Hi Margaret,
I really resonated to your comments/questions about us (disabled women)
being kind of frilly add-ons to something women's groups do. I convene the
women's caucus for DPA (NZ)-The Assembly of People with Disabilities. Our
women often encounter the situation where:
1. We find out about some event organised by a women's group about women's
issues, say poverty, and we/our perspective doesn't get a mention
2. We address the omission directly with the organisers, and may get some
(often extra/special/add on) space on the programme
3. We go to the event and in our slot, talk about how it affects us, and the
problems of exclusion
4. We are told "Thank you very much for sharing this interesting perspective
I'm sure we've all got a lot out of it, now let's have morning tea"
5. The same thing happens next time...and again, and again, and again
We're getting fairly irritated about this. We've been "educating" women's
groups on the need to include our perspective, and at the ground floor.
Apart from a small number of women in women's organisations who, bless their
little cotton socks, can make the linkages, most of the women's
organisations still marginalise us.
It seems to me that it might be useful for us to exchange some views and
strategies. If you fancy replying or responding to this idea, please do so.
Cheers, Wendi
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