Suchergebnisse

Azza Muhammad Ali was born in Cairo in 1950. Disabled from birth because of delivery complications, Azza suffered from brain paralysis and endured poor health throughout her life. She died on December 20th, 2004.Azza was her parents' only child. They separated when she was two and her guardianship was entrusted to her father. She lived with him until he sent her to boarding school in England where she stayed for nine years. Throughout that period she did not see her mother, not even once. However, she used to see her father once a year.

Studies related to disability in the Arab world are still limited and studies concerned with the status of disabled women are nearly non-existent. In order to fill the void I have conducted research work covering the experiences of 21 women with disability in seven Arab countries. By analyzing the living history of these women the study aims at deciphering the actual life conditions of women with disability in the Arab world. The objective is to highlight the areas of oppression and opportunities available to disabled Arab women in comparison with women with disability worldwide.

Disability is a twofold problem for women round the world. This is particularly true for women with disabilities in a developing country like Lebanon, where cultural norms and social traditions keep them isolated and marginalized most of the time. However, women with disabilities in Lebanon have benefited – though in a limited manner – from programs for rehabilitation, the work of some institutions and the care of disabled people's organizations.