I was disturbed with some of the recent disparaging comments women were making about other women in regards to voting based on gender. Especially women my age and older talking down to younger women. I believe that women should always support women. However, we fought hard for our feminist rights. We continue to fight for our rights. We need women to have equal pay, a place at the C suite, a seat in the board room and so much more.

My work is focused on disability inclusion, accessibility and empowering persons with disabilities. According to the World Health Organization there are over 1 billion people with disabilities in the world or 1 in 7 people. Some countries like the United States are higher. According to the Census Bureau, 1 in 5 persons with the United States are living with a disability. One in five American adults have at least one kind of disability, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Released in July 2015. The study, drawn from 2013 data, says 53 million Americans have a disability. “We know disability types and related challenges can vary,” said Elizabeth Courtney-Long, a health scientist with CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. “In order to understand and address their needs, we need to understand their diverse circumstances. This report provides a snapshot into that. ¹ The Report can be found here

Women and girls with disabilities face even bigger barriers and are the victims of two-fold discrimination: as women and as persons with disabilities. Studies conducted by the United Nations women with disabilities are often invisible “both among those promoting the rights of persons with disabilities, and those promoting gender equality and the advancement of women.” ²

Women with disabilities all over the world are shamed, bullied, raped, murdered and treated as if they do not matter. ³ It is past time for all women to be empowered and to support all genders.

Women with disabilities all over the world are shamed, bullied, raped, murdered and treated as if they do not matter. It is past time for all women to be empowered and to support all genders. I have the honor to work with Rosemary Musachio, a brilliant woman and also the Chief Strategic Officer at Ruh Global Communications. Rosemary happens to have been born with Cerebral Palsy. Rose shared her thoughts on this topic with me recently, this is what she said:

Citation: ¹USA Today | ² UN Women Watch | ³ Human Rights Watch

“Steinem’s quote is a generalization, which is often detrimental and even dangerous. Her remark may stereotype younger women in a bad light, not caring about anything except self-gratification. If society acquaints this negative image with women who were born after 1990, they may not receive support from other women. They also may not get opportunities that they deserve.

Being a woman with cerebral palsy, I’ve experienced the repercussions of generalization all of my life. The public still automatically links having a disability with not being a productive member of society or my mind being in a wheelchair. Because of this, I constantly have to fight to prove myself. Now, because of Steinem’s comment, millennial women may have to fight to prove themselves.” – Rosemary Musachio, Chief Strategic Officer at Ruh Global Communications

As an undecided voter, I fought for my feminist right to decide on a candidate based on the issues not based on gender. I am also embarrassed of women my age and older telling younger women they don’t understand the fight for equal rights for women. Once while attending a conference for Women Global Leaders, I was talking with several other attendees. One guest brought up how we should be mentoring the younger generation in business leadership. Maybe we could create a program to help millennial women engage with other women on these issues. Several of the women agreed that they would not want to take part in mentoring millennial women. I recall one woman describing young millennials as spoiled, self centered, socially immature and addicted to their devices. I was shocked and commented, “How can you say that? We have fought so hard for women to have a voice. We still have so much work to do.”

How can we decide this of an entire generation? Younger women are not adding value, contributing to the conversation, understand the past fights and are immature? I am personally hooked on social media and my smart devices. I chatter so much on social media about disability inclusion and accessibility for all, that I sometimes stress myself out. The millennial women that I have met are almost always amazing leaders trying to make a huge impact for our world.

As a woman in my late 50’s I meet and work with millennial women all the time. I see many Millennial women highly engaged in social good, social entrepreneurship and “Be-the-Change” type activities. I have met millennial women, including women with disabilities, all over the world that are sacrificing everything to be included. I believe we did not fight this hard for women’s rights to now decide that millennial women do not care for our rights or past efforts. When I speak to young women, they are proud of those who fought for their rights. They look up to these women and it must have really hurt them to hear these comments. I asked the opinion of my Creative Director, Emily Ha. She is a millennial woman whose opinions I’ve come to value. Here’s what she had to say:

“I am a first generation Burmese-American woman who works in the realm of disability inclusion. I advocate for women with disabilities because we all matter and when I say that I’m talking about millennial women as well. Their viewpoint is very unique and at times overlooked. Giving a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves is what I try to do.

