003). Living with bodily strangeness: Women’s experiences of their changing and unpredictable body following a stroke. Qualitative Health Research, 13(9), 1291-1310.

The authors’ aim in this phenomenologial and feminist study was to gain a deeper understanding of how female stroke survivors experienced their body after a stroke. They recruited 25 women in a rural area in eastern Norway who had suffered a first-time stroke and interviewed them in depth three times each during the first 1 1/2 to 2 years following the stroke. The data analysis was inspired by phenomenological method. The stroke survivors’ experiences of their bodies were characterized by profound, disturbing, and, in part, unintelligible changes during the onset and the process of recovery from the stroke. Their experiences can be summarized under three major themes: The Unpredictable Body, The Demanding Body, and The Extended Body.

Kwiotek, R. G. (2002, December). Disability, gender and power: Finding a useful theoretical framework and an appropriate methodology. Paper presented at Using Emancipatory Methodologies in Disability Research, NDA Disability Research Conference 2002, Dublin, Ireland. Retrieved March 2, 2005 from http://www.nda.ie/cntmgmt.nsf/0/87418679FAE58B0E80256F02004753E9/$File/Disability,%20Gender%20and%20Power%20-%20%20Finding%20a%20Useful%20Theoretical%20Framework%20and%20an%20Appropriate%20Methodology.htm

“This paper will describe the process of developing a theoretical framework and identifying an appropriate methodology for researching complex, multi-dimensional power structures, exploring and revealing the absence of the voices and concerns of Irish disabled women from two social movements in Ireland, i.e. the women’s movement and the disability movement. The shortcomings and limitations of the social model of disability will be addressed from a feminist-disability-theory perspective and possible alternative approaches will be suggested.”

Lamb, V. L. (1997, July). Gender differences in correlates of disablement among the elderly in Egypt. Social Science and Medicine, 45(1), 127-136.

The purpose of this paper is to examine gender-specific models to determine whether different combinations of correlates are associated with male and female disablement, using a sample of non-institutionalized elderly persons in Egypt. Because women and men have different work, family, and household roles, as well as different health risks, it is reasonable to assume that there may be differing correlates for disablement for elderly males and females. The dichotomous dependent variable indicates problems, or the inability, in performing at least one of six activities of daily living (ADL). Of interest is the association of health, economic, and family variables, controlling for age. Logistic regression models are estimated for the total, male, and female samples. The results indicate that for males, having to stop working due to illness and having an unattended medical need are associated with higher odds for disablement as compared with females. Additionally, illiteracy increases the odds for male disablement, yet it has no effect on female disablement. Having experienced an injury in the past year is associated with disability for females, as is spending a lifetime in a rural setting and currently living in a fair to poor residence. Also for the females, increased number of living children significantly increases the odds for functional disability. Separate male and female models were estimated for each of the six ADL items. The trends indicated that the model covariates were more useful in modeling female disabilities in personal care activities, rather than problems with eating and mobility. The health variables were significantly associated with most of the specific ADL problems for the males.

la Rivière-Zijdel, L. (2002, November). Empowerment, self-esteem, self-defence: No longer a passive offer! Retrieved January 15, 2006 from http://www.kvindermedhandicap.dk/Speech%20Lydia.htm

This is text of a presentation made at workshop in Copenhagen, Denmark, on self-defense for women with disabilities.

“To understand the value of self-defence for disabled women and girls we have to explore its origin, its general usage in the struggle against violence that women suffer and the different factors that are intertwined with the concept such as the emancipation of women, the gender differences and the emancipation of disabled people. Therefore a terse synopsis of the history of self-defence and martial arts, an exploration of the emancipation movements of women and disabled people, besides inside in oppression theories, are necessary to understand the effect it specifically has on disabled women and girls. Self-defence is more than only using your voice or learning to hit or kick; it is a powerful tool when it is learned and taught with a profound knowledge of all types of violence, discrimination and oppression that disabled women can become victim of.”

LaSpina, N. (1998, October 2). Disabled woman: The forging of a proud identity. Keynote presentation, Southern Connecticut State University Women’s Studies Conference “Fulfilling Possibilities: Women and Girls with Disabilities,” New Haven, CT. Retrieved January 17, 2005 from http://www.disabilityculture.org/course/keynote.htm

This is the text of a keynote presented by Nadina LaSpina, a women with disabilities from Italy, on growing up in the 1950s in Sicily and how, despite the times, she overcome stereotypes and became proud in her identity as a disabled woman.

Lee, E. O., & Oh, H. (2005, September). A wise wife and good mother: Reproductive health and maternity among women with disability in South Korea. Sexuality and Disability, 23(3), 121-144.

As the first national survey on disability and reproductive health in South Korea, the present study was undertaken to describe experiences and needs related to pregnancy, childbirth, and postnatal care among women with physical disability (WWPD). Using a stratified random sampling method, 410 married WWPD between the ages of 18 and 50 participated in the survey regarding respondents’ socio-demographic profiles, disability-related characteristics, and reproductive health during pregnancy, childbirth, and postnatal care. Findings of this study indicated that most respondents wanted to have a child and perceived child care as possible with appropriate social support. Unlike the conventional wisdom and low societal expectation for these women to perform a maternal role, they gave birth and became caregivers for their child(ren) and family members. This study highlights a wide range of barriers experienced by WWPD with regards to taking care of their reproductive health. Implications for practice and policy are discussed.

The Lesbians and Breast Cancer Project Team. (2004, Fall). Silent no more: Coming out about lesbians and cancer. Canadian Woman Studies, 24(1), 37-42.

A performance-based script drawn from one-on-one interviews which were conducted with 26 lesbians from across Ontario about their experiences of being diagnosed with breast and/or gynecological cancer.

Liedberg, G. M., Burckhardf, C. S., & Henriksson, C. M. (2006, October). Young women with fibromyalgia in the United States and Sweden: Perceived difficulties during the first year after diagnosis. Disability & Rehabilitation, 28(19), 1177-1184.

Purpose. The major symptoms of fibromyalgia (FM)–pain, tiredness, disrupted sleep, and muscle weakness–severely impact everyday activities, including the paid work role of women who have had FM for a long time. There are no prospective studies on young and newly diagnosed women with FM. The aim of the present study was to describe and compare difficulties young and newly diagnosed women in Sweden and the United States experienced during their first year after diagnosis.

Method. Three interviews, 6 months apart, were conducted, with 49 . Swedish and 45 US women between the ages of 18 and 39. Five open-ended questions were asked concerning physical, psychological and social difficulties and limitations, and factors that increased or decreased their difficulties and limitations. At interviews 2 and 3 the women were also asked about ways of preventing their difficulties. The answers were written down and analysed by a content analysis approach.

Results. Consistent categories of difficulties were reported: . symptoms, movements, activities, moods, social network, external factors and coping strategies. More US women were working outside their homes than were their Swedish counterparts and they expressed more difficulties compared with the Swedish women.

Conclusions. In general, difficulties decreased and coping strategies . increased over the 1-year period in both groups of newly diagnosed, young women.

López González, M. (2009, June). Getting to know reality and breaking stereotypes: The experience of two generations of working disabled women. Disability & Society, 24(4), 447-459.

This paper sets out the results of a Spanish study of the experience and meaning of work among disabled women of two generations, with three types of disability (physical, visual and hearing). Performing a socially recognised activity such as a job is a source of emotional welfare and self-esteem. Moreover, it confers a certain social status. For the participants in this study the kind of work involved, whether productive, paid and ‘extra-domestic’ or ‘reproductive’, unpaid and done at home, acquires different meanings, since for disabled women, sexist stereotypes – already more or less accentuated in the culture – social attitudes towards disability and personal factors introduce relevant differences, while leading to conflicts and dilemmas that these women have to solve. At any rate, their sense of responsibility in performing all types of work should be emphasised as evidence of their sense of independence and personal competence, forming a keystone in their construction of a sense of identity and social integration.

Lorenzo, T. (2003, October). No African renaissance without disabled women: A communal approach to human development in Cape Town South Africa. Disability & Society, 18(6), 759-778.

The African Renaissance is upon us. Those who have eyes to see, let them see. Disabled women who live in wooden shacks in the peri-urban areas of Khayelitsha in Cape Town, South Africa, participated in storytelling workshops over a two-and-a-half-year period. They shared experiences of what helped or hindered their social and economic development since becoming disabled. The workshops were part of a participatory action research (PAR) study of the Division of Occupational Therapy, University of Cape Town, together with Disabled People South Africa (DPSA) and the Zanempilo Health Trust [formerly South African Christian Leadership Assembly (SACLA) Primary Health Care Project]. The findings revealed the struggles and sadness, as well as the strengths and spirit that the women experienced within their every day context at an individual, family and community level. The women spoke strongly about meeting physical, emotional, and spiritual needs (human development) as the means to social and economic development. The discussion reflects on the many paradoxes of disability encapsulated in the essence of interdependence of Ubuntu. Three themes discussed are building emotional resourcefulness: nurturing children and families in disability issues; and renewing spirituality and Ubuntu in disability and development programmes. In conclusion, managing the paradoxes of disability, the creation of a new individual and collective identity, and the capacity to change are proposed as the way forward.

Manderson, L., & Stirling, L. (2007). The absent breast: Speaking of the mastectomied body. Feminism & Psychology, 17(1), 75-92.

Worldwide, approximately 1 in 11 women have breast cancer at some time in their lifetime. The majority are successfully treated with surgery, then radiotherapy and/or chemo-therapy. Survival brings its own problems, however, including an underlying ontological problem: What is the part of the body left after a mastectomy? Women talking about their experiences of mastectomy are faced with complex referential tasks with regard to their bodies at different stages of the past and present, within different discourses (medical, sexual, maternal), and from different perspectives (the individual and the generic, their own perspective and that of their medical professionals). Drawing on anthropological research conducted among Australian women, we illustrate how women resolve difficulties of reference to the site of the mastectomy, and examine the shifts in perspective that are marked by different lexical choices.

Markovic, M., Manderson, L., Wray, N., & Quinn, M. (2004, December). ‘He’s telling us something.’ Anthropology & Medicine, 11(3), 327-341.

Drawing on in-depth interviews with patients and participant observation notes from a cancer support group and outpatients department, we analyse the experiences of Australian-born and immigrant women with gynaecological cancer to describe cancer diagnosis disclosures from the patients’ perspectives and examine women’s treatment decision-making. Data suggest that most women did not question the surgeon’s recommendation and assumed a passive role in treatment decision-making. The contextual factors which impacted on this pattern were the unavailability of an alternative biomedical treatment path, the perception of the metropolitan hospital as a centre of clinical excellence with extensive experience in treating women with gynaecological cancer, and lay understandings of the nature of gynaecological cancer as ‘a killer’. We also discuss the circumstances under which a few women took on the role of primary decision-maker.

Marshall, C. A., Kendall, E., Catalano, T., & Barnett, L. (2008). The spaces between: Partnerships between women researchers and Indigenous women with disabilities. In M. J. Scherer & M. A. Dicowden (Eds.), Feature issue: Issues Regarding Women with Disabilities. Disability & Rehabilitation, 30(3), 191-201.

Purpose. To understand the experiences of Indigenous Australian women with chronic illnesses and disabilities and their views about a way forward in relation to partnerships in research and community-supported problem-solving.

