Celebrating Women’s Health and Disabilities with the Accessibility Advisory Committee

March 8, 2023 by Leave a Comment

Happy Women’s History Month from the Accessibility Advisory Committee!

In celebration of the nearly four billion women in the world, including the many brilliant women at Shoreline Community College, the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) will focus on women with disabilities and women’s health this March.

According to the United Nations, approximately one in five women live with a disability. Says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Disability and Health Promotion, about 36 million women in the United States have disabilities, and approximately 44% of women aged 65 and older are living with a disability. Moreover, unemployment rates are the highest among women with disabilities due to the “double discrimination” they face. The United Nations estimates that 75% of women with disabilities are unemployed and those who are employed earn less than their counterparts who are not female and/or do not have disabilities.

In the past, many female-related diagnoses were not considered “disabilities,” per se. However, when the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) was past, this changed and made a huge difference in the lives of many people. For example, those who have reproductive disorders (men and women) are eligible for accommodations, such as to go to medical appointments.

Is Pregnancy a Disability Under the ADA?

Pregnancy is not considered a “disability” in and of itself. People who are pregnant are protected at school and in the workplace under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA). However, individuals who have pregnancy-related disabilities would be protected by the ADA. For example, those who have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, preeclamsia, or simply have been told by a physician that they cannot lift during pregnancy or that they are at high risk would all be eligible for accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Furthermore, though Post-Partum Depression is post-birth, it is still pregnancy-related and it is still a very serious mental health disability so is covered under the PDA and the ADA. At Shoreline Community College, students who are pregnant should work with Student Accessibility Services if they need accommodations, and employees should work with Human Resources, recognizes that they will also likely need to take FMLA for maternity leave.

PMDD, PMS, and Menstruation

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is not the same as Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). PMDD is a significant mental health disorder which can cause anxiety, sadness, anger, and more. PMDD only affects approximately 8% of women, but those who are accurately diagnosed may need to be treated in a variety of ways, including with medication, due to the severity of their symptoms. 

Individuals with PMDD as well as well as those with significant symptoms from PMS and menstruation, such as migraines, severe cramping, and gastrointestinal problems may be eligible for accommodations at school and in the workplace.

Risks for Women

Due to their body structure, and because they menstruate for several decades, women are at particularly high risk for some disabilities. Specifically, we see anemia in nearly all women. Women are also highly at risk for arthritis; this is the most common cause of disability among older women. For those of us who spend our days in sedentary jobs, typing at computers, the risk not only goes up, but the effects will be seen sooner.

Resources

How are we doing?

Please submit feedback about the information that the Accessibility Advisory Committee shares, or any questions that you have, to Miranda Levy via email at mlevy@shoreline.edu so that the committee can review together and serve the campus community better.

Filed Under: Announcements Tagged With: ,

Shoreline’s Disability Awareness Society Honors International Cerebral Palsy Day Wed., Oct. 7

October 6, 2015 by Leave a Comment

wcpday
October 7, 2015 is World Cerebral Palsy Day. In honor of this day, the students in Shoreline’s Disability Awareness Society will be hosting a table in the PUB from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. to help educate the campus community on cerebral palsy…a disability that affects 17 million people world-wide.

Although cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common physical disability in childhood, it is widely misunderstood. Through World CP Day, we have the opportunity to raise awareness of CP in our communities and assist others to look beyond the disability.

Public awareness is an issue because CP is a complex, lifelong disability. It primarily affects movement, but people with CP may also have visual, learning, hearing, speech, epilepsy and intellectual impairments. It can be mild, such as a weakness in one hand, to severe cases in which people have little control over movements or speech and may need 24-hour assistance.

People living with CP can experience a range of responses from others in their communities. On one end of the spectrum, they can face deep-seated but misguided sympathy, or even pity. Though intentions are good, they infantilize the person with CP. They can be smothered with (too much) love, and spoken to in a simple, childlike way. Others can subconsciously over-protect a person with CP, and thus prevent them from having essential life experiences.

On the other end of the spectrum, CP is viewed through deep-seated cultural beliefs. It may be seen as validation of superstitions about the mother, or wrath upon a family. Some even believe that CP is contagious or that a child with CP brings shame to a family. Mothers may be abandoned with their child, or a person with CP may live their life in an institution.

And in the middle are thousands of fine people who still find it difficult to make eye contact or know how to communicate with someone who has CP. It is not that they feel any ill will, it is just best—maybe even polite—to not engage.

There is nothing to be gained in blaming people for their ignorance about CP. Instead, we will work to put an end to it. We have the ability and the moral obligation to ensure everyone knows the real truth, and acts accordingly.

The above information and more can be found on the World CP Day’s site. For an graphic with even more information about cerebral palsy, click here.

Filed Under: Announcements Tagged With: , , ,