I appreciate the struggles of so many human rights advocates from the past, more than I can express. That being said, I am wary of being quick to side with any blanket statement, and certainly don’t appreciate being labeled for having an opinion that may be different. Everyone of us is unique, our experiences and lives differ. Saying that all of one type is like this or that is reductive thinking. Aiding a stereotypical societal view, and one I don’t support. Understanding one another and where people are coming from is tough, but step one is to simply listen before casting judgments. Wouldn’t you assume the same respect of a stranger meeting you for the first time?

Young women are still having to fight those that would limit their voices, freedoms, and equalities. Some Baby Boomers and Generation X-ers have unfairly awarded millennial’s such epithets as “entitled, naïve, coddled, uninformed, lazy, ungrateful, and attention-crazed”. Some even consider millennials to be Tech Savvy to a fault.. But is the vilification fair? We’ve evolved past this ignorance, and we need to stand by our progress.

We should also remember that generational clashes are nothing new. Many past generations of emerging adults have sparked angst and disdain in their predecessors. Even the Baby Boomers had once been labeled the “Me Generation”. Perhaps it’s time we break this pattern and embrace what we each might uniquely offer. – Emily Ha, Creative Director at Ruh Global Communications

We have so many issues to resolve in our world including civil rights for persons with disabilities, climate change, religious freedoms, discrimination, violence and many more issues. I believe it is critical to mentor, empower and encourage younger generations. My generation should support all women of all ages, especially women with disabilities to help them continue to find their voices and join these empowering conversations. Otherwise we may accidentally send the wrong message to others. For example, what messages are we giving to men of all ages especially millennial men? I asked my son, Kevin Ruh a millennial to voice his opinions on this matter.

“Following the campaign news can be tedious. It seems fraught with needless drama and pandering for pandering’s sake. It is a time when we form opinions on who we would like to see become the leader of this country for four years into the future. There are times when I have made quick leaps of faith that people will think the same way as me. At times I am correct, at others I’m dead wrong. Listening to every word out of every potential candidates mouth is not only impossible, but maddening. When someone comes out and makes a late statement, a defining principle, then it is time to really pay attention. Some lost my vote early on by spreading bigoted ideals. I simply cannot support a candidate who is so close minded to human and race relations. When someone tells me that my vote is set to one candidate based on sex they lose my confidence, I support a woman’s right to chose for herself as much as I support anyone’s self choices.

We need to stop falling back into archaic ways, stay alert and listen when it really matters, support the change you want. – Kevin Ruh, Chief Marketing Officer, at Ruh Global Communications

Women should support each other but never take away the right for another woman to vote for someone that has a different gender or opinion than us. Let’s not bully other women that is so sad to watch. Instead we should encourage younger women to find their voice, to have a place at the podium, to fight for their right to decide for themselves. Everyone matters including people like me that are older but please also understand that the Millennials are an amazing generation and they have the ability to change the world and help us evolve.

I am a woman that supports other women. I am a woman that will decide who to vote for based on the candidate that I feel will best lead our country. I am a woman that values diversity. I am a woman that believes that women with disabilities add great value to the world. I am a woman that can think for herself. I am an older woman that is PROUD to work with Millennials to help make the world a more empowering place for all women including women with disabilities. Join us in helping assure that everyone has an empowering voice in our societies especially women and girls with disabilities.

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Several years ago I asked my mom’s gynecologist if she could give me a routine pelvic examination.  She said she would have to put me under anesthesia to perform the exam because my cerebral palsy would not allow my body to hold still.  Although her reply was cordial, it made me feel demeaned, as if I was a second-class citizen.   Couldn’t she have her medical assistant hold my legs while she examined me?  In fact, that would have been a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

This is the kind of treatment that women with disabilities usually face regarding their health care.  According to the Center for Research on Women with Disabilities (CROWD), we have more difficulty obtaining health care than non-disabled women.  The National Study of Women with Physical Disabilities supports this, stating that we are less likely to have pelvic exams than women without disabilities.

Besides attitudinal barriers, we also face physical obstacles in doctors’ offices and hospitals.  For example, when I get a mammogram, I have to become a contortionist.  I have to put one arm upright leaning against the mammography unit, hang on to the bar with the other hand, and rest my uplifted chin against the front of the machine.  Include the fact that my body has difficulty keeping still and this almost pain-free routine exam becomes a very uncomfortable feat.  Not only am I nervous about the mammogram results, I’m also afraid that I’ll bump my face against the machine.  My incidents are not unique.  Cases exist where women with disabilities were duct taped to mammography machines.  Besides the discomfort, an inaccessible mammography machine may cause unreadable x-ray images, for the patient may move and cause one or both breasts not to be x-rayed correctly.  Consequently, potential tumors may be overlooked.

