Welcome to Women with Disabilities Victoria
Women with Disabilities Victoria (WDV) is an organisation of women with disabilities, for women with disabilities.
Our Vision is a world where all women are respected and can fully experience life.
Our mission is to advance real social and economic inclusion for women with disabilities in Victoria. We will:
- be a voice for women with disabilities
- create opportunities for women with disabilities to be visible and to be heard in their communities
- build partnerships to deliver the best results for women with disabilities
- engage the community to challenge attitudes and myths about women with disabilities.
We recognise that as women with disabilities we are among the most marginalised in our community. This is because the intersection of gender inequality and disability presents a situation of multiple levels of discrimination. This is where we focus our efforts.
We know that women with disabilities are strong and resilient. We have unique knowledge and understandings, and we make great leaders, because we draw on wisdom gained through our experience of discrimination and other challenges.
Our work aims to:
- Empower women – engage and empower women with disabilities to lead and influence their community
- Influence policy – Influence government and the community to recognise and remove barriers to full participation by women with disabilities
- Influence services – Educate and build the capacity of service systems and organisations to be accessible to women with disabilities
Are you, or is someone for whom you care, a woman with a disability needing assistance?
WDV does not provide support or advocacy to individuals with disability or their families. We do run programs, work with government on developing policies, and work alongside services to remove barriers for women with disabilities.
Should you need assistance with personal circumstances, we encourage you to first contact WIRE (Women’s Information and Referral Exchange Inc.). WIRE are the only Victoria-wide free generalist information, support and referral service run by women for women.They have a wide ranging database of services to which they can refer women needing support. Please visit the WIRE website, Ph: 1300 134 130 or E: support@wire.org.au.
