|
| |
Disabled Women at the Fourth World Conference on Women -
1995
he United Nations (UN) held its Fourth World Conference on the Status
of Women from September 5 - 15, 1995 in Beijing, China. In conjunction with
the UN conference a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Forum on Women was
held from August 30 through September 7. Disabled women organizers
strategically scheduled the First International Symposium on Issues of Women
with Disabilities on August 29, 1995, the day before the NGO Forum began. This was an historic event in that it was the first time that disabled
women organized to target a traditionally nondisabled women's
conference.
Over 200 disabled women and their allies from 25 countries attended the
symposium. Disabled women and disability rights organizations were responsible
for organizing the symposium and bringing women to Beijing. At the symposium
one of the goals was for each disabled woman to be a participant in the
decisions about issues affecting disabled women and how they should be
addressed at the NGO Forum and UN Conference.
In addition to the nearly 200 women who attended the symposium it was
estimated that another 200 disabled women attended the NGO Forum and UN
Conference. At the NGO Forum women with disabilities had their own tent. They
organized workshops, presented papers, and communicated to the rest of the
women at the forum the necessity for inclusion. Women also gathered
information from their sisters in other countries through photography, video,
and interviews.
(From the booklet Disabled Women: Visions and Voices from the Fourth
World Conference on Women produced by Wide
Vision Productions)
|