Method. Using a participatory action research framework, five Indigenous women participated in a group meeting and interviews with academic women researchers to discuss their health and disabilities in order to generate solutions that could address health disparities among Indigenous women.

Results. Five themes describe the experiences of these Indigenous women when considering their personal histories, interactions with formal service systems, and their aspirations for the future: (i) Ongoing influence of history, (ii) systemic lack of respect, (iii) social context of health, (iv) moving forward in positive ways, and (v) research partnerships as a way forward. The data raised critical questions about the role of research, including, ‘Who has the right to tell the stories of the women?’.

Conclusions. We show how a small research project conducted in collaboration with five Indigenous women developed into a significant research partnership and resulted in a better understanding of the issues that must be addressed by research in future. It is suggested that through such partnerships underserved women can best be served by research.

Marston, C., & Atkins, D. (1999, January). Pushing the limits: An interview with Shelley Tremain. In D. Atkins & C. Marston (Eds.), Queer and Dis/Abled [Special issue]. International Journal of Sexuality and Gender Studies, 4(1), 87-95.

Shelley Tremain, the 1997-1998 Ed Roberts Postdoctoral Fellow at the World Institute on Disability and the School of Public Health of the University of California at Berkeley and editor of Pushing the Limits: Disabled Dykes Produce Culture, is interviewed by Cathy Marston and Dawn Atkins. The interview covers Tremain’s work with disabled dykes in Canada, raising awareness in queer communities about disability (and in disability communities about queer issues), research issues such as the social model of disability and problems with labels separating out “learning” and “mental” disabilities from “physical” disabilities, problems dealing with being an academic with a disability, and Tremain’s suggested readings for those interested in doing more work on the intersection of queer and disability issues.

Mason, M. (2000). Incurably human. London: Working Press.

Simultaneously personal and philosophical, this book is both a celebration of and call for inclusive communities and schools. Micheline Mason shares some of her experiences growing up and living with a disability in London. She challenges the dominant ideology of the medical model that suggests that she and others with disabilities are broken and need to be fixed, stressing that she is fully human as she is and does not need or desire a cure. The book chronicles her personal journey from experiencing segregation and discrimination to living a full life, fighting prejudice, and working for inclusive societies. She has dedicated the book to Marsha Forest, Jack Pearpoint, Judith Snow, John O’Brien, and Herb Lovett who “flew in as a team, crashed through our British reserve and, in their generosity, gave us the language and the tools of inclusion.” The book is divided into four sections: Exclusion Harms Everyone, The Inclusion Movement, Inclusive Education, Glimpses of a Possible Future.

Marshall, C. A., & Juarez, L. G. (2002, October-December). Learning from our neighbor: Women with disabilities in Oaxaca, Mexico. Journal of Rehabilitation, 68(4), 13-19.

The Vecinos y [Neighbors and] Rehabilitation project involved five years of research in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. This article summarizes research from the fifth and last year of research – research that focused on indigenous women with disabilities living in the urban capital of Oaxaca City. It also describes action intervention: the development of a non-profit organization in the United States, the Women’s International Leadership Institute (WILI). WILI is working with women with disabilities in Oaxaca to meet needs identified through the Vecinos research. The research processes used in the Vecinos project, coupled with the action interventions being taken by WILI, can serve as a model for international collaboration between the United States and Mexico and as a demonstration of the need for a bi-national agreement to work together as neighbors in rehabilitation.

Masuda, S. (1998, March). The impact of block funding on women with disabilities.
Ottawa: Status of Women Canada. Retrieved May 7, 2005 from http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/pubs/066263473X/199803_066263473X_e.pdf

“Most Canadians are unaware of the changes brought about by block funding for health, education, welfare (social assistance), and social services, which have been consolidated under the Canada Health and Social Transfer (CHST). People most affected by these changes are those in need of health services and people on welfare and welfare disability benefits. Although these cuts affect all persons with disabilities who depend upon the social services, women with disabilities are generally in a worse position than men with disabilities. The changes affect about 60 percent of all women with disabilities on a very personal level. The purpose of this research was to look at the impact of block funding on women with disabilities…. This research, based on discussions with women with disabilities in focus groups in every province and territory in Canada, shows that the changes under the CHST have had a profound negative impact on our lives as women with disabilities…. The women who participated in the focus groups felt that the lives of women with disabilities in institutions have become increasingly difficult.”

Matthews, G. F. (1983). Voices from the shadows: Women with disabilities speak out. Toronto: The Women’s Press.

This book explores the lives of women with disabilities in Canada and is based on interviews with 45 women with disabilities. The author herself has a physical disability and the book is a mixture of her own autobiography and the interviews. The result is a very readable and interesting account of the lives of women with disabilities, some of whom live in institutions and others who live in the community.

The book is candid in its critique of the medical and rehabilitation professionals, institutions and the attitudinal and physical barriers in society. It explores the feelings of women with disabilities about themselves and their relationships with others. It points out that many doctors and social workers as well as society in general think that women with disabilities are asexual and therefore not in need of information on birth control or what is possible in terms of having children or a sex life. Other issues addressed are employment, education, housing, parenting, accessibility and social and governmental assistance.

The introduction to the book is written by Pat Israel and Cathy McPherson, “two feminists with disabilities” (as they call themselves). They discuss, amongst other things, the relations between the disability rights movement and the women’s movement and criticize how un-accessible the women’s movement has been for women with disabilities.

McDonough, P. A. (1997). The social patterning of work disability among women in Canada. In K. F. Schriner, S. N. Barnartt & B. M. Altman (Eds.). Disabled women and public policy: Where we’ve been, where we’re going [Special issue]. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 8(1&2).

Examines effects of functional limitations, the labor market, life stage, and family responsibilities, on whether or not a woman is able to be gainfully employed; based on data relating to women aged 20-64 from the household component of the 1986 Statistics Canada Health and Activity Limitation Survey (HALS).

McDonagh P. (2000, June). Diminished men and dangerous women: Representations of gender and learning disability in early- and mid-nineteenth-century Britain. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 28(2), 49-53.

The present article explores the relationship of gender and learning disabilities in early- and mid-nineteenth-century literary representations of people with learning disabilities. Literary texts are useful historical documents because these often foreground how learning disabilities worked symbolically in a social context and enable us to examine the ideological forces shaping notions of learning disabilities. The images explored in the present study suggest some common cultural themes. Men with learning disabilities were understood as being diminished, somehow lacking an essential component of masculine identity. Women, on the other hand, were often reduced to the essential, yet disruptive element of feminine sexuality, or later in the century, were conceived as deviant from the feminine norm in their carnality.

McLaughlin, J. (2003, August 20-24). Screening networks: Shared agendas in feminist and disability movement challenges to antenatal screening and abortion. Paper presented at Gender and Power in the New Europe, the 5th European Feminist Research Conference, Lund University, Sweden. Retrieved March 31, 2005 from http://www.5thfeminist.lu.se/filer/paper_352.pdf

“In various debates and issues non-disabled feminists have been rightly criticised for advocating ideas that are problematic for disabled people and counter to the principles of the disability movement. …While feminists working within disability studies…have developed greater dialogue between feminist frameworks and disability studies, reproductive rights remain an important point of contention between the two approaches.”

Mee Kim, K. (2010, March). The accomplishments of disabled women’s advocacy organizations and their future in Korea. Disability & Society, 25(2), 219-230.

Since the late 1990s disabled women’s advocacy organizations have fought against oppression and have made great strides in Korea. This paper aims to describe the accomplishments, challenges and future directions of disabled women’s advocacy organizations in Korea. A qualitative design was employed to explore disabled women’s perspectives. Participants were leaders in disabled women’s advocacy organizations and were recruited from each of the organizations existing in Korea in 2007. Among seven potential participants, five were interviewed. Accomplishments to date include significant gains in the recognition and visibility of disabled women, advances in the use of gender-sensitive approaches to the development of disability policies and the growth of networks among disabled women’s organizations. Disabled women’s advocacy will continue to become stronger in the future through increased organizational membership, the development of a distinct organizational identity, the articulation of more focused policy concerns and continued network development.

Meekosha, H. (2002). Virtual activists? Women and the making of identities of disability. In E. Kittay, S. Silvers, & S.Wendell (Eds.), Special issue: Feminism and disability II. Hypatia, 17(3), 67-88.

This article examines the rise of a feminist engagement with the disability rights movement. Three realms of social being—individual, society, and the state—interact in the making of the identities of disability. The emergence of Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA), suggests the ways women with disabilities come to identify with an autonomous women’s group and the ways in which the particular forms of our activisms are produced.

Meekosha, H. (2006, June). What the hell are you? An intercategorical analysis of race, ethnicity, gender and disability in the Australian body politic. In R. Traustadóttir (Ed.), Gender and Disability [Special issue]. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 8(2&3), 161-176.

Critical disability studies has examined the intersections between gender and disability. Meanwhile, feminist analyses of the intersection between race, class and gender identities have developed important insights, but failed to include dimensions of disability. A wealth of literature deals with issues of health and illness from a cross-cultural perspective, but disability has been a much-neglected area. This paper will examine why gender, race, class and disability have developed as mutually exclusive areas of research and inquiry. It will argue that an intercategorical examination between racialized groups, disability groups and gendered groups in a period of colonialism and neo-colonialism in the Australian context can bring to the fore the ways dominant cultures produce and reproduce themselves. Issues of eugenics, population control, the constitution of the normal subject and exclusion of different bodies provide evidence of these processes.

Meekosha, H., & Dowse, L. (1997, Autumn). Enabling citizenship: Gender, disability and citizenship in Australia. Feminist Review, 57(1) 49-72.

This paper queries the absence of disabled voices in contemporary citizenship literature. It argues that the language and imagery of the citizen is imbued with hegemonic normalcy and as such excludes disability. Feminist perspectives, such as those which argue for a form of maternal citizenship, largely fail to acknowledge disability experiences. Exclusionary practices are charted and links are made between gender, race and disability in this process. A citizenship which acknowledges disability is fundamental to re-imaging local, national and international collectivities.

Mobility International USA & Vion, D. E. (2002). Loud proud & passionate [Video]. Eugene, OR: Mobility International USA and The Sky’s the Limit Productions.

This video documents MIUSA’s Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability. Interviews with participants highlight the vision, determination, challenges and recommendations of women with disabilities who are grassroots leaders in over 25 countries. MIUSA’s unique model of international leadership training is illustrated as women with mobility, visual and hearing disabilities are shown in unique training workshops and team-building activities, from project development to an outdoor ropes challenge course. Some clips are available online (http://www.miusa.org/publications/videos/loudproud) as well as a text version of the transcript.

Mobility International USA & Vion, D. E. (2003). Loud, proud and prosperous® [Video]. Eugene, OR: Mobility International USA and The Sky’s the Limit Productions.

Loud, Proud and Prosperous® features women with disabilities in Zambia and Zimbabwe who are participating in cutting-edge microcredit programs. Through interviews with disabled businesswomen and at their places of enterprise, the video promotes new, more accurate images of women with disabilities in developing countries as micro-entrepreneurs supporting themselves and their families, and agents of economic development. International development organizations will gain insights and practical recommendations to more effectively tap the potential of women with disabilities as clients, businesswomen and economic contributors. People with disabilities in the US will gain international perspectives on the economic challenges and strategies of women with disabilities southern countries. Recommended for microfinance organizations, international development agencies, women’s and disability organizations, international studies and disability studies programs.

