It is impossible to adequately thank all the people who helped make A Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities a reality. It started 10 years ago as a good idea shared by 2 women, and grew into a remarkable international collaboration between women with disabilities and their friends in more than 40 countries.
Listing a person’s name does not begin to say how much her efforts and ideas helped create this book. Every staff member, intern, and volunteer here at Hesperian also helped bring this book into the world, including those who raise funds, manage finances, publicize our materials, and pack and ship them around the world.
Along with our tireless medical editors, we called on a few reviewers over and over again, and they deserve a special mention and our sincerest thanks: Naomy Ruth Esiaba, Kathy Martinez, Gail McSweeney, Janet Price, Judith Rogers, Andrea Shettle, Ekaete Judith Umoh, and Veda Zachariah.
Many thanks to the following groups of people with disabilities who contributed so much of their hearts, time, and personal experience to help us make sure the material in this book would be useful to women with disabilities all over the world:
Afghanistan: the National Association of Women with Disabilities of Afghanistan (NAWDA)
Cambodia: the Women with Disabilities Committee of the Disability Action Council
China: MSI Professional Services
Colombia: the Colombian
Association for Disabled Peoples (ASCOPAR)
El Salvador: La Asociación Cooperativa de Grupo Independiente Pro Rehabilitación Integral (ACOGIPRI)
Fiji: the Support Group for Women with Disabilities
Finland: the Abilis Foundation, and The National Council on Disability
Republic of Georgia: the Gori Disabled Club
India: the Amar Jyoti Charitable Trust, Blind People Association, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Disabled People’s International, Humane Trust, and Sanjeevini Trust
Jamaica: Combined Disabilities Association
Kenya: The Bob Segero Memorial Project, and Hope
Laos: the Lao Disabled People’s Association, and the Lao Disabled Women Development Center
Lebanon: the Arab Organization of Disabled People, and the National Association for the rights of Disabled People Lebanon (NARD)
Lesotho: the Lesotho National Federation of Organizations of Disabled
Mauritius: the Association of Women with Disability
Nepal: the Nepal Disabled Women Society, and Rural Health Education Services Trust (RHEST)
Nigeria: the Family-Centered Initiative for Challenged Persons (FACICP)
Palau: the Organization of People with Disabilities (Omekasang)
Trinidad/Tobago: the Tobago School for the Deaf, Speech and Language Impaired
Uganda: the Disabled Women’s Network and Resource Organisation (DWNRO), Mobility Appliances by Disabled Women Entrepreneurs (MADE), and the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda
USA: Mobility International USA (MIUSA), Through the Looking Glass, Women Pushing Forward, and the World Institute on Disability (WID)
Vietnam: the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation
Yemen: the Arab Human Rights Foundation
Zimbabwe: Disabled Women Africa (DIWA), the National Council on Disabled Persons of Zimbabwe, the Southern Africa Federation of the Disabled (SAFOD), and Women with Disabilities Development (ZWIDE)
Our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who gave so generously of their time and knowledge. Your commitment to health care for women with disabilities brought this book into the world.
Caroline Agwanda Fatuma Akan Firoz Ali Janet Connatser Allem Eric Anderson Soc Balingit Florence Baingana Monica Bartley Denise Bergez Rosangela Berman-Bieler Kim Best Bimala Sharma Bhandari Michael Blake Cheri Blauwet Joan Bobb-Alleyne Claire Borkert Tina Bregvadze Ron Brouillette Arlene Calinao Cynthia Carmichael Susan Canas Silvia Casey Phonesavanh Chandavong Sivila Chanpheng Sujith J. Chandy Gladys Charowa Farai Cherera Rosemary Ciotti Alicia Contreras Ann Cupola Freeman John Day Kathryn Day Roshni Devi Tara Dikeman Lori Dobeus Pamela Dudzik Shalini Eddens Sana Ali El-Saadi Jennifer Fahnbulleh Nancy Ferreyra Anne Finger Lee Gallery Monica Gandhi Katherine Gergen Anita Ghai Eileen Girón Batres Nora Groce Heba Hagrass Maria Harkins Phyllis Harshaw Sari Heifetz Karen Heinicke- Motsch Taija Heinonen Susan Heller Kevin Henderson
Judith Heumann Rachael Holloway Rob Horvath Ralf Hotchkiss Honora Hunter Venus Ilagan Namita Jacob Lisa Jensen Usha Jesudasan Kathy Al Ju’beh Rachel Kachaje James G. Kahn Wendy Kahn Deborah Kaplan Manali Kasbekar Susan Kaur Christie Keith Jennifer Kern Jahda Abou K Jackie Ndona Kingolo Pat Kirkpatrick Kristi L. Kirschner Justine Kiwanuka Mari Koistinen Kathleen Lankasky BA Laris Ye Ja Lee Anne Leitch Cindy Lewis Gertrude Likopo Lesoetsa Rebecca C. Lim Hoang Cam Linh Sari Loijas Lizzie Longshaw Josephine Lyengi Annie Malinga Peggy Martinez Rajaa Masabi Melissa May Katherine McLaughlin Joan McNeil Lemnis Geraldo Mendez Ruth Miller Linda D. Misek- Falkoff Sruti Mohaptra Linda Mona Winifred Mujesia Frank Mulcahy Irene Busolo Mwenesi Dorothy Musakanya James Mwanda Safia Nalule Sucheta Narang Kanika Sophak Nguon
Papa Djibril Niang Cathy Noble Corbett O’Toole Deborah Ottenheimer Judy Panko Reis Lauri Paolinetti Rafael Peck Elizabeth Pearl Penumaka KP Perkins Minh Hang Pham Allison Phillips Judith Pollack Jureeratana Pongpaew Zohra Rajah Barbara Ridley Pia Rockhold Denise Roza Laura Ruttner Mariana Ruybalid Robert Sampana Beatriz Elena Satizabal Marsha Saxton Estelle Schneider Rosemary Segero Lonny Shavelson Maya Shaw Julia Shelby A.Shivasanthakumar Caroline Signore Meenu Sikand Julia Simonova Kathy Simpson Jan Sing Judith Smith Florence Nayiga Ssekabira Yvette Swan Susan Sygall Michael Tan Supattraporn “Mai” Tanatikom Carolyn Thompson Uma Tuli Meldah B. Tumukunde Doralee Uchel James Ullman Nance Upham Aruna Uprety Elizabeth Valitchka Koen Van Rompay Jyoti Chandulal Vidhani Zainab K. Wabede Jessica Mak Wei-E Ann Whitfield Amy Wilson Dayna Wolfe Lin Yan
We also want to thank and remember the following women who contributed so much, not only to this book, but to the community of women with disabilities around the world. Sadly, they died before the book was published: Hellen Winifred Akot, Tanis Doe, Ana Malena Alvarado, Connie Panzarini, Nanette Tver, Barbara Waxman-Fiduccia, and Sandra Welner.
We also thank the following foundations and individuals for their generosity in financially supporting this project: Alexandra Fund; Chaim Tovim Tzedakah Fund of the Shefa Fund; Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation; Displaced Children and Orphans Fund/ Leahy War Victims Fund, U.S. Agency for International Development (under terms of JHPIEGO contract no. 06-TSC-022); Flora Family Foundation; Ford Foundation; Global Fund for Women; James R. Dougherty Jr. Foundation; Jennifer Kern; Kadoorie Charitable Foundation; Margaret Schink; Marguerite Craig; Marji Greenhut; May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust; Norwegian-Dutch Trust Fund for Gender Mainstreaming/World Bank; Swedish International Development Agency; and the West Foundation.
