'I'm a disabled woman, therefore I'm not a prospect'

How did you achieve the disabilityneutral tone of the information provided and language used on the site Bishakha Datta Disabled women are lsquowomenrsquo who are lsquodisabledrsquo So we need to speak to the women in them as much as the disabled person in them We didnrsquot want to put women with disabilities in a separate ghetto It was a bit like walking a tightrope mdash we also had to ensure we didnrsquot talk down to women with disabilities or infantilise or patronise them in any way That took some effort but since we were very sure this is what we wanted we made it happen Nidhi Garima Goya How were the articles that the site links to chosen BD We chose many blogs where women with disabilities write since we know their own experiences are authentic and credible We also got links from wellknown institutions Keep in mind the larger context this is new terrain there isnrsquot that much out there Also we wanted authentic information rather than fuzzy feelgood stuff How difficult it was to get disabled women to share their experiences on the site Nidhi Garima Goyal Well some women were very open but others who came from a conservative background didnrsquot understand that we wanted to talk to them about their sexuality not their sex life It took a while to establish a rapport and a comfort level with the women who eventually spoke to us and by the end I knew them quite intimately What was the thought behind the website What direction do you hope it will take BD We want to provide a onestop platform where women with disabilities and their families partners friends etc can get information about this Sexuality is a taboo topic in Indian homes anyway mdash sexuality and disability even more so We expect to build an active community of women with disabilities and activists working on sexuality to move the website forward The definition of lsquodisabilityrsquo is wide Richa Kaul Padte Because there are so many different impairments mdash visual verbal hearing intellectual developmental motor mdash obviously the issues people face are different so we didnrsquot want to lump all women into the homogeneous category of lsquodisabledrsquo But at the same time we didnrsquot want to break up the content by labelling people into their disability This was a hard balance to strike but I think wersquove achieved it Is there a plan to involve men in any way since as a lot of true stories illustrate the support of a husband andor partner has helped many differentlyabled women have less stressful more enriching lives BD Yes therersquos a special page for partners many of whom are men and we hope to tie up with disability rights groups that work with women and men and do separate and joint trainings and workshops to make this a reality NGG We really need to create a dialogue with men on the issue For example one time a male friend who came from a conservative family where friendships with women arenrsquot encouraged said ldquoWith you itrsquos differentrdquo Essentially that meant that since Irsquom visually impaired Irsquom not a women and therefore not a prospect Richa Kaul Padteu00a0 How are differentlyabled women themselves involved with the site BD About five women who are differentlyabled mdash including visuallyimpaired lawyer Kanchan Pamnani and Janet Price whorsquos in a wheelchair mdash advised us on content and accessibility Our motto in making this site was ldquoNothing for the disabled without the disabledrdquo RKP The site was made disabilityfriendly by Barrier Break Technologies where over 75 per cent of the staff has a disability So if yoursquore visually impaired you can easily use a screenreading software to access the site Or if you have a learning disability you can comfortably navigate the topics So wersquore not just providing information for women with disabilities but making sure they can independently access too Will there be any ontheground activities to create dialogue BD Yes mdash workshops film screenings interactive exhibits and discussions are planned in five cities mdash Mumbai Delhi Bangalore Kolkata Chennai mdash with CREA and groups working on either disability sexuality health womenrsquos issues HIV etc We will also do offline workshops etc on specific issues that are important for women with disabilities What is the most pressing need that disabled women face in India NGG Acceptance They need to be accepted by people by the infrastructure and their presence needs to be acknowledged BD Women with disabilities need to be seen as women like anyone else and treated with empathy mdash not lesser human beings who only deserve sympathy or pity and a conditional access to everything that the rest of us enjoyu00a0