Mondéjar-Jiménez, J., Vargas-Vargas, M., Mondéjar-Jiménez, J., & Bayot-Mestre, A. (2009, August). An approach to the socio-labour situation of disabled women in rural communities in a Spanish region. Disability & Rehabilitation, 31(16), 1328-1337.

Disabled women suffer socio-labour discrimination because of both their gender and their disability. The situation is gradually improving, thanks to the national and supranational organisations, which in the past few decades have made considerable progress in improving the legislation, providing financial resources and encouraging social awareness. Despite this, few studies quantify this double discrimination in order to permit the evaluation of the socio-labour situation of this group of people. This scarcity is even more pronounced for rural areas, where many other factors hinder the integration of disabled women into the labour market and generate some specific problems that the specialist literature seldom addresses. The current work presents the results of a survey on the socio-economic situation of disabled women in a strongly rural area: the Spanish region of Castilla-La Mancha. It stresses the fundamental difficulties of these women in integrating into the labour market and the most urgent political measures needed to help this group.

Morgan, M. (2003, June 26). Women with disabilities: From invisible to visible citizens [Bulletin Insert]. Disability Negotiations Bulletin, 2(9). New York: Ad Hoc Committee on an International Convention, United Nations. Retrieved March 31, 2005 from http://www.worldenable.net/rights/adhoc2meetbulletin09a.htm

This bulletin insert reports on a luncheon hosted by the government of South Africa and the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), “Women with disabilities: Opportunities and challenges for women’s rights activists in the development of a convention on the human rights of people with disabilities.” The briefing emphasized the need for the explicit equality of women with disabilities within the context of any human rights framework.

Moss, P., & Dyck, I. (1999). Body, corporeal space, and legitimating chronic illness: Women diagnosed with M.E. Antipode, 31(4), 372-397.

The trendiness in using the body as a unit of analysis does not keep us from trying to understand how the body is part of the mundane stuff that makes up everyday life, particularly the chronically ill body. In our research with women diagnosed with chronic illness, we found that women experience their bodies, both sensorially and in their capacity for labor and leisure, through social scripts, seeming economic imperatives, and their own blood, sweat, and tears. The synchronous existence of the discursively ill and materially ill body seemed to be highlighted in these women’s accounts of their experiences of myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E., popularly referred to as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or CFS). This spurred us to rethink the body in terms not just of embodied social practices but also of embodied experiences. In this paper we draw on women’s experiences of M.E. as a way to assist in building a radical body politics. We first review and critique various attempts to come to terms with the simultaneity of the discursive and material body. We then present our empirical study comprised of in-depth interviews with women diagnosed with M.E. and living in Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. We then elaborate the notion of corporeal space as a way to access embodied experience. We close with comments about how body and space create a nexus through which we can access bodily existence within space.

Mung-nga Li, C., & Kwai-sang Yau, M. (2006, March). Sexual issues and concerns: Tales of Chinese women with spinal cord impairments. Sexuality and Disability, 24(1), 1-26.

Background: Much has been written about the pathophysiological impact of spinal cord impairment (SCI) on sexual function in women, yet the literature offers only sparse coverage of its psychological and emotional impacts on female sexuality, and the factors which may influence the maintenance of sexual identity as a woman with physical disability.

Methodology: To gain insights into sexual experiences and concerns, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 Chinese women with SCI. Narrative data on marital relationships, sexual identity, sexual knowledge, and sexual satisfaction was transcribed and the content analyzed.

Results: When disability intrudes in a woman’s life, sexuality is reshaped against the foundation of previous sexual experiences and expectations, especially for women who acquired disabilities in adulthood. Constructions of sexuality among these women encompassed broader areas than the sexual act alone. These included the couple’s adjustment to her disabilities, society’s perception of a woman’s image, internalization of messages about women’s roles within the family, the attitude of health professionals towards sexuality, and the onset of disability.

Conclusion: Sexuality is an important health concern for women who live with long-term physical disabilities and should be acknowledged by sensitive and responsive health practices. Health care professionals need to renounce the sexual myths and stereotypes and genuinely attempt to understand the possible impact of SCI on women’s sexuality.

Murdoch, M., Gustafson, G. L., & The Independent Living Resource Centre-St. John’s. (2005). Women with disabilities and adaptive technology in the workplace: Participatory action research and applied principles of independent living – Full report. St. John’s, Newfoundland: The Independent Living Resource Centre. Retrieved August 30, 2005 from http://www.ilrc.nf.ca/Waat/select_report.htm

“This report provides an overview of a research project that examined the experiences and perspectives of unemployed, underemployed, and employed women with disabilities, and their knowledge of and need for adaptive technology… We found that despite education, work experience, and involvement in various training programs the majority of women with disabilities were unable to find sustained employment with a living wage. Although most women with disabilities have improved access to education, policies to advance use of adaptive technology in the labour market have not kept pace. Consequently, women with disabilities are demonstrably and significantly excluded from employment.”

Muthukrishna, N., Sokoyo, G. O., & Moodley, S. (2009). Gender and disability: An intersectional analysis of experiences of ten disabled women in Kwazu-Natal. Gender and Behaviour, 7(1).

The study adopted the intersectional approach in exploring socially constructed stereotypes and prejudices against disabled women, and the influence of these on their self-concept and gender-identity. Ten women between the ages of 22-35 years, drawn from the four major ethnic groups in Kwazulu-Natal province of South-Africa (White, Indian, Coloured, African), participated in the study. Data were collected through in-depth face-to-face interviews. Findings revealed that the disabled woman is marginalized and confronted with triple jeopardy of being female, disabled, and in a developing nation. Social stereotypes, discrimination and prejudices negatively influence her self-concept, her gender identity, and her economic self-sufficiency.

Nagata, K. K. (2003). Gender and disability in the Arab region: The challenges in the new millennium. Asia Pacific Disability Rehabilitation Journal, 14(1), 10-17. Available: http://www.aifo.it/english/resources/online/apdrj/apdrj103/arab-region.pdf.

Many women are discriminated against because they are women. Having a disability compounds this gender-based prejudice. Women with disabilities in many regions of the world including Arab countries suffer from this double discrimination. The study upon which this article is based analyzes the status of Arab women in general, gender relations in the Middle East, and the situation of Arab women with disabilities, based on available disability statistics from a few selected countries and the author’s observations during her 13-year living experience in Baghdad, Amman, and Beirut.

Nakanishi, Y. (1999). Development and self-help movement of women with disabilities. Johanneshov, Sweden: Independent Living Institute. Retrieved March 31, 2005 from http://www.independentliving.org/docs5/nakanishi.html.

The problems of women with disabilities are especially more intensive than those of women without disabilities. The issues and problems facing women with disabilities are numerous as all of you are already aware. Poverty and injustice are cores of vulnerability and deprivation of women with disabilities. Development assistance which is provided by their fellow women with disabilities is projected to help them get access to resources and to educate them how to acquire power over resources. This article focuses on development assistance models and philosophies for women with disabilities who struggle to achieve independence in Asia, first from the viewpoint of a development program organizer and then from the viewpoint of a witness of empowered self-help movements.

 
National Aboriginal Network on Disability. (1992). Voices in the wilderness: Aboriginal women and disabilities. Cornwall, ON: Author. Retrieved March 30, 2005 from http://www.schoolnet.ca/aboriginal/disable6/index-e.html

This paper identifies issues affecting Aboriginal women with disabilities and Aboriginal women who are primary caregivers of disabled relatives. It is the result of a literature review, discussions with Aboriginal women and a two-day “Aboriginal Women’s Circle on Disability” held in Ottawa in March 1992. The paper also contains recommendations based on the Women’s Circle discussions.

National Coordinating Group on Health Care Reform and Women. (2002). Women and health care reform. Winnipeg, MB: Canadian Women’s Health Network. Retrieved March 8, 2005 from http://www.cewh-cesf.ca/PDF/health_reform/women-hcrEN.pdf

“Women are the majority of health care receivers and health care providers in Canada. Approximately 80% of paid health care workers are women. Women provide most of the unpaid health care within the home. During the past decade, federal and provincial governments introduced major changes to the health care system. These health care reforms have a significant impact on women as patients, health care providers, and family caregivers. Health care reforms affect women’s health, work and financial well-being.”

National Network on Environments and Women’s Health. (2000). The impacts of policy on the health and well-being of women raising children with disabilities. Toronto: National Author. Retrieved March 8, 2005 from http://www.yorku.ca/nnewh/english/pubs/19.pdf

In October 2000, a round table was held with mothers raising children with disabilities as key informants. The purpose of the roundtable was to explore the impacts of policy on women’s health and well-being related to raising children with disabilities. The round table was held in Edmonton, Alberta took place in conjunction with the 6th International Congress on the Inclusion of Children with Disabilities and the Canadian Association for Community Living Family Conference.
This brief document concludes that “…It is apparent that the current state of affairs for some women who are raising children with disabilities has a significant impact on their own health and well-being, as well as on their social and economic opportunities and sense of social security. Mothers raising children with disabilities are clear that the negative impacts on their own health and well-being are a direct result of current policy and the translation in delivery of programs and service, not the direct care of their child per se.”

Ncube, A. (2004, July). Political participation of women with disabilities. Sister Namibia, 16(3).

“What is the present reality facing differently abled women with regard to participation in general? Are women with disability visible? If they are, where are they visible? What prevents their visibility? Do you see them in the family? Do you see them participating actively in the community? Are they visible in meaningful positions in the disability movement? I will not even ask the question in relation to their participation in the political mainstream.

We need to understand the factors that make it difficult for differently abled women to engage actively. We need to recognise the double, even multiple sources of invisibility of certain categories of women and girls. Depending on economic status, ethnicity, tribe, (dis)ability, colour, caste, HIV status, and age, some women and girls may suffer multiple forms of discrimination, thus making their functioning in civil society particularly difficult.”

Ngai, K. (2002). Translating research into action: Empowering disabled women through emancipatory research in a Chinese Society. Asia & Pacific Journal on Disability, 5(2). Retrieved March 4, 2005 from http://www.dinf.ne.jp/doc/english/asia/resource/z00ap/vol5no2/trans.htm.

Emancipatory research is highly commended by both disability activists and feminists for its enabling effects. The author therefore applies emancipatory research to a group of disabled women in a Chinese society with the ultimate goals of empowerment and self-advocacy. As a result, the outcome is positive and encouraging, though challenges are also encountered.

 

O’Connor, J., Barry, U., & Murphy, S. (2007, February). Exploring the research and policy gaps: A review of literature on women and disability [Disability Research Series 7]. Dublin: National Disability Authority.

The National Disability Authority commissioned this review of literature on women and disability in order to explore where gender issues and disability issues intersect – where the issues for disabled women are significantly different because of their gender or the issues for women are significantly different because of their disability. The purpose of the research was to synthesise and summarise the state of knowledge in this area both in Ireland and internationally.
The following topics were considered in the review:

• the developing ‘visibility’ of disability, women and gender as a topic in the theoretical and research literature;
• social welfare status of women with disabilities;
• women, disability and poverty;
• the labour market attachment of women with disabilities, exploring their participation in the labour force, income levels, work facilitation and assistance and how this impacts on their experience as women with disabilities;
• issues for disabled women around personal assistance, examining economic and social issues associated with care and how these affect women’s experience of disability;
• the relationship between disability and sexuality and reproductive freedoms and how this impacts on women’s gender and disability identity and their human rights;
• communication difficulties of women with disabilities.

