5 Successful Women with Disabilities You Should Be Following
Did you know that 300 million women worldwide are disabled? That is nearly double the size of the East African community trading bloc. What image comes to your mind when you hear that someone has a disability? Think about it. When you imagine disability, you most likely think of a wheelchair user, an albino, or someone with dwarfism. All have visible features of disability. But not all disabilities are visible. Regardless of the nature of their disability, disabled people still face an uphill task adjusting to society. Some of these challenges include stigma fueled by myths and misconceptions about disability. Disabled people also deal with low access to education, high unemployment, and isolation from family members and social gatherings.
Despite these challenges, people with disabilities are slowly claiming their space in society. Keep reading to learn about five inspiring women with disabilities who are leaders in their respective careers.
Maysoon Zayid-Actress and comedienne, United States
Maysoon developed cerebral palsy following birth complications occasioned by prolonged labor. Her disability notwithstanding, she has impressive acting credentials, which include tap dancing on Broadway and acting alongside Adam Sandler. She is also passionate about increasing the visibility of disabled people in the media, especially in the entertainment sector.
Maysoon is the co-founder of the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival, which was launched in 2001.She is also the founder of Maysoon’s Kids, an organization that helps Palestinian children with disabilities and orphans gain access to education. In 2013, her TED Talks speech was among the most viewed on Youtube. You can watch it here.
In 2020, Maysoon published her memoir, Find Another Dream.
Josephta Mukobe-Civil servant, Nairobi
Despite being born with a congenital disorder in the sixties, Josephta rose above the stigma in her community to become a respected civil servant in Kenya. She is an alumni of Alliance Girls High School and the University of Nairobi. Today, she is the highest-ranking government official with a disability. She has worked as a Principal Secretary in various ministries since 2013.
When she is not working, Josephta is the Secretary-General of Women Challenged to Challenge. This is an organization which brings disabled women together to advocate for their own issues. It has been running for twenty years now and boasts of membership nationwide.
Haben Girma-Lawyer, United States
As a deafblind child of refugees born and raised in the United States, Haben was a full beneficiary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. After graduating high school, and completing her undergraduate studies at Lewis and Clarke College, she was admitted at Harvard Law School. She was the first deafblind student to graduate from the institution.
Haben is a human rights lawyer who champions disability rights. She is a recipient of the Helen Keller Achievement Award whose goal is to recognize individuals who contribute towards improving the lives of people with disabilities. She was also featured in Forbes Magazine’s 2016 Top 30 under 30: Law and Policy.
Haben wrote a book titled Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law.
Jennifer Arnold-Neonatologist, United States
Dr. Arnold was born with dwarfism, and spent her childhood in and out of hospitals for multiple procedures. Motivated in part by her experience as a patient, she sought admission at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and is a proud alumnus. If you are a fan of the TLC channel, you may know her as one half of the Little Couple.
Dr. Arnold is a national ambassador for Speak Now for Kids, a group which raises awareness of challenges that medically complex children go through. She and her husband are the co-authors of the appropriately titled book, Life is Short, in which they reflect on their lives with dwarfism.
Anne Wafula-Strike-Retired wheelchair racer, Britain
Anne, who was born and raised in Kenya, contracted polio when she was two years old. In defiance of the cultural norms at the time, and with the support of her parents, Anne successfully completed her studies. She started out working as a teacher but later switched careers and became a wheelchair athlete. She made history in 2004 when she became the first wheelchair athlete to represent Sub-Saharan Africa at the Paralympic Games. She later competed for Team GB in the 2012 Paralympics.
Anne has a foundation, the Olympia-Wafula Foundation, which makes custom-made wheelchairs for users in developing countries. So far, she has done projects in Kenya, Malawi, Eswatini and Nepal. She became an MBE in 2014.
You can read about her disability journey in her book, In My Dreams I Dance.
If you have a disability, you don’t need to despair. You can still achieve your dreams. Set yourself some daring goals consistently and keep pushing yourself to accomplish them. You, too, can be a great asset to your community, just like the ladies on this list.
And if you know someone with a disability, create opportunities for them and provide them with appropriate accommodations. You will be pleasantly surprised to discover how talented they are.
