adminMercy Ngwebvu
ABOUT a third of Zimbabwe’s population comprises of people living with disabilities and these are a vulnerable and marginalised part of our society.Of these people, girls and women are the worst affected. Often, women with disabilities are invisible, both among those promoting the rights of persons with disabilities and those promoting gender equality and the advancement of women.
There is therefore need to take into account and to address their concerns in all policy-making and programming.
Special measures are needed at all levels to intergrate them into the mainstream of development.
Women face barriers to full equality and advancement because of such factors as age, language, ethnicity, culture, religion and their disability. Persistence of certain cultural, legal and institutional barriers makes women and girls with disabilities the victims of two-fold discrimination: as women and as persons with disabilities.
Low self esteem as a result as the people’s perception of them is another challenge faced by disabled women.
In an interview, one woman who has thin limbs, said she was comfortable about speaking about her disability, but not bold enough to have her picture or name appear in the paper.
“It is difficult to be heard. When you are disabled, people think you are unable to do things on your own. I must admit that my confidence is very low and whenever I do my work, I can’t help, but think that I am not good enough.
The best I have managed to do is knit jerseys and baby clothes for a living because most companies want able-bodied people as their employees. I once got a job at a supermarket in town, but when they called me for an interview and saw that I am disabled, they promised to call-but never did,” she said.
Correlation analysis indicates that women with disabilities have significantly greater social isolation than their able-bodied counterparts. They have significantly less education, more overprotection during childhood, poorer quality of intimate relationships and lower rates of salaried employment.
While conditions in the developing countries present vast barriers to people with disabilities’ participation in everyday life, disabled people have organised themselves to confront these barriers.
“Living with disability is not easy, but I am managing under the conditions. I have managed to take my children to school and one of them is already married and staying with her husband. The other two are still in school. One is currently doing her O Levels and the other one is in Grade Seven.
“The biggest challenge I face is that of lack of support from organisations that look at the welfare of people like me. I have been limited to vending because I do not have capital to embark on a better income generating project. When we approach these organisations for capital to start our businesses, they underestimate our capabilities and are not forthcoming. Almost always, the disability comes before the person and that puts us at a disadvantage,” said another woman who only identified herself as Mary.
Mary’s experience shows that the country still has a long way to go in helping women who live with disabilities to erase attitudinal barriers because the worst disability is just, but a bad attitude. People especially women and girls living with disabilities have the same rights as all other people. However, for a number of reasons, they often face legal, social and physical barriers in claiming their human rights on an equal basis with others. On a humane note, people should always take serious cognizance of the fact that disabilities make up the largest “minority” group that includes the most diversity, and anyone can experience or acquire a disability at any point in their life.
Stephen Hawking was right when he was quoted as saying: ‘My advice to other disabled people would be to concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well and do not regret the things it interferes with.
Don’t be disabled physically and in spirit!’
Online Reporter