This report is available in both HTML (plain text) or PDF formats online at
http://www.nda.ie/cntmgmtnew.nsf/0/BF3A14B644017A648025729D0051DD2B?OpenDocument.

O’Hara, J.., & Martin, H. (2003, March). Parents with learning disabilities: a study of gender and cultural perspectives in East London. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 31(1), 18-24.

The rights of people with learning disabilities to marry and have a family is at the heart of the Government’s new strategy (Valuing People), yet there are few integrated and co-ordinated services to meet their needs. All too often, learning disability is the sole reason why children are removed from their biological parents. Whilst there is a small but growing literature on the quality and extent of the social supports available, little attention has been paid to culture and gender. This study analyses data on parents who came into contact with the specialist community learning disability health team in East London over a 5-year period in respect of culture, gender and outcomes.

Okkolin, M., Lehtomäki, E., & Bhalalusesa, E. (2010, January). The successful education sector development in Tanzania – Comment on gender balance and inclusive education. Gender and Education, 22(1), 63-71.

In this paper we discuss to what extent the international and national equality goals regarding gender balance and inclusive education have been reached in the education sector development in Tanzania. According to recent reports, the development trend has been generally positive, and the country is close to achieving its primary education targets. More detailed reviews suggest, however, that current monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are too narrow to catch the critical factors regarding equality, particularly in secondary education. Our comment concerns the achievements and challenges, and emphasises the significance of a multidimensional set of information including in-depth qualitative research on connections between socio-cultural factors and education.

Pagán-Rodríguez, R. (2009, January). An empirical analysis on the incidence of part-time work among women with disabilities. Disability & Rehabilitation, 31(2), 73-83.

Purpose. To analyse the determinants of part-time employment and examine the impact of having a disability on the probability of working part-time. Our dataset allows us to take into account the heterogeneity within the disabled collective and identify the incidence of part-time work, for example, by type of disability and compare the results obtained.

Method. Using data from the ad hoc module on disability of the Spanish Labour Force Survey 2002 (which contains detailed information on key characteristics of disabled population), we used a bivariate probit model to estimate the probability of disabled women working part-time and of being employed.

Results. The results show that disabled women have a higher probability of working part-time as compared to non-disabled women, especially those with progressive illnesses, digestive and stomach disorders and chest or breathing problems. In addition, there is a positive relationship between longer disability durations and levels of part-time employment.

Conclusions. Part-time employment can be used as a means to increase the levels of employment of disabled women, especially for those who face important barriers and difficulties as they try to enter into the labour market (e.g., those with epilepsy, mental, emotional conditions and other progressive illnesses or having long-term disabilities).

Paltiel, F. L. (1997). The Disabled Women’s Network in Canada. Sexuality and Disability, 15(1), 47-50.

This paper describes the Disabled Women’s Network (DAWN) in Canada, its origins, its significance, and its effective contributions to public awareness and social policy. DAWN was conceived as a result of the realization that the disabled community and its advocates lacked gender awareness or sensitivity, while the women’s movement had a blind spot regarding women with disabilities. The paper will consider the topic against the background of disability statistics, the health care system in Canada and from a perspective of needs, risks and tasks of women in general and women with disabilities in particular.

Perry, D. & Whiteside, R. K. (2002, April). Recontextualising violence: Children, ‘disability’ and gender. Northbridge, WA, Australia: People 1st Programme (PIP). Retrieved March 1, 2004 from http://www.people1stprogramme.com.au/files/Recontextualising_Violence.pdf

“Violence and abuses of all kinds are increasingly publicly acknowledged as widespread in many societies. While it is important to recognise ‘groups’ of people who may be regarded as ‘at risk’ or most likely to be subjected to various forms of abuse, it is also important to look for revealing continuities and interrelationships with regard to reasons why people are violated at all. Until quite recently, various professions and disciplines have focused upon violence and abuse in contexts relevant to their particular areas of expertise with some reluctance to pose these larger often difficult and highly confronting social and political questions. There are however, signs that a broadening perspective is emerging and that the focuses of varying forms of analysis and research must be interrelated within wider frameworks.”

Perspectives on Education by Women with Disabilities [Feature issue]. (1996, Summer). Women’s Education des femmes, 12(2). Retrieved February 29, 2005 from http://www.nald.ca/canorg/cclow/newslet/1996/sumr_v12/cover.pdf

“The women who have contributed to this special issue, Perspectives on Education from Women with Disabilities, have shared their experiences and knowledge, their triumphs and frustrations in an effort to wake up the world to their right to access education, employment and a life of dignity and independence.”

Peters, Y. (2003, February). Federally sentenced women with mental disabilities: A dark corner in Canadian human rights. North Bay, ON: DisAbled Women’s Action Network (DAWN) Canada. Retrieved September 27, 2006 from http://www.elizabethfry.ca/submissn/dawn/1.htm.

This is a special report on the Canadian government’s treatment of women serving federal terms of imprisonment, focusing on the discrimination against women prisoners on the grounds of sex, race and cognitive and mental disabilities. In this report, DAWN Canada provides a human rights analysis of the laws and policies that govern how Correctional Service Canada (CSC) deals with federally sentenced women (“FSW”) living with a mental disability.

Posen, J., Moore, O., Tassa, D. S., Ginzburg, K., Drory, M., & Giladi, N. (2000). Young women with PD: A group work experience. Social Work in Health Care, 32(1), 77-91.

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) affects between 5-10% of the PD population prior to the age of 40. The psychosocial changes that patients with early PD encounter may be more devastating and disabling than the actual motor disability. The paper describes a unique experience in group work with young female PD patients treated in the Movement Disorders Unit of the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. The paper focuses on the special issues which characterized this group’s experience: stigma, body and sexual image, and personality traits.

Power, R., McManus, V., & Fourie, R. (2009). Hardship, dedication and investment: an exploration of Irish mothers commitment to communicating with their children with cerebral palsy. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 16(6), 531-538.

This qualitative study investigated the experiences of mothers who have a child with communication difficulties resulting from cerebral palsy (CP). There is a dearth of information about parents’ experiences of having a child with CP and communication difficulties. Three participants, whose children had moderate or severe CP and communication difficulties, were recruited from a voluntary organization. Participants were interviewed using an in-depth, semi-structured interview guide. Interviews were audio-recorded, then transcribed and subsequently analysed using Grounded Theory methods. Five main themes emerged, combining to form the core category of mothers dedicating their attention to their children. The information gleaned from this study could have important implications for nurses involved in facilitating communication, including speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and registered nurses. By becoming more aware of the experiences of parents with a child with CP and communication disorders, nurses may be better able to plan and implement therapy and also support communication aims. The study concludes with a discussion of further research avenues, suggesting that a study investigating the experiences of parents of children with other types of physical disabilities affecting communication should be conducted to determine the similarities and differences of parents of children with other kinds of disability. A similar study with a larger sample could be conducted to validate the findings of the current study.

Preece, J. (2002). Feminist perspectives on the learning of citizenship and governance. Compare, 32(1), 21-33. Retrieved March 4, 2005 from http://www.educationarena.com/educationarena/sample/sample_pdfs7/
ccom32_1b.pdf.

This paper offers a critical appraisal of citizenship and governance in relation to gender. It draws on poststructuralist themes which look at the relationship between power and discourse. This perspective provides an analytical tool for exploring how gender has been understood in the construction of citizenship and governance values in Europe. Whilst the focus of this discussion is gender, the implications of this analysis for disability and race are also highlighted. The paper argues for a broader, more inclusive, ethical definition of active citizenship that, in turn, will influence how people learn to be citizens and take part in governance. A selected literature identifies different ways in which citizenship is portrayed and learned through texts, schooling, family and social behaviours and traditions. The changing European and globalisation contexts provide additional commentary on the demands for new forms of citizenship and governance. Particular attention is paid to the notion of active citizenship with some recent interpretations of the dichotomy between private (family) and public (political) domains in relation to citizenship and gender. The final sections then analyse different attempts to re-define a gender sensitive concept of citizenship, concluding with the argument for an ethical education which would empower women to play a more active, citizen role in governance.

Price, J. E. (2007). Engaging disability. Feminist Theory, 8, 77-89.

Price reviews Disability/Postmodernity: Embodying Disability Theory; Desiring Disability: Queer Theory Meets Disability Studies; Bodies in Commotion: Disability and Performance; Disability Studies: Enabling the Humanities; Cultural Locations of Disability; and Foucault and the Government of Disability.

“Disability Studies is a growing field within the UK. Yet those outside the area often evince confusion as to its aims and focus, perceiving it to be of little relevance to those who are not disabled. In this review I hope to demonstrate the importance of disability to a wide range of disciplines, not only in the social sciences but across the arts and humanities, in much the same way that gender, race and sexuality have established their broad significance” (p. 77).

Pridmore, A. (1997, June 15-20). Self-determined living for disabled women using personal assistance. Paper presented at the International Leadership Forum for Women with Disabilities, Bethesda, MD. Retrieved November 8, 2004 from http://www.empowermentzone.com/using_pa.txt

This is text of a speech delivered during the International Leadership Forum for Women with Disabilities on the author’s experiences “…as a woman employing Personal Assistants in Great Britain…” and ….”giv[es] an overview of how and why I started using Personal Assistants and then go on to describe the positive and negative aspects of self-determined living for women using Personal Assistants.”

Raz, A. (2004, November). “Important to test, important to support”: Attitudes toward disability rights and prenatal diagnosis among leaders of support groups for genetic disorders in Israel. Social Science and Medicine, 59(9), 1857-1866.

To situate the North American, and to some extent, European debate regarding disability rights and prenatal diagnosis in a social and cross-cultural context, this pilot study explored the views of leaders of organizations for disability rights and support groups for people with genetic conditions in Israel, where a similar debate has not emerged. Unlike many of their counterparts in North America, Israeli respondents were generally in favor of prenatal genetic testing as well as selective abortion, while at the same time expressing their commitment for already-born disabled individuals. The religious, legal, economic and socio-cultural context of this two-fold view of disability – which separates prenatal (preventive testing) and postnatal (supporting disability) – is discussed in order to further situate the debate in cross-cultural perspective. It is hypothesized that prenatal diagnosis and selective abortion are supported in secular Israeli society independently of the rabbinical stance, which forbids selective abortion, and in a way that reflects society’s non-acceptance of congenital disability, veneration of the healthy body, and medical directiveness.

Reeves, D., & Sheridan, C. (Eds.). (2003, April). Gender equality and plan making: The gender mainstreaming toolkit. London: Royal Town Planning Institute. Retrieved June 6, 2005 from http://www.rtpi.org.uk/resources/panels/equal-w/gender.pdf

“This gender mainstreaming toolkit provides practical guidance on how to incorporate gender issues into planning at the local level, helping promote equality between women and men. The target audience for this toolkit includes those responsible for formulating and implementing planning policy (policy planners), making decisions about the content of planning policy (elected members), and implementing planning policy (development control planners or development facilitators). The toolkit will also be useful for those engaged with the planning process, including community groups, groups representing women and men and those providing advice to communities such as consultants and Planning Aid organisations.”

While not specific to disability, it is considered a factor in planning and development as a diversity concern.

Read, J. (1991). There was never really any choice : The experience of mothers of disabled children in the United Kingdom. Women’s Studies International Forum
14(6), 561-571.

