Women, functional diversity and multiple discrimination

Abstract

The many types of violence perpetrated against women who are perceived as being disabled is so naturalized in society that it has become one of the least visible types of discrimination. This naturalization is the fruit of a system of oppression that has its origins in the fact that these people are women and that they are perceived as being disabled, therefore, it is based on a sexist and ableist norm. Thorough the creation of a group of women with functional diversity as the driving force and applying various techniques based on participatory appraisal, we have created an educational space which gave visibility to the fact that disability reify women and brought them under multiple forms of violence, which are naturalized and make them invisible. This situation lead them to live in a state of permanent psychological and physical tension which constantly tests their social resources and personal abilities and orientates solutions towards fear and guiltiness. In order to tackle these problems is necessary to consider a psycho-social approach that allows women to get out of a victim situation and that incorporates principles of recognition, reparation and non-recidivism. As a conclusion, we present a number of individual, collective and institutional strategies based on proposals of Functional Diversity.

Keywords: Violence, women who are perceived as being disabled, discrimination, inter-sectional categories, participatory appraisal, functional diversity.