WASHINGTON, DC - The American Association of People
with Disabilities (AAPD) and the National Organization for Women (NOW)
Foundation held a joint forum on disability and women's rights October
17-19, 2003. Entitled Women with Disabilities & Allies Forum:
Linking Arms for Equality & Justice for All, the three-day summit
addressed issues of mutual concern to the feminist and disability rights
movements.
The AAPD and NOW Foundation-sponsored Forum brought together
a diverse group of women from across the country to discuss a broad
range of issues and share ideas, and celebrated AAPD's and NOW's common
ground, helping all women work toward creating a future that values
and embraces them.
The forum was kicked off Friday evening, October 17 with
a welcome reception and entertainment. Saturday, October 18 and Sunday,
October 19 were a combination of plenary sessions, workshops and facilitated
panel discussions.
Forum discussion topics included women's economic empowerment,
political activism and grassroots organizing, judicial nominees, Title
IX, prenatal testing and abortion rights, health care, hate crimes,
violence against women and inaccessibility of shelters, the future of
civil rights, and how to bring together the disability rights movement
and feminist movement issues.
The American Association
of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the country's largest cross-disability
membership organization, promotes the economic and political empowerment
of all 56 million children and adults with disabilities in the U.S.
It was founded in 1995 to help unite the diverse community of people
with disabilities, including their family, friends and supporters, and
be a national voice for change in implementing the goals of the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA). AAPD members have access to a full range
of financial services through a federal credit union, a discounted mail
order prescription program, and a quarterly AAPD newsletter.
The NOW Foundation
is a 501(c)(3) organization established in 1986 to enhance the status
of women in the United States and worldwide through education, advocacy
and litigation. The NOW Foundation is affiliated with the National Organization
for Women, the largest women's rights organization in the U.S. In its
educational and advocacy efforts, the Foundation works to inform the
general public, as well as policymakers, about the need for fair and
equal treatment of women. The litigation efforts of the Foundation seek
to protect reproductive health options for women, as well as focusing
on other concerns, such as employment issues, pregnancy discrimination,
sexual harassment, lesbian and gay rights, civil rights and ending violence
against women.
