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’16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence’ Campaign
This year, Women with Disabilities Victoria will be running a social media campaign to coincide with the annual international ‘16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence’ campaign. The campaign will run from November 25, the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women, to December 10, Human Rights Day. It will also span the International Day for People with Disability, which falls on December 3.
Our campaign will fall under the umbrella of Respect Victoria’s 2019 campaign, with the theme of ‘Respect Women: Call it Out’. WDV’s theme will be ‘Disability Disrespect: Call it Out’, and will focus on common micro-aggressions perpetrated against women with disabilities, and other forms of disrespectful and demeaning behaviour that women with disabilities experience regularly.
For each day of the campaign we will be posting a visual tile on our social media channels that describes one common micro-aggression towards women with disabilities, in the form of a statement or action. These were compiled through consultation with a number of women with disabilities, and are reflective of experiences that these women have all too often. Alongside each of the statements is the meaning behind them, and the inference they have for the woman with disability at whom they are directed.
Many of these statements and actions are not inherently cruel or abusive; in fact some of them can even come from a caring place. But ignorance around issues of gender and disability inequality, and the intersection of these for women with disabilities, creates a culture where people behave disrespectfully, invasively and in a controlling manner towards women with disabilities. These behaviours constitute micro-aggressions, and they are not okay.
Our campaign this year aims to shed light on the nature and frequency of micro-aggressions against women with disabilities, and provide people with information on how to replace these with behaviours that are respectful, informed, and that demonstrate an understanding of consent and agency. As part of our campaign materials we have also produced a tip sheet titled 12 Principles of Respectful Communication with Women with Disabilities that gives simple guidelines on how we can action this in our day to day interactions.
Please share this campaign within your networks and join us in calling out Disability Disrespect.
Respect Women: Call it Out
Microaggressions: Experiences by Women with Disabilities
Caption: Social media tile with 16 Days of Activism logo and WDV logo: ‘Don’t touch me without asking. My disability doesn’t mean my consent.’
Explanation:
Don’t touch me without asking. My disability doesn’t mean my consent.
Though it may come from a place of care or concern, a woman’s disability, including a vision or mobility impairment, does not make it okay to touch her without her consent. If you wish to offer someone support, ask first, and be aware that she has the right to refuse.
Caption: Social media tile with 16 Days of Activism logo and WDV logo: ‘Your other senses must be superhuman. Nothing about you is normal or the same as me.’
Explanation:
Your other senses must be super human. Nothing about is normal or the same as me.
Women with sensory impairments are often told or asked if their other senses are heightened as a result of their disability. This is an invasive question and perpetuates an ‘us and them’ mentality, which sets the woman with disability apart from the person making the comment in yet another way. Do not ask personal questions about a woman’s disability.
Caption: Social media tile with 16 Days of Activism logo and WDV logo: ‘”Where is your carer?” Women with disabilities should not be out alone.’
Explanation:
‘”Where is your carer?” Women with disabilities should not be out alone.’
Do not assume that a woman with a disability needs a carer. Women with disabilities are independent and may not need or want a carer, or may only use a carer sometimes. They have a right to be out alone whenever they wish, and their actions do not make them in any way responsible if violence were to occur. Male violence is the fault of men alone.
Caption: Social media tile with 16 Days of Activism logo and WDV logo: ‘”You people are so inspiring.” It is remarkable that you can live like that.’
Explanation:
‘”You people are so inspiring.” It is remarkable that you can live like that.’
Calling a woman ‘inspiring’ simply for going about their day to day activities suggests that their disability is something that you would find it unthinkable to live with. Women with disabilities don’t exist to provide inspiration or motivation, they are people just like everyone else.
Caption: Social media tile with 16 Days of Activism logo and WDV logo: ‘”Let me do that for you.” You aren’t capable of doing that yourself.’
Explanation:
‘”Let me do that for you.” You aren’t capable of doing that yourself.’
Women with disabilities are incredibly resilient, adaptable and strong. Don’t presume that someone needs your help unless you are explicitly asked. Performing tasks for a woman with disability takes away her agency, and is a controlling and aggressive behaviour.
Caption: Social media tile with 16 Days of Activism logo and WDV logo: ‘”I would never date someone in a wheelchair.” Women with disabilities are not my equal.’
Explanation:
‘”I would never date someone in a wheelchair.” Women with disabilities are not my equal.’
Suggesting that you wouldn’t enter into a relationship with a woman based on her disability alone constitutes ableism, and contributes to a culture where violence against people with disabilities is prolific. Sexist attitudes that perpetuate the idea that a man can have his ‘choice’ of women compounds the impact of this for women with disabilities.
Caption: Social media tile with 16 Days of Activism logo and WDV logo: ‘”You tick a lot of boxes.” You are only here because you are a woman with a disability.’
Explanation:
“You tick a lot of boxes.” ‘You are only here because you are a woman with a disability.’
Women with disabilities have a depth of knowledge and experience, both in the area of disability but in all other fields, professions and skillsets. Suggesting that a woman with disability was only hired for being ‘diverse’ disregards these skills and abilities, and takes away her credibility as a contributing member of an organisation.
