Theme 11
Women with Disabilities
Project ABLE-Her Advancing Belonging, Leadership, and Economic Empowerment for Women with Disabilities
To dismantle systemic, physical, and attitudinal barriers to create an inclusive ecosystem where women and girls with disabilities in Kenya exercise their human rights, achieve economic independence, and lead in civic and political spaces. Because women and girls with disabilities face “double discrimination” based on both gender and disability, this project functions both as a standalone thematic pillar and as a cross-cutting mainstreaming lens ensuring the other pillars of the Kenya Empowerment Project are fully inclusive guided by the core principle “Nothing About Us Without Us,” led by and co-designed with Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs).
Core Project Components
“Accessible Enterprise & Wealth” (Economic Inclusion)
- Assistive Tech & Enterprise Grants: tailored seed capital combined with high-quality assistive devices (screen readers, adapted workstations, mobility aids) to remove physical barriers to work.
- AGPO & NCPWD Navigation Labs training WWDs to register with the National Council for Persons with Disabilities and bid for procurement quotas reserved for PWDs.
- Inclusive Financial Literacy: partnering with banks and SACCOs on accessible financial products (sign-language-friendly banking apps, flexible collateral requirements).
“Safe & Accessible Spaces” (GBV & Protection)
- Accessible GBV Hotlines & Shelters: upgrading hotlines with SMS, WhatsApp video (for KSL), and Easy-Read chatbots, and retrofitting 5 regional women’s shelters with ramps, accessible WASH facilities, and tactile guides.
- Justice & Police Sensitization: training Gender Desks in the National Police Service and judiciary on handling cases involving women with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities.
- Caregiver Accountability Programs: community monitoring systems to protect WWDs from abuse by family members or institutional caregivers.
“My Body, My Voice” (Health & SRHR)
- Inclusive SRHR Education: distributing materials in Braille, audio formats, Easy-Read, and KSL, with peer educators with disabilities leading discussions on consent, contraception, and maternal health.
- Healthcare Provider Training: sensitizing county hospital staff on WWD rights to prevent forced sterilizations and ensure accessible, respectful maternal care.
“Civic Power & Digital Access” (Leadership & Tech)
- OPD Leadership Accelerator training leaders of local Organizations of Persons with Disabilities in policy drafting, county budget advocacy, and media engagement.
- Digital Accessibility Audits: training WWDs in tech to audit county government websites and Kenya Empowerment Project platforms for WCAG compliance.
- Political Campaign Support: a “Reasonable Accommodation Fund” for WWDs running for political office or county youth boards, covering KSL interpreters, accessible transport, and personal assistants.
Implementation & Integration
- Inclusive County Summits: all 47 County Youth and Women Summits mandated to meet strict accessibility standards (ramps, KSL interpreters, accessible transport stipends, personal assistant allowances).
- Cross-Thematic Mainstreaming: the ABLE-Her team acts as “Inclusion Auditors” for the other pillars — e.g. ensuring the Women in ICT robotics labs have adaptive tools, and Women in Agriculture grants are accessible to women with physical disabilities.
- Strategic Partnerships: NCPWD, Ministry of Public Service & Gender, County Disability Focal Points; United Disabled Persons of Kenya (UDPK), Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), Deaf Outreach, Kenya Union of the Blind.
Specific Objectives
| Economic Justice | 2,000 WWDs equipped with accessible financial tools, assistive tech, and market linkages |
| Accessible Protection & Justice | Fully accessible GBV mechanisms in 15 high-prevalence counties; 500 justice & health workers trained |
| Bodily Autonomy & SRHR | 5,000 WWDs empowered with accessible SRHR education |
| Civic Leadership & Digital Inclusion | 300 WWD leaders trained for policy reform and digital accessibility advocacy |
Monitoring & the Reasonable Accommodation Fund
- All project registration forms use the Washington Group Short Set of Questions to accurately identify and disaggregate data by functional limitations, rather than a simple “Yes/No” disability question.
- Quarterly physical and digital accessibility audits of project hubs and platforms; WWDs hired and trained as the primary data collectors and evaluators.
- A dedicated 15% of the project budget is ring-fenced for KSL interpreters, accessible transport stipends, personal assistant allowances, and materials in Braille, large print, and Easy-Read formats.
Alignment with Continental & Global Frameworks
- ✅ UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) – Articles 6, 8, and 9
- ✅ AU Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa
- ✅ AUDA-NEPAD’s Inclusive Development Agenda
- ✅ Kenya’s Constitution (2010) – Article 54 (Rights of PWDs) and Article 27 (Freedom from discrimination)
- ✅ UN SDGs: Leaving No One Behind, SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)
“Nothing About Us Without Us.”