This article focuses on two main themes. First, it examines the impact that caring for severly disabled children has on the lives of their mothers: the exacting work they undertake, the restrictions they encounter and the choices they have to make. Second, it suggests that those very services which it is assumed will be helpful and relief-giving, are not only fragmented and thin on the ground, but are also often experienced as a mixed blessing, adding to the work load and inducing further stress in a number of ways. Some of the parents whose opinions have contributed to this article, are those who took part in a small-scale research project on the relationships between parents of disabled children and professionals. Others include those who participated, often in the role of teachers, in a series of open studies courses for service providers and consumers at Warwick University between 1980 and 1985.

Reinikainen, M. (2008). Disablistic practices of womanhood. NORA – Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research, 16(1), 19-32.

In this article I examine twenty autobiographical texts, which include women’s personal experiences of disability and womanhood, and are written by disabled women. Both the texts and the personal experiences are treated as social products which can, through their discourses, offer insight into the socio-cultural practices and norms of disability and womanhood. Employing a Foucauldian discursive approach, the analysis of the texts focuses on references to the discourses and practices of disability and womanhood that can be disablistic, i.e. oppressive, exclusive, and disabling, to disabled women. I argue that more than by the impairment in itself, the experiences of disabled women are shaped by the social and cultural discourses and practices that define disability and womanhood as well as the normative roles, places, and contexts associated with them. The analysis covers issues such as practices of isolation, medical practices, and practices of motherhood, work, and caring. Simultaneous analysis of disability and womanhood exemplifies the way in which disablism operates in a complex interaction with the socio-cultural discourses and practices of womanhood, thus producing gender-differentiated disabling obstacles for disabled women. Some of the traditional normative ideas of disability and womanhood appear as mutually exclusive opposites in the experiences of disabled women. In addition to the need to become aware of the disablistic practices of disability in disabled women’s life, I suggest that disability, as a socio-culturally meaningful difference, could function as a significant analytical dimension of feminist research and analysis in identifying disabling and oppressive features in the normative and hegemonic discourses on womanhood and femininity, and in resisting and deconstructing these features in the future.

Rice, C., Ignagni, E., Zitzelsberger, L., & Porch, W. (2004, Fall). Creating community across disability and difference. Canadian Woman Studies, 24(1), 187-193.

“In this article, we describe our involvement with Building Bridges, a project that examines everyday experiences related to appearance and ability of adult women with disabilities and other body differences. We outline project activities such as workshops and art-making groups that have been designed to create opportunities for women to share stories, knowledge, and practical ideas with others who have similar concerns and experiences; look at the significant skills that they already use to negotiate stressful and challenging interactions; and build on their existing knowledge and skills together” (p. 188).

The Roeher Institute. (1995). Harm’s way: The many faces of violence and abuse against persons with disabilities. North York, ON: Author.

This study focused on violent or abusive circumstances experienced by people with disabilities and the impact of this on their lives. These circumstances include physical, sexual, emotional, and verbal abuse; denial of rights, necessities, privileges, and opportunities; and failure to respond to complaints of abuse and violence. The information for this study came from a Canadian survey of people with disabilities, and from interviews and focus groups with service providers, police, advocates, and family members. Also included as sources of information are a review of the literature on this topic and Canadian case law and statutes.

The author identifies factors which can contribute to such abuse, such as negative social stereotypes concerning disability and having caregivers who may lack adequate support and training. Also considered are issues of disclosure and identification of violence and abuse as well as responses (legal and otherwise) to the problem after it has been disclosed. Recommendations are offered for policy, program reform, statutory reform, providing information to concerned parties about the issue, and increased support from communities.

The Roeher Institute. (2001, February). Disability-related support arrangements, policy options and implications for women’s equality. Ottawa, ON: Research Directorate, Status of Women Canada. Retrieved March 5, 2005 from http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/pubs/0662653238/200102_0662653238_1_e.html

This report examines equality issues of women with disabilities and the women who provide supports to them in the context of caregiving relationships. Equality of women within and outside of the actual relationships is considered. This report is also available as a PDF at: http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/pubs/0662653238/
200102_0662653238_e.pdf

Rousso, H. (n.d.). Education for all: A gender and disability perspective. An unpublished report prepared by Harilyn Rousso, CSW, Disabilities Unlimited, for the World Bank. Retrieved March 12, 2005 from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DISABILITY/Resources/Education/
Education_for_All_A_Gender_and_Disability_Perspective.pdf.

“In light of the international commitment to Education for All (EFA), how are girls with disabilities faring? In truth, we don’t know, although from what we can tell, they are not faring well. Widespread cultural biases based on gender and disability greatly limit their educational opportunities. Why don’t we know more? Those committed to gender equity, by failing to consider disability, and those committed to disability equity, by failing to consider gender, have unwittingly rendered disabled girls invisible.”

Rousso, H. (2000). Girls and women with disabilities: An international overview
and summary of research. New York: Disabilities Unlimited Consulting Services.

“While widely diverse, one major commonality of women with disabilities is the double discrimination they face based on disability and gender. As a group, women and girls with disabilities fare less well on most indicators of educational, vocational, financial and social success than their nondisabled female and disabled male counterparts. But the barriers to success that they face often go beyond issues of gender and disability. Women and girls with disabilities from developing countries encounter many more hurdles than their disabled sisters in more developed countries. And within the same country, disabled women and girls who are poor or are members of racial, ethnic, religious, sexual or other minority groups have less access to resources and fewer chances for full participation in society than their counterparts who are better off financially and/or are members of majority groups.”

Rozen, S. (Director), & Kowarsky, E. (Producer). (1999). Liebe Perla [Film]. Israel: Eden Productions.

This powerful documentary highlights the friendship of two women while revisiting the Nazi’s treatment of people with disabilities. The women, a young disability advocate researching the treatment of little people during the Holocaust and an 80-year-old concentration camp survivor, are similar only in that they are both called short-statured. The film is in German and Hebrew with English subtitles. It is a provocative film that is best viewed with time for discussion afterwards.

Rucklidge, J. J. (2006, March). Gender differences in neuropsychological functioning of New Zealand adolescents with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. In Stephen Houghton (Ed.), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Genetics and Neuropsychology [Special issue]. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 53(1), 47-66.

Only recently have studies included a female Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) sample when investigating neurocognitive functioning of individuals with ADHD. As such, the generalisability of findings of impaired executive functioning is limited to ADHD males. This study compared four groups aged 13-17 years: 30 male controls, 35 female controls, 24 males with ADHD, and 25 females with ADHD. Participants were assessed using the K-SADS-PL and Conners’ Rating Scales, and completed tests of rapid naming, processing speed, memory, inhibition, set-shifting, and interference. Results showed that the males with ADHD and the females with ADHD performed similarly with only one notable difference: males with ADHD showed some evidence of more impaired inhibition than females with ADHD. In contrast, after controlling for reading ability, comorbidity, and IQ, both males and females with ADHD showed some impairment in working memory, naming speeds, processing abilities, and inhibitory deficits as compared with controls. This study supports the growing literature documenting impaired neurocognitive functioning in both males and females with ADHD.

Rukwong, P. (2008, March). Lived experience of middle-aged women living with a disability in Isaan, Thailand. Nursing and Health Sciences, 10(1), 59-64.

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of middle-aged women living with a disability in Isaan, Thailand. Sixteen women with disabilities, aged 40-60 years, were initially recruited by purposive sampling and, subsequently, theoretical sampling was employed. A qualitative method was applied. The data were collected by using in-depth interviews and observations and these datasets were triangulated. The qualitative data were analyzed by using content analysis. To increase trustworthiness, prolonged engagement, triangulation of the data, peer debriefing, and member checks with the participants were used. The results show that three inter-related themes emerged: dealing with unpredictable fluctuations in physical competence and health status, maintaining the gender role under physical limitation, and a need for a supportive environment. The results indicate that gender and culture play a significant role in the daily lives of women with disabilities. Based on the study’s findings, a gender-and culture-sensitive nursing care system is essential.

Salthouse, S., & Frohmader, C. (2004, September 15-17). ‘Double the odds’ – Domestic violence and women with disabilities. Paper presented to the ‘Home Truths’ Conference, Sheraton Towers, Southgate, Melbourne, Australia. Retrieved March 1, 2005 from http://www.wwda.org.au/odds.htm

“There is a high incidence of violence against women with disabilities. It is extensive and of a pervasive nature. Yet until recent years, there has been a profound silence around the experiences of violence among women with disabilities. The issues for women with disabilities have largely been excluded from most generic policies and from responses to the issue of women and violence. Women with disabilities are largely invisible in both the disability and women’s movements. All these factors combine to produce a situation where women with disabilities are relegated them to a position of extreme marginalisation and consequently, to increased risks and experiences of violence.”

Sampson, F. (2003, Spring). Globalization and the inequality of women with disabilities. Journal of Law & Equality, 2(1), 16-32. Retrieved March 4, 2005 from http://www.jle.ca/files/v2n1/Sampson.pdf.

“This article focuses on one disadvantaged group—women with disabilities—whose members are affected in multiple ways by the operation of the market economy in the current era of globalization.”

Sands, T. (2005, November). A voice of our own: Advocacy by women with disability in Australia and the Pacific. Gender and Development, 13(3), 51-62.

Women with disability do not generally benefit from international human-rights laws and agreements, or from development discourse and practice. The interconnection between disability and gender identity is largely invisible within women’s rights, disability rights, and development agendas. For women with disability in the Asia and Pacific region, this is particularly evident for Pacific women; within Australia, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. This article discusses these issues in the context of PWDA’s advocacy approach to disability, gender, and development. It also describes PWDA’s engagement with women’s human-rights projects, which has formed part of its advocacy strategy to develop a voice for Australian and Pacific women with disability.

Sará-Serrano Mathiason, M. (n.d.). Women with disabilities: Lessons of reinforcing the gender perspective in international norms and standards. New York: United Nations UN Global Programme on Disability. Retrieved March 4, 2005 from http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/women/wwdis0.htm

“Women with disabilities did not get on United Nations development agenda overnight. The first World Conference on Women, held in Mexico City in 1975, did not mention women with disabilities at all. The second World Conference on Women, held in Copenhagen in 1980, only asked Governments to ‘Direct special attention to the needs of elderly women, women living alone and disabled women.’ There was little detail in the text agreed by the Governments and persons with disabilities were not well represented.”

Portions of this document were published in somewhat different format in Beyond Beijing: A guide to equality for women with disabilities by the year 2000, published by Disabled People’s International (DPI) in 1997.

Sartori, G. (1995). Toward empathy: Access to transition houses for psychiatrized women. Whitehorse, YT: Second Opinion Society of Whitehorse.

In 1990, the disAbled Women’s Network (DAWN Canada) published a report called Meeting Our Needs: An Access Manual for Transition Houses. The authors had looked extensively at the situation of disabled women in accessing transition house services in an abuse crisis. Of the various categories of disability that they examined, “psychiatrically disabled” women were the most likely to seek such services–and the most likely to be turned away on the basis of their disability. This manual is designed to promote the equal access to transition houses that DAWN Canada found lacking. It is written by and from the point of view of women who have experienced psychiatric treatment.

