On the afternoon of Wednesday, the 14th, women from various organizations participated in the virtual roundtable: “Accessibility—So What?”, promoted by CESE and the Brazilian Movement of Blind and Low Vision Women (MBMC), as part of the “Giving for Change” program. The event was part of the program’s Community of Practice and served as a space for collective learning, meaningful exchanges, and strengthening the struggle of women with disabilities.
The event brought together women from organizations in the Northeast and other regions of Brazil. Topics addressed included the challenges, nuances, and different dimensions of accessibility, the persistent presence of ableism in social structures, and the leading role of women with disabilities in the fight for rights and a more inclusive society.
The roundtable also encouraged reflections on the various forms of accessibility—physical, architectural, communicational, and attitudinal—highlighting that true inclusion only occurs when all these dimensions are considered in an integrated way.
Facilitators Denise Santos and Kelly Araújo, members of MBMC, encouraged participants to reflect: “When you think of accessibility, what comes to mind?”, “Are our spaces and collectives truly prepared to welcome women with disabilities?”
Denise Santos reminded the group that “accessibility is a guarantee of rights, so that we can have a viable life in any space we access.” These questions emphasized the importance of reflecting on institutional and social practices—whether organizations include women with disabilities in their spaces and whether they truly understand what ableism is.
“It’s important for us to reflect as organizations too, as groups. How do we bring this agenda into our organizations? How can our organizations become more inclusive?” asked Vanessa Pugliese, CESE’s project and training advisor.
The discussion provided practical examples of communicational accessibility, such as the use of Brazilian Sign Language (LIBRAS), audio description, materials in PDF and Braille, and tools for tactile and phonetic communication, especially in cases of deafblindness. For Kelly Araújo, “there are many ways to promote communicational accessibility, and all must be taken seriously and with commitment.”
Attitudinal accessibility was also emphasized as crucial—meaning an empathetic, genuine stance of openness, listening, and respect for human diversity. “It’s no use having a good ramp or efficient communication if people don’t actively contribute to inclusion. Attitudinal accessibility is people’s attitude toward dealing with diversity,” Denise stressed. She added, “Inclusion only truly exists if there is accessibility.”
Ableism: Naming to Confront
The roundtable also served as an educational and informative space about what ableism is and how it manifests socially. Ableism is the prejudice and discrimination against people with disabilities, a term that is now gaining recognition.
The discussion deepened into the concept of ableism. According to Denise, it is now central to understanding the experience of women with disabilities. She explained that although the term may be new to many, its consequences are long-standing and well known to people living with disabilities. Ableism appears in the lack of access, invisibility, disrespect, and most of all, exclusion.
“I had heard about ableism, but didn’t know what it was. I’ve witnessed many situations. I often see people with disabilities struggling to get around and having their rights ignored. It’s very hard to live in a society where we can’t access our rights, but it’s so important to embrace knowledge, not give up the fight, and treat our dreams as our most important outfit,” said Bárbara Ramos, an activist with the Movement of Artisanal Fishers.
Patriarchy and machismo are also barriers faced by women with disabilities, even within disability rights organizations. So confronting these issues is necessary in many spaces.
Calls for Collective Action
The roundtable reinforced that the struggle of women with disabilities cannot be separated from the struggles of other women, such as Black and trans women. There are points of intersection between these experiences that call for unity, solidarity, and collective action.
The event also served as a call to each organization present to examine their own practices: “Are we truly prepared to include? Do our actions promote accessibility in all its forms, or do they simply reproduce normative patterns? Are we willing to change attitudes, language, structures?” challenged Kelly.
Raimunda Oliveira, from Coletivo Mahin and the Collective for Women, Public Policy, and Society (MUPPS), highlighted the importance of discussing hidden disabilities such as autism, which are often overlooked in public policies and daily life. “Autistic children in schools, for example, face ableism every day because society still doesn’t know how to deal with their differences. This is a conversation we need to bring naturally into our communities,” she said.
The roundtable served as an educational moment and a space for narrative reconstruction. As Denise Santos reaffirmed:
“Society still insists on a normative, heterosexual, white body. But we will continue to resist. And we invite you to resist with us.”
Giving for Change
The “Giving for Change” program is an initiative led in Brazil by CESE with support from the Dutch organization Wilde Ganzen, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition to Brazil, the program operates in seven other countries of the Global South—Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, and Palestine.
Through support for projects, training sessions, advocacy actions, and campaigns, the initiative seeks to promote more equitable practices in North-South relations, particularly through ideas of local resource mobilization and community philanthropy.