Representatives from Mobility International USA visited campus Wednesday to promote the second edition of “Loud, Proud and Passionate,” a book focusing on issues affecting disabled women around the world. Based in Eugene for the past 20 years, the nonprofit organization has become a leader in global development, education and empowerment for women with disabilities internationally.
Executive director and co-founder of MIUSA Susan Sygall said a disability is “not a medical issue, not a charity issue — it’s a human rights issue.”
Women from around the world apply to the organization in hopes of gaining education, leadership and other skills to help them succeed.
International development project manager Susie Grimes said this summer MIUSA will again offer the International Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability, or WILD, which is a workshop on how women with disabilities can strengthen their lives.
The workshops also include physical activities such as rafting, tree climbing and other sports disabled women may not usually take part in.
“I did things I never dreamed of,” said Ingrid Ioan, an international intern from Romania. Confined to a wheelchair after an accident in 1989, Ioan attended MIUSA’s International Youth Leadership Exchange in Eugene almost 10 years ago, where she went horseback riding for the first time.
She said she believes that an obstacle only exists if a person recognizes it as one. She has been an advocate for many disability organizations and is now a student at the University’s American English Institute.
Sygall said MIUSA helps to change disabled women’s perceptions of what they can do.
According to Sygall, 80 percent of people with disabilities live in developing countries. The program has helped these women gain jobs and access to education, as well as overcome the double discrimination of being both a woman and disabled.
“Loud, Proud and Passionate” also has information on other disability organizations and ways to get involved.
Upcoming opportunities for people interested in learning about disabled rights include “Global Perspectives on Disability,” a class offered this spring that will focus on the policies, culture and images of the disabled population. The class is available through both international studies and special education departments. MIUSA also offers an internship for students interested in helping coordinate upcoming leadership exchange programs.
For more information, contact MIUSA at 343-1284, or e-mail at [email protected].