Scherer, M. J., & Dicowden, M. A. (2008). Organizing future research and intervention efforts on the impact and effects of gender differences on disability and rehabilitation: The usefulness of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). In M. J. Scherer & M. A. Dicowden (Eds.), Feature issue: Issues Regarding Women with Disabilities. Disability & Rehabilitation, 30(3), 161-165.

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is discussed as being relevant to research and service delivery for women with disabilities. The personal meaning a disability has for a woman is shaped largely by Personal Factors. These, in turn, have historically been affected strongly by Environmental Factors such as culture and attitudes. Too often both Personal Factors, and how they are shaped by Environmental Factors, are not adequately addressed in our intervention programs. The interaction of Personal and Environmental Factors is illustrated by examples from the technology use and non-use literature.

Schoen, C., Simantov, E., Gross, R., Brammli, S., & Leiman, J. (2003). Disparities in women’s health and health care experiences in the United States and Israel: Findings from 1998 National Women’s Health Surveys. Women and Health, 37(1), 49-70.

Objective and Methods: Using data from bi-national 1998 surveys of adult women in the U.S. and in Israel, this article examines health, access, and care experiences among women in two countries with very different health care systems. We examine how well each country’s system serves those vulnerable due to lower socio-economic status. The Israeli health care system-characterized by universal coverage for all its residents-relies on a system of competing health funds that employ many features typical of U.S. managed care plans. The analysis explores the extent to which such a system helps to equalize access experiences with contrasts to the experiences of U.S. women.

Findings: We find that U.S. and Israeli women report similar rates of disability and chronic conditions with prevalence of health problems sharply higher for low income and less educated women. We also find disparities in access: women in both countries reported unequal access experiences by education and income. In Israel, these experiences appear to be linked to health plan structural features rather than cost barriers.

Conclusion: The findings indicate that achieving more equitable access to health care requires attention to non-financial as well as financial barriers to care. Despite the lack of financial barriers to care in Israel, administrative controls typical of managed care organizations appear to make health care systems difficult to navigate for low income and less educated women. The finding that disparities in health persist in a country with universal coverage indicates that improving women’s health will require attention to broader social influences on health as well as improving access to health care.

Senn, C. Y. (1988). Vulnerable: Sexual abuse and people with an intellectual handicap. North York, ON: The Roeher Institute.

The author of this book claims that while sexual abuse has become a major issue in recent years, the sexual abuse of people with an intellectual handicap (i.e., mental retardation) has been virtually ignored in the public discussion and policy-making around the issue.

The author explores the myths surrounding sexual abuse and the myths surrounding people with mental retardation. The book focuses both on children and adults and the author shows how the myths surrounding disability contribute to the vulnerability of people with disabilities. This vulnerability seems to be well recognized, yet the author reports that it is almost impossible to get accurate measures of either prevalence or incidence of sexual abuse. Through a review of the literature which contributes to the understanding of sexual abuse of individuals with mental retardation the author suggests: (1) when sexual abuse is reported, 99% of the victims are assaulted by people known to them, (2) only 20% of assaults are reported, and (3) depending on the sampling and information gathering techniques used, estimates range from 25% to 83% of women, and up to 32% of men, with mental retardation have experienced sexual abuse. The author concludes that children with disabilities are at higher risk for sexual abuse than other children and adolescents, and that girls and women with disabilities are the most likely victims.

The author describes ways people with mental retardation used to indicate that they have been sexually abused and explores treatment and prevention issues. The book also addresses issues such as inaccessibility of services for individuals with mental retardation, offenders who have mental retardation and legal issues in sexual abuse of children. The book concludes with recommendations to protect individuals with mental retardation from sexual abuse.

This book is, to the best of my knowledge, the first comprehensive study of sexual abuse of people with mental retardation.

Sered, S., & Tabory, E. (1999, June). “You are a number, not a human being”: Israeli breast cancer patients’ experiences with the medical establishment. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 13(2), 223-252.

In the course of interviews with Israeli women who had recently been treated for breast cancer, we found that our informants tended to offer us “treatment narratives” rather than, or sometimes in addition to, the “illness narratives” made famous by Arthur Kleinman. For the women we interviewed, treatment narratives constitute verbal platforms on which to explore what it means to be human during a period in which one’s body, spirit, and social identity are undergoing intense transformations. A central theme in these narratives is the Hebrew word yachas, loosely translated as “attitude, ” “attention,” or “relationship.” The women consistently contrasted the good yachas of medical staff who treated them “like humans” or like ” real friends” with the bad yachas of staff who treated them like numbers, machines, or strangers. We argue that the women used language (in various contexts) as a means of resisting the medical culture’s pattern of treating patients as “nonhumans.”

Shakespeare, T. (1999, January). Coming out and coming home. In D. Atkins & C. Marston (Eds.), Queer and Dis/Abled [Feature issue]. International Journal of Sexuality and Gender Studies, 4(1), 39-51.

This paper draws on the testimonies of British disabled lesbians and gay men about their experience of coming out as gay, and coming out as disabled. They reflect on the different aspects of their identity, and the interrelation of their sexuality and their disability. The respondents share their experiences of exclusion and marginality in both the disability and gay communities, and discuss where they feel most at home as disabled lesbians and gays.

Sikand, M. (1998, August). Leadership development for women with disabilities: Key issues and strategies in leadership training and successful participation in microcredit programs. Final report of the Mobility International USA International Symposium on Microcredit for Women with Disabilities, Eugene, Oregon. Retrieved February 12, 2005 from http://www.miusa.org/publications/freeresources/intlsymposium

This is “…the full report from Mobility International USA’s first International Symposium on Microcredit for Women with Disabilities. Thirteen women leaders with disabilities from 11 developing countries met with US-based international development organizations, experts on microcredit and leaders in disability to strategize about how to improve access of women with disabilities to microcredit programs.”

Sim, F. G. (1999). Integrating women and girls with disabilities into mainstream vocational training: A practical guide. Bangkok: ILO East Asia Multidisciplinary Advisory Team, ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. Retrieved March 4, 2005 from http://www.ilo.org/public/english/region/asro/bangkok/ability/
wwdforeword.htm.

“This guide is intended primarily for instructors and administrators in vocational training institutes in both the public and private sectors, and It will also be useful to policy-makers in vocational training as well as in employers’ and workers’ organizations. The guide discusses the main issues relating to the seriously disadvantaged position of women with disabilities and provides basic information about disability. It suggests practical actions for vocational training institutes to increase the enrolment, participation, and integration of women with disabilities into their training programmes. By doing so, it is hoped that instructors and administrators of vocational institutes will be better informed to promote equality of opportunity for disabled women in training, and in subsequent employment. While most disabled persons can participate in mainstream training, this guide is geared primarily to those who require minimum support in the learning environment.”

Simsek, Z., Ak, D., Altindag, A., & Günes, M. (2008). Prevalence and predictors of mental disorders among women in Sanliurfa, Southeastern Turkey. Journal of Public Health Medicine, 30, 387-493.

Background: Mental health is one of the most important public health issues because of major contributor to the global burden of disease. In this study, we examined the prevalence and predictors of mental disorders among married women from 15 to 49 years of age and the need for mental health services in the primary health care settings.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 270 women were selected using probability cluster sampling method at 95% confidence interval (91.5% response rate). The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I) and women socio-demographic information form were used to collect data.

Results: Although the prevalence of mental disorder was 25.9% (8.5% with one diagnosis; 17.4% were two or more diagnoses), 4.7% of these women had contacted a carer in the last year for psychological reasons. According to the SCID-I assessment, the most prevalent diagnoses were major depressive disorder (7.3%), phobic disorder (4.8%) and posttraumatic stress disorder (3.6%). In this study, comorbid diagnoses were present in 67.2% of patients. Logistic regression analyses revealed that domestic violence, history of previous trauma, anemia and cutaneous leishmaniasis were significant predictors of any mental disorders (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: These findings highlight the need for systematic development of community-based mental health services in conjunction with primary health care services for the screening, early identification and treatment of women suffering from mental disorders, and the improvement of anemia and cutaneous leishmaniasis control programme.

Singleton, T. L., Breslin, M. L., & Lewis, C. (n.d.). Gender and disability: A survey of interaction member agencies findings and recommendations on inclusion of women and men with disabilities in international developmental programs. Eugene, OR: Mobility International USA. Retrieved March 1, 2005 from http://www.miusa.org/
publications/freeresources/media/genderdisabilityreport.PDF

MIUSA has conducted a groundbreaking survey documenting the extent to which people with disabilities participate in the international development efforts of private relief, development and refugee agencies. Particular emphasis was placed on the participation on women and girls with disabilities in these agencies. MIUSA received a grant from USAID’s Office of Women in Development to conduct this survey among InterAction member organizations. InterAction is a coalition of over 160 US-based development, relief, refugee and policy-oriented agencies. By participating in the survey, InterAction members have taken a positive step toward integrating the disability perspective into the international development dialogue.

Smith, E., Murray, S., Yousafzai, A., & Kasonka, L. (2004, January). Barriers to accessing safe motherhood and reproductive health services: The situation of women with disabilities in Lusaka, Zambia. Disability and Rehabilitation, 26(2), 121-127.

Purpose: To ascertain how well health services in Lusaka, Zambia currently meet the safe motherhood and reproductive health care needs of women who have physical impairment leading to disability.

Methods: A qualitative study was conducted in Lusaka, Zambia. In-depth tape-recorded interviews were conducted with 24 purposively selected women with disabilities and with 25 safe motherhood/reproductive public sector health service providers. Qualitative analysis was conducted using NVivo software.

Results: Women with disabilities encounter various social, attitudinal and physical barriers to accessing safe motherhood and reproductive health (RH) services in this particular setting. The strong desire for children and affection can increase vulnerability to sexual exploitation. At the same time, a generalized assumption among reproductive health service providers that women with disabilities will not be sexually active, and not require RH services, leads to increased vulnerability to sexually transmitted infection including HIV. Once pregnant, traditional beliefs about transmission of disabilities can create barriers to integration in ante-natal clinics. Nurse-midwives’ fear of delivery complications in women with physical impairments can also result in routine over-referral to a tertiary maternity facility which is outside the locality and harder for women with mobility limitations to get to.

Conclusion: Greater understanding of the influences underpinning societal attitudes towards sexuality and disability in this setting, and more extensive communication between health care staff and women with disabilities would facilitate positive action towards improving safe motherhood and reproductive health services for women with disabilities.

Snyder, M. (1999, April 26). Issues in gender-sensitive and disability-responsive policy research, training and action. New York: Enable, United Nations. Retrieved March 1, 2005 from http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/disrppeg.htm

“Human rights is the critical issue for all persons with disabilities. However, there are additional, gendered issues that make contending with disability a far tougher task for women.”

Stamm, T. A., Machold, K. P., Smolen, J., & Prodinger, B. (in press). Life stories of people with rheumatoid arthritis who retired early: How gender and other contextual factors shaped their everyday activities, including paid work. Musculoskeletal Care Early View.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to explore how contextual factors affect the everyday activities of women and men with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as evident in their life stories.

Methods: Fifteen people with RA, who had retired early due to the disease, were interviewed up to three times, according to a narrative biographic interview style. The life stories of the participants, which were reconstructed from the biographical data and from the transcribed told story were analysed from the perspective of contextual factors, including personal and environmental factors. The rigour and accuracy of the analysis were enhanced by reflexivity and peer-review of the results.

