Disability and Gender: Lived Experiences of Women with Disabilities in Delhi

Disability is not seen only as a medical problem or something that exists just within a person's body. Rather, it is deeply shaped by the society in which a person lives. The meaning of disability is influenced by historical processes, cultural beliefs, and political structures that define people with disabilities as individuals in need of care or treatment, a notion that becomes even more intensified when intersected with gender. Therefore, the present study looks at the lived experiences of women with physical disabilities in Delhi, focusing on how gender and disability intersect to produce layered forms of marginalisation. The study uses ableism/disablism as an analytical framework to explore how historical prejudice and gendered exclusion have institutionally marginalised disabled women, as revealed through rich ethnographic narratives. The findings shed light on the confronting issues of ableism/ disablism and gender-based discrimination by emphasising the lived experiences of disabled women and the need to address forms of ableism and gendered exclusion in India.