Gender and Disability: Navigating Life As a Woman with Disability

 This dialogue on the topic ‘Gender and Disability: Navigating Life as A Woman with Disability took place on October 13th 2024 virtually, effectively making it accessible to a wider audience, especially people with disabilities. The panel consisted of Ms. Srishti Pandey who is a Disability Rights Advocate and TedX speaker and Mr. Sanchal Aneja, The Regional Corporate Partnerships Lead, Asia Specific at Plan International

The dialogue aimed to provide a platform to discuss the challenges faced by women with disabilities, to highlight the importance of infrastructure, the need for disability affirmative people to make access to education easier for children with disabilities and change in attitudes towards students with disabilities.

Ms. Srishti shared her lived experiences of getting rejected by schools solely due to her disability and when she did get an admission, the infrastructure was never made accessible for her. She discussed how her privacy, dignity and personhood were constantly jeopardized as she was picked up by strangers, to be taken to class for almost 14 years of her life. She spoke of how she would stay hungry and thirsty because there were no accessible washrooms in place and the manifold challenges she faced in getting government mandated reasonable accommodations during exams.

Mr. Sachal shared his experience of working with girls with disabilities who have faced dual marginalization and the various efforts made by several International Non- Governmental Organisations such as Plan International to support women and those with disabilities.  He reflected on the importance of representation of people with disabilities not only at Central but also at state and district levels. He touched upon the importance of creating partnerships between people with and without disabilities, to foster a more inclusive society for women with disabilities.

The dialogue was facilitated by our Founder Ms. Aarushi Gambhir, who also shared her experiences of facing marginalization as a woman with disability.

The dialogue came to a close as Ms. Srishti gave a powerful message to disabled women, by encouraging them to use their voice, take up space and speak up for their rights.