Happy International Women’s Day!
IWD is marked and celebrated annually on the 8th of March. Despite adopting a different theme each year, the underlining message and aim remains the same; to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness and forge a gender equal world.
International Women’s Day 2021 celebrations are bolstered by the theme ‘Choose to Challenge’.
“A challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change.”
Women’s history has been characterised by many hardships. Inequality has and continues to stain many aspects of our lives and, for many disabled women, the gaps have stretched into chasms.
Here at Disability Wales, we are no strangers to campaigning for the equal rights of disabled women and girls, and we continue to further our mission and raise our voices in order to be heard in a world that so often covers its ears.
In 2018, we launched #IAmEmbolden: Spirit of Disabled Women, a mission that was designed to change the way D/deaf and disabled women and girls are viewed in society. Funding from Spirit of 2012 and the Fawcett Society, allowed us to highlight the achievements of Welsh D/deaf and disabled women and girls, now and in history., challenge myths and stereotypes about disability and showcase our amazing women role models.
These role models are everywhere, populating so many aspects of society as mothers, activists, campaigners, business owners, students, the list goes on. And yet they often go unnoticed and unheard.
Disabled women deserve to take their rightful place in the workforce, in government and in their personal lives. That’s why we continue to sustain the Embolden mission and wield personal stories and experiences against acts of discrimination.
Discrimination can be multi-faceted and these experiences can often be overlooked. This is why we Choose to Challenge the specific barriers faced by disabled women and girls, to join forces with our members and other organisations to bring about change and promote the rights and equality of disabled women.
Days like today afford us the opportunity to reflect on our progress so far, to celebrate the achievements of disabled women and girls, no matter how big or small, and to renew our energy, ready to take more steps towards full rights and equality.
Wishing you all a very happy International Women’s Day!
