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Bringing disabled women together, mobilising
and sharing through lived experiences

A few places left on peer led skills development course

women in groups - one at a table bsuy conversing with each other

At a Sisters of Frida event

 

We have a couple of places left for the peer led skills development course for disabled women
We are amazed by the women that have applied to be on the course. Glad that there are a couple of spaces left if anybody else wants to apply.
Please see the link above for information about the project. More information will be given when a place has been confirmed. Please write to hello@sisofrida.org if you would like to attend or for any questions. Please let us know your access needs too.

The facilitators for these sessions are:

Lani Parker has worked on disability issues in various capacities including taking part in many campaigns, facilitating training, and working within disabled people’s organisations in the areas of advice, information and advocacy. She has a particular passion for doing the work of connecting social justice issues.
Lani is the Community and Legal Service coordinator for Enfield Advice Plus Partnership Project  at Enfield Disability Action. She is involved in a number of disabled people’s groups and has taken part in many sctions She was co facilitator for the Sisters of Frida’s Disability Sexuality workshop last year.

Nim Ralph - person of colour with short black hairNim Ralph  has over 10 years’ experience as a trainer and facilitator, with specialisms in equalities and diversity work/anti-oppression and campaigning. They are Lead Trainer at Campaign Bootcamp and have facilitated for a wide range of groups and organisations ranging from the Girl Guides to Transgender Europe. Nim worked for Drake Music for the last 3 years, which focuses on Disability, music and technology.

Sisters of Frida calls out UK Government on human rights violations of disabled women

PRESS RELEASE

Sisters of Frida joins Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations (DDPOs) from across the UK in Geneva this week to present evidence of violations on disabled people’s rights to the UN Committee on the Rights of Disabled People (UNCRPD)

In a closed session on Monday 21st August, DDPOs will highlight the UK Government’s failure to respond to many of the questions put to it by the Committee throughout this process. They will tell the Committee of the systemic failure to support disabled people to live independently and to have access to social, educational, and employment opportunities.

This is the first time the UN Disability Committee is reviewing the UK’s progress in implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities since the UK government ratified the Convention in 2009. DDPOs will tell the Committee that the government has ignored many of the questions put to it earlier this year as part of the review process. The Committee will consider the government’s response to its questions and the DDPOs’ observations before questioning representatives from the UK and devolved governments in Geneva later this week (23 and 24 August).

Eleanor Lisney, Director of Sisters of Frida says,

‘We have been calling out on the failure of the UK Government to fulfil obligations to disabled women since 2013 when we joined the UK CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women) Workgroup and delegation in 2013 going to Geneva). We did the same when we went to UN in New York city for CSW (UN Commission on the Status of Women) the UKNGOCSW delegation and held a side event. It is vital that disabled women are represented in processes like CRPD reporting as too often our experience as disabled women is invisible.This is an opportunity to change this and show how the cuts and legal changes are affecting us.’

Sarah Rennie, who will be representing Sisters of Frida in Geneva says,

‘The UK Government’s response does not address how gender-specific policies incorporate the social model of disability to break down barriers, meet the needs of Disabled women, or require an intersectional approach. We urge the Government to immediately remove the “best interests” defence in the Serious Crime Act 2015 which restricts Disabled women from seeing their perpetrators of emotional abuse brought to justice, and to improve access to medical care for Disabled women including pre-natal and reproductive health services.’

The DDPOs’ submission was co-produced by Reclaiming our Futures Alliance (including Sisters of Frida ), Inclusion Scotland, People First Scotland, DRUK, Disability Wales, Disability Action Northern Ireland, British Deaf Association, and Black Triangle.

 

Defend our Rights, Rights of Disabled Women, #intersectionality #CRPD17, #DDPOSGeneva

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1) The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities investigation is assessing what steps the UK has taken to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People. The committee is a body of experts, nominated and elected by governments. The majority of committee members are disabled people.

2) The committee postponed its scheduled assessment of the UK (originally due in 2015) to hold a special inquiry into complaints by DPPOs that the government’s welfare reform policies had violated disabled people’s rights. The current assessment looks at a much wider set of issues, including our laws on mental health and mental capacity, employment policies and education.

3) Before examining UK and devolved government representatives on Wednesday and Thursday the committee will meet with representatives of DDPOs to discuss their views on the formal written response already tabled by the UK government. The DDPOs have prepared their own submission as highlighted above.

