Women and Disabilities Workshop - Materials: Contribution from the Philippines

Materials : Meeting Documents :

Position Paper on the situation of the rights of women with disabilities, including legislation and policy measures on the equalization of opportunities for women with disability in her country.

Philippines

Society has placed women in a disadvantaged situation of life. A woman is perceived to be an inferior being than men. This is compounded when she is disabled and more so when she is poor. Disabled woman is facing and coping with triple discrimination.

Before, women take second priority from men when it comes to pursuing a career, she was expected to stay behind and rear the home or the children. And when a woman is disabled, seldom that is given a chance to study because of her disability. Since she does not work or encouraged to take skills to be able to work, she will always be economically dependent to others, which could sometimes turns to emotional and psychological dependence.

The woman of today is fast emerging from the rot that she is in. More and more women had come out successful and has become world leaders in the field that they have chosen.

Because of continuos empowerment and mainstreaming of disabled people, many persons with disabilities take the lead in promoting the upliftment and development of disabled people.

Now, women with disabilities are given the chance and opportunities to grow, realize their potentials and assume leadership positions in the local, national and regional level. Women with disabilities are starting to explore new ideas, skills and are filled with enthusiasm on how to widen their horizon and be effective catalyst of change in their homes, organizations and communities.

With enough opportunities and trainings to develop their capabilities, women with disabilities can be effective leaders who will provide inputs and be involved at all times in the planning/conceptualization, development, implementation, monitoring and review of all policies, programs, legislations and activities of PWDS.

A WOMAN WITH DISABILITY

Of the three wonderful gifts that my parents were blessed with by God, I was the first to come into their lives. They named me, MIRAFLOR NIERRA RICO, but is fondly called "MIMI". From the pictures I saw when I was still a baby, I can say that I was a lovely girl but fate made me a victim of a polio virus. From then on, I am already a disabled person. But my disability has become a blessing to me because God bless me with an understanding family who lovingly accepted my limitations especially on my mobility and at the same time so supportive in guiding me to discover and acknowledge my strength as a person. Looking back to my childhood days, I realized that I did have a happy childhood because I was given the freedom to mingle and associate with other kids in school, in playtime and other occasions, though it was a reality that there were many times also that I've cried and got into trouble because of the teasing and tricks that other children have done to me. In the school, I did very well academically but not as good as I want to be in the extra curricular activities because there were time that I wanted to become one of the leaders of a certain activity but I was not given the chance to join the team. There was a time when we're so financially hard up after my father died during my first year in Civil Engineering course, some of my relatives advised my mother not to send me to school anymore because they doubted if I could have work then after my studies because I'm a disabled woman. But all those unhappy memories were all like challenges of life to overcome so that mine will become more meaningful and happier. I have proven to myself and to others that with my strong faith in God, that I can do many things that other non-disabled people can, in whatever situation in life, like, in the working place, organizations and in other aspects of life.

In the past, I do not join with other disabled people. I felt bad whenever I was in a situation where I'll be in close contact with another disabled person. But fate did not allow that to continue because in 1992, I happened to meet a handicapped engineer who interviewed me when I applied for job at NIA Region X office as the Section Head of Design Engineering Section and at the same time an officer of HACI de Oro. Since then, there was no turning back for me in my involvement with disabled people and its different activities.

At present I am one of the Board of Director of the Handicapped's Anchor Is Christ, Inc., (HACI de Oro), a disabled persons organization composed of orthopedically handicapped persons whose main goal is for disabled people to become active participant in community building. As a member of HACI de Oro it has been sometimes since I become an officer and an active woman officer of the organization. This is so because there are so few women members in the organization who are really committed to work for the cause of disabled people.

I am a licensed Civil Engineer by profession and involved with the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers doing civic and social work for the upliftment of Civil Engineers as professionals. As our social action project, we put up cut curbs on sidewalks in the city's important thoroughfares. I am also a member of a religious group called "The Servants of the Lord" a catholic organization of professionals with a vision of spreading the gospel and christifying the workplace.

My job as Accessibility Officer of the city government includes evaluating of building plans of commercial and institutional buildings. My job as Accessibility Officer empowers me to assert my rights as a disabled person. For instance, before construction of a building could begin, the owners are required to apply for a building permit with the city government and must submit with it, a copy of the building plans. This application passes through my office. If the plans are found lacking of the necessary provisions for accessibility, the application to start construction is not approved until corrections are made on the plans. The same process is observed after the building is constructed. The owner is again required to apply for an occupancy permit. An ocular inspection of the finished building is conducted by my office to ensure that the Accessibility Law has been complied with.

My dream was that many women with disability in my community would join and participate in our organization of disabed persons. This dream slowly came into reality when women with disability become the government thrust from regional to national down to the local level… DAWN-Phils came into being, then 2 years after DAWN-Cagayan de Oro was organized. Some of the activities which I and other women with disability leaders plotted were already achieved and realized. During this time, I got married and gave birth to a baby boy. I had a difficult pregnancy which enabled me to slow down in all my activities. Many of the work that I have begun and planned to do either in Haci de Oro, DAWN-Phils and DAWN-Cagayan de Oro were shifted off from my shoulders. I made myself updated with the informations and activities through telephone calls and write ups sent to me. Early this year I slowly went back attending first my original HACI de Oro then DAWN-Cagayan de Oro. Now, I feel a new surge of energy to give again what I can to the sector that is most dear to my heart, where I belong, the community of persons with disability specifically the women with disability.

As we've known that women with disabilities suffer multiple discrimination on account of their gender,, disability and socio-economic situation. Women with disabilities, because of preconceived prejudices have limited opportunities in the areas of education, health care, rehabilitation, employment, and even marriage and motherhood.

I should like to use my organization as venue for (1) unwinding these preconceived prejudices; that disability is a reality that the afflicted person must learn to accept. Once acceptance is instilled, the disabled person's perception of disability as a physical abnormality become less stigmatic (2) Peer counseling sessions and sharing of experiences among women members would make a good exercise to influence their lives. Information will be disseminated on the rights and privileges and abuses to women with disabilities so that they could learn from them. (3) I would endeavor to make a strong organization with potential and capability to help its women members become financially stable by providing them skills training for livelihood opportunities.

I will re-echo what I have learned from this workshop to the members of DAWN-Phils. and DAWN-Cagayan de Oro to strengthen our bonding as peers and advocates so that we can encourage more disabled women to join and participate in our organization. Through evaluation and upgrading of skills viable projects can be identified that can uplift the living conditions of women with disabilities.

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