International Women’s Day: Celebrating the strength and resilience of women with disabilities
Why Nigeria’s Leaders Flee Abroad for Healthcare While Public Hospitals Collapse. Photo credit; Eja Manifest.
By Manifest Eja
As the global community joins together to celebrate International Women’s Day, it is important to remember and honor women and girls whose voices are often unheard, yet whose courage and resilience continue to shape our societies. Among them are women and girls with disabilities, who face unique challenges but continue to demonstrate extraordinary strength, determination, and achievements.
Today provides an opportunity not only to celebrate womanhood but also to reflect on the realities faced by women who live with disabilities. Across communities, many young girls, mothers, and women with disabilities remain vulnerable due to barriers such as discrimination, limited access to education, healthcare, employment opportunities, and social inclusion. Despite these obstacles, countless women with disabilities continue to rise above challenges, contributing meaningfully to their families, communities, and the nation at large.
Indeed, being a woman in society comes with its own challenges. However, being a woman with a disability often presents even greater hurdles. Yet, these women continue to break barriers, redefine possibilities, and prove that disability does not define ability. Their achievements, resilience, and contributions deserve recognition and celebration.
International Women’s Day therefore reminds us that inclusion must be at the heart of development. It calls on governments at all levels, relevant agencies, religious institutions, healthcare providers, educational institutions, and the private sector to move beyond symbolic celebrations. Rather than limiting the day to words and ceremonies, there is a need for deliberate policies, programs, and practical actions that will improve the lives of women with disabilities.
Such actions should include:
Ensuring accessible education and skills development opportunities
Promoting economic empowerment and employment inclusion
Providing accessible healthcare and social protection
Strengthening legal protections against discrimination and abuse
Creating platforms where women with disabilities can participate in leadership and decision-making
True celebration of women must therefore include intentional support for women with disabilities, ensuring they are not left behind in national development and social progress.
As we commemorate International Women’s Day, let it be more than a symbolic event. Let it be a renewed call to action—a reminder that every woman, regardless of physical ability, deserves dignity, opportunity, recognition, and the chance to live a fulfilling life.
Women with disabilities are not merely beneficiaries of support; they are leaders, innovators, mothers, professionals, and change-makers whose stories continue to inspire society. Their resilience reminds us that inclusion is not charity—it is justice.
Today and always, we celebrate the courage, strength, and achievements of women with disabilities, and we reaffirm our collective responsibility to build a society where every woman can thrive.
Happy International Women’s Day.