This report presents a snapshot of findings from a survey conducted in early 2012 of women with disabilities who live in the ACT by Women With Disabilities ACT (WWDACT) and the Women’s Centre for Health Matters (WCHM).
The survey was undertaken with two aims in mind: firstly, to complement existing disability data, and secondly, to highlight areas of need where data doesn ot currently exist, particularly ACT specific data disaggregated by sex and disability.
The survey covered three main areas: health and wellbeing, participation in social life and participation in economic life. Between these three areas the main priorities of WWDACT and WCHM are represented: to create the conditions necessary for all ACT women to make informed decisions about and manage their health and wellbeing; to improve women’s social participation and thereby reduce the likelihood of isolation or marginalisation; and to work to improve the social determinants of women’s health through advocating for (among other things) improved access to education and employment.
These three areas are also priorities of the ACT Women’s Plan, which seeks to ensure the social, economic and environmental contribution of women in the ACT, in particular women with disabilities. The Plan also makes a commitment to addressing existing gaps in sex disaggregated data.
You can read the survey report attached below.