Being a Handicapped Feminist

"All the responsive members of the community should be feeling in their hearts the unbearable weight of being a woman, especially a disabled woman," says the Turkish Association of the Disabled.

The "disabled women" congress was organized by the Canakkale branch of the Turkish Association of the Disabled and Canakkale Women's Union. The Canakkale municipality contributed to the organization.

The 7th Women's Congress, aimed at questioning and revealing the violence against women, and to increase solidarity among women, was organized with the contributions of the Heinrich Boll Foundation and hosted by the Women's Consultation Center of the Foundation to Appraise Women's Handwork in Canakkale.

The Women's Shelters Congress began on December 3 with the participation of women from various women's organizations from all over Turkey and lasted for three days.

The "disabled women" congress took place on the same day between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. with the participation of representatives from various women and disabled's organizations located in the northwest Marmara region.

December 3 is also the International Day of Disabled Persons.

The women who participated in the women's shelters congress were experienced. However the women who attended the disabled women's congress had no experience at all.

Only women participated in the women's shelters congress. Men and children as well as women attended the disabled women's congress. Moreover, the idea to organize such a congress belonged to a man and it was again a man who organized the event.

Orhan Mutay, who delivered the opening speech, contributed to organizing the congress because he doesn't want her disabled daughter to live through the same difficulties faced by today's disabled women when she grows up. "It's like the world's most beautiful flowers are here," said Mutay as he began his speech.

There were handicapped and disabled persons at the "disabled women" congress. Participants spoke of being disabled. They spoke of the problems of the disabled people. But they could not speak of being a women. They were so oppressed as disabled persons that it seemed like there was no space for them to be oppressed as women.

At the women's shelters congress that I attended until noon, I spoke as a disabled person and listened as a woman. At the "disabled women" congress, "I was more of a disabled person and less of a woman. I felt like I was falling into pieces between the two congresses.

I spoke of the same example at both congresses, but for different reasons.

"I was beaten up by my husband for exactly 44 years. I was beaten up to death. He was more handicapped than I was. He would call me over to beat me up. And I would go. I can't remember how many crutches he broke on my head."

I spoke of this example at the women's shelters congress to convey the message that "there is violence against disabled women too." At the "disabled women" congress, my message was: "Violence against women is everywhere!"

Both congresses were very important. We all know the importance of the women's shelters congress: It will contribute to the establishment of shelters in every province, help women walk away from violence and feel secure.

The "disabled women" congress is a first step toward helping women fight against not only problems arising from being disabled, but also those from being a woman.

But first of all, disabled women have to become acquainted with the women's movement. Women have to become acquainted with feminism. Feminists have to become acquainted with disabled women.

Women's point of view was not enough at the "disabled women" congress. Being a woman is not enough for telling what we go through. We need a feminist point of view to understand why and how we are being oppressed as women, and how we will break loose.

And in the same way, feminist women need a disabled point of view to find out and understand the problems that disabled women face for being disabled.

We can create an ideology of "disabledism," quite like "feminism; an ideology that would help us understand why and how the disabled are oppressed and develop ways to fight the oppression.

Come on; let's fill in the blanks of our new ideology together...

Note: I used the notion of "disabled women," in my article because that was the phrase used by the organizers of the congress. I am not disabled I am handicapped. I will not say why because I am sure the bianet readers know the reason.

I know everybody is tired of these conceptual arguments. I am not only tired of them; I am sick of them. I am sick and tired of saying the same things over and over again everywhere I go. Because I speak and write about this issue a lot.

Respectfully... (NG/BB/EA/YE)