4) Previous UN shadow reports from Sisters of Frida can be found at https://www.sisofrida.org/resources/

5) ROFA is an alliance of Disabled People and their organisations in England including Inclusion London, Equal Lives, Alliance for Inclusive Education, Sisters of Frida, National People First and Disabled People Against Cuts. For more information see: www.rofa.org.uk

6) more information about Sisters of Frida to be found at https://www.sisofrida.org

7) information on the status of disabled women in the Serious Crime Art 2015 can be found at https://www.sisofrida.org/resources/violence-against-women/

Press queries to

Email: hello@sisofrida.org T: @sisofrida https://www.sisofrida.org

Join our steering group!

Read about our recruitment drive in February 2024!

6 women of different races and ethnicities sit around a table. Some are wheelchair users. They are writing on paper and using their laptops

Picture from our Steering Group strategy workshop – May 2017

Disabled Women: Facts and Stats

We often get asked why we campaign for the rights of disabled women. Here are a few reasons.

Employment and Pay

  • 35% of disabled women (and 30% of disabled men) are paid below the National Living Wage in the UK.[1]
  • Disabled men face a pay gap of 11%, while disabled women faced a gap twice as large at 22%.[2]
  • Despite qualifications, disabled women have lower participation rates in higher skilled jobs and work fewer hours than both non-disabled women and disabled men.[3]
  • 27% of disabled women are economically inactive compared with 16% disabled men.[4]
  • Lone parenthood reduces female employment generally by 15%. However, disabled female lone parents are more than half as likely to work than non-disabled female lone parents.[5]

Violence and Abuse

  • Disabled people experience more domestic abuse than non-disabled people. Disabled women are significantly more likely to experience domestic abuse than disabled men.[6] In fact, one in ten experienced domestic abuse in 2012-13.[7]
  • Abuse is also more severe, more frequent and more enduring.[8][9][10]
  • Deaf women are twice as likely as hearing women to suffer domestic abuse.[11]
  • The Serious Crime Act 2015 made ‘coercive and controlling behaviour in an intimate or family relationship’ a criminal offence (s.76). The Act provides that it is a defence for a perpetrator to show that they believed themselves to be acting in the victim’s ‘best interests’. This was intended to cover carers. We believe this defence risks preventing disabled women and people with learning disabilities from seeing their abusers brought to justice.

Health and Medical Care

  • UK maternity care does not meet the needs of disabled women. A 2016 study revealed that only “19% of disabled women said reasonable adjustments had been made for them.”[12]
  • The CEDAW Committee is concerned that “Disabled, older, asylum seeking and Traveller women face obstacles in accessing medical health care and that Disabled women have limited access to pre-natal care and reproductive health services”.[13]
  • Disabled women, particularly with learning difficulties, are at risk of forced sterilisation in the UK or are encouraged to consent to sterilisation as a form of ‘menstruation management’ rather than be presented with a range of options available to other women.

Mental Health

  • Disabled women with a mental health problem die on average 13 years earlier than the general UK population.[14]
  • Nearly half of female prisoners in the UK have been identified as having anxiety and depression. This is double the rate of male prisoners. What’s more, nearly half female prisoners (more than double the rate for men) report attempting suicide.[15]

Public Life

  • The CEDAW Committee is concerned that ethnic minority and disabled women are particularly poorly represented in Parliament, the legal system and on public sector.[16]

You download the information on this page as a PDF factsheet.

[1] Equality and Human Rights Commission. 2017. Being Disabled in Britain. https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/being-disabled-in-britain.pdf

[2] Papworth Trust. 2016. Disability in UK 2016 Facts and Figures. http://www.papworthtrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/Disability%20Facts%20and%20Figures%202016.pdf

[3] All Party Parliamentary Group for Women and Work. 2016. Women Returns Annual Report 2016. https://connectpa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Women-and-work-Annual-report-low-res.pdf

[4] TUC. 2015. Disability and employment. https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/DisabilityandEmploymentReport.pdf

[5] The Poverty Site, 2011 http://www.poverty.org.uk/45/index.shtml

[6] Adding insult to injury: intimate partner violence among women and men reporting activity limitations. Cohen, M. et al. 8, 2006, Annals of Epidemiology, Vol. 16, pp. 644-651

[7] Public Health England. 2015. Disability and domestic abuse: Risk, impacts and response. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/480942/Disability_and_domestic_abuse_topic_overview_FINAL.pdf

[8] Adding insult to injury: intimate partner violence among women and men reporting activity limitations. Cohen, M. et al. 8, 2006, Annals of Epidemiology, Vol. 16, pp. 644-651

[9] Prevalence of abuse of women with physical disabilities. Young, M. et al. 1997, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vol. 78, pp. 34-38.

[10] Partner violence against women with disabilities: prevalence, risk and explanations. Brownridge, D. 2006, Violence against women, Vol. 12, pp. 805-822.

