October 11th, 2022
Ottawa, ON – Today, on the International Day of the Girl Child, The Transforming Disability Knowledge, Research and Activism (TDKRA) project released its final report.
The project aimed to address the gap in knowledge about the situation of women and girls with disabilities in three disadvantaged communities in Vietnam and to build potential for their activism. The main objective of the project was to engage girls and women with disabilities in knowledge production as a form of activism for their inclusion. It also aimed to connect research and activism to build a more transformative approach to inclusion and social justice in the global South.
The TDKRA project was implemented in 5 phases. In each phase, emphasis was given to strengthening partnerships with local DPOs and the community, building local leadership, training, and enhancing women’s skills to be co-facilitators in various participatory visual methods. The outcomes of this project show potential for women and girls with disabilities to engage in local and transnational activisms. We have further pushed against traditional research methods and sought to implement decolonial methodologies by way of epistemological engagement with Global South representations. To this end, we have centered on the experience of women and girls in the Global South and worked with them to produce their desired outcomes while also respecting their agency and supporting their feelings of empowerment throughout the research process.