We take cognizance of the fact that structurally excluded people face multiple intersecting systems
of injustice that allow invisibility and control by others. By creating spaces to be heard, structurally
excluded persons can finally exercise control over the narratives about their lives. In this case, the
intersection of multiple disabling conditions (deaf-blind, intellectual, neuromuscular and
psychosocial disabilities) and being women create a system of injustice that leads to invisibility and
lack of control over one’s life.

The COVID-19 pandemic has without question impacted the world in way that cannot be
challenged. For women with multiple disabilities already existing in a world built and setup for the
non-disabled, down to the very systems that sustain it, the realities of the pandemic were even
louder. At the same time, due to the extensive exclusion of women with multiple disabilities in
everyday life, we had some instances of adjusting easier to a life of lockdowns and limited mobility
and social interaction opportunities. This included exclusion from digital spaces.

This International Women’s Day, by creating access to power in the form of resources- of knowledge,
capacity, fiscal, convening spaces and leadership in the hands of women and girls with disabilities; we
then can give her voice back to demand for their rights; that structures and systems reform and
transform to ensure they enjoy these rights. It is on this basis that we launch Perfect 10th: Wairigia
speaks. Documenting the experiences of women with multiple disabilities during COVID-19
in Kenya and Uganda which will be launched on March 8 2023 at 10.00 – 11.30am EAT Time.