[11] Women’s Aid. 2015. https://www.womensaid.org.uk/16-days-deaf-survivors-and-domestic-abuse/

[12] Hall J, Collins B, Ireland J, and Hundley V. (2016) Interim report: The Human Rights & Dignity Experience of Disabled Women during Pregnancy, Childbirth and Early Parenting. Centre for Midwifery Maternal and Perinatal Health, Bournemouth University: Bournemouth. http://www.birthrights.org.uk/2016/09/maternity-care-failing-some-disabled-women/

[13] UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women : Great Britain, November 2014, available at: https://nawo.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/CEDAW-concluding-observations-EHRC-and-NAWO.pdf

[14] Equality and Human Rights Commission. 2017. Being Disabled in Britain. https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/being-disabled-in-britain.pdf

[15] Light, M., Grant, E. and Hopkins, K. (2013), ‘Gender differences in substance misuse and mental health amongst prisoners: Results from the Surveying Prisoner Crime Reduction (SPCR) longitudinal cohort study of prisoners’. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/surveying-prisoner-crime-reduction-spcr

[16] UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women : Great Britain, November 2014, available at: https://nawo.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/CEDAW-concluding-observations-EHRC-and-NAWO.pdf

Other resources

Sisters of Frida:

Sexuality and Dis/ability

Intersectional disability & disabled women reading list

External articles/blogs/podcasts

Daley, Michelle

Intersectionality and its relevance in social care for Disabled Women

Huffington Post Article “Rise Up Against The Harm And Killing Of Disabled Women Through Myths

Parker, Lani

Sideways Times is a UK-based platform for conversations which in different ways link together struggles against ableism, white supremacy, capitalism and heteropatriarchy.

Our Steering Group

 

About Us

Sisters of Frida CIC is an experimental collective of disabled women. The barriers and multiple discrimination have not changed; we struggle to have our voices heard as disabled women in our own rights. We want a new way of sharing experiences, mutual support and relationships with different networks. We are a sisterhood: a circle of disabled women to discuss, share experiences and explore intersectional possibilities.

Our Activities

We are often invited to speak on panels at conferences locally, nationally and internationally. We work hard to amplify disabled women’s voices through political channels and advancing our legal rights. We also arrange events and safe spaces for disabled women to meet, share experiences and develop networks.  

The Steering Group

We have different experiences, skills and perspectives to share and contribute. You can see the current steering group here. The group drives Sisters of Frida’s strategy and priorities. You don’t have to be on the steering group to contribute to Sisters of Frida. We have a monthly meeting via Skype, a quarterly meeting in person and correspond in between these meetings.

What we’re look for

It’s important to us to be led by a team of disabled women who can contribute through experience or skills or enthusiasm. We’re open-minded. Perhaps you have one or some of the following skills

    • Website or social media management
    • Presentation and public speaking
    • Event facilitation
    • Governance
    • Marketing
    • Fundraising

Or you may be knowledgeable in any of the following:

    • Finance and accounts
    • Disability theory and research
    • Disability grass roots activism
    • Women’s rights and feminism
    • UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disability
    • UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women

What we ask of you

To join our steering group you must:

    • Identify as a disabled woman ((trans, intersex and cis) non-binary and gender non-conforming people but not people who identify solely or primarily as men. )
    • Committed to the social model of disability and our intersectional approach
    • Be reliable and committed

What we will offer you

Sisters of Frida is recognised on an international scale and you will be in an influential position. You will have the opportunity (if you wish) to speak or present on disabled women’s matters on a local, national and international level. You will be in the perfect position to hear about research, funding and networking opportunities. Participating in the steering group’s activities, adhering to governance guidelines and being in the political spotlight represents an excellent personal and professional development opportunity.

Young People – Mentoring!


Developing and supporting young disabled women is one of our key values. Don’t be put off if you haven’t got experience of activism, politics or work. We all start somewhere! We would still like to hear from you if you are enthusiastic and reliable. If we can, we will match you with a buddy to help you get involved in our steering group and learn the ropes.

Express your interest

    1. Let us know that you’re interested by emailing us on hello@sisofrida.org. In your email tell us why you want to support us and tell us something about you. If you want to send a CV, that’s great.
    2. If shortlisted, we will arrange a skype call (or accessible alternative) with you.

There is no closing date but places on the steering group are limited. Steering group membership is a voluntary position.

Sarah on why join Sisters of Frida Steering Group

Peer led skills development course for disabled women

women in groups - one at a table bsuy conversing with each other

At a Sisters of Frida event

Following our successful projects ‘Disabled women’s voices from the frontline’ and ‘Disability and Sexuality’, Sisters of Frida are excited to launch a new peer-led skills development course for disabled women, led by disabled women. This course is supported by a grant from Rosa, The UK Fund for Women and Girls.