Struggles that women with disabilities face regarding healthcare stems from several reasons.  (These reasons also can pertain to men with disabilities.)  First, many medical professionals are ignorant of who we really are.  Some think we must be asexual.  Because we cannot walk or we have muscle spasms, they assume we also cannot use our bodies to love others or procreate.  So they think our intimate organs do not need preventative or medical care. Some doctors suggest hysterectomies to eliminate the hassle of menstrual cycles, assuming we don’t have the desire to become mothers. If we get breast cancer, we may not be offered reconstructive surgery because many doctors don’t see us as having female bodies but as having disabled ones.

Lack of training also contributes to health care issues for us.  Take the GYN incident above.  If the doctor knew how to give an exam to a woman with cerebral palsy, she wouldn’t have suggested the anesthesia or refused medical care.  Medical professionals should know how to gently stretch a woman’s legs if they are spastic or place a woman with spinal conditions in comfortable positions during an exam.  These techniques should be taught in medical school.  The patient also could inform the medical professional about ways to make her feel comfortable and relaxed as possible while she is being examined.

Financial issues and logistics are other obstacles that women with disabilities have to overcome to receive proper healthcare.  Many women with disabilities are on Medicaid and Medicare, which deters physicians from accepting their cases.  CROWD reports that even if women with disabilities have private insurance, many insurance companies may not pay for specific prescriptions, procedures, therapies, or assistive devices.  As an example, insurance may not pay for estrogen therapy because it is not considered a medical necessity.

Although Title II and Title III of the ADA require medical facilities to have accessible medical equipment, many still are not complying.  It is like a double-edged sword.  Hospitals and doctors may not invest in such equipment because patients with disabilities are few, while we don’t go to these facilities because they lack accommodations.  An accessible gynecological exam table, for instance, that can be lowered for easy wheelchair transfers costs between $4,000 and $10,000.  While this is expensive, it can be offset with tax incentives.

27 million women in this country and 16% of the world’s women have some kind of disability.  As populations become older and live longer, many other women will develop debilitating conditions.  Medical facilities and professionals need to realize women with disabilities are not in the minority.  More importantly, they must know that we are needed as daughters, sisters, friends, wives, mothers, and productive members of society.  So proper healthcare is vital to help us continue fulfilling these roles.

Yet, the responsibility of obtaining health care also lies with us.  We should tell doctors, medical assistants, and nurses how they could assist us in receiving the best care possible.  If they refuse to comply, then we should seek legal or other public action to ensure that all women with disabilities get the care that they deserve.

According to the UN, violence against women has become a global epidemic.  There are many factors associated with the violence including cultural, religious, political and economic conditions.  According to the UN and WHO 1 in 3 women in the world have been beaten or raped.

The Daily News reported in August that two young women in Syria in two separate incidents were stoned and bludgeoned to death because of alleged adultery.

In May 2014, a pregnant woman in Pakistan was stoned to death by her relatives and spurned finance as a crowd watched.  USA Today notes that the Lahore Police charged the young woman’s father with murder.  The father told police that he killed his daughter because she had shamed the family.

These cases are not limited to only developing countries.  Violence against women is on the rise globally.  Two women in separate incidents were attacked in the United States according to Think Progress.  “One woman in Detroit was shot and killed after refusing to give a stranger her phone number. Another woman in New York got her throat slashed for refusing to go on a date with a stranger.”

Women with disabilities are victims of violence more often than the rest of the population.  They are at higher risk for many reasons including ignorance, cultural and religious stigmas, discrimination and lack of family and social support.

According to the National Rape Response Service:

• U.S. National studies estimate that almost 80% of people with disabilities are sexually assaulted on more than one occasion and 50% of those experienced more than 10 victimizations.
•  Women with disabilities are raped and abused at a rate at least twice that of the general population of women.
•  Among adults who are developmentally disabled, as many as 83% of the females and 32% of the males are victims of sexual assault.
•  The UN believes that the best chance we have to end violence against women is to try and prevent it and address it at the structural and root causes.

The UN suggests two solutions:

1. Education for prevention

2. Working with men and boys

My husband and I have two grown children a son and daughter born with Down syndrome.  We taught our son to respect and honor women.  My husband also modeled good behavior so my son was lucky to have a positive role model.  Men and women must work together to find innovative ways to stop the senseless and brutal violence against women with and without disabilities.

For more information please visit:  www.RuhGlobal.com