Disabled, Female, and Proud: Stories of Ten Women with Disabilities - Paperback

by Harilyn Rousso (Author)

Women with disabilities face a double set of prejudices, based on gender and disability. The world too often sees them in terms of stereotypes: childlike, dependent, incompetent, asexual, unable to take on the role of worker, sexual partner, or mother. As a result, women with disabilities are left confused about who they are, and who they can become. In this exploration into the lives of ten women with disabilities, Rousso hopes to remedy this confusion. To some degree, all of the successful, adult women profiled in this book have faced these same prejudices about their potential at school, at work, or in their social lives. But they have found ways to make satisfying choices for themselves despite the barriers, and they invite women of all ages to draw upon their experiences to do the same. Rousso encourages and charges women with disabilities to make choices which go beyond society's streotypes and reflect their own unique talents, interests, and dreams, while at the same time taking into account their real limitations and needs.

Author Biography

HARILYN ROUSSO is the founder and Director of the Networking Project for Disabled Women and Girls. She is also a psychotherapist in private practice. A social worker, educator, and disability rights activist who has cerebral palsy, she writes and lectures widely on disabled women, sexuality and disability, and the psychology of disability.