Ms. Wheelchair America 2005: Participating in National Women's Health Week

By Juliette Rizzo

Noted social reformer and advocate for women’s rights, Sarah Margaret Fuller said, “If you have knowledge, let others light their candles by it.”

Knowledge is power, and during National Women’s Health Week, May 9-15, all women have a tremendous opportunity to learn about and take charge of their personal health and wellness. National Women’s Health Week is a national effort by The Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health, in cooperation with numerous governmental and non-governmental organizations, to raise awareness about manageable steps women can take to improve their health. The focus is on incorporating simple, preventative, and positive health behaviors into every day life. It’s a message for all women every day of every week, not just for National Women’s Health Week.

When we talk about women’s health, we often forget about the healthcare needs of our underserved populations, including women with cognitive disabilities, physical or sensory. As Ms. Wheelchair America 2005, I have been granted a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to advocate on behalf of the needs and achievements of over 54 million people with disabilities, 28 million of whom are women who were born with or have acquired a disability during their lifetime. Disability is different from illness, many women with disabilities lead healthy lives…as women first. We are mothers, daughters, sisters and wives who want to pursue full and engaged lives with dignity. We are women who desire to be beautiful, educated, employed and lead active, independent lifestyles. We are women who, like many other women, often overlook ourselves, taking care of others while we have the same health, wellness, and physical activity needs as anyone else.

Having a disability can create a diverse set of challenges, like getting access to quality health care services; having accessible transportation and personal assistance to keep appointments; and find knowledgeable health care professionals. Scarcity of information about how disability affects health further impedes our efforts. While awareness of women’s health and concerns of women with disabilities is growing, we have a long way to go to reducing health disparities among this population of women.

In celebration of this week, I am exercising the new freedoms I have experienced from taking charge of my health – new freedoms which include a 31-pound weight loss, a decrease in pain and fatigue levels, the ability to cross my legs unassisted for the first time, and the opportunity to advocate for exactly what National Women’s Health Week stands for: adopting healthier behaviors.

As I’ve traveled around the country advocating as Ms. Wheelchair America, I have heard the stories of countless women with disabilities. Their stories echo consistent messages:

• Many women with disabilities do not recognize their need to become advocates for their own health and wellness. They simply do not have access to or are not aware of materials and messages about health promotion directed to them.
• Information and materials on the Internet rarely show images of women with disabilities engaging in healthy behaviors.
• The media, while covering the obesity epidemic, have overlooked people with disabilities, and few programs and products created to support a healthy diet and lifestyle actually target the population of women with disabilities.
• Screening facilities might not be accessible or contain the appropriate accessible equipment to examine people with disabilities.
• Exercise programs rarely show individuals with mobility impairments involved in physical activity.

The Office on Disability and the Office on Women’s Health, both part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, recognize that good health is a prerequisite for contributing independent and self-directed lives in the community for women with disabilities. This is a key mainstay of the President’s New Freedom Initiative for people with disabilities.

National Women’s Health Week offers women with disabilities the opportunity to participate in their health care. It is an opportunity to advocate for the changes that are needed to make health and wellness opportunities accessible to everyone regardless of disability. Let us commit as women with disabilities to sharing our collective knowledge and expertise about our needs and our bodies to help eliminate the barriers that still exist to quality health and wellness for all. Let us commit to staying healthy and being vigilant about important health regimens, and avail ourselves of all the opportunities available for preventive screenings. I encourage all women to take an active “roll” and participate in all this week has to offer!

More information about National Women’s Health Week, including lists of events in your area, health statistics, and free downloads are available at www.womenshealth.gov/whw.

For information about the Office on Disability, please visit their web site at http://www.hhs.gov/od/index.html.

As Ms. Wheelchair America 2005, Juliette Rizzo speaks and advocates nationally about the needs and achievements of people with disabilities. To learn more about the Ms. Wheelchair America program, please visit www.mswheelchairamerica.org
Contact Juliette at mswheelchairamerica2005@comcast.net

Last updated: May, 2005

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