Professor of Law Arlene Kanter was a panelist during the “Strikingly Beautiful: A Celebration of Women & Girls With Disabilities” event held at the White House on Jan. 13. Kanter participated in the “Strike Back” panel, a discussion on violence and abuse prevention specifically concerning women and girls with disabilities.
Arlene Kanter, standing at left, converses with (clockwise from upper right) Tina Chen, chief of staff to the First Lady; Caroline Bettinger-Lopez, White House Advisor on Violence against Women; and Stephanie Ortoleva, president of Women Disabled International Inc.
The event, hosted by the White House Office of Public Engagement, gathered more than 50 women, many with disabilities, from diverse backgrounds to discuss how to celebrate the many abilities and contributions of women and girls with disabilities within our society. There were also workshops for young women with disabilities from the Washington, D.C., area, who attended the event.
A key aspect of the event was a discussion on how to prevent violence against women and girls with disabilities, as women and girls with disabilities are two to three times more likely to encounter violence, abuse and exploitation.
Kanter presented a report that she co-authored for Handicap International’s Making it Work Initiative. “This report on gender and disability inclusion examines a number of successful grassroots campaigns from around the world that are successfully combating violence, abuse and exploitation of girls and women with disabilities,” said Kanter. “It is important to constantly work to advance policies that address the rights of girls and women with disabilities at all levels of government. One of the most effective ways to do this is to ensure that women and girls with disabilities have an opportunity to voice their opinions and share their experiences on how laws and policies can be improved, particularly to prevent violence, exploitation and discrimination.”