Caption: Social media tile with 16 Days of Activism logo and WDV logo: ‘”Special schools don’t need to teach sex education.” People with disabilities won’t ever have sex.”‘
Explanation:
‘”Special schools don’t need to teach sex education.” People with disabilities won’t ever have sex.”‘
Women with disabilities are sexual beings as much as able-bodied people. Depriving young people with disabilities access to sex and respectful relationships education means that as adults, they may not have the tools to navigate sex and relationships in a safe way. This is especially dangerous considering the high rates of sexual and intimate partner violence perpetrated against women with disabilities.
Caption: Social media tile with 16 Days of Activism logo and WDV logo: ‘”We’ll make the office accessible when we hire more people with disabilities.” Accessibility is expensive.’
Explanation:
‘”We’ll make the office accessible when we hire more people with disabilities.” Accessibility is expensive.’
Making a space accessible for people with disabilities should be a consideration whether or not there are people with disabilities working there at that particular time. If spaces aren’t accessible this creates an additional barrier to recruitment of people with disabilities, and put the burden on the new employee to make changes happen around them.
Caption: Social media tile with 16 Days of Activism logo and WDV logo: ‘”I know another woman with a disability and she said…” All people with disabilities are the same.’
Explanation:
‘”I know another woman with a disability and she said…” All people with disabilities are the same.’
Women with disabilities are as diverse as any other group of people, spanning different ages, backgrounds, religions and sexual identities, as well as extremely varied experiences of disability. Don’t assume that one woman with a disability can speak for all others.
Caption: Social media tile with 16 Days of Activism logo and WDV logo: ‘”What is her mental age?” Women with disabilities are not really adults.’
Explanation:
‘”What is her mental age?” Women with disabilities are not really adults.’‘
The infantalisation of women with disabilities and the concept of a ‘mental age’ suggests that women with cognitive or intellectual disabilities are not really adults. This is incredibly marginalising and contributes to a culture where violence and control is accepted because women ‘don’t understand’, or don’t have the ability to make decisions about their own life.
Caption: Social media tile with 16 Days of Activism logo and WDV logo: ‘”How do you get dressed?” Your disability means you don’t have personal boundaries.’
Explanation:
‘”How do you get dressed?” Your disability means you don’t have personal boundaries.’
Women with disabilities have a right to privacy as much as women and men without disabilities. These kinds of questions are invasive and personal; you wouldn’t ask them of anyone else so don’t assume it is okay to ask them of a woman with disability.
Caption: Social media tile with 16 Days of Activism logo and WDV logo: ‘”I’ll just put you over here.” Women with disabilities are just objects to be organised.’
Explanation:
“I’ll just put you over here.” Women with disabilities are just objects to be organised.’
Language that dehumanises or objectifies women with disabilities contributes to a culture that condones violence against people with disabilities, especially in institutional or care settings. Women with disabilities are individuals with rights, wants and agency, not just the job you do for a salary.
Caption: Social media tile with 16 Days of Activism logo and WDV logo: ‘Don’t make assumptions about my sexuality. Women with disabilities have a right to both sexual expression and consent.’
Explanation:
‘Don’t make assumptions about my sexuality. Women with disabilities have a right to both sexual expression and consent.’
As for people without disabilities, women with disabilities have varied sexual preferences and identities. When women with disabilities are desexualised their agency is limited, and poor sexual education for young people with disabilities makes them more vulnerable to controlling or abusive behaviours within a relationship. When women with disabilities are sexually objectified, their consent is taken away from them and they are put at risk of experiencing sexual violence.
Caption: Social media tile with 16 Days of Activism logo and WDV logo: ‘”I’m so sorry you have to go through this.” Your disability is something you suffer through.’
Explanation:
‘”I’m so sorry you have to go through this.” Your disability is something you suffer through.’
Many people with disabilities do not consider their conditions to be debilitating. Women with disabilities often take pride in their diversity, as highlighted by the neuro-diversity pride movement, and the cultural strength of the deaf community. By suggesting they are suffering you are diminishing their experience and disregarding the joy they have in their lives.
Caption: Social media tile with 16 Days of Activism logo and WDV logo: ‘”You’re too young to have a disability.” Only older people have disabilities.’
Explanation:
‘”You’re too young to have a disability.” Only older people have disabilities.’
People can be born with a disability or acquire a disability at any time in their life. Comments such as this one not only invalidate the woman with a disability’s own experience, they perpetuate societal views about disability that mean there are less and poorer support services for young women with disabilities.
Caption: Social media tile with 16 Days of Activism logo and WDV logo: ‘”But you don’t need to work.” Women with disabilities don’t have career aspirations.’
Explanation:
‘”But you don’t need to work.” Women with disabilities don’t have career aspirations.’
Women with disabilities have career aspirations and professional goals the same as people without disabilities. They deserve to gain satisfaction from their professional accomplishments as much as anyone else. Don’t assume that because they have a disability, they don’t have the same motivations or goals as people without disabilities.