 

The project will run from September 2017 until May 2018 and will give participants opportunities to

 

  • develop facilitation, presentation and research skills
  • gain and share knowledge in an area of interest
  • put this knowledge into practice
  • meet and work with new people

 

The project will be split into two parts. The first part will consist of three sessions aimed at building facilitation skills and confidence for the participants. We will then go on to design a number of further sessions tailored specifically to the needs of individuals within the group. You will have a mentor who will support you in gaining skills in the area of work which you are interested in. This could include building campaigns, arts and self-expression, challenging interpersonal violence – the possibilities are endless! You will then share the skills and knowledge through a workshop designed and led by you.

 

Where and when

The first part of the course will take place on the weekend of the 16-17th September at the YHA in Kings Cross, Central London. This will be a facilitation skills course.

 

The structure and timings of the following workshops will be agreed by the group following this initial training.

 

Who is it for?

The course is for any self-identified disabled women (trans, intersex and cis) non-binary and gender non-conforming people but not people who identify solely or primarily as men. Sisters of Frida follows the social model. We especially encourage people who do not have much previous experience in facilitation, public speaking and events-organising, and if interest exceeds spaces, we will prioritise those with less experience.

 

There are limited spaces on this program. If you think you may be interested, please get in touch by the 1st of September. Please tell us a little bit (just a few words) about what you’re interested in and why you would like to participate.

If you need a BSL interpreter or other access needs, please let us know asap.

Contact: hello@sisofrida.org / 07876 742600

Empty Room with a long rounded end table with 12 black chairs. There are pictures on the light walls.

Meeting room at the YHA, 79-81 Euston Rd, Kings Cross, London NW1 2QE

Zara Todd to Brussels as new ENIL Director!

Sisters of Frida would like to give huge congratulations to Zara Todd for her new post as the incoming director of ENIL.

She will be taking over from Jamie Bolling, who has been a great supporter of Sisters of Frida. We give her our best wishes for her next plans and some of us hope to see her at this years Freedom Dive in Brussels.

We’re happy that Zara will continue as one of the Sisters of Frida’s directors.

 

Zara (in white rainwear) with Sisters of Frida  Eleanor with banner , Lucia behind Eleanor with stipey umbrella and Ines (from ECCL) behind Zara. Miro is also there with PA and Kate, with black umbrella

Zara (in white rainwear) with Sisters of Frida at the 2013 Freedom Drive in Strasbourg,  Eleanor with banner , Lucia behind Eleanor with black stripey umbrella and Ines (from ECCL) behind Zara. Miro (from ENIL) is also there with his PA and Kate, with black umbrella

 

Zara with John Evans at Freedom Drive in Brussels 2015 . Shes wearing the Freedom Drive tee shirt under her coat

Zara with John Evans at Freedom Drive in Brussels 2015

 

Exciting new project on skills development for Sisters of Frida!

about eleven/twelve women looking/listening intently. some are wheelchair users.

Participants at a previous Sisters of Frida event

New peer led skills development course for disabled women

(Start date  and venue TBD probably September now.)

Sisters of Frida is proud to announce a new peer led skills development course for disabled women.

Following our successful projects ‘Disabled women’s voices from the frontline‘ and Disability and Sexuality, Rosa funding is funding us to further develop disabled women’s skills and leadership in a space led by and for disabled women. This exciting project will span 12 months and will give the participants opportunities to

  • develop facilitation skills
  • presentation skills
  • and research skills
  • identifying your own specific skills

The project will be split into two parts. The first part will consist of three sessions aimed at building facilitation skills and confidence for the participants we will then go on to design a further seven sessions tailored specifically to the needs of the group and individuals within the group. You will have a mentor who will support you in gaining skills in the area of work which you are interested in you will then share the skills and knowledge through a facilitated workshop designed and facilitated by you.