Results: The life stories of the participants in this study reflected how contextual factors (such as gender, the healthcare system, the support of families and social and cultural values) shaped their everyday activities. In a society such as in Austria, which is based on traditional patriarchal values, men were presented with difficulties in developing a non-paid-work-related role. For women, if paid work had to be given up, they were more likely to engage in alternative challenging activities which enabled them to develop reflective skills, which in turn contributed to a positive and enriching perspective on their life stories. Health professionals may thus use some of the women’s strategies to help men.

Conclusion: Interventions by health professionals in people with RA may benefit from an approach sensitive to personal and environmental factors.

Stephenson, W. (1983). Roxene. Calgary, Alberta: Detselig Enterprises.

This is a story about Roxene, a Canadian girl with mental retardation of native Indian origin. It is a true story of Roxene’s life which describes her childhood and her teenage years. Most of the book focuses on Roxene’s relationship with Margaret vanBiert, who “adopts” Roxene and becomes her friend, advocate, and legal guardian. Roxene is not very good with spoken words and her story is mostly told in vanBiert’s words with additions based on the author’s observations. We learn about Roxene’s childhood with her family and how she, at the age of eight, ended up as a ward of the courts and was moved to a group home far away from her family who lived on an Indian reservation. The description of the friendship between Roxene and Margaret is the best part of this story.

Stewart, H., Percival, B., & Epperly, E. R. (Eds.). (1990). The more we get together: Women and disability. Charlottetown, PEI, Canada: Gynergy Books.

This resource is the result of a 1990 meeting of 300 women held on Prince Edward Island as the 14th conference of the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women. The 22 papers are divided into the following topics: difference and dis/ability; herstory; caregiving and mothering; and language and writing. Can be ordered from the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women. See http://www.criaw-icref.ca/pubs/publication
Details_e.asp?id=40

Stibbe, A. (2002). Attitudes to women with disabilities in Japan: The influence of television drama. Asia & Pacific Journal on Disability, 5(2). Retrieved March 4, 2005 from http://www.dinf.ne.jp/doc/english/asia/resource/z00ap/vol5no2/
attitudes.htm.

“…traditionally disabled women have been marginalised and invisible in Japanese society, often hidden away by shame-filled relatives. However, over the last ten years, there has been an unprecedented increase in disabled female characters appearing in television dramas. These dramas portray disabled women as attractive, gainfully employed and successful, albeit often due to the influence of a non-disabled male character. This article explores the extent to which these television dramas have inspired the imagination of the Japanese youth who watched them during their formative years. A case study was carried out where 50 Japanese university students wrote compositions about fictional characters, both disabled and non-disabled, of both genders. These 200 compositions are compared across gender and disability lines, and correlated with features of the TV dramas.”

Stuart, M., & Ellerington, G. (1990, Spring). Unequal access: Disabled women’s exclusion from the mainstream women’s movement. Women and Environments, 12(2), 16-19.

“The purpose of this article is to examine the tensions between the two movements [the feminist movement and disabled women] and to suggest some possible solutions.” This is one of first articles reporting on the exclusion of women with disabilities from the “mainstream” women’s movement, primarily focusing on Canada.

Study on the situation of women with disabilities in light of the UN Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (VC/2007/317): A Final Report for the DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities of the European Commission. (2009, December). Birmingham, UK: Vincent House for the European Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity (2007-2013). Available: http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=429&langId=en&moreDocuments=yes.

“The purpose of this study was to analyse and interpret information on the situation of women with disabilities in Europe in light of the UN Convention. Based on this analysis, the study was then to specify what still has to be improved to allow them to enjoy their rights and fundamental freedoms. The study gathered evidence at European level and at national level across 33 countries – the 27 EU Member States, three EEA Members (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) and three EU Candidate Countries (Croatia, Macedonia, Turkey). Secondary data was gathered from existing sources, such as Eurostat and national statistical offices, as well as from previously-published research. Primary data was gathered through interviews with key stakeholders at all levels. The UN Convention does not provide a specific definition of disability and States Parties adopt differing
definitions.

Whilst the main focus of the study was not to explore definitions of disability in detail, it was necessary to examine the broad types of definitions that could be applied. For this purpose, the study considered disability both in terms of the “medical model”, which situates the problems of disability on the individual, while paying little or no attention to physical or social environment, and also in terms of the “social model” whereby disabilities are created by the organisation of society on the basis of an idealised norm of the physically and mentally perfect person. At the heart of the approach to the study was the concept of intersectionality, which is “an integrated approach that addresses forms of multiple discrimination. Intersectional discrimination is … a distinct and particular experience of discrimination unified in one person or group”. In the case of women with disabilities, two or more forms of discrimination combine to create specific types of discrimination not experienced by women without disabilities or men with disabilities. The intention of the study was thus to identify what was specific to the experience of women with disabilities, as opposed to the experience of women in general or persons with disabilities in general.

Given this, the report seeks to present a realistic picture of the situation of women with disabilities in Europe using the data available, as well as examples of good practice in legislation, policies and programmes intended to help women with disabilities enjoy the rights and fundamental freedoms set out in the UN Convention” (p. iii).

Sygall, S., & Lewis, C. (2000, July). Tapping into the power of women with disabilities in the international women’s movement. Raising Our Voices: The Newsletter of the Global Fund for Women. San Francisco: The Global Fund for Women. Retrieved March 4, 2005 from http://www.globalfundforwomen.org/4news/newsletter/2000-07/Tapping_into.html

“Women with disabilities around the world are challenging stereotypes, participating in community life and politics, and leading organizations for social change. Despite immense barriers, disabled women are working to become full and equal participants in their communities. Regrettably, their contributions and their concerns are rarely on the agenda of the many organizations that make up the global women’s movement. Yet women with disabilities offer a powerful untapped resource to the movement for women’s human rights.”

Szeli, É., & Pallaska, D. (2004, April). Violence against women with mental disabilities: The invisible victims in CEE/NIS countries. Feminist Review, 76, 117-119. Retrieved March 15, 2005 from: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/fr/journal/v76/n1/full/9400134a.html&filetype=pdf

“People with mental disabilities face discrimination and abuse around the world. Children and adults with mental disabilities have been routinely and arbitrarily detained in psychiatric facilities, social care homes, orphanages, and other closed institutions throughout Central and Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States (CEE/NIS). Out of public view, they are subject to some of the most extreme forms of inhumane and degrading treatment. Even within communities, stigma and discrimination result in segregation, isolation, and disempowerment of people with disabilities. These factors leave people with mental disabilities both vulnerable to all forms of violence and abuse, as well as excluded from protective mechanisms and services available to other members of society.”

Taylor, M., & Carlson, G. (1993). The legal trends: Implications for menstruation/fertility management for young women who have an intellectual impairment. International Journal of Disability, Development, and Education, 40(2), 133-158.

This article reviews the Family Court of Australia cases concerning the hysterectomies performed on premenarchal women who have intellectual disabilities. The article discusses the implications of these surgeries on women who have an intellectual disability, and while the article is based on Australian cases, much can be applied to women in other countries.

Theme: Women with disabilities. (2001). Women in Action, No. 2. Retrieved March 4, 2005 from http://www.isiswomen.org/pub/wia/wia201/index.html.

Women In Action is a periodical that “covers a broad range of issues affecting women globally.” This theme issue features women with disabilities from all over the world.

Thomas C. (2001, April/May). Medicine, gender, and disability: Disabled women’s health care encounters. Health Care for Women International, 22(3), 245-262.

In this article I examine the intersection of gender and disability in the medical arena by considering disabled women’s experiences of receiving health care in the United Kingdom. Drawing on the “social model of disability,” I focus on the attitudes and practices of doctors. I use two sources of qualitative data: (i) 68 disabled women’s narratives gathered in the United Kingdom in 1996-1997; (ii) interviews with 17 disabled women regarding their reproductive experiences in the United Kingdom. I suggest that disabled women health service users are at risk of experiencing oppressive medical practices because two forces of oppression appear to be frequently, and interactively, in play: patriarchy and disablism.

Thomas, C. (2006, June). Disability and gender: Reflections on theory and research. In R. Traustadóttir (Ed.), Gender and Disability [Special issue]. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 8(2&3), 177-185.

This paper reviews theory and research on disability and gender from a UK perspective. It reflects upon the theoretical perspectives and debates that are to be found in UK disability studies today, and considers their relevance for research on the gendered nature of disability. Themes in empirical research are noted, as is the representation and treatment of disability in mainstream feminism(s). The paper warns about the danger of exclusion through nominal inclusion.

Tilley C. M. (2000). The contributions of the Australian government in meeting the health needs of Queensland women with physical disabilities. Sexuality and Disability, 18(1), 61-71.

This article overviews the Australian federal and state government disability strategies, as well as the Women’s Health Centres’ contributions, in meeting the health needs of Queensland women with physical disabilities. It also explores one of the least considered intersections of multiple identity discourses—feminism and disability studies and argues that access to health and related services is an equity issue that must be addressed in particular ways for women with physical disabilities. In fact, it elaborates how our women’s health services still largely continue to see the needs of women with disabilities as too narrow for their attention and our disability services continue to see their clients as ungendered and untouched by sociopolitical constructions of gender.

Tizun, Z. (1998). Socio-economic status of women with disabilities in an urban community in China. Asia Pacific Disability Rehabilitation Journal, 9(2). Retrieved March 4, 2005 from http://www.dinf.ne.jp/doc/english/asia/resource/apdrj/
z13jo0200/z13jo0206.htm

A study was carried out in 1995 on 200 disabled women working in various welfare factories and 119 women with disability registered in Taoranting Jiedao, a residential subdistrict of Xuanwu district, an inner city district of the Beijing municipality. The results of the study were compared with the findings from a similar study carried out in 1990. The types of disability of the women, their marital status, employment status, education and characteristics of spouses were analysed. The findings suggest that women with disabilities in China have improved their status in many ways in the period between 1990 to 1995. However, much more has to be done to integrate them into the main-stream of
society.

Torres, S. (Ed.). (1999). Body image thing (that)–Young women speak out [Series FV No. 8]. Ottawa: Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (CRIAW).

This book contains 600 essays about body image by young women aged 13-19 from across Canada. The essays cover young women’s personal experiences with life, including living with disabilities.

Traustadóttir, R. (2003, August). Disabled women and feminist research. Presented at Gender and Power in the New Europe, the 5th European Feminist Research Conference, Lund University, Sweden.

Feminist research places increasing emphasis on examining the many differences among us and the concept diversity has become a buzzword in feminist research. This is a word loosely defined but popularly used. In thinking about diversity people have recognized that gender, age, “race,” sexuality, and ethnicity matter; thus groups who have previously been invisible, including women of color, immigrant women, lesbians and older women are now in some way more visible. One group, however, continues to remains mostly invisible in feminist research; disabled women. Disabled and non-disabled feminists have expressed their deep concerns that the voices of disabled women have been missing in most feminist texts so their lives are unknown, their contributions unrecognized and the effects of social discrimination and inequality in their lives ignored. As a result there is newfound interest in the lives of disabled women and an increasing number of studies have been conducted over the past few years. This presentation provides an overview of this research. It examines when and how this research started, who the researchers are, what characterizes this research, how it has developed, what theoretical approaches are being used and what this body of research tell us about the lives and experiences of disabled women.

