A week ago I had the opportunity to speak to, and spend the day with, 30 women at Mobility International's Women's Institute on Leadership and Disability. These women, who came from 30 countries are all leaders of differing physical abilities—women who were deaf, blind, deaf and blind, missing a limb, twisted by polio, in wheelchairs, on crutches, women who were barely as tall as a four year-old child, and women who looked like fashion models.

They shared with me their stories in Spanish, English and Sign Language. I learned about women working as pastors in a deaf church, and as teachers in a school, as women working against violence and for reproductive rights. The same story repeated in other languages at the other tables with interpreters from MIUSA working in several languages. Participants told stories of being locked up and beaten for their disabilities, of never finding a man to love them, of being abused by their in-laws and spat at on the streets of their cities. They spoke with pride about what they had achieved—I saw pictures of the hairdressing program for women in the Gambia. They hugged each other and wiped each other's tears. They laughed at the translations and marveled about how much they had learned about one another's cultures and countries. A participant from Albania said with amazement, "I thought women from Africa lived in huts and were uneducated and then I meet a computer engineer who is blind and runs a training program for deaf and blind women. Now I want to go to Lesotho!!"

Looking at the wide range of Muslim women participating in the workshop, I realized that MIUSA's workshops are shattering common stereotypes about Islam. The local families I met from Eugene marveled at the range and diversity of women who identified as Muslim—some wear head scarves, some wear off-the-shoulder tunics, some drink beer, some eat meat and others are vegetarian—all of them are passionate advocates for disability rights. Similarly, meeting the warm, open and caring citizens of Eugene has changed many participants' limited image of an America that they have seen as an invading, occupying superpower. Instead, they are leaving Oregon with a great appreciation for the generosity and hospitality of their American host families.

My colleagues were bursting with excitement at they have done since arriving in Eugene two weeks ago. They are taking the buses to and from the workshop on their own (impressed that all buses in Eugene are wheelchair friendly!); some have learned to swim in swimsuits provided by MIUSA. They have climbed a ropes course and hung from 40 feet in the air as part of challenging their own fears about their abilities. They have used their first ever "access friendly bathrooms." They love the pavement in Eugene and the fact that no-one stares at them because they are disabled, but that they all get asked about their beautiful national dress!

The Global Fund has already provided over $1.5 million in grants to 111 grassroots organizations in 59 different countries led by women with disabilities that are working on disability rights issues. The courageous women at the conference pushed me to think about what more the Global Fund for Women can do to encourage the groups we support around the world to become more aware of and inclusive of women with disabilities, and learning from women's groups that are already leading this effort. Our continued support is key because women with disabilities are 2 to 3 times more likely to suffer physical and sexual abuse than women without disabilities. We must renew our dedication to support the education of disabled children, 98 percent of whom do not attend school, with disabled girls even less likely to attend school than boys.

The success of our grant making can be seen in women like Meliya Asanova, the founder of Hayot, the first organization in Samarkand, Uzbekistan established by and for women with disabilities. Asanova is convinced that the "the moral health of a society is determined by its attitude towards people with disabilities." We awarded Hayot its first grant in their second year of operation, when their annual operating budget was just $8,000. Today, Hayot's annual budget exceeds $200,000 and includes a diverse group of funders. The group has become a key resource in the region, not just in disability rights, but as a leader of the women's movement as a whole.

I am so glad that the Global Fund has partnered with MIUSA to support the Women's Institute for Leadership and Disability. I want to learn more about what we at the Global Fund need to do to be more accessible and continue our support of organizations like Hayot.

With inspiration and hope,

Kavita N. Ramdas