 

Ideas for topics include

  • disabled women and domestic violence
  • sexuality and disabled women
  • building campaigns and spaces wich work for all disabled women
  • working with disabled young people
  • arts and self-expression
  • re thinking work for/with disabled women
  • building support networks in challenging interpersonal violence

The list is not exhaustive and will be led by the participants. There are limited spaces on this program, please get in touch if you are interested to hello@sisofrida.org

rosa fund logo

Intersectionality and disability at WOW Festival 2017

Main talks programme panel “Intersectionality for Beginners” at Women of the World Festival 2017, in London South Bank. This panel featurered a keynote from Lydia X. Z. Brown and panel of Guppi Bola, Kuchenga Shenje, Emma Dabiri, and Eleanor Lisney (from Sisters of Frida) chaired by Hannah Azieb Poole. Transcripts kindly provided by Lydia)

This was the prepared speech by Eleanor Lisney  for the panel (but not read out)

When I came back to the UK to take up the position of relationship manager at a university, people told me I ticked many brownie points. I learn to realise they meant I had many disadvantages , because I was a woman, of an ethnic minority, and disabled. Some said it must be an advantage in applying for jobs but believe me, it isn’t . This is before I even heard of the term ‘ intersectionality’, the multiple oppression that arise out of having multiple identities,  and understand the impact it had on my life and that of others.

In January, I was invited to speak as a Sister of Frida at a hearing at the European Parliament on domestic violence and disabled people, and I used a personal example when mentioning intersectionality. When I was living in France I went through a divorce process, the court saw me as a non white, disabled woman with a bad grasp of the French language. My ex, a white British man, is an international  civil servant, had many human rights’ lawyers as his friends. I did not even know French divorce laws were different from those in the UK.

I think it was partly from that experience I co founded Sisters of Frida – understanding the complexity of having multiple identities- and also it’s in  Article 6 of the Convention on Rights of People with Disabilities.

States Parties recognize that women and girls with disabilities are subject to multiple discrimination, and in this regard shall take measures to ensure the full and equal enjoyment by them of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The UK has ratified the CRPD and In fact, quite a few of disabled activists are heading for Geneva because of the examination of the uk govt for its implementation. I wanted to go but it conflicted with the international women’s day events and me here at WOW.  Disability and feminism. Women organisations do not know much about disability and disabled people’s organisations are gender neutral, we hope to build bridges there and make a change. Just insisting on our rights to be heard and to make spaces more inclusive and accessible are challenges. I hope we have made some difference. If I make a mention here, one Sister of Frida, is Rebecca Bunce who is a co founder of IChange has campaigned tirelessly for the Istanbul Convention and spoken on the need for access at public spaces for disabled women.

The disability movement is very white here and we would like to promote and make black and ethnic minority women more visible. It’s a natural reaction that you don’t join when you can’t identify with the people in it. And to show that they are not just engaged in being there as recipients but also in leadership roles.  We have had discussions on disability and the  cultural differences on the impact of disability. Many BME women come and share with me about their disabilities but they do not self identify (unless it’s a physical visible impairment ) as disabled people  because of the negative perspectives, stigma and non representation. But I know this goes for other communities not just  for Black and women of colour .

And in the UK austerity measures by this government have meant that the intersections of being BME and disabled and women mean that many of us are reeling from the compounding cuts in benefits and services. In all areas of our lives.

My friend and fellow Co founder of SoF, Michelle Daley, has spoken on the importance of intersectionality and the social services on Wednesday, she speaks as a black disabled woman

I quote her:

“I am a woman, a black woman and a disabled woman. In most areas of my life I’m forced to compartmentalised my different intersections…. I relate this point from one of my assessments of need. So when I explained that I needed help with skin care, which is not related to my impairment, it was dismissed. The assessor had no knowledge about skin sensitive and dryness often experienced by Black People and the need for daily skin care to prevent discomfort. In this example it demonstrated how my different intersections as a Black Disabled Woman were not considered and how they interact with each other. ”

She is chairing the SoF panel at 1.15 this afternoon. I recommend you go listen to her and my other Sisters at that panel.  Thank you.

 

row of people at the front. Photo taken from the back, with many rows of headss

Sisters of Frida Panel at the WoW Festival 2017

Why does much of the women’s rights movement marginalise disabled women?

During the last weekend in London at the Women of the World Festival (WOW) a panel of speakers discussed why disability is so often left out of conversations about intersectionality, and surveyed the key battlegrounds that disabled women are fighting on.

The panel was organized by Sisters of Frida.
Speakers included Lydia X. Z. Brown, disability rights activist; Magdalena Szarota, Polish disability rights activist and HIA Polska Board Member; Sarifa Patel of Newham’s Disability Forum; and Simone Aspis, Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE) campaigner. Chaired by Michelle Daley of the Sisters of Frida disabled women’s collective.”

Other photos from the Women of the World Festival with SoF and disabled women at Flickr   

3 wheelchair users, oneyoung black, one middle aged East Asian and another white young woman. They are smiling at the camera.e

Becky, Eleanor and Emma

Sarah Rennie on the WEP panel

We collaborated on ‘Disabled women missing from history’ these were exhibited at the cafe of the Royal Festival Hall

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