Traustadottir, R., & Johnson, K. (Eds.). (2000). Women with intellectual disabilities: Finding a place in the world. London: Jessica Kingsley

This book provides the first comprehensive exploration of the issues affecting the lives of women with intellectual disabilities. Women from all over the world, with and without intellectual disabilities, have collaborated to write about their lives, their experiences and their hopes for the future. Different aspects of life–work, family, relationships and community involvement–are discussed. Some of the women have found, or are finding, fulfilling, happy, creative lifestyles. One message which emerging from many of their stories is that their intellectual disability is less of a problem than the social and economic discrimination these women experience. This book thus raises important questions about society’s attitudes to women with intellectual disabilities. It is also a place where these women’s stories–from the sad or disturbing to the happy, moving or inspirational–can be heard. The book’s unique plain English versions of chapters will ensure that it is accessible to other women with intellectual disabilities. It is an important, interesting and readable addition to literature about intellectual disabilities and about women’s lives across the world.

Tremain, S. (Ed.). (1999). Bodies of knowledge: Critical perspectives on disablement and disabled women. London: The Women’s Press, Ltd.

This sort of interdisciplinary collection of essays on disablement and disabled with its critical/theoretical women, focus, has never been published in Canada. Although there have been collections published in the United States, these have been few and few between. Politicized analyses on disablement remain urgently needed. From a disability-rights perspective, disablement is by and large an effect of inaccessible forms of communication, exclusionary architectural design and infrastructural planning, and demoralizing attitudes. Viewing disablement in this way enables us to recognise the way in which ableism interconnects with other systems of oppression such as racism, poverty, and sexism.

Topics discussed in this collection include disablement and representation, the relation(s) between ableism and racism/classism/homophobia, anti-ableist activism and other progressive social/political movements (feminist, antiracist, etc), and the social construction of disablement.

Turmusani, M. (2001). Disabled women in Islam: Middle Eastern perspective. Journal of Religion, Disability & Health, 5(2/3), 73-85.

Western debates have increasingly included women issues in their analysis. These debates however, proved to have little relevance to women with impairments and are in fact being held under scrutiny by feminist writers. The position of disabled women in other cultures remains especially one of the most under-researched areas within current discourses on women and disability issues. This presentation fills the gap and presents an account based on textual analysis of disabled women in Islam and Muslim culture. It argues that disabled women in Islam have a lowly position in society due to historical perception related to both the inferior position of women in Islam as well as the lowly position of disabled people in society in general. Understanding the position of disabled women thus requires close investigation into these two positions within their particular socio-economic and historical contexts. Despite the presence of various feminists’ movements in Muslim countries these days, these have not included much debate on disability and disabled women within their mainstream analysis. The paper concludes by calling for existing theoretical perspectives to include the analysis of disabled women within their remit and also to take note of wider contextual issues including cultures, religions, and economy when studying women in society.

Ubido, J., Huntington, J., & Warburton, D. (2002). Inequalities in access to healthcare faced by women who are deaf. Health and Social Care in the Community, 10(4), 247-253.

The Cheshire Deaf Women’s Health Project undertook a research study to assess the access to healthcare of women who are deaf in Cheshire, UK. Group discussions took place with 13 women who were hard of hearing and 14 women who were Deaf Sign Language users. Questionnaires were distributed to a stratified random sample of 103 women taken from the social services register, 38 of which were returned. In order to reach more women whose first language was British Sign Language, 129 questionnaires were distributed to the leaders of various clubs and organizations for people who are deaf, and 100 of these were returned. The data revealed inequities in access to healthcare. For example, women who are deaf face a lack of awareness by health staff of how to communicate with them. The survey confirmed that these problems are of major importance to the majority of women who are deaf. For example, fewer than one in 10 deaf women said that they usually fully understand what the doctor says to them when they visit the doctor on their own. There are many other difficulties faced by women who are deaf, leading to inequalities when they are compared with hearing people. Almost half the respondents said that they would be more likely to use health services if help and/or services for deaf women were available. The introduction of various relatively simple measures would greatly help to reduce the inequalities of access to healthcare faced by deaf women. Under the terms of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, such action is essential if providers are to avoid facing possible legal action.

Umb-Carlsson, Õ., & Sonnander, K. (2006, May). Living conditions of adults with intellectual disabilities from a gender perspective. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 50(5), 326-334.

Background: The role of gender has been a neglected issue in research on intellectual disability (ID). People with ID are generally treated as a homogenous group that are largely categorized by their level of ID. This study compared living conditions of women and men with ID and related the results to similarities and differences among the general population in corresponding age groups.

Methods: Persons with ID born in Uppsala County between 1959 and 1974 constituted the study sample. Information on the living conditions of 110 persons with ID was collected using questionnaires completed by relatives and staff. Information on living conditions of the general population was obtained through national welfare statistics conducted by Statistics Sweden (SCB).

Results:  In both samples corresponding diversities were revealed for type of employment/daily activities, where women worked in traditional female job sectors and men were occupied with traditional male jobs. Women and men with ID participated to about the same extent in recreational and cultural activities and on only four of the 19 activities listed in the questionnaire (visits to the cinema and library, reading books and practising hobbies alone) significant differences were observed. Among women and men in the general population, we found gender-related differences in 13 of the activities listed. However, with the exception of women more frequently visiting the library and reading books, the two samples demonstrated no corresponding gender-related differences. For the remaining six domains (finances, family and social relations, housing, transport, community participation and personal safety), no differences were noted between women and men with ID. This finding contrasted sharply with the differences found between women and men in the general population.

Conclusions: Surprisingly, the comparison yielded few differences in living conditions between women and men with ID compared with those found in women and men of the general population. This finding suggests that people with ID were treated as gender-neutral persons rather than as women and men with individual preferences and needs. Thus, it appears that having ID is a more important determinant than gender regarding living conditions for women and men with ID.

UN ESCAP Workshop on Women and Disability: Promoting Full Participation of Women with Disabilities in the Process of Elaboration on an International Convention to Promote and Protect the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities, Bangkok, Thailand. (2003, August 18-22/October 13). Retrieved March 15, 2005 from http://www.worldenable.net/wadbangkok2003/Default.htm

This is the web site for “these…two workshop events designed to provide a good package of advocacy skills, targeting mainly women with disabilities. The agenda of the first workshop covered the various aspects of a convention and the Biwako Millenium Framework (BMF) targets to enhance the understanding of the concept of gender mainstreaming among NGOs and self-help organizations of persons with disabilities. Participants became familiar with and accepted the BMF and were motivated to implement the necessary actions to achieve the BMF goals, particularly those related to women and disability. Beneficiaries were policy makers of NGOs, IGOs, and self-help organizations in addition to some governmental organizations.” Includes a link to a “Statement of Recommendations” and a final report.

Victorian Women with Disabilities Network. (2000). Oyster grit: A collection of writings by Australian women with disabilities. Tasmania, Australia: Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA).

Each and every person has a unique life experience. Here we have a collection of stories of girls and women who deal with disability in extraordinary ways. Courage and determination in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds have resulted in lives encompassing value, creativity success and happiness. Experiences, some spanning many years, are described with laconic humor and Australian understatement. This is our heritage for others to build on.

Walmsley, J. (2000). Women and the Mental Deficiency Act of 1913: Citizenship, sexuality and regulation. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 28(2), 65–70.

The present paper examines how women were targeted for sexual regulation and treated as ‘mental defectives’ under early-twentieth-century legislation, depriving them of citizenship. It also looks at factors which determined whether they continued to be detained in institutions or were ‘released’ into the community.

Walsh, P. N., Heller, T., Schupf, N., & van Schrojenstein Lantman-de Valk, H. & Working Group. (2000, January). Healthy aging – Adults with intellectual disabilities #2: Women’s health and related issues: A report of the Aging Special Interest Research Group of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disabilities. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization. Retrieved March 18, 2005 from http://www.uic.edu/orgs/rrtcamr/womenshealthreport.html

“This report is concerned with issues which are important for the health of women with intellectual and developmental disabilities as they grow older and age. The specific focus on women’s health is in no manner meant to be dismissive or designed to minimize concerns related to men’s health issues. However, it is the position of the SIRG on aging that women’s health issues have not received appropriate and sufficient attention, that women as they age are subject to sex-related conditions and changes, and that in many instances the interests and needs of aging women and women with disabilities are overlooked or neglected. Thus, this report is designed to explore factors related to well-being and quality of life for women, to examine and define sex-linked differences in their life experiences and opportunities and to define their distinctive vulnerabilities–including research on health status and access to health care.”

Walsh, P. N., & LeRoy, B. (2004). Women with disabilities aging well: A global view.
Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

The focus of this book is on women with developmental disabilities and what they experience when they age and what service providers and researchers can learn from their stories. Includes oral histories of over 160 women in eighteen countries.

Welch, P. (2002, September 8-10). Applying the capabilities approach in examining disability, poverty and gender. Paper presented at Promoting Women’s Capabilities: Examining Nussbaum’s Capabilities Approach, Von Hügel Institute, St Edmund’s College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. Retrieved July 27, 2005 from http://www.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk/vhi/nussbaum/papers/welch.pdf

This paper explores the similarities related to disability, poverty, and gender. Overlapping issues are described, which set the context for examining these issues using a single framework—namely, a capabilities approach. Although the effects of disability, poverty and gender are measured by different mechanisms, the parallels between these issues facilitate the application of the capabilities approach to explore their relationships. Both Martha Nussbaum’s and Amartya Sen’s capabilities approaches are applied in addressing these issues.

Women and Equality Unit. (2003, December). Disability and gender briefing. London: Author. Retrieved July 25, 2005 from http://www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk/research/factsheets/
ME_Gender_Briefing_0903.doc

Provides a range of UK statistics concerning employment related to disability and gender.

Yoshida, K. K., Odette, F., Hardie, S., Willis, H., & Bunch, M. (2009, October). Women living with disabilities and their experiences and issues related to the context and complexities of leaving abusive situations. Disability & Rehabilitation, 31(22), 1843-1852.

The health of women with disabilities, like other women, is affected by experiences of violence and abuse. However, the experiences of women living with disabilities is less well known and an important issue for rehabilitation professionals. In this paper we focus on presenting women’s knowledge and experiences of violence and abuse regarding where abuse takes place, the forms of abuse; and the complexities associated with ‘taking action’. Women participants for this study had to be: 18 years of age or older; a Canadian citizen; able to participate in English; self-defined with a disability; and, be living in an urban area of Canada. Data presented is based on an innovative community-academic research study in which focus groups discussions using electronic technology (i.e. blackboard and chat rooms) were conducted with women living with disabilities across the country on important health issues. Participants’ recommendations are also presented. Discussion of the findings focus on policy and practice implications related to dedicated resources, access to information and training initiatives for rehabilitation professionals and women themselves.

Zijdel, L. R. (2004, February, 18). Disabled women – non-disabled women: Strategies of action within the European context. Testimony at Public Hearing on Disabled Women, Committee on Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities, European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium. Retrieved March 31, 2005 from http://www.europarl.eu.int/hearings/20040218/femm/larivierezijdel_en.pdf

“When speaking about disabled women it should always be done in relation to all women and the inequality that exists in our society between women and men. But to understand the position and difficulties of disabled women as citizens in the European Union, but also as participants in both the Disability and the Women’s movements we have to understand a little bit more of the historical structures in society and the causes for inequality and discrimination that women face on a day to day basis.” Other testimony at this public hearing can be found at: http://www.europarl.eu.int/hearings/2004_en.htm