The Land of a Thousand Hills and Memories: My experience seeing the Feminist Accessibility Protocol in practice during the Women Deliver Conference
By Shiela May Inmenzo Aggarao
***Esta publicación está disponible en español aquí***
Back in 2022, while working with my Inclusive Generation Equality Collective (IGEC) colleagues to develop the Feminist Accessibility Protocol, I asked myself, “Who will sign on to the Protocol? Are they really going to implement it?”. Now, one year later, I would like to share the answers to those questions.
One day, I got an email inviting me to participate in the Women Deliver Conference (WDC) in Kigali, Rwanda, representing the IGEC to promote the Protocol. As Women Deliver was the first signatory to the Protocol, I was excited to see their work to provide accessibility to and include feminists with disabilities in the Conference. It was also a big responsibility for me to advocate for the Protocol in such a space, representing my dear IGEC colleagues.
After I said yes, the preparation began. It was 2014 since I last attended a big conference focused on gender equality. I must admit I was uncertain of what would happen. But the up-to-date information, accessibility guidance note, and the pre-WDC virtual meeting were very helpful in guaranteeing inclusion not only for me, but for other feminists with disabilities joining Women Deliver. It was also comforting to be assured that I could attend the Conference with my personal assistant to support my participation without hefty disability-related costs on my end. I had high hopes and expectations on how their commitment to the Protocol would manifest in the actual Conference.
After 24 hours of travel from Manila, the Philippines, a vibrant atmosphere greeted us in Kigali. I told myself, “This is it!”. Getting our badges, our proud symbol of participation in WDC 2023, was easy. Volunteers in bright yellow shirts were all around, ready to assist us.
July 16 came, bringing the pre-conference event with it. Due to an unforeseen turn of events, I ended up in a space that was not on my itinerary. Bearing in mind the theme of the Conference, “Spaces, Solidarity, Solutions”, I took advantage of that little incident to infiltrate the Action Fem The Future: Philanthropy for Gender Justice space. It was the time to position myself in events, balancing my participation in disability-focused activities and other feminist spaces, which did not necessarily include a disability perspective. It was important to be in those spaces. I stood, asked, and proposed solutions on how women, girls, and gender-diverse people with disabilities are and can be included and considered in terms of funding and resource allocation.
During The Generation Equality Forum Impact Fest, I had the opportunity to ask how the progress is so far in terms of including feminists with disabilities. Based on their answers, there is a long way to go. But, I took every opportunity to raise awareness about the Protocol and the Collective.
During the Conference, I paid attention to the accessibility and inclusion features while also taking note of the barriers. There are so many features to talk about, but I think one of the highlights was the mobile application. As a screen-reader user, I found it very accessible and user friendly. I was able to organize my schedule, search for people, events, and their location. It also had information for sessions in International Sign. I felt it helped me to be more independent, efficient, and productive with my entire schedule.
The Land of a Thousand Hills, as Rwanda is called, gave me thousands of beautiful memories! Kigali has very nice weather, good food, and vibrant culture. Even more than the program and the facilities, I loved meeting other advocates and being in solidarity with them the most. After two years of joint remote work, I finally met the Women Enabled International team, who supported me all the way. Not to mention the amazing time that we had together. It was also a special moment to finally be in person with my IGEC sister, Patience. I also had the bonus of meeting other feminist organizations, many of which also signed on to the Protocol, and visiting the organization CBM Rwanda. The week was packed! I talked, cheered, enjoyed meals, and exchanged contact with feminists with and without disabilities.
It was fantastic to see feminists with disabilities in front of and alongside other feminists as resource persons, media correspondents, organizers, and participants. After my experience at the Conference, I can say that Women Deliver took their pledge seriously. Signing on to the Protocol can be daunting for some actors. But the Women Deliver Conference proved it is very possible. I look forward to the future signatories that will bring the Feminist Accessibility Protocol into practice and work alongside feminists with disabilities, and the IGEC in particular, to create more accessible and inclusive feminist spaces.
About the author
Shiela May Aggarao is a feminist with a disability who identifies as an ambivert and is a certified Ravenclaw! She wears multiple hats as a member of Inclusive Generation Equality Collective and two Philippine organizations of persons with disabilities, Nationwide Organization of Visually-Impaired Empowered Ladies (NOVEL) and Life Haven Center for Independent Living.
