Introduction
1
WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES
LET US STAND UP AND
BE COUNTED
THE TIME IS NOW!
Why a book about health for
women with disabilities?
Women with disabilities need good health. Good health is more than the absence
of disease. When a disabled woman has good health it means she experiences
well-being—of her body, mind, and spirit.
Women with disabilities can take charge of their own health when they have
information that affirms their own experience of their bodies and health needs. They
can also use this information to change the way people think about disability. As
women with disabilities take charge of their lives, they will gain respect and support in
their communities.
While disability itself may not be a health problem, many times the health
problems of women with disabilities go untreated. This can mean that a simple
health problem in a woman with disability, if left untreated, can become a life-
threatening problem.
We must remove the barriers that keep disabled women from achieving good health.