Working for Change 147
To build a better life, women with disabilities need health,
education, and the ability to move around independently and earn
a living. The first step toward achieving these things may be to
form a group with other women with disabilities. Together you
can decide what things in your community can be changed, in
order to make life better for you all.
Here are some suggestions:
• Start a literacy class for the women who cannot read or write.
• Try to get funds—either as a low-interest loan or through a
donation—to begin an income-earning project so you can all
make your own living.
• As a group, go to the local authorities and ask them to:
- make the village water supply, schools, and health centers
easier to get to, and easier for people who are blind and
deaf to use.
- help you start a library, and to find more information
about disabilities.
- work with you to make disability aids and equipment
available.
To give you an idea of what a group working together can do,
here is the rest of the letter from the women in Ghana:
Working
for Change
➤ The particular
tasks your group
chooses are not as
important as just
working together.
Start with what you
as a group feel is
most important, and
work from there.
Being in this Association gives us
a new value, a way to be a part of
something which counts, and a chance
to organize ourselves for our rights.
Most members have learned skills
such as weaving, sewing, candle making,
shoe repairs, basket making, and typing.
Some of our other activities are:
• Involving women with disabilities in community activities.
• Meeting with teachers and parents to choose materials with
positive images of disability.
• Finding ways to support ourselves financially so we can obtain working
tools, disability aids, and wheelchairs for our members.
Friendship and trust between women with disabilities gives rise to many
new ideas. We run the Association by and for ourselves, and we are encouraged
in our efforts. This helps to raise the image of all women with disabilities.
Just like the women in Ghana, working with others can help
you achieve an independent, productive life. You do not have to
stay inside your house unless you want to. Go after your dream,
whether it is a job, a relationship, or motherhood!
Where Women Have No Doctor 2012